IP Library Granted Patent US 7,923,723
Granted Patent B2
US 7,923,723 · App. 12/281,783 · Granted Apr 12, 2011

Thin-film transistor and display device using oxide semiconductor

Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,923,723
App. No.
12/281,783
Granted
Apr 12, 2011
Kind
B2
Abstract

The thin-film transistor of the present invention has at least a semiconductor layer including: on a substrate, a source electrode, a drain electrode, and a channel region; a gate insulating film; and a gate electrode, wherein the semiconductor layer is an oxide semiconductor layer, and wherein the gate insulating film is amorphous silicon including at least O and N, and the gate insulating film has a distribution of an oxygen concentration in a thickness direction so that the oxygen concentration is high in the side of an interface with an oxide semiconductor layer and the oxygen concentration decreases toward the side of the gate electrode.

Claims (46)

1. A thin-film transistor comprising, on a substrate:

a semiconductor layer including a channel region and being electrically connected to a source electrode and a drain electrode;

a gate insulating film; and

a gate electrode,

wherein the semiconductor layer is an amorphous oxide semiconductor layer,

wherein the gate insulating film is a single layer of amorphous silicon oxynitride, and

wherein the gate insulating film has an oxygen concentration that varies in a thickness direction, so that the oxygen concentration is relatively high at a side of an interface with the amorphous oxide semiconductor layer, continuously decreases in the thickness direction, and is relatively low at a side of an interface with the gate electrode.

2. The thin-film transistor according to claim 1 , wherein the amorphous oxide semiconductor layer includes In, Zn, and O.

3. The thin-film transistor according to claim 2 , wherein the amorphous oxide semiconductor layer further includes at least one element selected from a group consisting of Ga, Al, Fe, Sn, Mg, Ca, Si, and Ge, and has a resistance value less than 10 10 Ω·m.

4. A thin-film transistor according to claim 1 ,

wherein the thin-film transistor incorporated in a display device that includes a display element, the display element being disposed on the substrate with the thin-film transistor, and

wherein the source electrode or the drain electrode of the thin-film transistor is connected to an electrode of the display element.

5. The thin-film transistor according to claim 4 , wherein the display element is an electroluminescence element.

6. The thin-film transistor according to claim 4 , wherein the display element is a liquid crystal cell.

7. The thin-film transistor according to claim 4 , wherein a plurality of display elements and a plurality of thin-film transistors are two-dimensionally arranged on the substrate.

8. A thin-film transistor according to claim 2 ,

wherein the thin-film transistor incorporated in a display device that includes a display element, the display element being disposed on the substrate with the thin-film transistor, and

wherein the source electrode or the drain electrode of the thin-film transistor is connected to an electrode of the display element.

9. A thin-film transistor according to claim 3 ,

wherein the thin-film transistor incorporated in a display device that includes a display element, the display element being disposed on the substrate with the thin-film transistor, and

wherein the source electrode or the drain electrode of the thin-film transistor is connected to an electrode of the display element.

10. The thin-film transistor according to claim 8 , wherein the display element is an electroluminescence element.

11. The thin-film transistor according to claim 9 , wherein the display element is an electroluminescence element.

12. The thin-film transistor according to claim 8 , wherein the display element is a liquid crystal cell.

13. The thin-film transistor according to claim 9 , wherein the display element is a liquid crystal cell.

14. The thin-film transistor according to claim 5 , wherein a plurality of display elements and a plurality of thin-film transistors are two-dimensionally arranged on the substrate.

15. The thin-film transistor according to claim 6 , wherein a plurality of display elements and a plurality of thin-film transistors are two-dimensionally arranged on the substrate.

16. The thin film transistor according to claim 1 , wherein the amorphous oxide semiconductor layer is an amorphous In—Ga—Zn oxide semiconductor layer.

17. The thin film transistor according to claim 16 , wherein the amorphous In—Ga—Zn oxide semiconductor layer further includes at least one element selected from a group consisting of Al, Fe, Sn, Mg, Ca, Si and Ge, and has a resistance value less than 10 10 Ω·m.

18. A thin-film transistor comprising, on a substrate:

a semiconductor layer including a channel region and being electrically connected to a source electrode and a drain electrode;

a gate insulating film; and

a gate electrode,

wherein the semiconductor layer is an amorphous oxide semiconductor layer,

wherein the gate insulating film is a single layer of amorphous silicon oxynitride,

wherein the gate insulating film has an oxygen concentration that varies in a thickness direction, so that the oxygen concentration is relatively high at a side of an interface with the amorphous oxide semiconductor layer, decreases gradually in the thickness direction, and is relatively low at a side of an interface with the gate electrode, and

wherein the relatively high oxygen concentration of the gate insulating film at the side of the interface with the amorphous oxide semiconductor layer minimizes movement of oxygen through the interface between the gate insulating film and the amorphous oxide semiconductor layer.

19. A thin-film transistor comprising, on a substrate:

a semiconductor layer including a channel region and being electrically connected to a source electrode and a drain electrode;

a gate insulating film; and

a gate electrode,

wherein the semiconductor layer is an amorphous oxide semiconductor layer,

wherein the gate insulating film is a single layer of amorphous silicon oxynitride, and

wherein the gate insulating film has a gradient distribution of an oxygen concentration in a thickness direction, so that the oxygen concentration is relatively high at a side of an interface with the amorphous oxide semiconductor layer, and so that the oxygen concentration continuously decreases toward a side of an interface with the gate electrode.

20. The thin film transistor according to claim 19 , wherein the gradient distribution has a constant slope.

21. The thin film transistor according to claim 19 , wherein the gradient distribution has a gradually changing slope.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 30, 2008
From: HAYASHI, RYO; ABE, KATSUMI; SANO, MASAFUMI
To: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 021612/0760 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2006-074627 · Mar 17, 2006 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20090072232A1 · Mar 19, 2009