Semiconductor device comprising oxygen blocking films
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing semiconductor devices face challenges in achieving favorable electrical characteristics, minimizing variation in transistor characteristics, ensuring high reliability, achieving high on-state current, enabling miniaturization and high integration, and reducing power consumption.
Innovation Solution
A semiconductor device is designed with a specific structure including a first insulator, a first oxide, a second insulator, a second oxide, and a third insulator, where the second insulator and third insulator act as oxygen blocking films to control oxygen supply to the second oxide, optimizing its crystallinity and electrical properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If oxygen blocking films are introduced to control oxygen supply, then electrical characteristics and reliability are improved, but device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The oxygen blocking function is segmented into multiple distinct layers: a first oxygen blocking film positioned between the substrate and the oxide semiconductor layer, and a second oxygen blocking film positioned between the oxide semiconductor layer and the gate electrode. This segmentation allows each layer to perform the oxygen blocking function independently, ensuring comprehensive protection against oxygen diffusion from different directions while maintaining clear functional separation in the multi-layer device structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The oxygen blocking films serve as intermediary layers that mediate between the oxide semiconductor layer and the surrounding environment (substrate and gate electrode). These intermediary layers prevent direct contact and potential oxygen diffusion between the oxide semiconductor and adjacent structures, thereby protecting the semiconductor properties without requiring fundamental changes to the overall device architecture.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple oxygen blocking films are used to reduce oxygen diffusion, then transistor characteristic variation decreases, but manufacturing process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The oxygen blocking function is divided into two separate manufacturing steps: forming the first oxygen blocking film before depositing the oxide semiconductor layer, and forming the second oxygen blocking film after depositing the oxide semiconductor layer. This segmentation allows each oxygen blocking film to be optimized and controlled independently during manufacturing, ensuring uniform thickness and composition while simplifying the overall fabrication process through modular deposition sequences.
Solution Approach 2:
The first oxygen blocking film is formed in advance before the oxide semiconductor layer is deposited. This preliminary action establishes an oxygen barrier foundation that prevents oxygen diffusion from the substrate during subsequent manufacturing steps, ensuring that the oxide semiconductor layer is deposited on an oxygen-free surface, which contributes to uniform transistor characteristics across the device.
3Power
If oxygen supply to oxide semiconductor is controlled, then on-state current increases, but power consumption may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The oxygen content in the oxide semiconductor layer is precisely controlled by adjusting the oxygen blocking capability of the adjacent films. By optimizing the thickness and material composition of the oxygen blocking films, the oxygen supply to the oxide semiconductor is regulated to achieve the desired carrier concentration and electrical conductivity, thereby maximizing on-state current while preventing excessive oxygen that would increase power consumption. This parameter optimization allows tuning of the balance between current and power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the oxide semiconductor layer receive different oxygen supplies through the localized oxygen blocking films. The first oxygen blocking film controls oxygen from the substrate side, while the second oxygen blocking film controls oxygen from the gate electrode side. This local quality control ensures that oxygen is supplied uniformly throughout the oxide semiconductor layer, creating consistent electrical properties and optimizing the on-state current to power consumption ratio across the entire device.
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
The proposed semiconductor device exhibits improved electrical characteristics with reduced variation in transistor characteristics, enhanced reliability, increased on-state current, and lower power consumption, while also enabling miniaturization and high integration.
Implementation Method 1
The second insulator and the third insulator each include a material which is less likely to pass oxygen than the second oxide
Data Source
AI summary
A semiconductor device with favorable electrical characteristics is provided. The semiconductor device includes a first insulator, a first oxide over the first insulator, a second insulator provided between the first insulator and the first oxide, a second oxide in contact with the first insulator and in contact with a side surface of the first oxide, and a third insulator over the first insulator, the second oxide, and the first oxide. The third insulator includes a region in contact with a top surface of the first oxide. The second insulator and the third insulator include a material which is less likely to pass oxygen than the second oxide.