An object is to provide a semiconductor device of which a manufacturing process is not complicated and by which cost can be suppressed, by forming a thin film transistor using an oxide semiconductor film typified by zinc oxide, and a manufacturing method thereof. For the semiconductor device, a gate electrode is formed over a substrate; a gate insulating film is formed covering the gate electrode; an oxide semiconductor film is formed over the gate insulating film; and a first conductive film and a second conductive film are formed over the oxide semiconductor film. The oxide semiconductor film has at least a crystallized region in a channel region.

Semiconductor device, and manufacturing method thereof

Process gas discharged from a bypass pipe to a gas exhaust system can be prevented from diffusing back to the inside of a process chamber without having to install a dedicated vacuum pump at the downstream side of the bypass pipe. The substrate processing apparatus includes a process chamber accommodating a substrate, a gas supply system supplying process gas from a process gas source to the process chamber for processing the substrate, a gas exhaust system configured to exhaust the process chamber, two or more vacuum pumps installed in series at the gas exhaust system, and a bypass pipe connected between the gas supply system and the gas exhaust system. The most upstream one of the vacuum pumps is a mechanical booster pump, and the bypass pipe is connected between the mechanical booster pump and the rest vacuum pumps located at a downstream side of the mechanical booster pump.

Substrate Processing Apparatus

Embodiments of the invention generally provide a method for depositing films or layers using a UV source during a photoexcitation process. The films are deposited on a substrate and usually contain a material, such as silicon (e.g., epitaxy, crystalline, microcrystalline, polysilicon, or amorphous), silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, or other silicon-containing materials. The photoexcitation process may expose the substrate and/or gases to an energy beam or flux prior to, during, or subsequent a deposition process. Therefore, the photoexcitation process may be used to pre-treat or post-treat the substrate or material, to deposit the silicon-containing material, and to enhance chamber cleaning processes. Attributes of the method that are enhanced by the UV photoexcitation process include removing native oxides prior to deposition, removing volatiles from deposited films, increasing surface energy of the deposited films, increasing the excitation energy of precursors, reducing deposition time, and reducing deposition temperature.

Method for forming silicon-containing materials during a photoexcitation deposition process

The magnitude of the V/sub T/ instability in conventional MOSFETs and MOS capacitors with SiO/sub 2//HfO/sub 2/ dual-layer gate dielectrics is shown to depend strongly on the details of the measurement sequence used. By applying time-resolved measurements (capacitance-time traces and charge-pumping measurements), it is demonstrated that this behavior is caused by the fast charging and discharging of preexisting defects near the SiO/sub 2//HfO/sub 2/ interface and in the bulk of the HfO/sub 2/ layer. Based on these results, a simple defect model is proposed that can explain the complex behavior of the V/sub T/ instability in terms of structural defects as follows. 1) A defect band in the HfO/sub 2/ layer is located in energy above the Si conduction band edge. 2) The defect band shifts rapidly in energy with respect to the Fermi level in the Si substrate as the gate bias is varied. 3) The rapid energy shifts allows for efficient charging and discharging of the defects near the SiO/sub 2//HfO/sub 2/ interface by tunneling.

Origin of the threshold voltage instability in SiO 2 /HfO 2 dual layer gate dielectrics

Vaporizable material is supported within a vessel to promote contact of an introduced gas with the vaporizable material, and produce a product gas including vaporized material. A heating element supplies heat to a wall of the vessel to heat vaporizable material disposed therein. The vessel may comprise an ampoule having a removable top. Multiple containers defining multiple material support surfaces may be stacked disposed within a vessel in thermal communication with the vessel. A tube may be disposed within the vessel and coupled to a gas inlet. Filters, flow meters, and level sensors may be further provided. Product gas resulting from contact of introduced gas with vaporized material may be delivered to atomic layer deposition (ALD) or similar process equipment. At least a portion of source material including a solid may be dissolved in a solvent, followed by removal of solvent to yield source material (e.g., a metal complex) disposed within the vaporizer.

Method and apparatus to help promote contact of gas with vaporized material

Preferred embodiments of the present invention provides a sublimation system employing guidance structures including certain preferred embodiments having a high surface area support medium onto which a solid source material for vapor reactant is coated. Preferably, a guidance structure is configured to facilitate the repeated saturation of the carrier gas with the solid source for a vapor reactant. Methods of saturating a carrier gas using guidance structures are also provided.

Sublimation bed employing carrier gas guidance structures

Improved methods and systems for passivating a surface of a high-mobility semiconductor and structures and devices formed using the methods are disclosed. The method includes providing a high-mobility semiconductor surface to a chamber of a reactor and exposing the high-mobility semiconductor surface to a gas-phase sulfur precursor to passivate the high-mobility semiconductor surface.

System and method for gas-phase sulfur passivation of a semiconductor surface

Embodiments related to methods for forming a film stack on a substrate are provided. One example method comprises exposing the substrate to an activated oxygen species and converting an exposed surface of the substrate into a continuous monolayer of a first dielectric material. The example method also includes forming a second dielectric material on the continuous monolayer of the first dielectric material without exposing the substrate to an air break.

Semiconductor device dielectric interface layer

Embodiments of the present disclosure can help increase throughput and reduce resource conflicts and delays in semiconductor processing tools. An exemplary method according to various aspects of the present disclosure includes analyzing, by a computer program operating on a computer system, a plurality of expected times to complete each of a respective plurality of actions to be performed by a semiconductor processing tool, the semiconductor processing tool including a first process module and a second process module.

Systems and methods for dynamic semiconductor process scheduling

In some aspects, methods of forming a metal sulfide thin film are provided. According to some methods, a metal sulfide thin film is deposited on a substrate in a reaction space in a cyclical process where at least one cycle includes alternately and sequentially contacting the substrate with a first vapor-phase metal reactant and a second vapor-phase sulfur reactant. In some aspects, methods of forming a three-dimensional architecture on a substrate surface are provided. In some embodiments, the method includes forming a metal sulfide thin film on the substrate surface and forming a capping layer over the metal sulfide thin film. The substrate surface may comprise a high-mobility channel.

Michael Eugene Givens

Papers

Sublimation bed employing carrier gas guidance structures

System and method for gas-phase sulfur passivation of a semiconductor surface

Semiconductor device dielectric interface layer

Systems and methods for dynamic semiconductor process scheduling

Sulfur-containing thin films