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

A semiconductor device includes a transparent switching element (1) with two connection electrodes (2, 3) of a transparent material and an interposed transparent channel region (4) of a semiconductor material provided with a transparent gate electrode (5) of a conductive material, separated from the channel region (4) by a transparent insulating layer (6). The semiconductor material is a degenerate semiconductor material with a basic material having a bandgap (10) between conduction band (11) and valence band (12) of electrons greater than 2.5 eV and a mobility of charge carriers greater than 10 cm2 /Vs provided with dopant atoms which form a fixed impurity energy level (13) adjacent or in the valence band (12) or conduction band (11) of the basic material. The degenerate semiconductor material is transparent because the absorption of visible light is not possible owing to the great bandgap (10), while also no absorption of visible light takes place through the impurity energy levels (13). The device is capable of comparatively fast switching.

Semiconductor device having a transparent switching element

In fabricating a thin film transistor, an active layer comprising a silicon semiconductor is formed on a substrate having an insulating surface Hydrogen is introduced into The active layer A thin film comprising SiO x N y is formed to cover the active layer and then a gate insulating film comprising a silicon oxide film formed on the thin film comprising SiO x N y  Also, a thin film comprising SiO x N y is formed under the active layer The active layer includes a metal element at a concentration of 1×10 15 to 1×10 19 cm −3 and hydrogen at a concentration of 2×10 19 to 5×10 21 cm −3 

Semiconductor device and method for forming the same

An active matrix display device having a pixel structure in which pixel electrodes, gate wirings and source wirings are suitably arranged in the pixel portions to realize a high numerical aperture without increasing the number of masks or the number of steps. The device comprises a gate electrode and a source wiring on an insulating surface, a first insulating layer on the gate electrode and on the source wiring, a semiconductor layer on the first insulating film, a second insulating layer on the semiconductor film, a gate wiring connected to the gate electrode on the second insulating layer, a connection electrode for connecting the source wiring and the semiconductor layer together, and a pixel electrode connected to the semiconductor layer.

Semiconductor Device and Method of Fabricating the Same

To provide a semiconductor display device capable of displaying an image having clarity and a desired color, even when the speed of deterioration of an EL layer is influenced by its environment. Display pixels and sensor pixels of an EL display each have an EL element, and the sensor pixels each have a diode. The luminance of the EL elements of each in the display pixels is controlled in accordance with the amount of electric current flowing in each of the diodes.

Semiconductor display device

Into an amorphous silicon film, catalyst elements for accelerating the crystallization are introduced. After patterning the amorphous silicon films in which the catalyst elements have been introduced into an island pattern, a heat treatment for the crystallization is conducted. Thus, the introduced catalyst elements efficiently diffuse only inside the island-patterned amorphous silicon films. As a result, a high-quality crystalline silicon film, having the crystal growth direction aligned in one direction and having no grain boundaries, is obtained. Using the thus formed crystalline silicon film, semiconductor devices having a high performance and stable characteristics are fabricated efficiently over the entire substrate, irrespective of the size of the devices.

Method for fabricating a semiconductor device using a catalyst introduction region

A method for producing a semiconductor film, includes the steps of: (a) forming an amorphous semiconductor film on a substrate having a surface with an insulating property; (b) introducing a material for accelerating crystallization of the amorphous semiconductor film into at least a part of the amorphous semiconductor film; (c) crystallizing the amorphous semiconductor film by heating to obtain a crystalline semiconductor film from the amorphous semiconductor film; and (d) oxidizing a surface of the crystalline semiconductor film to form a semiconductor oxide film containing a part of the material for accelerating the crystallization on the surface of the crystalline semiconductor film.

Method for producing crystalline semiconductor film having reduced concentration of catalyst elements for crystallization and semiconductor device having the same

In a fabrication of a semiconductor device, an amorphous semiconductor film is first formed on a substrate having an insulating surface. Then, a minute amount of catalyst elements for accelerating crystallization of the amorphous semiconductor film is supplied to at least a portion of a surface of the amorphous semiconductor film. A heat treatment is further conducted so that the supplied catalyst elements are diffused into the amorphous semiconductor film. Thus, the catalyst elements are introduced uniformly into the amorphous semiconductor film in a very minute amount or at a low concentration, resulting in polycrystallization of at least a portion of the amorphous semiconductor film. Utilizing the thus obtained crystalline semiconductor film on the substrate surface as an active region, a semiconductor device such as a TFT is fabricated. The introduction of the catalyst elements are conducted by various methods such as: a formation of a film containing a minute amount of the catalyst elements; application of a solution containing the catalyst elements in several spin coating cycles; diffusion of the catalyst elements through a buffer layer; dipping into a solution in which the catalyst elements are dissolved or dispersed; or formation of a plating layer containing the catalyst elements.

Method for fabricating thin film transistors

According to the present invention, a method for producing a semiconductor device in which an active region made of a crystalline silicon film is formed on an insulating surface of a substrate is provided. The method includes the steps of: forming a first amorphous silicon film on the substrate; selectively introducing at least one kind of catalyst elements for promoting the crystallization of the first amorphous silicon film into a part of the first amorphous silicon film before or after forming the first amorphous silicon film; heating the first amorphous silicon film so as to crystallize the first amorphous silicon film in a direction substantially parallel to a surface of the substrate with respect to a region surrounding a region into which the catalyst elements are selectively introduced; forming an insulating thin film in a region on the crystalline silicon film in which crystals are grown in a direction substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate so as to partially remove the insulating thin film and the crystalline silicon film so that a linear boundary is formed along a crystal-growing direction of the crystalline silicon film; forming a second amorphous silicon film on the crystalline silicon film; and crystallizing the second amorphous silicon film by heating or by irradiating a laser beam or an intense light.

Semiconductor device and method for producing the same

According to the present invention, a semiconductor device and a method for producing a semiconductor device in which an active region made of a crystalline silicon film is formed on an insulating surface of a substrate is provided. The method includes the steps of: forming a first amorphous silicon film on the substrate; selectively introducing at least one kind of catalyst elements for promoting the crystallization of the first amorphous silicon film into a part of the first amorphous silicon film before or after forming the first amorphous silicon film; heating the first amorphous silicon film so as to crystallize the first amorphous silicon film in a direction substantially parallel to a surface of the substrate with respect to a region surrounding a region into which the catalyst elements are selectively introduced; forming an insulating thin film in a region on the crystalline silicon film in which crystals are grown in a direction substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate so as to partially remove the insulating thin film and the crystalline silicon film so that a linear boundary is formed along a crystal-growing direction of the crystalline silicon film; forming a second amorphous silicon film on the crystalline silicon film; and crystallizing the second amorphous silicon film by heating or by irradiating a laser beam or an intense light.

Yoshitaka Yamamoto

Papers

Method for fabricating a semiconductor device using a catalyst introduction region

Method for producing crystalline semiconductor film having reduced concentration of catalyst elements for crystallization and semiconductor device having the same

Method for fabricating thin film transistors

Semiconductor device and method for producing the same

Semiconductor device formed with seed crystals on a layer thereof