IP Library Granted Patent US 10,770,310
Granted Patent B2
US 10,770,310 · App. 16/524,733 · Granted Sep 8, 2020

Semiconductor device

Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki (Setagaya, JP); Yasuharu Hosaka (Tochigi, JP); Toshimitsu Obonai (Shimotsuke, JP); Junichi Koezuka (Tochigi, JP); Yukinori Shima (Tatebayashi, JP); Masahiko Hayakawa (Tochigi, JP); Takashi Hamochi (Tochigi, JP); Suzunosuke Hiraishi (Tochigi, JP)
Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
H01L21/477H01L21/02112H01L21/02403H01L21/28H01L29/24H01L29/7869H01L29/78606
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,770,310
App. No.
16/524,733
Granted
Sep 8, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

To suppress a change in electrical characteristics and to improve reliability in a semiconductor device using a transistor including an oxide semiconductor. The semiconductor device includes a gate electrode over an insulating surface, an oxide semiconductor film overlapping with the gate electrode, a gate insulating film which is between the gate electrode and the oxide semiconductor film and is in contact with a surface of the oxide semiconductor film, a protective film in contact with an opposite surface of the surface of the oxide semiconductor film, and a pair of electrodes in contact with the oxide semiconductor film. In the gate insulating film or the protective film, the amount of gas having a mass-to-charge ratio m/z of 17 released by heat treatment is greater than the amount of nitrogen oxide released by heat treatment.

Claims (55)

1. A semiconductor device comprising:

an oxide semiconductor layer and a first electrode overlapping with each other;

an insulating layer between the first electrode and the oxide semiconductor layer, the insulating layer being in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer; and

a pair of second electrodes in electrical contact with the oxide semiconductor layer,

wherein the insulating layer includes silicon, oxygen, and nitrogen oxide,

wherein the insulating layer includes a portion whose spin density measured by electron spin resonance spectroscopy is greater than or equal to 1×10 17 spins/cm 3 and less than 1×10 18 spins/cm 3 ,

wherein an electron spin resonance spectrum of the portion has a first signal that appears at a g-factor in a range greater than or equal to 2.037 and less than or equal to 2.039, a second signal that appears at a g-factor in a range greater than or equal to 2.001 and less than or equal to 2.003, and a third signal that appears at a g-factor in a range greater than or equal to 1.964 and less than or equal to 1.966, and

wherein the first signal, the second signal, and the third signal are attributed to the nitrogen oxide.

2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the insulating layer includes a region where an amount of gas having a mass-to-charge ratio m/z of 17 released by heat treatment is greater than an amount of nitrogen oxide released by the heat treatment.

3. The semiconductor device according to claim 2 ,

wherein at least one of an amount of gas having a mass-to-charge ratio m/z of 30 released by the heat treatment and an amount of gas having a mass-to-charge ratio m/z of 46 released by the heat treatment is less than or equal to a detection limit in the region, and

wherein the amount of the gas having the mass-to-charge ratio m/z of 17 released by the heat treatment is greater than or equal to 1×10 18 molecules/cm 3 and less than or equal to 5×10 19 molecules/cm 3 in the region.

4. The semiconductor device according to claim 3 ,

wherein the gas having the mass-to-charge ratio m/z of 30 comprises nitrogen monoxide,

wherein the gas having the mass-to-charge ratio m/z of 46 comprises nitrogen dioxide, and

wherein the gas having the mass-to-charge ratio m/z of 17 comprises ammonia.

5. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein a split width of the first signal and the second signal and a split width of the second signal and the third signal measured by electron spin resonance spectroscopy using an X-band are each 5 mT.

6. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the nitrogen oxide includes at least one of nitrogen monoxide and nitrogen dioxide.

7. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the first electrode is over an insulating surface, and

wherein the oxide semiconductor layer, and the insulating layer are between the insulating surface and the first electrode.

8. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the first electrode is over an insulating surface, and

wherein the first electrode and the insulating layer are between the insulating surface and the oxide semiconductor layer.

9. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the insulating layer is in direct contact with the oxide semiconductor layer.

10. The semiconductor device according to claim 2 , wherein the region includes a first number of ammonia molecules and a second number of nitrogen oxide molecules so that the amount of the gas having the mass-to-charge ratio m/z of 17 released by the heat treatment is greater than the amount of nitrogen oxide released by the heat treatment.

11. A semiconductor device comprising:

an oxide semiconductor layer and a first electrode overlapping with each other;

a first insulating layer between the first electrode and the oxide semiconductor layer, the first insulating layer being in contact with a first surface of the oxide semiconductor layer;

a second insulating layer in contact with a second surface of the oxide semiconductor layer, the second surface being on a side opposite to the first surface; and

a pair of second electrodes in electrical contact with the oxide semiconductor layer,

wherein the second insulating layer includes silicon, oxygen, and nitrogen oxide,

wherein the second insulating layer includes a portion whose spin density measured by electron spin resonance spectroscopy is greater than or equal to 1×10 17 spins/cm 3 and less than 1×10 18 spins/cm 3 ,

wherein an electron spin resonance spectrum of the portion has a first signal that appears at a g-factor in a range greater than or equal to 2.037 and less than or equal to 2.039, a second signal that appears at a g-factor in a range greater than or equal to 2.001 and less than or equal to 2.003, and a third signal that appears at a g-factor in a range greater than or equal to 1.964 and less than or equal to 1.966, and

wherein the first signal, the second signal, and the third signal are attributed to the nitrogen oxide.

12. The semiconductor device according to claim 11 , wherein the second insulating layer includes a region where an amount of gas having a mass-to-charge ratio m/z of 17 released by heat treatment is greater than an amount of nitrogen oxide released by the heat treatment.

13. The semiconductor device according to claim 12 ,

wherein at least one of an amount of gas having a mass-to-charge ratio m/z of 30 released by the heat treatment and an amount of gas having a mass-to-charge ratio m/z of 46 released by the heat treatment is less than or equal to a detection limit in the region, and

wherein the amount of the gas having the mass-to-charge ratio m/z of 17 released by the heat treatment is greater than or equal to 1×10 18 molecules/cm 3 and less than or equal to 5×10 19 molecules/cm 3 in the region.

14. The semiconductor device according to claim 13 ,

wherein the gas having the mass-to-charge ratio m/z of 30 comprises nitrogen monoxide,

wherein the gas having the mass-to-charge ratio m/z of 46 comprises nitrogen dioxide, and

wherein the gas having the mass-to-charge ratio m/z of 17 comprises ammonia.

15. The semiconductor device according to claim 11 , wherein a split width of the first signal and the second signal and a split width of the second signal and the third signal measured by electron spin resonance spectroscopy using an X-band are each 5 mT.

16. The semiconductor device according to claim 11 , wherein the nitrogen oxide includes at least one of nitrogen monoxide and nitrogen dioxide.

17. The semiconductor device according to claim 11 ,

wherein the first electrode is over an insulating surface, and

wherein the second insulating layer, the oxide semiconductor layer, and the first insulating layer are between the insulating surface and the first electrode.

18. The semiconductor device according to claim 11 ,

wherein the first electrode is over an insulating surface, and

wherein the first electrode and the first insulating layer are between the insulating surface and the oxide semiconductor layer.

19. The semiconductor device according to claim 11 ,

wherein the first insulating layer is in direct contact with the first surface of the oxide semiconductor layer, and

wherein the second insulating layer is in direct contact with the second surface of the oxide semiconductor layer.

20. The semiconductor device according to claim 12 , wherein the region includes a first number of ammonia molecules and a second number of nitrogen monoxide molecules so that the amount of the gas having the mass-to-charge ratio m/z of 17 released by the heat treatment is greater than the amount of the gas having the mass-to-charge ratio m/z of 30 released by the heat treatment.

Priority Claims (4)
JP 2013-213240 · Oct 10, 2013 · national
JP 2013-216220 · Oct 17, 2013 · national
JP 2013-242253 · Nov 22, 2013 · national
JP 2013-250040 · Dec 3, 2013 · national
Continuity (3)
Continuation 15584223 · May 2, 2017
Continuation 14505004 · Oct 2, 2014
Related Publication 20190355591A1 · Nov 21, 2019