The present invention relates to: a semiconductor device having thin film transistors (TFTs) with an oxide semiconductor; a display panel; and a method of manufacturing the semiconductor device.
Recent years have seen progress in the development of technologies applying oxide semiconductors to TFTs used for displays and the like. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2007-123861 discloses a semiconductor device having a TFT that employs an oxide semiconductor. In the semiconductor device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2007-123861, a multilayer wiring line formed by laminating aluminum and titanium is used as a source/drain wiring line. In this multilayer wiring line, titanium and aluminum are laminated in that order from the oxide semiconductor.
Incidentally, a source/drain wiring line is formed by etching through photolithography a conductive film deposited on a gate insulating film for the source/drain wiring line and stripping the resist on the conductive film. An alkaline stripping solution is used to strip the resist, and, during the step of stripping the resist, the conductive film of the source/drain wiring line and the oxide semiconductor are exposed to the stripping solution. When the source/drain wiring line and the oxide semiconductor are exposed to the stripping solution, the aluminum in the source/drain wiring line dissolves. Electrochemical corrosion occurs between the source/drain wiring line and the oxide semiconductor, degrading the film quality of the oxide semiconductor.
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a technology for suppressing electrochemical corrosion in a TFT between the oxide semiconductor and the source/drain wiring line containing aluminum.
A semiconductor device provided by the present invention includes: a gate electrode formed on a substrate; a gate insulating film covering the gate electrode; a semiconductor layer made of an oxide semiconductor formed so as to overlap the gate electrode, with the gate insulating film therebetween; a source wiring layer formed on the gate insulating film by spacing apart a conductive film above the semiconductor layer, the conductive film constituted by a first conductive layer made of aluminum provided on a side of the semiconductor layer and a second conductive layer laminated onto the first conductive layer; and a pixel electrode electrically connected to the source wiring layer via a contact hole provided in an insulation layer formed in a layer above the source wiring layer, wherein the second conductive layer is constituted by a metal film made of a metal other than an amphoteric metal.
According to the configurations of the present invention, it is possible to suppress electrochemical corrosion in a TFT between the oxide semiconductor and the source/drain electrode containing aluminum.
A semiconductor device provided by an embodiment of the present invention includes: a gate electrode formed on a substrate; a gate insulating film covering the gate electrode; a semiconductor layer made of an oxide semiconductor formed so as to overlap the gate electrode, the gate insulating film being interposed therebetween; a source wiring layer formed on the gate insulating film by spacing apart a conductive film on the semiconductor layer, the conductive film of the source wiring layer including a first conductive layer made of aluminum provided on a side of the semiconductor layer and a second conductive layer stacked on the first conductive layer; and a pixel electrode electrically connected to the source wiring layer via a contact hole provided in an insulating layer formed in a layer above the source wiring layer, wherein the second conductive layer of the source wiring layer is a metal film made of a metal other than an amphoteric metal (first configuration). According to the first configuration, in the source wiring layer, the second conductive layer is formed on the first conductive layer made of aluminum. Additionally, for the second conductive layer, a conductive film less susceptible than aluminum to electrochemical corrosion between the source wiring layer and the oxide semiconductor is used. For this reason, aluminum is less easily exposed to the alkaline stripping solution when the resist is stripped to form source/drain electrodes, and it is possible to suppress galvanic corrosion between the oxide semiconductor and the source wiring layer.
In the second configuration, the first conductive layer of the source wiring layer may include a first conductive film and a second conductive film stacked together, and the first conductive film may be an aluminum metal film in contact with the second conductive layer of the source wiring layer, and the second conductive film may be a metal film made of titanium or a metal compound including titanium that is in contact with the semiconductor layer. According to the second configuration, the aluminum conductive film is formed between the titanium-based conductive film, which is in contact with the oxide semiconductor, and the second conductive layer. For this reason, even if the source wiring layer is exposed to the alkaline stripping solution during the step of stripping the resist, galvanic corrosion occurs less easily between the aluminum and the oxide semiconductor, making it possible to prevent the film quality of the oxide semiconductor from degrading.
In the third configuration, the second conductive layer of the source wiring layer may be a metal film made of a metal compound including molybdenum.
In the fourth configuration, the second conductive layer of the source wiring layer may be a metal film made of a metal compound including titanium.
In the fifth configuration, the oxide semiconductor may include indium, gallium, zinc, and oxygen.
A display panel according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an active matrix substrate having the semiconductor device according to any one of the first to fifth configurations; a opposite substrate having a common electrode and color filters; and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the active matrix substrate and the opposite substrate.
A display panel according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an active matrix substrate having the semiconductor device according to any one of the first to fifth configurations and a common electrode; an opposite substrate having color filters; and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the active matrix substrate and the opposite substrate.
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to one embodiment of the present invention is a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device equipped with thin film transistors, including (A) forming a gate layer having a gate line and a gate electrode; (B) forming a gate insulating film so as to cover the gate layer; (C) forming a semiconductor layer made of an oxide semiconductor so as to overlap the gate electrode, the gate insulating film being interposed therebetween; (D) forming a source electrode and a drain electrode by forming: a first conductive layer made of aluminum on the gate insulating film and on the semiconductor layer; and by forming, on the first conductive layer, a conductive film including a first conductive layer made of aluminum on a side of the semiconductor layer and a second conductive layer stacked on the first conductive layer, a gap being present therein on the semiconductor layer; (E) forming a first protective layer covering the source wiring layer and a second protective layer covering the first protective layer; (F) forming a contact hole that exposes the drain electrode by etching the first protective layer and the second protective layer; and (G) forming a pixel electrode so as to contact the drain connective film in the contact hole, wherein the second conductive layer is a metal film made of a metal other than an amphoteric metal.
An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to diagrams. Identical reference characters will be applied to identical or equivalent portions in diagrams, and descriptions thereof will not be repeated.
As shown in
Now, a portion of one pixel will be described using
Formed above the gate layer 11a (gate electrode 11G) is a semiconductor portion 14 made of an oxide semiconductor, with a gate insulating film 21 therebetween. In the present embodiment, the gate insulating film 21 is constituted by a single layer film such as a silicon nitride (SiNg) film, a silicon oxide (SiO2) film, or the like. The semiconductor portion 14 is constituted by indium (In), gallium (Ga), zinc (Zn), and oxygen (O).
Above the gate insulating film 21 and the semiconductor portion 14, a source wiring layer 12a is formed so as to be spaced apart above the semiconductor portion 14. As a result, a channel region 14c, the source electrode 12S, and the drain electrode 12D are formed.
In the present embodiment, the source wiring layer 12a is constituted by the three layers of a first layer 121, a second layer 122, and a third layer 123, in that order from the top layer side. In the present embodiment, the first layer 121 is constituted by molybdenum nitride (MoN), the second layer 121 by Al, and the third layer 122 by Ti. The first layer 121 is an example of a second conductive layer, and the second layer 122 and the third layer 123 are an example of a first conductive layer.
After the source wiring layer 12a is deposited, the first layer 121, or the uppermost layer of the source wiring layer 12a, is exposed to a resist stripping solution used to form the source electrode 12S and the drain electrode 12D. For this reason, the first layer 121 is constituted by a metal film that suppresses galvanic corrosion between the first layer 121 and the oxide semiconductor, or a metal film made of a metal other than an amphoteric metal, which is dissolved by an alkaline solution. Here, other than the MoN mentioned above, Mo, Ti, MoNb (molybdenum niobium), or W (tungsten), or a nitride of any one of these metals may be used as the first layer 121.
In this manner, forming an MoN conductive layer on top of an Al conductive layer makes Al less easily exposed to the stripping solution during the step of stripping the resist, in comparison to a source wiring line of a two-layered structure constituted by Al and Ti. Additionally, since a metal film that is less soluble to an alkaline solution is formed in a layer above Al, galvanic corrosion between the semiconductor portion 14 and the source wiring layer 12a is suppressed even if the source wiring layer 12a is exposed to the stripping solution.
A protective layer 22 and a protective layer 23 are formed in layers over the substrate 20, where the source wiring layer 12a was formed, so as to cover the source wiring layer 12a. In the protective layer 22 and the protective layer 23, a contact hole H is formed above the drain electrode 12D. In the contact hole H, the pixel electrode 16 is formed so as to cover a portion of the protective layer 23. The pixel electrode 16 is electrically connected to the drain electrode 12D via the contact hole H. The protective layer 22 is constituted by an inorganic insulation film such as SiO2 while the protective layer 23 is constituted by an organic insulation film such as a positive-type photosensitive resin film. The pixel electrode 16 is constituted by a transparent conductive film such as ITO. The protective layer 22 is an example of a first protective layer and the protective layer 23 is an example of a second protective layer.
(Method of Manufacturing)
Next, an example of a method of manufacturing the semiconductor device according to the present embodiment will be explained.
(1) Forming the Gate Layer 11a
As shown in
(2) Forming the Gate Insulating Film 21
Next, as shown in
(3) Forming the Semiconductor Portion 14
Using a sputtering method, an oxide semiconductor is deposited as a semiconductor layer over the substrate 20, where the gate insulating film 21 was formed. Then, using photolithography, a resist pattern is created, and wet etching is performed to remove the resist. In this manner, the oxide semiconductor is patterned into an island shape as shown in
(4) Forming the Source Wiring Layer 12a
Next, conductive films, Ti and Al, are deposited in that order using a sputtering method over the substrate 20, where the semiconductor portion 14 was formed. Then, in a layer above Al, a MoN conductive film is deposited using a sputtering method. In this manner, a source wiring layer 12a is formed on top of the semiconductor portion 14 by laminating MoN/Al/Ti in that order from the side of the first layer 121. Then, using photolithography, the first layer 121 (MoN) and the second layer 122 (Al) of the source wiring layer 12a are wet etched. Subsequently, the third layer 123 (Ti) of the source wiring layer 12a is dry etched to remove the resist, and a pattern is created. In this manner, as shown in
(5) Forming the Protective Layers 22 and 23
Next, using a CVD method, SiO2 is deposited to form the protective layer 22 over the substrate 20, where the source wiring layer 12a was formed. After the protective layer 22 is deposited, a positive-type light-sensitive resin film is patterned into the protective layer 23 using photolithography. Then, by patterning the protective layer 22 by dry etching, the contact hole H is formed as shown in
(6) Forming the Pixel Electrode 16
Using a sputtering method, ITO (indium tin oxide) is deposited to form the pixel electrode 16 over the substrate 20, where the protective layer 23 was formed. Then, a resist pattern is formed using photolithography, and patterning is performed by wet etching. In this manner, the pixel electrode 16 is formed in the contact hole H so as to overlap a portion of the protective layer 23. In the contact hole H, the pixel electrode 16 and the drain electrode 12D contact each other, and the pixel electrode 16 and the drain electrode 12D are electrically connected. The film thickness of the pixel electrode 16 is between 50 nm and 200 nm, for example. While ITO is used for the pixel electrode 16 in the present embodiment, an oxide thin film such as IZO (indium zinc oxide) may also be used.
In the embodiment described above, the source wiring layer 12a constituted by a multilayer film of MoN/Al/Ti is formed above the semiconductor portion 14. When the source electrode 12S and the drain electrode 12D are formed, the source wiring layer 12a is exposed to the resist stripping solution. However, MoN is formed in the uppermost layer of the source wiring layer 12a in the above embodiment. For this reason, Al is less easily exposed to the stripping solution, and galvanic corrosion between the oxide semiconductor and the source wiring layer 12a is suppressed.
An embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the above embodiment is a mere example of an implementation of the present invention. The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be implemented by appropriately modifying the above embodiment without departing from the spirit thereof. Modifications of the present invention are described below.
In the embodiment described above, an example in which the pixel electrode 16 is formed on the side of the active matrix substrate 2 and a common electrode (omitted from diagrams) is formed on the side of the opposite substrate 3 was described. In the present modification, an example in which the pixel electrode 16 and the common electrode are formed on the side of the active matrix substrate 2 will be described.
The steps of manufacturing the semiconductor device according to the present modification will be explained below using
(6′) Forming the Common Electrode 17
After the contact hole H is formed in the protective layer 22 and the protective layer 23, a common electrode 17 made of ITO is deposited in a layer above the protective layer 23 using a sputtering method. Then, a resist pattern is formed using photolithography, and the resist is stripped by wet etching to create a pattern. In this manner, an opening 171 of the common electrode 17 is formed in the vicinity of the contact hole H as shown in
(7′) Forming the Interlayer Insulating Layer 24
Next, SiNx is deposited to form an interlayer insulating layer 24 using a CVD method over the substrate 20, where the common electrode 17 was formed. Then, a resist pattern is formed using photolithography, and the resist is stripped by dry etching to create a pattern. In this manner, an interlayer insulating layer 24 is formed so as to cover the common electrode 17, as shown in
(8′) Forming the Pixel Electrode 16
ITO is deposited to form the pixel electrode 16 over the substrate 20, where the interlayer insulating layer 24 was formed. Then, a resist pattern is formed using photolithography, and the resist is stripped by wet etching to create a pattern. As shown in
In the present modification, too, a metal is formed in the uppermost layer of the source wiring layer 12a so as to suppress galvanic corrosion between the source wiring layer 12a and the semiconductor portion 14, in a manner similar to the embodiment. For this reason, Al of the source wiring layer 12a becomes less easily exposed to the resist stripping solution when a channel region 14c is formed, and galvanic corrosion between the source wiring layer 12a and the semiconductor portion 14 is suppressed.
In the embodiment described above, an example in which the source wiring layer 12a has a three-layer structure constituted by the first layer 121, the second layer 122, and the third layer 123 was described. However, a two-layer structure constituted by a MoN first layer 121 and an Al second layer 122 is also acceptable. In this case, a semiconductor portion 14 can be configured using an oxide semiconductor that has a resistance to wet etching performed on the first layer 121 and the second layer 122 when the source wiring layer 12a is formed.
In the embodiment described above, an example in which the display panel 1 is a liquid crystal panel was described. However, a display panel using organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) or the like may also be used.
Industrial applications of the present invention include display devices incorporating a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or the like.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2012-212609 | Sep 2012 | JP | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/JP2013/075074 | 9/18/2013 | WO | 00 |