Oxide Semiconductor Transistor Hydrogen Removal and Oxygen Doping
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Solution Overview
Problem
The electrical conductivity of oxide semiconductors can vary due to hydrogen or moisture incorporation during manufacturing, leading to unstable electric characteristics in transistors.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the formation of a gate electrode layer, gate insulating film, and oxide semiconductor film, followed by heat treatment to remove hydrogen, and oxygen doping to create an excessive oxygen region in the insulating and oxide semiconductor films, ensuring stable electric characteristics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If heat treatment is performed to remove hydrogen from the oxide semiconductor film, then electrical conductivity stability is improved, but processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Heat treatment is performed at a specific stage during the manufacturing process to remove hydrogen from the oxide semiconductor film before subsequent processing steps. This preliminary removal of hydrogen prevents future electrical conductivity variations, establishing a stable baseline for the device's electrical properties throughout production.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat treatment process changes the temperature and atmospheric parameters of the manufacturing environment to specifically target hydrogen removal from the oxide semiconductor film. By controlling these parameters, the process achieves selective removal of hydrogen without affecting other materials or introducing new contaminants, thereby improving electrical stability without proportionally increasing complexity.
2Reliability
If oxygen doping treatment is performed on the insulating film, then electric characteristic stability is improved, but manufacturing steps increase
Solution Approach 1:
The insulating film serves as an intermediary layer that receives oxygen doping treatment. This oxygen-doped insulating film then acts as a protective and stabilizing medium for the underlying oxide semiconductor film, preventing hydrogen ingress and maintaining electrical characteristics without requiring direct modification of the semiconductor film itself in subsequent steps.
Solution Approach 2:
Oxygen doping treatment introduces excess oxygen into the insulating film through oxidation processes. This oxygen-rich state of the insulating film creates a chemical environment that prevents hydrogen from reaching and affecting the oxide semiconductor film, thereby stabilizing electrical characteristics through chemical means rather than requiring continuous physical monitoring or adjustment.
3Manufacturing precision
If excessive oxygen region is created in the oxide semiconductor film, then threshold voltage variation is reduced, but process time increases
Solution Approach 1:
Heat treatment is performed at an earlier stage to remove hydrogen from the oxide semiconductor film before oxygen doping of the insulating film. This preliminary hydrogen removal creates a clean baseline state, allowing subsequent oxygen doping to efficiently establish the desired oxygen-rich condition without requiring extended processing times to address hydrogen-related issues later in the manufacturing sequence.
Solution Approach 2:
The manufacturing process utilizes controlled changes in oxygen concentration and temperature parameters to create the excessive oxygen region in the oxide semiconductor film. By precisely adjusting these parameters during heat treatment and oxygen doping steps, the process achieves the required threshold voltage consistency while minimizing the time needed to reach and maintain the optimal oxygen content in the film.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach results in a highly reliable semiconductor device with reduced variation in threshold voltage and improved stability against bias-temperature stress, maintaining electric characteristics.
Implementation Method 1
heat treatment is performed on the oxide semiconductor film to remove a hydrogen atom in the oxide semiconductor film
Implementation Method 2
oxygen doping treatment is performed on the insulating film so that an oxygen atom is supplied to the insulating film
Data Source
AI summary
In a manufacturing process of a bottom-gate transistor including an oxide semiconductor film, dehydration or dehydrogenation through heat treatment and oxygen doping treatment are performed. A transistor including an oxide semiconductor film subjected to dehydration or dehydrogenation through heat treatment and oxygen doping treatment can be a highly reliable transistor having stable electric characteristics in which the amount of change in threshold voltage of the transistor between before and after the bias-temperature stress (BT) test can be reduced.