Patent Application
20250056786
One embodiment of the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a metal oxide. Another embodiment of the present invention relates to a transistor, a semiconductor device, and an electronic appliance. Another embodiment of the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device. Another embodiment of the present invention relates to a semiconductor wafer and a module.
In this specification and the like, a semiconductor device generally means a device that can function by utilizing semiconductor characteristics. A semiconductor element such as a transistor, a semiconductor circuit, an arithmetic device, and a storage device are each an embodiment of a semiconductor device. It can be sometimes said that a display device (a liquid crystal display device, a light-emitting display device, and the like), a projection device, a lighting device, an electro-optical device, a power storage device, a storage device, a semiconductor circuit, an image capturing device, an electronic appliance, and the like include a semiconductor device.
Note that one embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above technical field. One embodiment of the invention disclosed in this specification and the like relates to an object, a method, or a manufacturing method. One embodiment of the present invention relates to a process, a machine, manufacture, or a composition of matter.
In recent years, semiconductor devices have been developed, and LSIs, CPUs, memories, and the like are mainly used as the semiconductor devices. A CPU is an aggregation of semiconductor elements: the CPU includes a semiconductor integrated circuit (including at least a transistor and a memory) formed into a chip by processing a semiconductor wafer, and is provided with an electrode that is a connection terminal.
A semiconductor circuit (IC chip) of an LSI, a CPU, a memory, or the like is mounted on a circuit board, for example, a printed wiring board, to be used as one of components of a variety of electronic appliances.
A technique in which a transistor is formed using a semiconductor thin film formed over a substrate having an insulating surface has been attracting attention. The transistor is used in a wide range of electronic devices such as an integrated circuit (IC) and an image display device (also simply referred to as a display device). A silicon-based semiconductor material is widely known as a semiconductor thin film applicable to the transistor and further, an oxide semiconductor has been attracting attention as another material.
It is known that a transistor including an oxide semiconductor has an extremely low leakage current in a non-conduction state. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a low-power-consumption CPU utilizing a feature of a low leakage current of the transistor including an oxide semiconductor. Furthermore, for example, Patent Document 2 discloses a storage device that can retain stored contents for a long time by utilizing a feature of a low leakage current of the transistor including an oxide semiconductor.
In recent years, demand for an integrated circuit with higher density has risen with reductions in size and weight of electronic appliances. Furthermore, the productivity of a semiconductor device including an integrated circuit is desired to be improved.
An object of one embodiment of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor device that can be miniaturized or highly integrated. Another object of one embodiment of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor device that operates at high speed. Another object of one embodiment of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor device with favorable electrical characteristics. Another object of one embodiment of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor device with a small variation in electrical characteristics of transistors. Another object of one embodiment of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor device with favorable reliability. Another object of one embodiment of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor device with a high on-state current. Another object of one embodiment of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor device with low power consumption. Another object of one embodiment of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device in which the number of steps is reduced.
Note that the description of these objects does not preclude the presence of other objects. Note that in one embodiment of the present invention, there is no need to achieve all these objects. Note that other objects will be apparent from the description of the specification, the drawings, the claims, and the like, and other objects can be derived from the description of the specification, the drawings, the claims, and the like.
One embodiment of the present invention is a semiconductor device including a transistor and a capacitor: the transistor includes an oxide, a first conductor and a second conductor over the oxide, a first insulator that is placed over the first conductor and the second conductor and includes a first opening and a second opening, a second insulator in the first opening of the first insulator, and a third conductor over the second insulator: the first opening in the first insulator includes a region overlapping with the oxide: the third conductor includes a region overlapping with the oxide with the second insulator therebetween: the second insulator includes a region in contact with a top surface of the oxide and a sidewall of the first opening in the first insulator: the capacitor includes the second conductor, a third insulator over the second conductor, and a fourth conductor over the third insulator: the third insulator and the fourth conductor are placed in the second opening; and a distance between the first conductor and the second conductor is smaller than a width of the first opening in a cross-sectional view of the transistor in a channel length direction.
In the above semiconductor device, it is preferable that the second opening in the first insulator include a region overlapping with the second conductor, the fourth conductor include a region overlapping with the second conductor with the third insulator therebetween, and the third insulator include a region in contact with a top surface of the second conductor and the sidewall of the first opening in the first insulator.
In the above semiconductor device, it is preferable that the second insulator include a fourth insulator, a fifth insulator over the fourth insulator, and a sixth insulator over the fifth insulator: the third insulator include a seventh insulator, an eighth insulator over the seventh insulator, and a ninth insulator over the eighth insulator: the fourth insulator include a region having a smaller thickness than the fifth insulator: the sixth insulator be less permeable to oxygen than the fifth insulator is: the seventh insulator include a region having a smaller thickness than the eighth insulator; and the ninth insulator be less permeable to oxygen than the eighth insulator is.
In the above semiconductor device, it is preferable that the fourth insulator include the same insulating material as the seventh insulator, the fifth insulator include the same insulating material as the eighth insulator, the sixth insulator include the same insulating material as the ninth insulator, and the third conductor include the same conductive material as the fourth conductor.
In the above semiconductor device, it is preferable that a tenth insulator be included between the first conductor and the first insulator and between the second conductor and the first insulator: the tenth insulator include a third opening overlapping with the first opening and a fourth opening overlapping with the second opening: the tenth insulator be less permeable to oxygen than the fourth insulator and the seventh insulator are: the tenth insulator include a region in contact with a side surface of the oxide, a side surface of the first conductor, and a side surface of the second conductor; and the distance between the first conductor and the second conductor be smaller than a width of the third opening in the cross-sectional view of the transistor in the channel length direction.
In the above semiconductor device, it is preferable that the first conductor include a fifth conductor and a sixth conductor over the fifth conductor: the second conductor include a seventh conductor and an eighth conductor over the seventh conductor; and a distance between the fifth conductor and the seventh conductor be smaller than a distance between the sixth conductor and the eighth conductor in the cross-sectional view of the transistor in the channel length direction.
In the above semiconductor device, it is preferable that the side surfaces of the first conductor and the second conductor that face each other be substantially perpendicular to the top surface of the oxide.
In the above semiconductor device, the oxide preferably contains indium, zinc, and one or more selected from gallium, aluminum, and tin.
In the above semiconductor device, it is preferable that the oxide include a crystal, and a c-axis of the crystal be substantially perpendicular to a surface or a formation surface of the oxide.
In the above semiconductor device, it is preferable that a ninth conductor be included below the oxide, and the ninth conductor overlap with the oxide and the third conductor.
Another embodiment of the present invention is a storage device including a plurality of layers each including a memory array provided with the above semiconductor device: the layers each include a first wiring electrically connected to the first conductor, a second wiring electrically connected to the third conductor, and a third wiring electrically connected to the fourth conductor; in the layers consecutive to each other, the ninth conductor in an upper layer is electrically connected to the third wiring in a lower layer; and in the layers consecutive to each other, the second wiring in a lower layer is provided at a position overlapping with the third wiring in an upper layer.
In the above storage device, it is preferable that the first wirings in odd-numbered layers among the layers be electrically connected to each other, and the first wirings in even-numbered layers among the layers be electrically connected to each other.
In the above storage device, it is preferable that a driver circuit be included and the plurality of layers be provided to overlap with the driver circuit.
One embodiment of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device including a transistor and a capacitor: the transistor includes an oxide, a first conductor to a third conductor, a first insulator, and a second insulator; and the capacitor includes the second conductor, a third insulator, and a fourth conductor. In the method for manufacturing the semiconductor device, the first insulator is formed to cover the oxide and a conductive layer over the oxide: a first opening and a second opening are formed in the first insulator such that a top surface and a side surface of the conductive layer and a side surface of the oxide are exposed; and a mask layer covering the first insulator and the second opening is formed. The mask layer includes a third opening overlapping with part of the first opening, and a width of the third opening is smaller than a width of the first opening in a cross-sectional view of the transistor in a channel length direction. In the method for manufacturing the semiconductor device, the first conductor and the second conductor are formed by etching the conductive layer using the mask layer: an insulating film is formed to cover the first insulator, the first opening, and the second opening: a conductive film is formed over the insulating film; and the second insulator and the third conductor are formed in the first opening and the third insulator and the fourth conductor are formed in the second opening by removing portions of the insulating film and the conductive film exposed from the first opening and the second opening.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor device that can be miniaturized or highly integrated can be provided. According to another embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor device that operates at high speed can be provided. According to another embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor device with favorable reliability can be provided. According to another embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor device with a small variation in electrical characteristics of transistors can be provided. According to another embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor device with favorable electrical characteristics can be provided. According to another embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor device with a high on-state current can be provided. According to another embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor device with low power consumption can be provided. According to another embodiment of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device in which the number of steps is reduced can be provided.
Note that the description of these effects does not preclude the presence of other effects. One embodiment of the present invention does not have to have all these effects. Note that other effects will be apparent from the description of the specification, the drawings, the claims, and the like, and other effects can be derived from the description of the specification, the drawings, the claims, and the like.
Embodiments are described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments can be implemented with many different modes, and it is readily understood by those skilled in the art that modes and details thereof can be changed in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Thus, the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited to the description of the embodiments below.
In the drawings, the size, the layer thickness, or the region is exaggerated for clarity in some cases. Therefore, the size, the layer thickness, or the region is not limited to the illustrated scale. Note that the drawings schematically illustrate ideal examples, and embodiments of the present invention are not limited to shapes, values, and the like shown in the drawings. For example, in the actual manufacturing process, a layer, a resist mask, or the like might be unintentionally reduced in size by treatment such as etching, which might not be reflected in the drawings for easy understanding. Furthermore, in the drawings, the same reference numerals are used in common for the same portions or portions having similar functions in different drawings, and repeated description thereof is omitted in some cases. Furthermore, the same hatch pattern is used for the portions having similar functions, and the portions are not especially denoted by reference numerals in some cases.
Furthermore, especially in a top view (also referred to as a “plan view”), a perspective view; or the like, the description of some components might be omitted for easy understanding of the invention. The description of some hidden lines might also be omitted.
The ordinal numbers such as “first” and “second” in this specification and the like are used for convenience and do not denote the order of steps or the stacking order of layers. Therefore, for example, the term “first” can be replaced with the term “second”, “third”, or the like as appropriate. In addition, the ordinal numbers in this specification and the like do not sometimes correspond to the ordinal numbers that are used to specify one embodiment of the present invention.
Moreover, in this specification and the like, terms for describing arrangement, such as “over” and “under”, are used for convenience for describing the positional relationship between components with reference to drawings. The positional relationship between components is changed as appropriate in accordance with the direction in which the components are described. Thus, without limitation to terms described in this specification, the description can be changed appropriately depending on the situation.
For example, in this specification and the like, the expression “X and Y are connected” means the case where X and Y are electrically connected. Here, the expression “X and Y are electrically connected” means connection that enables electrical signal transmission between X and Y in the case where an object (that refers to an element such as a switch, a transistor element, or a diode, a circuit including the element and a wiring, or the like) exists between X and Y. Note that the case where X and Y are electrically connected includes the case where X and Y are directly connected. Here, the expression “X and Y are directly connected” means connection that enables electrical signal transmission between X and Y through a wiring (or an electrode) or the like, not through the above object. In other words, direct connection refers to connection that can be regarded as the same circuit diagram when represented by an equivalent circuit.
In this specification and the like, a transistor is an element having at least three terminals including a gate, a drain, and a source. In addition, the transistor includes a region where a channel is formed (hereinafter, also referred to as a channel formation region) between the drain (a drain terminal, a drain region, or a drain electrode) and the source (a source terminal, a source region, or a source electrode), and a current can flow between the source and the drain through the channel formation region. Note that in this specification and the like, a channel formation region refers to a region through which a current mainly flows.
Furthermore, functions of a source and a drain are sometimes interchanged with each other when transistors having different polarities are used or when the direction of a current is changed in a circuit operation, for example. Therefore, the terms “source” and “drain” can sometimes be interchanged with each other in this specification and the like.
Note that a channel length refers to, for example, a distance between a source (a source region or a source electrode) and a drain (a drain region or a drain electrode) in a region where a semiconductor (or a portion where a current flows in a semiconductor when a transistor is in an on state) and a gate electrode overlap with each other, or a channel formation region in a top view of the transistor. Note that in one transistor, channel lengths in all regions do not necessarily have the same value. In other words, the channel length of one transistor is not fixed to one value in some cases. Thus, in this specification, the channel length is any one of the values, the maximum value, the minimum value, or the average value in a channel formation region.
A channel width refers to, for example, the length of a channel formation region in a direction perpendicular to a channel length direction in a region where a semiconductor (or a portion where a current flows in a semiconductor when a transistor is in an on state) and a gate electrode overlap with each other, or a channel formation region in a top view of the transistor. Note that in one transistor, channel widths in all regions do not necessarily have the same value. In other words, the channel width of one transistor is not fixed to one value in some cases. Thus, in this specification, the channel width is any one of the values, the maximum value, the minimum value, or the average value in a channel formation region.
Note that in this specification and the like, depending on the transistor structure, a channel width in a region where a channel is actually formed (hereinafter also referred to as an “effective channel width”) is different from a channel width shown in a top view of a transistor (hereinafter also referred to as an “apparent channel width”) in some cases. For example, in a transistor whose gate electrode covers the side surface of a semiconductor, the effective channel width is larger than the apparent channel width, and its influence cannot be ignored in some cases. For example, in a miniaturized transistor whose gate electrode covers the side surface of a semiconductor, the proportion of a channel formation region formed in the side surface of the semiconductor is increased in some cases. In that case, the effective channel width is larger than the apparent channel width.
In such a case, the effective channel width is sometimes difficult to estimate by actual measurement. For example, estimation of an effective channel width from a designed value requires assumption that the shape of a semiconductor is known. Accordingly, in the case where the shape of a semiconductor is not known accurately, it is difficult to measure the effective channel width accurately.
In this specification, the simple term “channel width” refers to an apparent channel width in some cases. Alternatively, in this specification, the simple term “channel width” refers to an effective channel width in some cases. Note that values of a channel length, a channel width, an effective channel width, an apparent channel width, and the like can be determined, for example, by analyzing a cross-sectional TEM image.
Note that impurities in a semiconductor refer to, for example, elements other than the main components of a semiconductor. For example, an element with a concentration lower than 0.1 atomic % can be regarded as an impurity. When an impurity is contained, for example, the density of defect states in a semiconductor increases and the crystallinity decreases in some cases. In the case where the semiconductor is an oxide semiconductor, examples of an impurity which changes the characteristics of the semiconductor include Group 1 elements, Group 2 elements, Group 13 elements, Group 14 elements, Group 15 elements, and transition metals other than the main components of the oxide semiconductor: hydrogen, lithium, sodium, silicon, boron, phosphorus, carbon, and nitrogen are given as examples. Note that water also serves as an impurity in some cases. In addition, oxygen vacancies (also referred to as VO) are formed in an oxide semiconductor in some cases by entry of impurities, for example.
Note that in this specification and the like, silicon oxynitride is a substance that contains more oxygen than nitrogen in its composition. Moreover, silicon nitride oxide is a substance that contains more nitrogen than oxygen in its composition. Similarly, aluminum oxynitride refers to a substance that contains more oxygen than nitrogen in its composition. Moreover, aluminum nitride oxide refers to a substance that contains more nitrogen than oxygen in its composition. Similarly, hafnium oxynitride refers to a substance that contains more oxygen than nitrogen in its composition. Moreover, hafnium nitride oxide is a substance that contains more nitrogen than oxygen in its composition.
In this specification and the like, the term “insulator” can be replaced with an insulating film or an insulating layer. Furthermore, the term “conductor” can be replaced with a conductive film or a conductive layer. Moreover, the term “semiconductor” can be replaced with a semiconductor film or a semiconductor layer.
In this specification and the like, “parallel” indicates a state where two straight lines are placed at an angle greater than or equal to −10° and less than or equal to 10°. Accordingly, the case where the angle is greater than or equal to −5° and less than or equal to 5° is also included. Furthermore, “substantially parallel” indicates a state where two straight lines are placed at an angle greater than or equal to −30° and less than or equal to 30°. Moreover, “perpendicular” indicates a state where two straight lines are placed at an angle greater than or equal to 80° and less than or equal to 100°. Accordingly, the case where the angle is greater than or equal to 85° and less than or equal to 95° is also included. Furthermore, “substantially perpendicular” indicates a state where two straight lines are placed at an angle greater than or equal to 60° and less than or equal to 120°.
In this specification and the like, a metal oxide is an oxide of a metal in a broad sense. Metal oxides are classified into an oxide insulator, an oxide conductor (including a transparent oxide conductor), an oxide semiconductor (also simply referred to as an OS), and the like. For example, in the case where a metal oxide is used in a semiconductor layer of a transistor, the metal oxide is referred to as an oxide semiconductor in some cases. That is, an OS transistor can also be referred to as a transistor including a metal oxide or an oxide semiconductor.
In this specification and the like, “normally off” means that a drain current per micrometer of channel width flowing through a transistor when no potential is applied to a gate or the gate is supplied with a ground potential is 1×10−20 A or lower at room temperature, 1×10−18 A or lower at 85° C., or 1×10−16 A or lower at 125° C.
In this specification and the like, “voltage” and “potential” can be replaced with each other as appropriate. “Voltage” refers to a potential difference from a reference potential, and when the reference potential is a ground potential, for example, “voltage” can be replaced with “potential”. Note that the ground potential does not necessarily mean 0 V. Moreover, potentials are relative values, and a potential supplied to a wiring, a potential applied to a circuit or the like, and a potential output from a circuit or the like, for example, change with a change of the reference potential.
In this specification and the like, when a plurality of components are denoted with the same reference numerals, and in particular need to be distinguished from each other, an identification sign such as “_1”, “[n]”, or “[m,n]” is sometimes added to the reference numerals.
Note that in this specification and the like, the expression “level or substantially level” indicates a structure having the same level from a reference surface (e.g., a flat surface such as a substrate surface) in a cross-sectional view. For example, in a manufacturing process of the semiconductor device, planarization treatment (typically, CMP treatment) is performed, whereby the surface(s) of a single layer or a plurality of layers are exposed in some cases. In this case, the surfaces on which the CMP treatment is performed are at the same level from a reference surface. Note that a plurality of layers are not level with each other in some cases, depending on a treatment apparatus, a treatment method, or a material of the treated surfaces on which the CMP treatment is performed. This case is also regarded as being “level or substantially level” in this specification and the like. For example, the expression “level or substantially level” includes the case where two layers (here, given as a first layer and a second layer) having different two levels with respect to the reference surface are included, and the difference between the top-surface level of the first layer and the top-surface level of the second layer is less than or equal to 20 nm.
Note that in this specification and the like, the expression “end portions are aligned or substantially aligned” means that at least outlines of stacked layers partly overlap with each other in a top view. For example, the case of processing the upper layer and the lower layer with the use of the same mask pattern or mask patterns that are partly the same is included. However, in some cases, the outlines do not exactly overlap with each other and the outline of the upper layer is positioned inward from the outline of the lower layer or the outline of the upper layer is positioned outward from the outline of the lower layer: such a case is also represented by the expression “end portions are aligned or substantially aligned”.
In this embodiment, an example of a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention and a manufacturing method thereof are described with reference to
A structure of a semiconductor device including a transistor 200 and a capacitor 100 is described with reference to
The semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention includes an insulator 212 over a substrate (not illustrated), an insulator 214 over the insulator 212, the transistor 200 and the capacitor 100 over the insulator 214, an insulator 280 over an insulator 275 and an insulator 271 (an insulator 271a and an insulator 271b) provided in the transistor 200, an insulator 282 over the insulator 280, an insulator 283 over the insulator 282, an insulator 274 over the insulator 283, and an insulator 285 over the insulator 283 and the insulator 274. The insulator 212, the insulator 214, the insulator 280, the insulator 282, the insulator 283, the insulator 285, the insulator 274, and the insulator 285 each function as an interlayer film. The insulator 283 is in contact with part of a top surface of the insulator 214, a side surface of the insulator 280, and a side surface and a top surface of the insulator 282. As illustrated in
Here, the transistor 200 includes an oxide 230 functioning as a semiconductor layer, a conductor 260 functioning as a first gate, a conductor 205 functioning as a second gate, a conductor 242a functioning as one of a source and a drain, and a conductor 242b functioning as the other of the source and the drain. An insulator 252, an insulator 250, and an insulator 254 functioning as a first gate insulating film are also included. An insulator 222 and an insulator 224 functioning as a second gate insulating film are also included.
The first gate and the first gate insulating film of the transistor 200 are placed in an opening 258 formed in the insulator 280, the insulator 275, and the insulator 271. That is, the conductor 260, the insulator 252, the insulator 250, and the insulator 254 are placed in the opening 258.
The capacitor 100 includes the conductor 242b functioning as a lower electrode, an insulator 152, an insulator 150, and an insulator 154 functioning as a dielectric, and a conductor 160 functioning as an upper electrode. That is, the capacitor 100 forms a MIM (Metal-Insulator-Metal) capacitor. The conductor 242b can also serve as the lower electrode of the capacitor 100 and the other of the source and the drain of the transistor 200. Thus, the manufacturing process of the capacitor 100 can also serve as part of the manufacturing process of the transistor 200; therefore, the productivity of the semiconductor device can be improved.
The upper electrode and the dielectric of the capacitor 100 are placed in an opening 158 formed in the insulator 280, the insulator 275, and the insulator 271. That is, the conductor 160, the insulator 152, the insulator 150, and the insulator 154 are placed in the opening 158.
The semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention also includes a conductor 240 that is electrically connected to the transistor 200 and functions as a plug. Note that an insulator 241 is provided in contact with a side surface of the conductor 240. The conductor 240 is electrically connected to the conductor 242a. A conductor 246 electrically connected to the conductor 240 and functioning as a wiring is provided over the insulator 285 and the conductor 240.
Here, the conductor 240 and the conductor 246 function as a plug or a wiring for electrically connecting the transistor 200 to a circuit element such as a switch, a transistor, a capacitor, an inductor, a resistor, or a diode, a wiring, an electrode, or a terminal.
The semiconductor device including the transistor 200 and the capacitor 100 described in this embodiment can be used as a memory cell of the storage device. In this case, the conductor 246 is electrically connected to a sense amplifier in some cases. Here, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
In this specification and the like, the oxide 230a and the oxide 230b are collectively referred to as the oxide 230 in some cases. The conductor 242a and the conductor 242b are collectively referred to as the conductor 242 in some cases. The insulator 271a and the insulator 271b are collectively referred to as the insulator 271 in some cases.
The opening 258 reaching the oxide 230b is provided in the insulator 280, the insulator 271, and the insulator 275. That is, the opening 258 includes a region overlapping with the oxide 230b. It can be said that the insulator 275 includes an opening overlapping with the opening 258 included in the insulator 280. The insulator 252, the insulator 250, the insulator 254, and the conductor 260 are placed in the opening 258. That is, the conductor 260 includes a region overlapping with the oxide 230b with the insulator 252, the insulator 250, and the insulator 254 therebetween. The conductor 260, the insulator 252, the insulator 250, and the insulator 254 are provided between the insulator 271a and the conductor 242a, and the insulator 271b and the conductor 242b in the channel length direction of the transistor 200. The insulator 254 includes a region in contact with a side surface of the conductor 260 and a region in contact with a bottom surface of the conductor 260. Note that as illustrated in
The oxide 230 preferably includes the oxide 230a placed over the insulator 224 and the oxide 230b placed over the oxide 230a. Including the oxide 230a under the oxide 230b makes it possible to inhibit diffusion of impurities into the oxide 230b from components formed below the oxide 230a.
Although the transistor 200 having a structure in which the oxide 230 is a stack of the two layers, the oxide 230a and the oxide 230b, is described, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the oxide 230 may be provided as a single layer of the oxide 230b or as stacked-layer structure of three or more layers, or the oxide 230a and the oxide 230b may each have a stacked-layer structure.
The conductor 260 functions as a first gate (also referred to as a top gate) electrode, and the conductor 205 functions as a second gate (also referred to as a back gate) electrode. The insulator 252, the insulator 250, and the insulator 254 function as a first gate insulator, and the insulator 222 and the insulator 224 function as a second gate insulator. Note that the gate insulator is also referred to as a gate insulating layer or a gate insulating film in some cases. The conductor 242a functions as one of a source and a drain, and the conductor 242b functions as the other of the source and the drain. At least part of a region of the oxide 230 overlapping with the conductor 260 functions as a channel formation region.
Note that as illustrated in
As illustrated in
Supply of oxygen to the oxide 230b forms the channel formation region in a region having the distance L2 between the conductor 242a and the conductor 242b. Thus, the channel formation region of the transistor 200 is extremely minute. Accordingly, the transistor 200 can have a higher on-state current and higher frequency characteristics.
As illustrated in
The region 230bc functioning as the channel formation region has a smaller amount of oxygen vacancies or a lower impurity concentration than those of the region 230ba and the region 230bb, and thus is a high-resistance region with a low carrier concentration. Thus, the region 230bc can be regarded as being i-type (intrinsic) or substantially i-type.
The region 230ba and the region 230bb functioning as the source region and the drain region include a large amount of oxygen vacancies or have a high concentration of an impurity such as hydrogen, nitrogen, or a metal element, and thus are each a low-resistance region with an increased carrier concentration. In other words, the region 230ba and the region 230bb are each an n-type region having a higher carrier concentration and a lower resistance than the region 230bc.
Here, as illustrated in
Accordingly, the frequency characteristics of the transistor 200 can be improved, and the operation speed of the semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention can be improved. For example, in the case where the semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention is used as a memory cell of a storage device, the writing speed and the reading speed can be improved.
The carrier concentration in the region 230bc functioning as the channel formation region is preferably lower than or equal to 1×1018 cm−3, further preferably lower than 1×1017 cm−3, still further preferably lower than 1×1016 cm−3, yet further preferably lower than 1×1013 cm−3, yet still further preferably lower than 1×1012 cm−3. Note that the lower limit of the carrier concentration in the region 230bc functioning as the channel formation region is not particularly limited and can be, for example, 1× 10−9 cm−3.
Between the region 230bc and the region 230ba or the region 230bb, a region having a carrier concentration that is lower than or substantially equal to the carrier concentrations in the region 230ba and the region 230bb and higher than or substantially equal to the carrier concentration in the region 230bc may be formed. That is, the region functions as a junction region between the region 230bc and the region 230ba or the region 230bb. The hydrogen concentration in the junction region is lower than or substantially equal to the hydrogen concentrations in the region 230ba and the region 230bb and higher than or substantially equal to the hydrogen concentration in the region 230bc in some cases. The amount of oxygen vacancies in the junction region is smaller than or substantially equal to the amounts of oxygen vacancies in the region 230ba and the region 230bb and larger than or substantially equal to the amount of oxygen vacancies in the region 230bc in some cases.
Although
In the oxide 230, the boundaries between the regions are difficult to detect clearly in some cases. The concentration of a metal element and an impurity element such as hydrogen or nitrogen, which is detected in each region, may be not only gradually changed between the regions but also continuously changed in each region. That is, the region closer to the channel formation region preferably has a lower concentration of a metal element and an impurity element such as hydrogen or nitrogen.
In the transistor 200, a metal oxide functioning as a semiconductor (such a metal oxide is hereinafter also referred to as an oxide semiconductor) is preferably used for the oxide 230 (the oxide 230a and the oxide 230b) including the channel formation region.
The metal oxide functioning as a semiconductor preferably has a band gap of 2 eV or higher, further preferably 2.5 eV or higher. With use of a metal oxide having a wide bandgap, the off-state current of the transistor can be reduced.
As the oxide 230, it is preferable to use, for example, a metal oxide such as an In-M-Zn oxide containing indium, an element M, and zinc (the element M is one or more kinds selected from aluminum, gallium, yttrium, tin, copper, vanadium, beryllium, boron, titanium, iron, nickel, germanium, zirconium, molybdenum, lanthanum, cerium, neodymium, hafnium, tantalum, tungsten, magnesium, and the like). Alternatively, an In—Ga oxide, an In—Zn oxide, or an indium oxide may be used as the oxide 230.
The oxide 230 preferably has a stacked-layer structure of a plurality of oxide layers with different chemical compositions. For example, the atomic ratio of the element M to a metal element that is a main component of the metal oxide used as the oxide 230a is preferably greater than the atomic ratio of the element M to a metal element that is a main component of the metal oxide used as the oxide 230b. Moreover, the atomic ratio of the element M to In in the metal oxide used as the oxide 230a is preferably greater than the atomic ratio of the element M to In in the metal oxide used as the oxide 230b. With this structure, impurities and oxygen can be inhibited from diffusing into the oxide 230b from the components formed below the oxide 230a.
Furthermore, the atomic ratio of In to the element M in the metal oxide used as the oxide 230b is preferably greater than the atomic ratio of In to the element M in the metal oxide used as the oxide 230a. With this structure, the transistor 200 can have a high on-state current and high frequency characteristics.
When the oxide 230a and the oxide 230b contain a common element as the main component besides oxygen, the density of defect states at the interface between the oxide 230a and the oxide 230b can be made low. The density of defect states at the interface between the oxide 230a and the oxide 230b can be made low. Thus, the influence of interface scattering on carrier conduction is small, and the transistor 200 can have a high on-state current and excellent frequency characteristics.
Specifically, as the oxide 230a, a metal oxide with a composition of In:M:Zn=1:3:4 [atomic ratio] or in the neighborhood thereof, a composition of In:M:Zn=1:3:2 [atomic ratio] or in the neighborhood thereof, or a composition of In:M:Zn=1:1:0.5 [atomic ratio] or in the neighborhood thereof is used. As the oxide 230b, a metal oxide with a composition of In:M:Zn=1:1:1 [atomic ratio] or in the neighborhood thereof, a composition of In:M:Zn=1:1:1.2 [atomic ratio] or in the neighborhood thereof, a composition of In:M:Zn=1:1:2 [atomic ratio] or in the neighborhood thereof, or a composition of In:M:Zn=4:2:3 [atomic ratio] or in the neighborhood thereof can be used. Note that a composition in the neighborhood includes the range of +30% of a desired atomic ratio. Gallium is preferably used as the element M. In the case where a single layer of the oxide 230b is provided as the oxide 230, a metal oxide that can be used as the oxide 230a may be used as the oxide 230b.
When the metal oxide is deposited by a sputtering method, the above atomic ratio is not limited to the atomic ratio of the deposited metal oxide and may be the atomic ratio of a sputtering target used for depositing the metal oxide.
The oxide 230b preferably has crystallinity. It is particularly preferable to use a CAAC-OS (c-axis aligned crystalline oxide semiconductor) as the oxide 230b.
The CAAC-OS is a metal oxide having a dense structure with high crystallinity and a small amount of impurities and defects (for example, oxygen vacancies). In particular, after the formation of a metal oxide, heat treatment is performed at a temperature at which the metal oxide does not become a polycrystal (e.g., higher than or equal to 400° C. and lower than or equal to 600° C.), whereby a CAAC-OS having a dense structure with higher crystallinity can be obtained. When the density of the CAAC-OS is increased in such a manner, diffusion of impurities or oxygen in the CAAC-OS can be further reduced.
A clear crystal grain boundary is difficult to observe in the CAAC-OS; thus, it can be said that a reduction in electron mobility due to the crystal grain boundary is less likely to occur. Thus, a metal oxide including a CAAC-OS is physically stable. Therefore, the metal oxide including a CAAC-OS is resistant to heat and has high reliability.
When an oxide having crystallinity, such as CAAC-OS, is used as the oxide 230b, oxygen extraction from the oxide 230b by the source electrode or the drain electrode can be inhibited. This can reduce oxygen extraction from the oxide 230b even when heat treatment is performed; thus, the transistor 200 is stable with respect to high temperatures in a manufacturing process (what is called thermal budget).
If impurities and oxygen vacancies exist in a region of an oxide semiconductor where a channel is formed, a transistor using the oxide semiconductor may have variable electrical characteristics and poor reliability. In some cases, hydrogen in the vicinity of an oxygen vacancy forms a defect that is the oxygen vacancy into which hydrogen enters (hereinafter sometimes referred to as VOH), which generates an electron serving as a carrier. Therefore, when the region of the oxide semiconductor where a channel is formed includes oxygen vacancies, the transistor tends to have normally-on characteristics (even when no voltage is applied to the gate electrode, the channel exists and current flows through the transistor). Thus, impurities, oxygen vacancies, and VOH are preferably reduced as much as possible in the region of the oxide semiconductor where a channel is formed. In other words, it is preferable that the region of the oxide semiconductor where a channel is formed have a reduced carrier concentration and be of an i-type (intrinsic) or substantially i-type.
As a countermeasure to the above, an insulator containing oxygen that is released by heating (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as excess oxygen) is provided in the vicinity of the oxide semiconductor and heat treatment is performed, so that oxygen can be supplied from the insulator to the oxide semiconductor to reduce oxygen vacancies and VOH. However, supply of an excess amount of oxygen to the source region or the drain region might cause a decrease in the on-state current or field-effect mobility of the transistor 200. Furthermore, a variation of the amount of oxygen supplied to the source region or the drain region in the substrate plane leads to a variation in characteristics of the semiconductor device including the transistor. When oxygen supplied from the insulator to the oxide semiconductor diffuses into a conductor such as the gate electrode, the source electrode, or the drain electrode, the conductor might be oxidized and the conductivity might be impaired, for example, so that electrical characteristics and reliability of the transistor might be adversely affected.
Therefore, the region 230bc functioning as the channel formation region in the oxide semiconductor is preferably an i-type or substantially i-type region with reduced carrier concentration, whereas the region 230ba and the region 230bb functioning as the source region and the drain region are preferably n-type regions with high carrier concentrations. That is, it is preferable that oxygen vacancies and VOH in the region 230bc of the oxide semiconductor be reduced and the region 230ba and the region 230bb not be supplied with an excess amount of oxygen. For example, oxidation of the conductor 260, the conductor 242a, and the conductor 242b, and the like is preferably inhibited.
Thus, in this embodiment, the semiconductor device has a structure in which oxygen is efficiently supplied to the region 230bc and oxidation of the conductor 242a, the conductor 242b, and the conductor 260 is inhibited.
An insulator that is likely to transmit oxygen is preferably used as the insulator 250 to supply oxygen to the region 230bc. In particular, an insulator containing excess oxygen is preferably used as the insulator 280. This structure enables oxygen contained in the insulator 280 to be supplied to the region 230bc through the insulator 250.
Furthermore, in order to inhibit oxidation of the conductor 242a, the conductor 242b, and the conductor 260, an insulator having a function of inhibiting diffusion of oxygen is preferably provided in the vicinity of each of the conductor 242a, the conductor 242b, and the conductor 260. In the semiconductor device described in this embodiment, the insulator corresponds to the insulator 252, the insulator 254, and the insulator 275, for example.
The insulator 252 preferably has a barrier property against oxygen. The insulator 252 is provided between the insulator 250 and the conductor 242a and between the insulator 250 and the conductor 242b. Thus, oxygen contained in the insulator 250 can be inhibited from diffusing into the conductor 242a and the conductor 242b, and oxidation of the conductor 242a and the conductor 242b can be inhibited. Alternatively, the amount of oxygen diffused into the conductor 242a and the conductor 242b from the insulator 250 is reduced, and an oxide layer formed on the side surfaces of the conductor 242a and the conductor 242b can be thin. The insulator 252 is provided between the insulator 250 and the oxide 230b. Thus, release of oxygen from the region 230bc of the oxide 230b in heat treatment or the like can be inhibited.
Note that the thickness of the insulator 252 is preferably small. For example, the insulator 252 preferably includes a region having a thickness smaller than the thickness of the insulator 250. The insulator 250 includes a region in contact with the top surface of the oxide 230b. When the thickness of the insulator 252 is small, oxygen contained in the insulator 250 can be supplied to the region 230bc of the oxide 230b, and oxygen contained in the insulator 250 can be inhibited from being excessively supplied. The insulator 252 is provided between the insulator 280 and the insulator 250 and includes a region in contact with a sidewall of the opening included in the insulator 280. When the thickness of the insulator 252 is small, oxygen contained in the insulator 280 can be supplied to the insulator 250, and oxygen contained in the insulator 280 can be inhibited from being excessively supplied.
The insulator 254 preferably has a barrier property against oxygen. The insulator 254 is provided between the insulator 250 and the conductor 260. Thus, diffusion of oxygen contained in the insulator 250 into the conductor 260 can be prevented, so that oxidation of the conductor 260 can be inhibited. Note that the insulator 254 is less permeable to oxygen than at least the insulator 250 is.
As the insulator 275, an insulator having a function of inhibiting passage of oxygen is preferably used. The insulator 275 is provided between the insulator 280 and the conductor 242a and between the insulator 280 and the conductor 242b. The structure can inhibit diffusion of oxygen contained in the insulator 280 into the conductor 242a and the conductor 242b. Accordingly, oxidation of the conductor 242a and the conductor 242b by oxygen contained in the insulator 280 can be inhibited, so that an increase in resistivity and a reduction in on-state current can be inhibited. The insulator 275 is less permeable to oxygen than at least the insulator 250 is.
With the above structure, the region 230bc functioning as the channel formation region can be an i-type or substantially i-type region, the region 230ba and the region 230bb functioning as the source region and the drain region can be n-type regions, and thus a semiconductor device with favorable electrical characteristics can be provided. The semiconductor device with the above structure can have favorable electrical characteristics even when being miniaturized or highly integrated. For example, the semiconductor device can have favorable electrical characteristics even when the distance L2 illustrated in
Furthermore, miniaturization of the transistor 200 can improve high-frequency characteristics. Specifically, a cutoff frequency can be improved. When the gate length is within the above range, the cutoff frequency of the transistor can be greater than or equal to 50
GHz or greater than or equal to 100 GHz at room temperature, for example. A conductive material that is less likely to be oxidized, a conductive material having a function of inhibiting diffusion of oxygen, or the like is preferably used for the conductor 242a, the conductor 242b, and the conductor 260. Examples of the conductive material include a conductive material containing nitrogen, a conductive material containing oxygen, and the like. Thus, a decrease in conductivity of the conductor 242a, the conductor 242b, and the conductor 260 can be inhibited. In the case where a conductive material containing metal and nitrogen is used for the conductor 242a, the conductor 242b, and the conductor 260, the conductor 242a, the conductor 242b, and the conductor 260 contain at least metal and nitrogen.
Any one or more of the conductor 242a, the conductor 242b, and the conductor 260 may have a stacked-layer structure. For example, in the case where the conductor 242a and the conductor 242b each have a stacked-layer structure, a conductive material that is not easily oxidized, a conductive material having a function of inhibiting diffusion of oxygen, or the like is preferably used for a layer in contact with the oxide 230b. For example, in the case where the conductor 260 has a stacked-layer structure of the conductor 260a and the conductor 260b as illustrated in
As the oxide 230b, an oxide having crystallinity, such as a CAAC-OS, is preferably used. As the oxide, a metal oxide that can be used as the oxide 230 described above is preferably used. Specifically, a metal oxide containing indium, zinc, and one or more selected from gallium, aluminum, and tin is preferably used. The CAAC-OS is an oxide including a crystal, and the c-axis of the crystal is substantially perpendicular to a surface or a formation surface of the oxide. This can inhibit the conductor 242a or the conductor 242b from extracting oxygen from the oxide 230b. Furthermore, it is possible to inhibit a reduction in the conductivity of the conductor 242a and the conductor 242b.
The insulator 282 provided over the insulator 280 is preferably formed by a method in which oxygen can be added to the insulator 280. Thus, excess oxygen can be contained in the insulator 280.
In addition to the above structure, the semiconductor device of this embodiment has a structure in which hydrogen is inhibited from entering the transistor 200. For example, an insulator having a function of inhibiting diffusion of hydrogen is provided to cover the transistor 200. In the semiconductor device described in this embodiment, the insulator corresponds to, for example, the insulator 212 and the insulator 283.
As the insulator 212, an insulator having a function of inhibiting diffusion of hydrogen is preferably used. This can inhibit diffusion of hydrogen into the transistor 200 from below the insulator 212.
As the insulator 283, an insulator having a function of inhibiting diffusion of hydrogen is preferably used. This can inhibit diffusion of hydrogen into the transistor 200 from above the insulator 283. Moreover, diffusion of hydrogen contained in the insulator 274 into the transistor 200 can be inhibited.
In this embodiment, microwave treatment is performed in an atmosphere containing oxygen in a state where the conductor 242a and the conductor 242b are provided over the oxide 230b so that oxygen vacancies and VOH in the region 230bc are reduced. Here, the microwave treatment refers to, for example, treatment using an apparatus including a power source that generates high-density plasma with the use of a microwave.
The microwave treatment in an oxygen-containing atmosphere converts an oxygen gas into plasma using a high-frequency wave such as a microwave or RF and activates the oxygen plasma. At this time, the region 230bc can be irradiated with the high-frequency wave such as a microwave or RF. By the effect of the plasma, the microwave, or the like, VOH in the region 230bc can be divided into an oxygen vacancy and hydrogen: the hydrogen can be removed from the region 230bc and the oxygen vacancy can be filled with oxygen. As a result, the hydrogen concentration, oxygen vacancies and VOH of the region 230bc can be reduced to lower the carrier concentration.
In the microwave treatment in an oxygen-containing atmosphere, the high-frequency wave such as the microwave or RF, the oxygen plasma, or the like is blocked by the conductor 242a and the conductor 242b and does not affect the region 230ba nor the region 230bb. In addition, the effect of the oxygen plasma can be reduced by the insulator 271 and the insulator 280 that are provided to cover the oxide 230b and the conductor 242. Hence, a reduction in VOH and supply of an excess amount of oxygen do not occur in the region 230ba or the region 230bb in the microwave treatment, preventing a decrease in carrier concentration.
Microwave treatment is preferably performed in an oxygen-containing atmosphere after deposition of an insulating film to be the insulator 252 or after deposition of an insulating film to be the insulator 250. By performing the microwave treatment in an oxygen-containing atmosphere through the insulator 252 or the insulator 250 in such a manner, oxygen can be efficiently supplied into the region 230bc. In addition, the insulator 252 is placed to be in contact with the side surface of the conductor 242 and the surface of the region 230bc, thereby inhibiting oxygen more than necessary from being supplied to the region 230bc and inhibiting the side surface of the conductor 242 from being oxidized. Furthermore, the side surface of the conductor 242 can be inhibited from being oxidized when the insulating film to be the insulator 250 is deposited.
The oxygen supplied into the region 230bc has any of a variety of forms such as an oxygen atom, an oxygen molecule, and an oxygen radical (an O radical, an atom or a molecule having an unpaired electron, or an ion). Note that the oxygen supplied into the region 230bc has any one or more of the above forms, particularly preferably an oxygen radical. Furthermore, the film quality of the insulator 252 and the insulator 250 can be improved, leading to higher reliability of the transistor 200.
In the above manner, oxygen vacancies and VOH can be selectively removed from the region 230bc of the oxide semiconductor, whereby the region 230bc can be an i-type or substantially i-type region. Furthermore, supply of an excess amount of oxygen to the region 230ba and the region 230bb functioning as the source region and the drain region can be inhibited and the state of the n-type regions before the microwave treatment is performed can be maintained. As a result, a change in the electrical characteristics of the transistor 200 can be inhibited, and thus a variation in the electrical characteristics of the transistors 200 in the substrate plane can be inhibited.
With the above structure, a semiconductor device with a small variation in transistor characteristics can be provided. A semiconductor device with favorable frequency characteristics can be provided. A semiconductor device that operates at high speed can be provided. A semiconductor device with favorable reliability can also be provided. A semiconductor device with favorable electrical characteristics can be provided. A semiconductor device that can be miniaturized or highly integrated can be provided.
As illustrated in
The radius of curvature of the curved surface is preferably greater than 0 nm and less than the thickness of the oxide 230b in a region overlapping with the conductor 242, or less than half of the length of a region that does not have the curved surface. Specifically, the radius of curvature of the curved surface is greater than 0 nm and less than or equal to 20 nm, preferably greater than or equal to 1 nm and less than or equal to 15 nm, and further preferably greater than or equal to 2 nm and less than or equal to 10 nm. Such a shape can improve the coverage of the oxide 230b with the insulator 252, the insulator 250, the insulator 254, and the conductor 260.
As illustrated in
At least one of the insulator 212, the insulator 214, the insulator 271, the insulator 275, the insulator 282, the insulator 283, and the insulator 285 preferably functions as a barrier insulating film, which inhibits diffusion of impurities such as water and hydrogen from the substrate side or above the transistor 200 into the transistor 200. Thus, for at least one of the insulator 212, the insulator 214, the insulator 271, the insulator 275, the insulator 282, the insulator 283, and the insulator 285, it is preferable to use an insulating material having a function of inhibiting diffusion of impurities such as hydrogen atoms, hydrogen molecules, water molecules, nitrogen atoms, nitrogen molecules, nitrogen oxide molecules (e.g., N2O, NO, or NO2), or copper atoms (an insulating material through which the impurities are less likely to pass). Alternatively, it is preferable to use an insulating material having a function of inhibiting diffusion of oxygen (e.g., at least one of oxygen atoms, oxygen molecules, and the like) (an insulating material through which the oxygen is less likely to pass).
Note that in this specification, a barrier insulating film refers to an insulating film having a barrier property. A barrier property in this specification means a function of inhibiting diffusion of a targeted substance (also referred to as having low permeability). In addition, a barrier property in this specification means a function of capturing and fixing (also referred to as gettering) a targeted substance.
An insulator having a function of inhibiting diffusion of oxygen and impurities such as water and hydrogen is preferably used for the insulator 212, the insulator 214, the insulator 271, the insulator 275, the insulator 282, the insulator 283, and the insulator 285: for example, aluminum oxide, magnesium oxide, hafnium oxide, gallium oxide, indium gallium zinc oxide, silicon nitride, or silicon nitride oxide can be used. For example, silicon nitride or the like, which has a higher hydrogen barrier property, is preferably used for the insulator 212, the insulator 275, and the insulator 283. For example, aluminum oxide, magnesium oxide, or the like, which has a function of capturing or fixing hydrogen well, is preferably used for the insulator 214, the insulator 271, the insulator 282, and the insulator 285. In this case, impurities such as water and hydrogen can be inhibited from diffusing to the transistor 200 side from the substrate side through the insulator 212 and the insulator 214. Impurities such as water and hydrogen can be inhibited from diffusing to the transistor 200 side from an interlayer insulating film and the like which are provided outside the insulator 285. Alternatively, oxygen contained in the insulator 224 and the like can be inhibited from diffusing to the substrate side through the insulator 212 and the insulator 214. Alternatively, oxygen contained in the insulator 280 and the like can be inhibited from diffusing above the transistor 200 through the insulator 282 and the like. In this manner, it is preferable that the transistor 200 be surrounded by the insulator 212, the insulator 214, the insulator 271, the insulator 275, the insulator 282, the insulator 283, and the insulator 285, which have a function of inhibiting diffusion of oxygen and impurities such as water and hydrogen.
Here, an oxide having an amorphous structure is preferably used for the insulator 212, the insulator 214, the insulator 271, the insulator 275, the insulator 282, the insulator 283, and the 20) insulator 285. For example, a metal oxide such as AlOx (x is a given number greater than 0) or MgOy (y is a given number greater than 0) is preferably used. In such a metal oxide having an amorphous structure, an oxygen atom has a dangling bond and sometimes has a property of capturing or fixing hydrogen with the dangling bond. When such a metal oxide having an amorphous structure is used as the component of the transistor 200 or provided around the transistor 200, hydrogen contained in the transistor 200 or hydrogen around the transistor 200 can be captured or fixed. In particular, hydrogen contained in the channel formation region of the transistor 200 is preferably captured or fixed. The metal oxide having an amorphous structure is used as the component of the transistor 200 or provided around the transistor 200, whereby the transistor 200 and a semiconductor device which have favorable characteristics and high reliability can be manufactured.
Although each of the insulator 212, the insulator 214, the insulator 271, the insulator 275, the insulator 282, the insulator 283, and the insulator 285 preferably has an amorphous structure, a region having a polycrystalline structure may be partly formed. Alternatively, each of the insulator 212, the insulator 214, the insulator 271, the insulator 275, the insulator 282, the insulator 283, and the insulator 285 may have a multilayer structure in which a layer having an amorphous structure and a layer having a polycrystalline structure are stacked. For example, a stacked-layer structure in which a layer having a polycrystalline structure is formed over a layer having an amorphous structure may be employed.
The insulator 212, the insulator 214, the insulator 271, the insulator 275, the insulator 282, the insulator 283, and the insulator 285 can be deposited by a sputtering method, for example. Since a sputtering method does not need to use a molecule containing hydrogen as a deposition gas, the hydrogen concentrations in the insulator 212, the insulator 214, the insulator 271, the insulator 275, the insulator 282, the insulator 283, and the insulator 285 can be reduced. Note that the deposition method is not limited to a sputtering method, and a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method, a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) method, a pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method, an atomic layer deposition (ALD) method, or the like may be used as appropriate.
The resistivities of the insulator 212, the insulator 275, and the insulator 283 are preferably low in some cases. For example, by setting the resistivities of the insulator 212, the insulator 275, and the insulator 283 to approximately 1×1013 Ωcm, the insulator 212, the insulator 275, and the insulator 283 can sometimes reduce charge up of the conductor 205, the conductor 242, the conductor 260, or the conductor 246 in treatment using plasma or the like in the manufacturing process of a semiconductor device. The resistivities of the insulator 212, the insulator 275, and the insulator 283 are preferably higher than or equal to 1×1010 Ωcm and lower than or equal to 1×1015 Ωcm.
The insulator 216, the insulator 274, the insulator 280, and the insulator 285 each preferably have a lower permittivity than the insulator 214. When a material with a low permittivity is used for an interlayer film, parasitic capacitance generated between wirings can be reduced. For the insulator 216, the insulator 274, the insulator 280, and the insulator 285, silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, silicon oxide to which fluorine is added, silicon oxide to which carbon is added, silicon oxide to which carbon and nitrogen are added, porous silicon oxide, or the like is used as appropriate, for example.
The conductor 205 is placed to overlap with the oxide 230 and the conductor 260. Here, the conductor 205 is preferably provided to be embedded in an opening formed in the insulator 216. Part of the conductor 205 is embedded in the insulator 214 in some cases.
The conductor 205 includes the conductor 205a and the conductor 205b. The conductor 205a is provided in contact with the bottom surface and the sidewall of the opening. The conductor 205b is provided to be embedded in a depressed portion formed in the conductor 205a. Here, a top surface of the conductor 205b is substantially level with top surfaces of the conductor 205a and the insulator 216.
Here, for the conductor 205a, it is preferable to use a conductive material having a function of inhibiting diffusion of impurities such as a hydrogen atom, a hydrogen molecule, a water molecule, a nitrogen atom, a nitrogen molecule, a nitrogen oxide molecule (N2O, NO, NO2, or the like), and a copper atom. Alternatively, it is preferable to use a conductive material having a function of inhibiting diffusion of oxygen (e.g., at least one of an oxygen atom, an oxygen molecule, and the like).
When the conductor 205a is formed using a conductive material having a function of inhibiting diffusion of hydrogen, impurities such as hydrogen contained in the conductor 205b can be prevented from diffusing into the oxide 230 through the insulator 216, the insulator 224, and the like. When the conductor 205a is formed using a conductive material having a function of inhibiting diffusion of oxygen, the conductivity of the conductor 205b can be inhibited from being lowered because of oxidation. As the conductive material having a function of inhibiting diffusion of oxygen, for example, titanium, titanium nitride, tantalum, tantalum nitride, ruthenium, or ruthenium oxide is preferably used. Thus, the conductor 205a may be a single layer or a stacked layer of the above conductive materials. For example, titanium nitride is used for the conductor 205a.
Moreover, the conductor 205b is preferably formed using a conductive material containing tungsten, copper, or aluminum as its main component. For example, tungsten is used for the conductor 205b.
The conductor 205 sometimes functions as a second gate electrode. In that case, by changing a potential applied to the conductor 205 out of synchronization with and independently of a potential applied to the conductor 260, the threshold voltage (Vth) of the transistor 200 can be controlled. In particular, Vth of the transistor 200 can be higher in the case where a negative potential is applied to the conductor 205, and the off-state current can be reduced. Thus, a drain current at the time when a potential applied to the conductor 260 is 0 V can be lower in the case where a negative potential is applied to the conductor 205 than in the case where the negative potential is not applied to the conductor 205.
The electric resistivity of the conductor 205 is designed in consideration of the potential applied to the conductor 205, and the thickness of the conductor 205 is determined in accordance with the electric resistivity. The thickness of the insulator 216 is substantially equal to that of the conductor 205. The conductor 205 and the insulator 216 are preferably as thin as possible in the allowable range of the design of the conductor 205. When the thickness of the insulator 216 is reduced, the absolute amount of impurity such as hydrogen contained in the insulator 216 can be reduced, inhibiting the diffusion of the impurity into the oxide 230.
As illustrated in
In this specification and the like, a transistor having the S-channel structure refers to a transistor having a structure in which a channel formation region is electrically surrounded by an electric field of one or the other of a pair of gate electrodes. The S-channel structure disclosed in this specification and the like is different from a Fin structure or a planar structure. The S-channel structure disclosed in this specification and the like can be regarded as a kind of the Fin structure. In this specification and the like, the Fin structure refers to a structure in which at least two surfaces (specifically, two surface, three surfaces, four surfaces, or the like) of a channel are covered with a gate electrode. With the use of the Fin structure or the S-channel structure, a transistor with high resistance to a short-channel effect, i.e., a transistor in which a short-channel effect is unlikely to occur, can be obtained.
When the transistor 200 becomes normally-off and has the above-described S-channel structure, the channel formation region can be electrically surrounded. Since the S-channel structure is a structure with the electrically surrounded channel formation region, the S-channel structure is, in a sense, equivalent to a GAA (Gate All Around) structure or a LGAA (Lateral Gate All Around) structure. When the transistor 200 has the S-channel structure, the GAA structure, or the LGAA structure, the channel formation region that is formed at the interface between the oxide 230 and the gate insulator or in the vicinity of the interface can be formed in the entire bulk of the oxide 230. Consequently, the density of current flowing through the transistor can be improved, so that the on-state current or the field-effect mobility of the transistor can be expected to increase.
Furthermore, as illustrated in
Although the transistor 200 having a structure in which the conductor 205 is a stack of the conductor 205a and the conductor 205b is illustrated, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the conductor 205 may be provided to have a single-layer structure or a stacked-layer structure of three or more layers.
The insulator 222 and the insulator 224 function as a gate insulator.
It is preferable that the insulator 222 have a function of inhibiting diffusion of hydrogen (e.g., at least one of a hydrogen atom, a hydrogen molecule, and the like). In addition, it is preferable that the insulator 222 have a function of inhibiting diffusion of oxygen (e.g., at least one of an oxygen atom, an oxygen molecule, and the like). For example, the insulator 222 preferably has a function of inhibiting diffusion of one or both of hydrogen and oxygen more than the insulator 224.
As the insulator 222, an insulator containing an oxide of one or both of aluminum and hafnium, which is an insulating material, is preferably used. For the insulator, aluminum oxide, hafnium oxide, an oxide containing aluminum and hafnium (hafnium aluminate), or the like is preferably used. Alternatively, an oxide containing hafnium and zirconium, e.g., a hafnium-zirconium oxide is preferably used. In the case where the insulator 222 is formed using such a material, the insulator 222 functions as a layer that inhibits release of oxygen from the oxide 230 to the substrate side and diffusion of impurities such as hydrogen from the periphery of the transistor 200 into the oxide 230. Thus, providing the insulator 222 can inhibit diffusion of impurities such as hydrogen into the transistor 200 and inhibit generation of oxygen vacancies in the oxide 230. Moreover, the conductor 205 can be inhibited from reacting with oxygen contained in the insulator 224 and the oxide 230.
Alternatively, aluminum oxide, bismuth oxide, germanium oxide, niobium oxide, silicon oxide, titanium oxide, tungsten oxide, yttrium oxide, or zirconium oxide may be added to the above insulator, for example. Alternatively, the insulator may be subjected to nitriding treatment. A stack of silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, or silicon nitride over these insulators may be used for the insulator 222.
For example, a single layer or stacked layers of an insulator(s) containing what is called a high-k material such as aluminum oxide, hafnium oxide, tantalum oxide, zirconium oxide, or hafnium-zirconium oxide may be used for the insulator 222. As miniaturization and high integration of transistors progress, a problem such as a leakage current may arise because of a thinner gate insulator. When a high-k material is used for the insulator functioning as a gate insulator, a gate potential at the time of the operation of the transistor can be reduced while the physical thickness is maintained. Furthermore, a substance with a high permittivity such as lead zirconate titanate (PZT), strontium titanate (SrTiO3), or (Ba,Sr)TiO3 (BST) may be used for the insulator 222.
Silicon oxide or silicon oxynitride, for example, can be used as appropriate for the insulator 224 that is in contact with the oxide 230.
In the manufacturing process of the transistor 200, heat treatment is preferably performed with a surface of the oxide 230 exposed. For example, the heat treatment is performed at higher than or equal to 100° C. and lower than or equal to 600° C., preferably higher than or equal to 350° C. and lower than or equal to 550° C. Note that the heat treatment is performed in a nitrogen gas or inert gas atmosphere, or an atmosphere containing an oxidizing gas at 10 ppm or more, 1% or more, or 10% or more. For example, the heat treatment is preferably performed in an oxygen atmosphere. This can supply oxygen to the oxide 230 to reduce oxygen vacancies. The heat treatment may be performed under reduced pressure. Alternatively, the heat treatment may be performed in an atmosphere containing an oxidizing gas at 10 ppm or more, 1% or more, or 10% or more in order to compensate for oxygen released, after heat treatment in a nitrogen gas or inert gas atmosphere. Alternatively, the heat treatment may be performed in a nitrogen gas or inert gas atmosphere successively after heat treatment is performed in an atmosphere containing an oxidizing gas at 10 ppm or more, 1% or more, or 10% or more.
Note that by oxygen adding treatment performed on the oxide 230, oxygen vacancies in the oxide 230 can be repaired with supplied oxygen. Furthermore, hydrogen remaining in the oxide 230 reacts with supplied oxygen, so that the hydrogen can be removed as H2O (dehydration). This can inhibit recombination of hydrogen remaining in the oxide 230 with oxygen vacancies and formation of VOH.
Note that the insulator 222 and the insulator 224 may each have a stacked-layer structure of two or more layers. In that case, without limitation to a stacked-layer structure formed of the same material, a stacked-layer structure formed of different materials may be employed. The insulator 224 may be formed into an island shape so as to overlap with the oxide 230a. In this case, the insulator 275 is in contact with the side surfaces of the insulator 224 and the top surface of the insulator 222. Note that in this specification and the like, the term “island shape” refers to a state where two or more layers formed using the same material in the same step are physically separated from each other.
The conductor 242a and the conductor 242b are provided in contact with the top surface of the oxide 230b. Each of the conductor 242a and the conductor 242b functions as a source electrode or a drain electrode of the transistor 200.
For the conductor 242 (the conductor 242a and the conductor 242b), for example, a nitride containing tantalum, a nitride containing titanium, a nitride containing molybdenum, a nitride containing tungsten, a nitride containing tantalum and aluminum, a nitride containing titanium and aluminum, or the like is preferably used. In one embodiment of the present invention, a nitride containing tantalum is particularly preferable. As another example, ruthenium oxide, ruthenium nitride, an oxide containing strontium and ruthenium, or an oxide containing lanthanum and nickel may be used. These materials are preferable because they are each a conductive material that is not easily oxidized or a material that maintains the conductivity even after absorbing oxygen.
Note that hydrogen contained in the oxide 230b or the like diffuses into the conductor 242a or the conductor 242b in some cases. In particular, when a nitride containing tantalum is used for the conductor 242a and the conductor 242b, hydrogen contained in the oxide 230b or the like is likely to diffuse into the conductor 242a or the conductor 242b, and the diffused hydrogen is bonded to nitrogen contained in the conductor 242a or the conductor 242b in some cases. That is, hydrogen contained in the oxide 230b or the like is absorbed by the conductor 242a or the conductor 242b in some cases.
No curved surface is preferably formed between the side surface of the conductor 242 and a top surface of the conductor 242. When no curved surface is formed in the conductor 242, the conductor 242 can have a large cross-sectional area in the channel width direction as illustrated in
When heat treatment is performed in the state where the conductor 242a (conductor 242b) and the oxide 230b are in contact with each other, the sheet resistance of the oxide 230b in a region overlapping with the conductor 242a (conductor 242b) is decreased in some cases. Furthermore, the carrier concentration is sometimes increased. Thus, the resistance of the oxide 230b in the region overlapping with the conductor 242a (conductor 242b) can be lowered in a self-aligned manner. The conductor 242a and the conductor 242b are each preferably formed using a conductive film having compressive stress. This can form distortion extended in the tensile direction (hereinafter, such distortion is sometimes referred to as tensile distortion) in the region 230ba and the region 230bb. When VOH is stably formed in the tensile distortion, the region 230ba and the region 230bb can be stable n-type regions. The compressive stress of the conductor 242a refers to stress for relaxing the compressive shape of the conductor 242a that has a vector in a direction from a center portion to an end portion of the conductor 242a. The same applies to the compressive stress of the conductor 242b.
The level of the compressive stress of the conductor 242a is, for example, preferably higher than or equal to 500 MPa, further preferably higher than or equal to 1000 MPa, still further preferably higher than or equal to 1500 MPa, yet still further preferably higher than or equal to 2000 MPa. The level of the stress of the conductor 242a may be determined from the measured stress of a sample formed by depositing a conductive film to be used for the conductor 242a on a substrate. The same applies to the level of the compressive stress of the conductor 242b.
Due to the action of the compressive stress of each of the conductor 242a and the conductor 242b, distortion is generated in each of the region 230ba and the region 230bb. The distortion is distortion (tensile distortion) extended in the tensile direction by the action of the compressive stress of each of the conductor 242a and the conductor 242b. In the case where the region 230ba and the region 230bb each have a CAAC structure, the distortion corresponds to extension in the direction perpendicular to the c-axis of the CAAC structure. When the CAAC structure is extended in the direction perpendicular to the c-axis of the CAAC structure, oxygen vacancies are likely to be formed in the distortion. Furthermore, hydrogen is likely to be taken in the distortion, so that VOH is likely to be formed. Thus, oxygen vacancies and VOH are easily formed in the distortion, and they are likely to have a stable structure. Thus, the region 230ba and the region 230bb can be stable n-type regions with high carrier concentrations.
Note that although the distortion formed in the oxide 230b is described above, the present invention is not limited thereto. In some cases, a similar distortion is formed in the oxide 230a. In one embodiment of the present invention, a nitride containing tantalum or a nitride containing titanium is particularly preferably used for each of the conductor 242a and the conductor 242b. In this case, the conductor 242a and the conductor 242b each contain tantalum or titanium and nitrogen.
Although
Hereinafter, the conductor 242a1 and the conductor 242b1 are collectively referred to as a lower layer of the conductor 242 in some cases. The conductor 242a2 and the conductor 242b2 are collectively referred to as an upper layer of the conductor 242 in some cases.
The lower layer (the conductor 242a1 and the conductor 242b1) of the conductor 242 is preferably formed using a conductive material having a property of oxidation resistance. This can inhibit the oxidation of the lower layer of the conductor 242 and a reduction in the conductivity of the conductor 242. Note that the lower layer of the conductor 242 may have such a property that hydrogen is easily absorbed (easily extracted) thereinto. Accordingly, hydrogen in the oxide 230 is diffused into the lower layer of the conductor 242, so that the hydrogen concentration in the oxide 230 can be reduced. As a result, the transistor 200 can have stable electrical characteristics. The lower layer of the conductor 242 preferably has high compressive stress as described above, and preferably has higher compressive stress than the upper layer of the conductor 242. Thus, as described above, the region 230ba and the region 230bb that are in contact with the lower layer of the conductor 242 can be stable n-type regions with a high carrier concentration.
The upper layer of the conductor 242 (the conductor 242a2 and the conductor 242b2) preferably has higher conductivity than the lower layer of the conductor 242 (the conductor 242al and the conductor 242b1). For example, the upper layer of the conductor 242 is thicker than the lower layer of the conductor 242. Note that at least part of the upper layer of the conductor 242 includes a region with higher conductivity than that of the lower layer of the conductor 242. Alternatively, the upper layer of the conductor 242 is preferably formed using a conductive material with lower resistivity than that of the lower layer of the conductor 242. As a result, a semiconductor device with reduced wiring delay can be manufactured.
Note that the upper layer of the conductor 242 may have such a property that hydrogen is easily absorbed. Accordingly, hydrogen absorbed by the lower layer of the conductor 242 is also diffused into the upper layer of the conductor 242, so that the hydrogen concentration in the oxide 230 can be further reduced. As a result, the transistor 200 can have stable electrical characteristics.
Here, for the lower layer of the conductor 242 and the upper layer of the conductor 242, conductive materials containing the same constituent elements and different chemical compositions are preferably used. In this case, the lower layer of the conductor 242 and the upper layer of the conductor 242 can be deposited successively without being exposed to an atmospheric environment. By the deposition without exposure to the atmosphere, impurities or moisture from the atmospheric environment can be prevented from being attached onto the surface of the lower layer of the conductor 242, so that the vicinity of the interface between the lower layer of the conductor 242 and the upper layer of the conductor 242 can be kept clean.
In addition, a nitride containing tantalum with a high atomic ratio of nitrogen to tantalum is preferably used for the lower layer of the conductor 242, and a nitride containing tantalum with a low atomic ratio of nitrogen to tantalum is preferably used for the upper layer of the conductor 242. For example, a nitride containing tantalum at an atomic ratio of nitrogen to tantalum being greater than or equal to 1.0 and less than or equal to 2.0, preferably greater than or equal to 1.1 and less than or equal to 1.8, further preferably greater than or equal to 1.2 and less than or equal to 1.5 is used for the lower layer of the conductor 242. In addition, a nitride containing tantalum at an atomic ratio of nitrogen to tantalum being greater than or equal to 0.3 and less than or equal to 1.5, preferably greater than or equal to 0.5 and less than or equal to 1.3, further preferably greater than or equal to 0.6 and less than or equal to 1.0 is used for the upper layer of the conductor 242.
The high atomic ratio of nitrogen to tantalum in a nitride containing tantalum can inhibit oxidation of the nitride containing tantalum. In addition, the oxidation resistance of the nitride containing tantalum can be improved. Moreover, the diffusion of oxygen into the nitride containing tantalum can be inhibited. Hence, the nitride containing tantalum with a high atomic ratio of nitrogen to tantalum is preferably used for the lower layer of the conductor 242. It is thus possible to prevent an oxide layer from being formed between the lower layer of the conductor 242 and the oxide 230 or reduce the thickness of the oxide layer.
The low atomic ratio of nitrogen to tantalum in a nitride containing tantalum can reduce the resistivity of the nitride. Hence, the nitride containing tantalum with a low atomic ratio of nitrogen to tantalum is preferably used for the upper layer of the conductor 242. As a result, a semiconductor device with reduced wiring delay can be fabricated.
Note that the boundary between the upper layer and the lower layer of the conductor 242 is difficult to clearly detect in some cases. In the case where a nitride containing tantalum is used for the conductor 242, the tantalum concentration and the nitrogen concentration detected in each layer may gradually change within each layer and may also change continuously (or in a gradation manner) in a region between the upper layer and the lower layer. That is, the atomic ratio of nitrogen to tantalum is preferably higher in the region of the conductor 242 that is closer to the oxide 230. Thus, the atomic ratio of nitrogen to tantalum in a lower region of the conductor 242 is preferably higher than the atomic ratio of nitrogen to tantalum in an upper region of the conductor 242.
The thickness of the lower layer of the conductor 242 is greater than or equal to 0.1 nm and less than or equal to 5.0 nm, preferably greater than or equal to 0.5 nm and less than or equal to 3.0 nm, further preferably greater than or equal to 1.0 nm and less than or equal to 3.0 nm. In this case, at least part of the lower layer of the conductor 242 preferably includes a region having the above-described thickness. Furthermore, the thickness of the lower layer of the conductor 242 is preferably smaller than the thickness of the upper layer of the conductor 242. In this case, at least part of the lower layer of the conductor 242 preferably includes a region having a thickness smaller than that of the upper layer of the conductor 242.
In the example shown above, conductive materials having the same constituent element and having different chemical compositions are used for the lower layer of the conductor 242 and the upper layer of the conductor 242; however, one embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the lower layer of the conductor 242 and the upper layer of the conductor 242 may be formed using different conductive materials.
For example, one or more selected from the constituent elements, chemical composition, and deposition conditions may be different between the lower layer of the conductor 242 and the upper layer of the conductor 242. For example, a nitride containing tantalum (e.g., tantalum nitride) may be used for the lower layer of the conductor 242 and a nitride containing titanium (e.g., titanium nitride) may be used for the upper layer of the conductor 242. Titanium nitride can have higher conductivity than tantalum nitride; thus, the conductivity of the upper layer of the conductor 242 can be higher than that of the lower layer of the conductor 242. Thus, the contact resistance between the conductor 242 and the conductor 240 provided in contact with the top surface of the conductor 242 can be reduced, so that a semiconductor device with reduced wiring delay can be manufactured.
Here, the distance between the conductor 242a2 and the conductor 242b2 is substantially equal to the distance L1 of the opening 258 in the channel length direction. As illustrated in
At this time, the insulator 252 is in contact with a side surface and part of a top surface of the conductor 242a1, a side surface and part of a top surface of the conductor 242b1, a side surface of the conductor 242a2, and a side surface of the conductor 242b2.
In the transistor 200 illustrated in
The insulator 271a is provided in contact with the top surface of the conductor 242a, and the insulator 271b is provided in contact with the top surface of the conductor 242b. The insulator 271 preferably functions as at least a barrier insulating film against oxygen. Thus, the insulator 271 preferably has a function of inhibiting oxygen diffusion. For example, the insulator 271 preferably has a function of inhibiting diffusion of oxygen more than the insulator 280. As the insulator 271, an insulator such as silicon nitride, aluminum oxide, or magnesium oxide is used, for example.
The insulator 275 is provided to cover the insulator 224, the oxide 230a, the oxide 230b, the conductor 242, and the insulator 271. Specifically, the insulator 275 includes a region in contact with the side surface of the oxide 230b, the side surface of the conductor 242a, and the side surface of the conductor 242b. The insulator 275 preferably has a function of capturing and fixing hydrogen. In that case, the insulator 275 preferably includes silicon nitride, or a metal oxide having an amorphous structure, for example, an insulator such as aluminum oxide or magnesium oxide. Alternatively, for example, a stacked-layer film of aluminum oxide and silicon nitride over the aluminum oxide may be used as the insulator 275.
When the above insulator 271 and the insulator 275 are provided, the conductor 242 can be surrounded by the insulators having a barrier property against oxygen. That is, oxygen contained in the insulator 224 and the insulator 280 can be prevented from diffusing into the conductor 242. As a result, the conductor 242 can be inhibited from being directly oxidized by oxygen contained in the insulator 224 and the insulator 280, so that an increase in resistivity and a reduction in on-state current can be inhibited.
The insulator 252 functions as part of the gate insulator. As the insulator 252, a barrier insulating film against oxygen is preferably used. As the insulator 252, an insulator that can be used as the insulator 282 described above is preferably used. An insulator containing an oxide of one or both of aluminum and hafnium may be used as the insulator 252. As the insulator, aluminum oxide, hafnium oxide, an oxide containing aluminum and hafnium (hafnium aluminate), an oxide containing hafnium and silicon (hafnium silicate), or the like can be used. In this embodiment, aluminum oxide is used for the insulator 252. In this case, the insulator 252 contains at least oxygen and aluminum.
As illustrated in
Even when an excess amount of oxygen is contained in the insulator 280, the insulator 250 and the like, oxygen can be inhibited from being excessively supplied to the oxide 230a and the oxide 230b. Thus, the region 230ba and the region 230bb are inhibited from being excessively oxidized by oxygen through the region 230bc: a reduction in on-state current or field-effect mobility of the transistor 200 can be inhibited.
As illustrated in
Furthermore, the insulator 252 needs to be provided in an opening formed in the insulator 280 and the like, together with the insulator 254, the insulator 250, and the conductor 260. The thickness of the insulator 252 is preferably thin for miniaturization of the transistor 200. The thickness of the insulator 252 is greater than or equal to 0.1 nm and less than or equal to 5.0 nm, preferably greater than or equal to 0.5 nm and less than or equal to 3.0 nm, further preferably greater than or equal to 1.0 nm and less than 3.0 nm. In this case, at least part of the insulator 252 preferably includes a region having the above-described thickness. The thickness of the insulator 252 is preferably smaller than that of the insulator 250. In this case, at least part of the insulator 252 preferably includes a region having a thickness smaller than that of the insulator 250.
To form the insulator 252 having a small thickness as described above, an ALD method is preferably used for deposition. Examples of an ALD method include a thermal ALD method, in which a precursor and a reactant react with each other only by a thermal energy, and a PEALD (Plasma Enhanced ALD) method, in which a reactant excited by plasma is used. The use of plasma in a PEALD method is sometimes preferable because deposition at a lower temperature is possible.
An ALD method, which enables an atomic layer to be deposited one by one has advantages such as deposition of an extremely thin film, deposition on a component with a high aspect ratio, deposition of a film with a small number of defects such as pinholes, deposition with excellent coverage, and low-temperature deposition. Therefore, the insulator 252 can be deposited on the side surface of the opening formed in the insulator 280 and the like, the side end portion of the conductor 242, and the like, with a small thickness like the above-described thickness and a favorable coverage.
Note that some of precursors usable in an ALD method contain carbon or the like. Thus, in some cases, a film provided by an ALD method contains impurities such as carbon in a larger amount than a film provided by another deposition method. Note that impurities can be quantified by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), or auger electron spectroscopy (AES).
Note that appropriate adjustment of the deposition condition of the insulating film to be the insulator 250, the microwave treatment condition in an oxygen-containing atmosphere, the amount of oxygen added to the insulator 280 by deposition of the insulator 282, and the like can reduce oxygen vacancies and VOH formed in the region 230bc and inhibit excess oxidation of the region 230ba and the region 230bb in some cases. In such a case, the structure without the insulator 252 enables simplification of the manufacturing process and the improvement in productivity of the semiconductor device.
The insulator 250 functions as part of the gate insulator. The insulator 250 is preferably placed in contact with the top surface of the insulator 252. The insulator 250 can be formed using silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, silicon nitride oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxide to which fluorine is added, silicon oxide to which carbon is added, silicon oxide to which carbon and nitrogen are added, porous silicon oxide, or the like. In particular, silicon oxide and silicon oxynitride, which are thermally stable, are preferable. The insulator 250 in this case is an insulator containing at least oxygen and silicon.
As in the insulator 224, the concentration of impurities such as water and hydrogen in the insulator 250 is preferably reduced. The thickness of the insulator 250 is preferably greater than or equal to 0.5 nm and less than or equal to 20 nm, further preferably greater than or equal to 0.5 nm and less than or equal to 15 nm. In particular, in order to form a minute transistor (e.g., a transistor with the distance L2 less than or equal to 20 nm), the thickness of the insulator 250 is preferably greater than or equal to 0.5 nm and less than or equal to 10 nm, further preferably greater than or equal to 0.5 nm and less than or equal to 5 nm. In this case, at least part of the insulator 250 preferably includes a region having the above-described thickness.
Although
In the case where the insulator 250 has a stacked-layer structure of two layers as illustrated in
For example, it is preferable that the insulator 250a be provided using any of the above-described materials that can be used for the insulator 250 and the insulator 250b be provided using an insulator containing an oxide of one or both of aluminum and hafnium. As the insulator, aluminum oxide, hafnium oxide, an oxide containing aluminum and hafnium (hafnium aluminate), an oxide containing hafnium and silicon (hafnium silicate), or the like can be used. In this embodiment, hafnium oxide is used as the insulator 250b. In this case, the insulator 250b contains at least oxygen and hafnium. The thickness of the insulator 250b is greater than or equal to 0.5 nm and less than or equal to 5.0 nm, preferably greater than or equal to 1.0 nm and less than or equal to 5.0 nm, further preferably greater than or equal to 1.0 nm and less than or equal to 3.0 nm. In that case, at least part of the insulator 250b preferably includes a region having the above-described thickness.
In the case where silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, or the like is used for the insulator 250a, the insulator 250b may be formed using an insulating material that is a high-k material having a high dielectric constant. The gate insulator having a stacked-layer structure of the insulator 250a and the insulator 250b can be thermally stable and can have a high dielectric constant. Accordingly, a gate potential applied during the operation of the transistor can be reduced while the physical thickness of the gate insulator is maintained. In addition, the equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) of the insulator functioning as the gate insulator can be reduced. Therefore, the withstand voltage of the insulator 250 can be increased.
The insulator 254 functions as part of a gate insulator. As the insulator 254, a barrier insulating film against hydrogen is preferably used. This can prevent diffusion of impurities such as hydrogen contained in the conductor 260 into the insulator 250 and the oxide 230b. As the insulator 254, an insulator that can be used as the insulator 283 described above may be used. For example, silicon nitride deposited by a PEALD method may be used as the insulator 254. In this case, the insulator 254 contains at least nitrogen and silicon.
Furthermore, the insulator 254 may have a barrier property against oxygen. Thus, diffusion of oxygen contained in the insulator 250 into the conductor 260 can be inhibited.
Furthermore, the insulator 254 needs to be provided in an opening formed in the insulator 280 and the like, together with the insulator 252, the insulator 250, and the conductor 260. The thickness of the insulator 254 is preferably small for miniaturization of the transistor 200. The thickness of the insulator 254 is greater than or equal to 0.1 nm and less than or equal to 5.0 nm, preferably greater than or equal to 0.5 nm and less than or equal to 3.0 nm, further preferably greater than or equal to 1.0 nm and less than or equal to 3.0 nm. In this case, at least part of the insulator 254 preferably includes a region having the above-described thickness. The thickness of the insulator 254 is preferably smaller than that of the insulator 250. In this case, at least part of the insulator 254 preferably include a region having a thickness that is smaller than that of the insulator 250.
Note that in the case where the insulator 250 has a stacked-layer structure of two layers as illustrated in
The conductor 260 functions as the first gate electrode of the transistor 200. The conductor 260 preferably includes the conductor 260a and the conductor 260b placed over the conductor 260a. For example, the conductor 260a is preferably placed to cover the bottom surface and the side surface of the conductor 260b. Moreover, as illustrated in
For the conductor 260a, a conductive material having a function of inhibiting diffusion of impurities such as a hydrogen atom, a hydrogen molecule, a water molecule, a nitrogen atom, a nitrogen molecule, a nitrogen oxide molecule, and a copper atom is preferably used. Alternatively, it is preferable to use a conductive material having a function of inhibiting diffusion of oxygen (e.g., at least one of an oxygen atom, an oxygen molecule, and the like).
In addition, when the conductor 260a has a function of inhibiting diffusion of oxygen, the conductivity of the conductor 260b can be inhibited from being lowered because of oxidation due to oxygen contained in the insulator 250. As the conductive material having a function of inhibiting diffusion of oxygen, for example, titanium, titanium nitride, tantalum, tantalum nitride, ruthenium, or ruthenium oxide is preferably used.
The conductor 260 is formed to fill the opening 258 extending in the channel width direction, i.e., the conductor 260 extends in the channel width direction. Thus, when a plurality of transistors 200 are provided, the conductor 260 can function as a wiring. In this case, the insulator 252, the insulator 250, and the insulator 254 also extend together with the conductor 260.
The conductor 260 also functions as a wiring and thus is preferably formed using a conductor having high conductivity. For example, a conductive material containing tungsten, copper, or aluminum as its main component can be used for the conductor 260b. The conductor 260b may have a stacked-layer structure: for example, a stacked-layer structure of the conductive material and titanium or titanium nitride may be employed.
In the transistor 200, the conductor 260 is formed in a self-aligned manner to fill the opening 258 formed in the insulator 280 and the like. The formation of the conductor 260 in this manner allows the conductor 260 to be placed properly in a region between the conductor 242a and the conductor 242b without alignment.
As illustrated in
The insulator 280 is provided over the insulator 275, and the opening is formed in a region where the insulator 250 and the conductor 260 are to be provided. In addition, the top surface of the insulator 280 may be planarized.
The insulator 280 functioning as an interlayer film preferably has a low permittivity. When a material with a low permittivity is used for an interlayer film, parasitic capacitance generated between wirings can be reduced. The insulator 280 is preferably provided using a material similar to that for the insulator 216, for example. In particular, silicon oxide and silicon oxynitride, which are thermally stable, are preferable. In particular, materials such as silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, and porous silicon oxide are preferably used, in which case a region containing oxygen to be released by heating can be easily formed.
The concentration of impurities such as water and hydrogen in the insulator 280 is preferably reduced. Oxide containing silicon such as silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, or the like is used as appropriate for the insulator 280, for example.
The insulator 282 preferably functions as a barrier insulating film that inhibits impurities such as water and hydrogen from diffusing into the insulator 280 from above and preferably has a function of capturing impurities such as hydrogen. The insulator 282 preferably functions as a barrier insulating film that inhibits passage of oxygen. For the insulator 282, a metal oxide having an amorphous structure, for example, an insulator such as aluminum oxide can be used. In this case, the insulator 282 contains at least oxygen and aluminum. The insulator 282, which has a function of capturing impurities such as hydrogen, is provided in contact with the insulator 280 in a region interposed between the insulator 212 and the insulator 283, whereby impurities such as hydrogen contained in the insulator 280 and the like can be captured and the amount of hydrogen in the region can be constant. It is preferable to use, in particular, aluminum oxide having an amorphous structure for the insulator 282, because hydrogen can be captured or fixed more effectively in some cases. Accordingly, the transistor 200 and a semiconductor device which have favorable characteristics and high reliability can be manufactured.
As the insulator 282, aluminum oxide is preferably deposited by a sputtering method, further preferably, aluminum oxide is deposited by a pulsed DC sputtering method using an aluminum target in an atmosphere containing an oxygen gas. The use of the pulsed DC sputtering method can achieve more uniform film thickness and improve the sputtering rate and film quality. Here, RF (Radio Frequency) power may be applied to the substrate. The amount of oxygen implanted to a layer below the insulator 282 can be controlled depending on the amount of the RF power applied to the substrate. For example, the amount of oxygen implanted into the layer below the insulator 282 is smaller as the RF power is lower, and the amount of oxygen is easily saturated even when the insulator 282 has a small thickness. Moreover, the amount of oxygen implanted into the layer below the insulator 282 is larger as the RF power is higher.
The RF power is higher than or equal to 0 W/cm2 and lower than or equal to 1.86 W/cm2, for example. In other words, an appropriate amount of oxygen for the transistor characteristics can be changed and implanted by RF power used for the formation of the insulator 282. Accordingly, an appropriate amount of oxygen for improving the reliability of the transistor can be supplied.
The RF frequency is preferably greater than or equal to 10 MHZ. The typical frequency is 13.56 MHZ. The higher the RF frequency is, the less damage the substrate gets.
Although
An upper layer and a lower layer of the insulator 282 are preferably formed using the same material by different methods. For example, when aluminum oxide is deposited as the insulator 282 by a pulsed DC sputtering method with use of an aluminum target in an atmosphere containing an oxygen gas, RF power applied to the substrate in the formation of the lower layer of the insulator 282 and RF power applied to the substrate in the formation of the upper layer of the insulator 282 are preferably different from each other, and the RF power applied to the substrate in the formation of the lower layer of the insulator 282 is preferably lower than the RF power applied to the substrate in the formation of the upper layer of the insulator 282. Specifically, the lower layer of the insulator 282 is formed with the RF power applied to the substrate of approximately 0 W/cm2 to 0.62 W/cm2 inclusive, and the upper layer of the insulator 282 is formed with the RF power applied to the substrate of 1.86 W/cm2 or lower. More specifically, the lower layer of the insulator 282 is formed with the RF power applied to the substrate of 0 W/cm2, and the upper layer of the insulator 282 is formed with the RF power applied to the substrate of 0.31 W/cm2. With this structure, the insulator 282 can have an amorphous structure, and the amount of oxygen supplied to the insulator 280 can be controlled.
Note that the RF power applied to the substrate in the formation of the lower layer of the insulator 282 may be higher than the RF power applied to the substrate in the formation of the upper layer of the insulator 282. Specifically, the lower layer of the insulator 282 is formed with the RF power applied to the substrate of 1.86 W/cm2 or lower, and the upper layer of the insulator 282 is formed with the RF power applied to the substrate of approximately 0 W/cm2 to 0.62 W/cm2 inclusive. More specifically, the lower layer of the insulator 282 is formed with the RF power applied to the substrate of 1.86 W/cm2, and the upper layer of the insulator 282 is formed with the RF power applied to the substrate of 0.62 W/cm2. With this structure, the amount of oxygen supplied to the insulator 280 can be increased.
The thickness of the lower layer of the insulator 282 is greater than or equal to 1 nm and less than or equal to 20 nm, preferably greater than or equal to 1.5 nm and less than or equal to 15 nm, further preferably greater than or equal to 2 nm and less than or equal to 10 nm, still further preferably greater than or equal to 3 nm and less than or equal to 8 nm. With such a structure, the lower layer of the insulator 282 can have an amorphous structure regardless of the RF power. When the lower layer of the insulator 282 has an amorphous structure, the upper layer of the insulator 282 easily has an amorphous structure, so that the insulator 282 can have an amorphous structure.
Although the lower layer of the insulator 282 and the upper layer of the insulator 282 described above form the stacked-layer structure of the same material, the present invention is not limited thereto. The lower layer of the insulator 282 and the upper layer of the insulator 282 may form a stacked-layer structure of different materials.
The insulator 283 is in contact with part of the top surface of the insulator 214, a side surface of the insulator 216, a side surface of an insulator 222, the side surface of the insulator 275, the side surface of the insulator 280, and the side surface and the top surface of the insulator 282.
The insulator 283 functions as a barrier insulating film that inhibits impurities such as water and hydrogen from diffusing into the insulator 280 from above. The insulator 283 is placed over the insulator 282. The insulator 283 is preferably formed using a nitride containing silicon such as silicon nitride or silicon nitride oxide. For example, silicon nitride deposited by a sputtering method may be used for the insulator 283. When the insulator 283 is deposited by a sputtering method, a high-density silicon nitride film can be formed. To obtain the insulator 283, silicon nitride deposited by a PEALD method or a CVD method may be stacked over silicon nitride deposited by a sputtering method.
The insulator 241 is provided in contact with an inner wall of an opening formed in the insulator 280, the insulator 282, the insulator 283, and the insulator 285, and the conductor 240 is provided in contact with a side surface of the insulator 241. For the conductor 240, a conductive material containing tungsten, copper, or aluminum as its main component is preferably used. In addition, the conductor 240 may have a stacked-layer structure. For example, as illustrated in
In the case where the conductor 240 has a stacked-layer structure, a conductive material having a function of inhibiting passage of impurities such as water and hydrogen is preferably used for a first conductor placed in the vicinity of the insulator 285, the insulator 283, the insulator 282, the insulator 280, the insulator 275, and the insulator 271. For example, tantalum, tantalum nitride, titanium, titanium nitride, ruthenium, ruthenium oxide, or the like is preferably used. The conductive material having a function of inhibiting passage of impurities such as water and hydrogen may be used as a single layer or stacked layers. Moreover, impurities such as water and hydrogen contained in a layer above the insulator 283 can be inhibited from entering the oxide 230 through the conductor 240.
Note that although the transistor 200 is illustrated to have a structure in which the first conductor of the conductor 240 and the second conductor of the conductor 240 are stacked, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the conductor 240 may have a single-layer structure or a stacked-layer structure of three or more layers. In the case where a structure body has a stacked-layer structure, layers may be distinguished by ordinal numbers given corresponding to the formation order. Although not illustrated in
For the insulator 241, a barrier insulating film that can be used for the insulator 275 or the like may be used. For the insulator 241, for example, an insulator such as silicon nitride, aluminum oxide, or silicon nitride oxide may be used. Since the insulator 241 is provided in contact with the insulator 283, the insulator 282, and the insulator 271, impurities such as water and hydrogen contained in the insulator 280 or the like can be inhibited from entering the oxide 230 through the conductor 240. In particular, silicon nitride is suitable because of its high blocking property against hydrogen. Furthermore, oxygen contained in the insulator 280 can be prevented from being absorbed by the conductor 240.
When the insulator 241 has a stacked-layer structure illustrated in
Although the first insulator of the insulator 241 and the second insulator of the insulator 241 are stacked in the transistor 200, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the insulator 241 may have a single-layer structure or a stacked-layer structure of three or more layers. In the case where a structure body has a stacked-layer structure, layers may be distinguished by ordinal numbers corresponding to the formation order.
The conductor 246 functioning as a wiring may be placed in contact with the top surface of the conductor 240. The conductor 246 is preferably formed using a conductive material containing tungsten, copper, or aluminum as its main component. The conductor 246 may have a stacked-layer structure: for example, stacked layers of titanium or titanium nitride and the above-described conductive material may be employed. Note that the conductor 246 may be formed to be embedded in an opening provided in an insulator. [Capacitor 100]
The insulator 152, the insulator 150, the insulator 154, a conductor 160a, and a conductor 160b are placed in the opening 158 provided in the insulator 280, the insulator 275, and the insulator 271 to form the capacitor 100. The insulator 150 is provided over the insulator 152, the insulator 154 is provided over the insulator 150, the conductor 160a is provided over the insulator 154, and the conductor 160b is provided over the conductor 160a. Note that in this specification and the like, the conductor 160a and the conductor 160b are collectively referred to as the conductor 160 in some cases.
The insulator 152, the insulator 150, the insulator 154, the conductor 160a, and the conductor 160b that are included in the capacitor 100 can be formed using the same materials in the same steps as the insulator 252, the insulator 250, the insulator 254, the conductor 260a, and the conductor 260b that are included in the transistor 200, and the details will be described later. Therefore, the insulator 152 preferably contains the same insulating material as the insulator 252, and the description of the insulator 252 can be referred to for the details. The insulator 150 preferably contains the same insulating material as the insulator 250, and the description of the insulator 250 can be referred to for the details. The insulator 154 preferably contains the same insulating material as the insulator 254, and the description of the insulator 254 can be referred to for the details. The conductor 160a preferably contains the same conductive material as the conductor 260a, and the description of the conductor 260a can be referred to for the details. The conductor 160b preferably contains the same conductive material as the conductor 260b, and the description of the conductor 260b can be referred to for the details.
When the insulator 152, the insulator 150, the insulator 154, the conductor 160a, and the conductor 160b are formed using the same materials in the same steps as the insulator 252, the insulator 250, the insulator 254, the conductor 260a, and the conductor 260b, the number of steps can be reduced in the manufacturing process of the semiconductor device.
Note that in the case where the insulator 250 has a stacked-layer structure as illustrated in
The opening 158 is provided in the insulator 280, the insulator 271, and the insulator 275 to reach the conductor 242b and the insulator 222. That is, the opening 158 includes a region overlapping with the conductor 242b. It can be said that the insulator 275 includes an opening overlapping with the opening 158 included in the insulator 280.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
When the capacitor 100 has the above structure, as illustrated in
The conductor 160 is formed to fill the opening 158 extending in the channel width direction of the transistor 200, i.e., the conductor 160 extends in the channel width direction of the transistor 200. Thus, when a plurality of transistors 200 and capacitors 100 are provided, the conductor 160 can function as a wiring. In this case, the insulator 152, the insulator 150, and the insulator 154 also extend together with the conductor 160.
Component materials that can be used for the semiconductor device are described below.
As a substrate where the transistor 200 is formed, an insulator substrate, a semiconductor substrate, or a conductor substrate is used, for example. Examples of the insulator substrate include a glass substrate, a quartz substrate, a sapphire substrate, a stabilized zirconia substrate (e.g., an yttria-stabilized zirconia substrate), and a resin substrate. Examples of the semiconductor substrate include a semiconductor substrate using silicon or germanium as a material and a compound semiconductor substrate including silicon carbide, silicon germanium, gallium arsenide, indium phosphide, zinc oxide, or gallium oxide. Another example is a semiconductor substrate having an insulator region in the semiconductor substrate described above, e.g., an SOI (Silicon On Insulator) substrate. Examples of the conductor substrate include a graphite substrate, a metal substrate, an alloy substrate, and a conductive resin substrate. Other examples include a substrate including a metal nitride and a substrate including a metal oxide.
Other examples include an insulator substrate provided with a conductor or a semiconductor, a semiconductor substrate provided with a conductor or an insulator, and a conductor substrate provided with a semiconductor or an insulator. Alternatively, these substrates provided with elements may be used. Examples of the element provided for the substrate include a capacitor, a resistor, a switching element, a light-emitting element, and a storage element.
Examples of the insulator include an insulating oxide, an insulating nitride, an insulating oxynitride, an insulating nitride oxide, an insulating metal oxide, an insulating metal oxynitride, and an insulating metal nitride oxide.
As miniaturization and high integration of transistors progress, for example, a problem such as a leakage current may arise because of a thinner gate insulator. When a high-k material is used for the insulator functioning as a gate insulator, the voltage at the time of the operation of the transistor can be reduced while the physical thickness is maintained. By contrast, when a material with a low dielectric constant is used for the insulator functioning as an interlayer film, the parasitic capacitance generated between wirings can be reduced. Thus, a material is preferably selected depending on the function of an insulator.
Examples of the insulator with a high dielectric constant include gallium oxide, hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide, an oxide containing aluminum and hafnium, an oxynitride containing aluminum and hafnium, an oxide containing silicon and hafnium, an oxynitride containing silicon and hafnium, and a nitride containing silicon and hafnium.
Examples of the insulator with a low dielectric constant include silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, silicon nitride oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxide to which fluorine is added, silicon oxide to which carbon is added, silicon oxide to which carbon and nitrogen are added, porous silicon oxide, and a resin.
When a transistor including a metal oxide is surrounded by an insulator having a function of inhibiting passage of oxygen and impurities such as hydrogen, the transistor can have stable electrical characteristics. As the insulator having a function of inhibiting passage of oxygen and impurities such as hydrogen, a single layer or stacked layers of an insulator containing, for example, boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, magnesium, aluminum, silicon, phosphorus, chlorine, argon, gallium, germanium, yttrium, zirconium, lanthanum, neodymium, hafnium, or tantalum are used. Specifically, as the insulator having a function of inhibiting passage of oxygen and impurities such as hydrogen, a metal oxide such as aluminum oxide, magnesium oxide, gallium oxide, germanium oxide, yttrium oxide, zirconium oxide, lanthanum oxide, neodymium oxide, hafnium oxide, or tantalum oxide; or a metal nitride such as aluminum nitride, silicon nitride oxide, or silicon nitride can be used.
The insulator functioning as the gate insulator is preferably an insulator including a region containing oxygen to be released by heating. For example, when a structure is employed in which silicon oxide or silicon oxynitride including a region containing oxygen to be released by heating is in contact with the oxide 230, oxygen vacancies included in the oxide 230 can be compensated for.
As a conductor, it is preferable to use a metal element selected from aluminum, chromium, copper, silver, gold, platinum, tantalum, nickel, titanium, molybdenum, tungsten, hafnium, vanadium, niobium, manganese, magnesium, zirconium, beryllium, indium, ruthenium, iridium, strontium, lanthanum, and the like: an alloy containing any of the above metal elements; an alloy containing a combination of the above metal elements; or the like. For example, it is preferable to use tantalum nitride, titanium nitride, tungsten, a nitride containing titanium and aluminum, a nitride containing tantalum and aluminum, ruthenium oxide, ruthenium nitride, an oxide containing strontium and ruthenium, an oxide containing lanthanum and nickel, or the like. Tantalum nitride, titanium nitride, a nitride containing titanium and aluminum, a nitride containing tantalum and aluminum, ruthenium oxide, ruthenium nitride, an oxide containing strontium and ruthenium, and an oxide containing lanthanum and nickel are preferable because they are oxidation-resistant conductive materials or materials that maintain their conductivity even after absorbing oxygen. Alternatively, a semiconductor having high electrical conductivity, typified by polycrystalline silicon containing an impurity element such as phosphorus, or silicide such as nickel silicide may be used.
A stack of a plurality of conductive layers formed of the above materials may be used. For example, a stacked-layer structure combining a material containing the above metal element and a conductive material containing oxygen may be employed. In addition, a stacked-layer structure combining a material containing the above metal element and a conductive material containing nitrogen may be employed. Furthermore, a stacked-layer structure combining a material containing the above metal element, a conductive material containing oxygen, and a conductive material containing nitrogen may be employed.
In the case where an oxide is used for the channel formation region of the transistor, the conductor functioning as the gate electrode preferably employs a stacked-layer structure combining a material containing the above metal element and a conductive material containing oxygen. In that case, the conductive material containing oxygen is preferably provided on the channel formation region side. When the conductive material containing oxygen is provided on the channel formation region side, oxygen released from the conductive material is easily supplied to the channel formation region.
It is particularly preferable to use, for the conductor functioning as the gate electrode, a conductive material containing oxygen and a metal element contained in the metal oxide where the channel is formed. A conductive material containing the above metal element and nitrogen may be used. For example, a conductive material containing nitrogen, such as titanium nitride or tantalum nitride, may be used. Indium tin oxide, indium oxide containing tungsten oxide, indium zinc oxide containing tungsten oxide, indium oxide containing titanium oxide, indium tin 35 oxide containing titanium oxide, indium zinc oxide, or indium tin oxide to which silicon is added may be used. Indium gallium zinc oxide containing nitrogen may be used. With the use of such a material, hydrogen contained in the metal oxide where the channel is formed can be captured in some cases. Alternatively, hydrogen entering from an external insulator or the like can be captured in some cases.
The oxide 230 is preferably formed using a metal oxide functioning as a semiconductor (an oxide semiconductor). A metal oxide that can be used as the oxide 230 of the present invention is described below.
The metal oxide preferably contains at least indium or zinc. In particular, indium and zinc are preferably contained. Furthermore, aluminum, gallium, yttrium, tin, or the like is preferably contained in addition to them. Furthermore, one kind or a plurality of kinds selected from boron, titanium, iron, nickel, germanium, zirconium, molybdenum, lanthanum, cerium, neodymium, hafnium, tantalum, tungsten, magnesium, cobalt, and the like may be contained.
Here, the case where the metal oxide is an In-M-Zn oxide containing indium, the element M, and zinc is considered. The element M is aluminum, gallium, yttrium, or tin. Examples of other elements that can be used as the element M include boron, titanium, iron, nickel, germanium, zirconium, molybdenum, lanthanum, cerium, neodymium, hafnium, tantalum, tungsten, magnesium, and cobalt. Note that a combination of two or more of the above elements may be used as the element M. In particular, the element M is preferably one or more kinds selected from gallium, aluminum, yttrium, and tin.
It is particularly preferable to use an oxide containing indium (In), gallium (Ga), and zinc (Zn) (also referred to as IGZO) for the semiconductor layer of the transistor. Alternatively, an oxide containing indium (In), aluminum (Al), and zinc (Zn) (also referred to as IAZO) may be used for the semiconductor layer of the transistor. Alternatively, an oxide containing indium (In), aluminum (Al), gallium (Ga), and zinc (Zn) (IAGZO or IGAZO) may be used for the semiconductor layer.
Note that in this specification and the like, a metal oxide containing nitrogen is also collectively referred to as a metal oxide in some cases. A metal oxide containing nitrogen may be called a metal oxynitride.
Hereinafter, an oxide containing indium (In), gallium (Ga), and zinc (Zn) is described as an example of the metal oxide. Note that an oxide containing indium (In), gallium (Ga), and zinc (Zn) may be referred to as an In—Ga—Zn oxide.
Amorphous (including a completely amorphous structure), CAAC (c-axis-aligned crystalline), nc (nanocrystalline), CAC (cloud-aligned composite), single crystal, and polycrystalline (poly crystal) structures can be given as examples of a crystal structure of an oxide semiconductor.
Note that a crystal structure of a film or a substrate can be evaluated with an X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectrum. For example, evaluation is possible using an XRD spectrum which is obtained by GIXD (Grazing-Incidence XRD) measurement. Note that a GIXD method is also referred to as a thin film method or a Seemann-Bohlin method. The XRD spectrum obtained by GIXD measurement may be hereinafter simply referred to as an XRD spectrum.
For example, the XRD spectrum of the quartz glass substrate shows a peak with a substantially bilaterally symmetrical shape. On the other hand, the peak of the XRD spectrum of an In—Ga—Zn oxide film having a crystal structure has a bilaterally asymmetrical shape. The asymmetrical peak of the XRD spectrum clearly shows the presence of crystals in the film or the substrate. In other words, the crystal structure of the film or the substrate cannot be regarded as amorphous unless it has a bilaterally symmetrical peak in the XRD spectrum.
A crystal structure of a film or a substrate can also be evaluated with a diffraction pattern obtained by a nanobeam electron diffraction (NBED) method (such a pattern is also referred to as a nanobeam electron diffraction pattern). For example, a halo pattern is observed in the diffraction pattern of the quartz glass substrate, which indicates that the quartz glass substrate is in an amorphous state. Furthermore, not a halo pattern but a spot-like pattern is observed in the diffraction pattern of the In—Ga—Zn oxide film deposited at room temperature. Thus, it is suggested that the In—Ga—Zn oxide deposited at room temperature is in an intermediate state, which is neither a single crystal nor polycrystal nor an amorphous state, and it cannot be concluded that the In—Ga—Zn oxide is in an amorphous state.
Oxide semiconductors might be classified in a manner different from the above-described one when classified in terms of the structure. Oxide semiconductors are classified into a single crystal oxide semiconductor and a non-single-crystal oxide semiconductor, for example. Examples of the non-single-crystal oxide semiconductor include the above-described CAAC-OS and nc-OS. Other examples of the non-single-crystal oxide semiconductor include a polycrystalline oxide semiconductor, an amorphous-like oxide semiconductor (a-like OS), and an amorphous oxide semiconductor.
Here, the above-described CAAC-OS, nc-OS, and a-like OS are described in detail.
The CAAC-OS is an oxide semiconductor that has a plurality of crystal regions each of which has c-axis alignment in a particular direction. Note that the particular direction refers to the film thickness direction of a CAAC-OS film, the normal direction of the surface where the CAAC-OS film is formed, or the normal direction of the surface of the CAAC-OS film. The crystal region refers to a region having a periodic atomic arrangement. Note that when an atomic arrangement is regarded as a lattice arrangement, the crystal region also refers to a region with a uniform lattice arrangement. The CAAC-OS has a region where a plurality of crystal regions are connected in the a-b plane direction, and the region has distortion in some cases. Note that distortion refers to a portion where the direction of a lattice arrangement changes between a region with a uniform lattice arrangement and another region with a uniform lattice arrangement in a region where a plurality of crystal regions are connected. That is, the CAAC-OS is an oxide semiconductor having c-axis alignment and having no clear alignment in the a-b plane direction.
Note that each of the plurality of crystal regions is formed of one or more fine crystals (crystals each of which has a maximum diameter less than 10 nm). In the case where the crystal region is formed of one fine crystal, the maximum diameter of the crystal region is less than 10 nm. In the case where the crystal region is formed of a large number of fine crystals, the maximum diameter of the crystal region may be approximately several tens of nanometers.
In the case of an In—Ga—Zn oxide, the CAAC-OS tends to have a layered crystal structure (also referred to as a layered structure) in which a layer containing indium (In) and oxygen (hereinafter, an In layer) and a layer containing gallium (Ga), zinc (Zn), and oxygen (hereinafter, a (Ga,Zn) layer) are stacked. Indium and gallium can be replaced with each other. Therefore, indium may be contained in the (Ga,Zn) layer. In addition, gallium may be contained in the In layer. Note that zinc may be contained in the In layer. Such a layered structure is observed as a lattice image in a high-resolution TEM (Transmission Electron Microscope) image, for example.
When the CAAC-OS film is subjected to structural analysis by Out-of-plane XRD measurement with an XRD apparatus using θ/2θ scanning, for example, a peak indicating c-axis alignment is detected at 2θ of 31° or around 31°. Note that the position of the peak indicating c-axis alignment (the value of 2θ) may change depending on the kind, composition, or the like of the metal element contained in the CAAC-OS.
For example, a plurality of bright spots are observed in the electron diffraction pattern of the CAAC-OS film. Note that one spot and another spot are observed point-symmetrically with a spot of the incident electron beam passing through a sample (also referred to as a direct spot) as the symmetric center.
When the crystal region is observed from the particular direction, a lattice arrangement in the crystal region is basically a hexagonal lattice arrangement: however, a unit lattice is not always a regular hexagon and is a non-regular hexagon in some cases. A pentagonal lattice arrangement, a heptagonal lattice arrangement, and the like are included in the distortion in some cases. Note that a clear crystal grain boundary (grain boundary) cannot be observed even in the vicinity of the distortion in the CAAC-OS. That is, formation of a crystal grain boundary is inhibited by the distortion of lattice arrangement. This is probably because the CAAC-OS can tolerate distortion owing to a low density of arrangement of oxygen atoms in the a-b plane direction, an interatomic bond distance changed by substitution of a metal atom, and the like.
A crystal structure in which a clear crystal grain boundary is observed is what is called polycrystal. It is highly probable that the crystal grain boundary becomes a recombination center and captures carriers and thus decreases the on-state current and field-effect mobility of a transistor, for example. Thus, the CAAC-OS in which no clear crystal grain boundary is observed is one of crystalline oxides having a crystal structure suitable for a semiconductor layer of a transistor. Note that Zn is preferably contained to form the CAAC-OS. For example, an In—Zn oxide and an In—Ga—Zn oxide are suitable because they can inhibit generation of a crystal grain boundary as compared with an In oxide.
The CAAC-OS is an oxide semiconductor with high crystallinity in which no clear crystal grain boundary is observed. Thus, in the CAAC-OS, a reduction in electron mobility due to the crystal grain boundary is unlikely to occur. Moreover, since the crystallinity of an oxide semiconductor might be decreased by entry of impurities, formation of defects, or the like, the CAAC-OS can be regarded as an oxide semiconductor that has small amounts of impurities and defects (e.g., oxygen vacancies). Thus, an oxide semiconductor including the CAAC-OS is physically stable. Thus, the oxide semiconductor including the CAAC-OS is resistant to heat and has high reliability. In addition, the CAAC-OS is stable with respect to high temperature in the manufacturing process (what is called thermal budget). Accordingly, the use of the CAAC-OS for the transistor including a metal oxide in its channel formation region (referred to as an OS transistor in some cases) can extend the degree of freedom of the manufacturing process.
[nc-OS]
In the nc-OS, a microscopic region (e.g., a region with a size greater than or equal to 1 nm and less than or equal to 10 nm, in particular, a region with a size greater than or equal to 1 nm and less than or equal to 3 nm) has a periodic atomic arrangement. In other words, the nc-OS includes a fine crystal. Note that the size of the fine crystal is, for example, greater than or equal to 1 nm and less than or equal to 10 nm, particularly greater than or equal to 1 nm and less than or equal to 3 nm; thus, the fine crystal is also referred to as a nanocrystal. Furthermore, there is no regularity of crystal orientation between different nanocrystals in the nc-OS. Thus, the orientation in the whole film is not observed. Accordingly, the nc-OS cannot be distinguished from an a-like OS or an amorphous oxide semiconductor by some analysis methods. For example, when an nc-OS film is subjected to structural analysis by Out-of-plane XRD measurement with an XRD apparatus using θ/2θ scanning, a peak indicating crystallinity is not detected. Furthermore, a diffraction pattern like a halo pattern is observed when the nc-OS film is subjected to electron diffraction (also referred to as selected-area electron diffraction) using an electron beam with a probe diameter larger than the diameter of a nanocrystal (e.g., larger than or equal to 50 nm). Meanwhile, in some cases, a plurality of spots in a ring-like region with a direct spot as the center are observed in a nanobeam electron diffraction pattern of the nc-OS film obtained using an electron beam with a probe diameter nearly equal to or smaller than the diameter of a nanocrystal (e.g., 1 nm or larger and 30 nm or smaller).
[a-Like OS]
The a-like OS is an oxide semiconductor having a structure between those of the nc-OS and the amorphous oxide semiconductor. The a-like OS contains a void or a low-density region. That is, the a-like OS has lower crystallinity than the nc-OS and the CAAC-OS. Moreover, the a-like OS has higher hydrogen concentration in the film than the nc-OS and the CAAC-OS.
Next, the above-described CAC-OS is described in detail. Note that the CAC-OS relates to the material composition.
The CAC-OS refers to one composition of a material in which elements constituting a metal oxide are unevenly distributed with a size greater than or equal to 0.5 nm and less than or equal to 10 nm, preferably greater than or equal to 1 nm and less than or equal to 3 nm, or a similar size, for example. Note that a state in which one or more metal elements are unevenly distributed and regions including the metal element(s) are mixed with a size greater than or equal to 0.5 nm and less than or equal to 10 nm, preferably greater than or equal to 1 nm and less than or equal to 3 nm, or a similar size in a metal oxide is hereinafter referred to as a mosaic pattern or a patch-like pattern.
In addition, the CAC-OS has a composition in which materials are separated into a first region and a second region to form a mosaic pattern, and the first regions are distributed in the film (this composition is hereinafter also referred to as a cloud-like composition). That is, the CAC-OS is a composite metal oxide having a composition in which the first regions and the second regions are mixed.
Here, the atomic ratios of In, Ga, and Zn to the metal elements contained in the CAC-OS in an In—Ga—Zn oxide are denoted by [In], [Ga], and [Zn], respectively. For example, the first region in the CAC-OS in the In—Ga—Zn oxide has [In] higher than that in the composition of the CAC-OS film. Moreover, the second region has [Ga] higher than that in the composition of the CAC-OS film. For example, the first region has higher [In] and lower [Ga] than the second region. Moreover, the second region has higher [Ga] and lower [In] than the first region. Specifically, the first region includes indium oxide, indium zinc oxide, or the like as its main component. The second region includes gallium oxide, gallium zinc oxide, or the like as its main component. That is, the first region can be referred to as a region containing In as its main component. The second region can be referred to as a region containing Ga as its main component.
Note that a clear boundary between the first region and the second region cannot be observed in some cases.
In addition, in a material composition of a CAC-OS in an In—Ga—Zn oxide that contains In, Ga, Zn, and O, there are regions containing Ga as a main component in part of the CAC-OS and regions containing In as a main component in another part of the CAC-OS. These regions each form a mosaic pattern and are randomly present. Thus, it is suggested that the CAC-OS has a structure in which metal elements are unevenly distributed.
The CAC-OS can be formed by a sputtering method under a condition where a substrate is not heated, for example. In addition, in the case of forming the CAC-OS by a sputtering method, one or more selected from an inert gas (typically, argon), an oxygen gas, and a nitrogen gas may be used as a deposition gas. The proportion of the flow rate of an oxygen gas in the total flow rate of the deposition gas during deposition is preferably as low as possible. For example, the proportion of the flow rate of an oxygen gas in the total flow rate of the deposition gas during deposition is higher than or equal to 0% and lower than 30%, preferably higher than or equal to 0% and lower than or equal to 10%.
For example, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) is used to obtain EDX mapping, and according to the EDX mapping, the CAC-OS in the In—Ga—Zn oxide has a structure in which the region containing In as its main component (the first region) and the region containing Ga as its main component (the second region) are unevenly distributed and mixed.
Here, the first region has a higher conductivity than the second region. In other words, when carriers flow through the first region, the conductivity of a metal oxide is exhibited. Accordingly, when the first regions are distributed in a metal oxide like a cloud, high field-effect mobility (μ) can be achieved.
The second region has a higher insulating property than the first region. In other words, when the second regions are distributed in a metal oxide, a leakage current can be inhibited.
Thus, in the case where a CAC-OS is used for a transistor, the complementary action of the conductivity due to the first region and the insulating property due to the second region enables the CAC-OS to have a switching function (On/Off function). That is, the CAC-OS has a conducting function in part of the material and has an insulating function in another part of the material: as a whole, the CAC-OS has a function of a semiconductor. Separation of the conducting function and the insulating function can maximize each function. Accordingly, when the CAC-OS is used for a transistor, a high on-state current (Ion), a high field-effect mobility (μ), and an excellent switching operation can be achieved.
A transistor using the CAC-OS has high reliability. Thus, the CAC-OS is most suitable for a variety of semiconductor devices such as display devices.
An oxide semiconductor has various structures with different properties. Two or more kinds among an amorphous oxide semiconductor, a polycrystalline oxide semiconductor, an a-like OS, a CAC-OS, an nc-OS, and a CAAC-OS may be included in an oxide semiconductor of one embodiment of the present invention.
Next, the case where the above oxide semiconductor is used for a transistor is described.
When the above oxide semiconductor is used for a transistor, a transistor with high field-effect mobility can be achieved. In addition, a transistor having high reliability can be achieved.
An oxide semiconductor having a low carrier concentration is preferably used in a transistor. For example, the carrier concentration of an oxide semiconductor is lower than or equal to 1×1017 cm−3, preferably lower than or equal to 1×1015 cm−3, further preferably lower than or equal to 1×1013 cm−3, still further preferably lower than or equal to 1×1011 cm−3, yet further preferably lower than 1×1010 cm−3, and higher than or equal to 1×10−9 cm−3. In order to reduce the carrier concentration in an oxide semiconductor film, the impurity concentration in the oxide semiconductor film is reduced so that the density of defect states can be reduced. In this specification and the like, a state with a low impurity concentration and a low density of defect states is referred to as a highly purified intrinsic or substantially highly purified intrinsic state. Note that an oxide semiconductor having a low carrier concentration may be referred to as a highly purified intrinsic or substantially highly purified intrinsic oxide semiconductor.
A highly purified intrinsic or substantially highly purified intrinsic oxide semiconductor film has a low density of defect states and thus has a low density of trap states in some cases.
Charge trapped by the trap states in the oxide semiconductor takes a long time to disappear and might behave like fixed charge. Thus, a transistor whose channel formation region is formed in an oxide semiconductor with a high density of trap states has unstable electrical characteristics in some cases.
Accordingly, in order to obtain stable electrical characteristics of a transistor, reducing the impurity concentration in an oxide semiconductor is effective. In order to reduce the impurity concentration in the oxide semiconductor, it is preferable that the impurity concentration in an adjacent film be also reduced. Examples of impurities include hydrogen, nitrogen, an alkali metal, an alkaline earth metal, iron, nickel, and silicon. Note that impurities in an oxide semiconductor refer to, for example, elements other than the main components of an oxide semiconductor. For example, an element with a concentration lower than 0.1 atomic % can be regarded as an impurity.
Here, the influence of each impurity in the oxide semiconductor is described.
When silicon or carbon, which is one of Group 14 elements, is contained in the oxide semiconductor, defect states are formed in the oxide semiconductor. Thus, the concentration of silicon or carbon in the oxide semiconductor (the concentration obtained by Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS)) is set lower than or equal to 2×1018 atoms/cm3, preferably lower than or equal to 2×1017 atoms/cm3.
When the oxide semiconductor contains an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal, defect states are formed and carriers are generated in some cases. Thus, a transistor using an oxide semiconductor that contains an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal is likely to have normally-on characteristics. Thus, the concentration of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal in the oxide semiconductor, which is obtained by SIMS, is set lower than or equal to 1×1018 atoms/cm3, preferably lower than or equal to 2×1016 atoms/cm3.
Furthermore, when the oxide semiconductor contains nitrogen, the oxide semiconductor easily becomes n-type by generation of electrons serving as carriers and an increase in carrier concentration. As a result, a transistor using an oxide semiconductor containing nitrogen as a semiconductor is likely to have normally-on characteristics. When nitrogen is contained in the oxide semiconductor, trap states are sometimes formed. This might make the electrical characteristics of the transistor unstable. Therefore, the concentration of nitrogen in the oxide semiconductor, which is obtained by SIMS, is set lower than 5×1019 atoms/cm3, preferably lower than or equal to 5×1018 atoms/cm3, further preferably lower than or equal to 1×1018 atoms/cm3, still further preferably lower than or equal to 5×1017 atoms/cm3.
Hydrogen contained in the oxide semiconductor reacts with oxygen bonded to a metal atom to be water, and thus forms an oxygen vacancy in some cases. Entry of hydrogen into the oxygen vacancy generates an electron serving as a carrier in some cases. Furthermore, bonding of part of hydrogen to oxygen bonded to a metal atom causes generation of an electron serving as a carrier in some cases. Thus, a transistor using an oxide semiconductor containing hydrogen is likely to have normally-on characteristics. Accordingly, hydrogen in the oxide semiconductor is preferably reduced as much as possible. Specifically, the hydrogen concentration in the oxide semiconductor, which is obtained by SIMS, is set lower than 1×1020 atoms/cm3, preferably lower than 1×1019 atoms/cm3, further preferably lower than 5×1018 atoms/cm3, still further preferably lower than 1×1018 atoms/cm3.
When an oxide semiconductor with sufficiently reduced impurities is used for the channel formation region of the transistor, stable electrical characteristics can be given.
A semiconductor material that can be used for the oxide 230 is not limited to the above metal oxides. A semiconductor material that has a band gap (a semiconductor material that is not a zero-gap semiconductor) may be used for the oxide 230. For example, a single element semiconductor such as silicon, a compound semiconductor such as gallium arsenide, or a layered substance functioning as a semiconductor (also referred to as an atomic layer material or a two-dimensional material) is preferably used as a semiconductor material. In particular, a layered substance functioning as a semiconductor is favorably used as a semiconductor material.
Here, in this specification and the like, the layered substance generally refers to a group of materials having a layered crystal structure. In the layered crystal structure, layers formed by covalent bonding or ionic bonding are stacked with bonding such as the Van der Waals force, which is weaker than covalent bonding or ionic bonding. The layered substance has high electrical conductivity in a unit layer, that is, high two-dimensional electrical conductivity. When a material that functions as a semiconductor and has high two-dimensional electrical conductivity is used for a channel formation region, a transistor having a high on-state current can be provided. Examples of the layered substance include graphene, silicene, and chalcogenide.
Chalcogenide is a compound containing chalcogen. Chalcogen is a general term of elements belonging to Group 16, which includes oxygen, sulfur, selenium, tellurium, polonium, and livermorium. Examples of chalcogenide include transition metal chalcogenide and chalcogenide of Group 13 elements.
For the oxide 230, a transition metal chalcogenide functioning as a semiconductor is preferably used, for example. Specific examples of the transition metal chalcogenide which can be used for the oxide 230 include molybdenum sulfide (typically MoS2), molybdenum selenide (typically MoSe2), molybdenum telluride (typically MoTe2), tungsten sulfide (typically WS2), tungsten selenide (typically WSe2), tungsten telluride (typically WTe2), hafnium sulfide (typically HfS2), hafnium selenide (typically HfSe2), zirconium sulfide (typically ZrS2), and zirconium selenide (typically ZrSe2).
Next, a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention illustrated in
Note that A of each drawing is a top view. Moreover, B of each drawing is a cross-sectional view corresponding to a portion indicated by the dashed-dotted line A1-A2 in A of each drawing, and is also a cross-sectional view of the transistor 200 in the channel length direction. Furthermore, C of each drawing is a cross-sectional view corresponding to a portion indicated by the dashed-dotted line A3-A4 in A of each drawing, and is also a cross-sectional view of the transistor 200 in the channel width direction. Moreover, D of each drawing is a cross-sectional view corresponding to a portion indicated by the dashed-dotted line A5-A6 in A of the drawing, and is also a cross-sectional view of the capacitor 100 in the channel width direction. Note that for clarity of the drawing, some components are not illustrated in the top view of A of each drawing.
Hereinafter, an insulating material for forming an insulator, a conductive material for forming a conductor, or a semiconductor material for forming a semiconductor can be deposited by a sputtering method, a CVD method, an MBE method, a PLD method, an ALD method, or the like as appropriate.
Examples of the sputtering method include an RF sputtering method in which a high-frequency power source is used as a sputtering power source, a DC sputtering method in which a DC power source is used, and a pulsed DC sputtering method in which a voltage applied to an electrode is changed in a pulsed manner. An RF sputtering method is mainly used in the case where an insulating film is deposited, and a DC sputtering method is mainly used in the case where a metal conductive film is deposited. The pulsed DC sputtering method is mainly used in the case where a compound such as an oxide, a nitride, or a carbide is deposited by a reactive sputtering method.
Note that the CVD method can be classified into a plasma CVD (PECVD) method using plasma, a thermal CVD (TCVD) method using heat, a photo CVD method using light, and the like. Moreover, the CVD method can be classified into a metal CVD (MCVD) method and a metal organic CVD (MOCVD) method depending on a source gas to be used.
A high-quality film can be obtained at a relatively low temperature by a plasma enhanced CVD method. Furthermore, a thermal CVD method is a deposition method that does not use plasma and thus enables less plasma damage to an object to be processed. For example, a wiring, an electrode, an element (a transistor, a capacitor, or the like), or the like included in a semiconductor device may be charged up by receiving electric charge from plasma. In that case, accumulated electric charge may break the wiring, the electrode, the element, or the like included in the semiconductor device. In contrast, such plasma damage is not caused in the case of a thermal CVD method not using plasma, and thus the yield of the semiconductor device can be increased. In addition, a thermal CVD method does not cause plasma damage during deposition, so that a film with few defects can be obtained.
As an ALD method, a thermal ALD method, in which a precursor and a reactant react with each other only by a thermal energy, a PEALD method, in which a reactant excited by plasma is used, and the like can be used.
A CVD method and an ALD method are different from a sputtering method in which particles ejected from a target or the like are deposited. Thus, a CVD method and an ALD method are deposition methods that enable favorable step coverage almost regardless of the shape of an object to be processed. In particular, an ALD method has excellent step coverage and excellent thickness uniformity and thus is suitable for covering a surface of an opening portion with a high aspect ratio, for example. On the other hand, an ALD method has a relatively low deposition rate, and thus is preferably used in combination with another deposition method with a high deposition rate, such as a CVD method, in some cases.
By a CVD method, a film with a certain composition can be deposited depending on the flow rate ratio of the source gases. For example, by a CVD method, by changing the flow rate ratio of the source gases during the deposition, a film in which the composition is continuously changed can be deposited. In the case where the film is deposited while the flow rate ratio of the source gases is changed, as compared to the case where the film is deposited using a plurality of deposition chambers, the time taken for the deposition can be shortened because the time taken for transfer or pressure adjustment is omitted. Thus, the productivity of the semiconductor device can be increased in some cases.
In an ALD method, a film with a freely selected composition can be deposited by concurrently introducing different kinds of precursors. In the case where different kinds of precursors are introduced, a film with a freely selected composition can be deposited by controlling the cycle number of each of the precursors.
First, a substrate (not illustrated) is prepared, and the insulator 212 is deposited over the substrate (see
In this embodiment, for the insulator 212, silicon nitride is deposited by a pulsed DC sputtering method using a silicon target in an atmosphere containing a nitrogen gas. The use of the pulsed DC sputtering method can inhibit generation of particles due to arcing on the target surface, enabling more uniform film thickness. In addition, by using the pulsed voltage, rising and falling in discharge can be made steep as compared with the case where a high-frequency voltage is used. As a result, power can be supplied to an electrode more efficiently to improve the sputtering rate and film quality.
The use of an insulator through which impurities such as water and hydrogen are less likely to pass, such as silicon nitride, can inhibit diffusion of impurities such as water and hydrogen contained in a layer below the insulator 212. When an insulator through which copper is less likely to pass, such as silicon nitride, is used for the insulator 212, even in the case where a metal that is likely to diffuse, such as copper, is used for a conductor in a layer (not illustrated) below the insulator 212, upward diffusion of the metal through the insulator 212 can be inhibited.
Next, the insulator 214 is deposited over the insulator 212 (see
In this embodiment, for the insulator 214, aluminum oxide is deposited by a pulsed DC sputtering method using an aluminum target in an atmosphere containing an oxygen gas. The use of the pulsed DC sputtering method can achieve more uniform film thickness and improve the sputtering rate and film quality. Here, RF power may be applied to the substrate. The amount of oxygen implanted to a layer below the insulator 214 can be controlled depending on the amount of the RF power applied to the substrate. The RF power is higher than or equal to 0) W/cm2 and lower than or equal to 1.86 W/cm2. In other words, the amount of oxygen to be implanted can be changed to be appropriate for the characteristics of the transistor, with the RF power used at the time of forming the insulator 214. Accordingly, an appropriate amount of oxygen for improving the reliability of the transistor can be supplied. The RF frequency is preferably greater than or equal to 10 MHZ. The typical frequency is 13.56 MHZ. The higher the RF frequency is, the less damage the substrate gets.
A metal oxide having an amorphous structure and an excellent function of capturing or fixing hydrogen, such as aluminum oxide, is preferably used for the insulator 214. In this case, the insulator 214 captures or fixes hydrogen contained in the insulator 216 and the like and prevents the hydrogen from diffusing into the oxide 230. In particular, it is preferable to use aluminum oxide having an amorphous structure or amorphous aluminum oxide for the insulator 214 because hydrogen can be captured or fixed more effectively in some cases. Accordingly, the transistor 200 and a semiconductor device which have favorable characteristics and high reliability can be manufactured.
Next, the insulator 216 is deposited over the insulator 214. The insulator 216 is preferably deposited by a sputtering method. By using a sputtering method that does not need to use a molecule containing hydrogen as a deposition gas, the hydrogen concentration in the insulator 216 can be reduced. Without limitation to a sputtering method, the insulator 216 may be deposited by a CVD method, an MBE method, a PLD method, an ALD method, or the like as appropriate.
In this embodiment, for the insulator 216, silicon oxide is deposited by a pulsed DC sputtering method using a silicon target in an atmosphere containing an oxygen gas. The use of the pulsed DC sputtering method can achieve more uniform film thickness and improve the sputtering rate and film quality.
The insulator 212, the insulator 214, and the insulator 216 are preferably successively deposited without exposure to the air. For example, a multi-chamber deposition apparatus may be used. As a result, the amounts of hydrogen in the deposited insulator 212, insulator 214, and insulator 216 can be reduced, and furthermore, entry of hydrogen into the films in intervals between deposition steps can be inhibited.
Then, an opening reaching the insulator 214 is formed in the insulator 216. Examples of the opening include a groove and a slit. A region where an opening is formed is referred to as an opening portion in some cases. Wet etching can be used for the formation of the opening; however, dry etching is preferably used for microfabrication. As the insulator 214, it is preferable to select an insulator that functions as an etching stopper film used in forming the groove by etching the insulator 216. For example, in the case where silicon oxide or silicon oxynitride is used for the insulator 216 in which the groove is to be formed, silicon nitride, aluminum oxide, or hafnium oxide is preferably used for the insulator 214.
As a dry etching apparatus, a capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) etching apparatus having parallel plate electrodes can be used. The capacitively coupled plasma etching apparatus including parallel plate electrodes may have a structure in which a high-frequency voltage is applied to one of the parallel plate electrodes. Alternatively, a structure may be employed in which different high-frequency voltages are applied to one of the parallel plate electrodes. Alternatively, a structure may be employed in which high-frequency voltages with the same frequency are applied to the parallel plate electrodes. Alternatively, a structure may be employed in which high-frequency voltages with different frequencies are applied to the parallel plate electrodes. Alternatively, a dry etching apparatus having a high-density plasma source can be used. As the dry etching apparatus including a high-density plasma source, an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching apparatus can be used, for example.
After the formation of the opening, a conductive film to be the conductor 205a is deposited. The conductive film to be the conductor 205a desirably includes a conductor having a function of inhibiting passage of oxygen. For example, tantalum nitride, tungsten nitride, or titanium nitride can be used. Alternatively, a stacked-layer film of the conductor having a function of inhibiting passage of oxygen and tantalum, tungsten, titanium, molybdenum, aluminum, copper, or a molybdenum-tungsten alloy can be used. The conductive film to be the conductor 205a can be deposited by a sputtering method, a CVD method, an MBE method, a PLD method, an ALD method, or the like.
In this embodiment, titanium nitride is deposited as the conductive film to be the conductor 205a. When such a metal nitride is used for a layer under the conductor 205b, oxidation of the conductor 205b by the insulator 216 or the like can be inhibited. Furthermore, even when a metal that is likely to diffuse, such as copper, is used for the conductor 205b, the metal can be prevented from diffusing to the outside through the conductor 205a.
Next, a conductive film to be the conductor 205b is deposited. Tantalum, tungsten, titanium, molybdenum, aluminum, copper, a molybdenum-tungsten alloy, or the like can be used for the conductive film to be the conductor 205b. The conductive film can be deposited by a plating method, a sputtering method, a CVD method, an MBE method, a PLD method, an ALD method, or the like. In this embodiment, tungsten is deposited for the conductive film to be the conductor 205b.
Next, by performing CMP treatment, the conductive film to be the conductor 205a and the conductive film to be the conductor 205b are partly removed to expose the insulator 216 (see
Next, the insulator 222 is deposited over the insulator 216 and the conductor 205 (see
The insulator 222 can be deposited by a sputtering method, a CVD method, an MBE method, a PLD method, an ALD method, or the like. In this embodiment, for the insulator 222, hafnium oxide is deposited by an ALD method. It is particularly preferable to use a method for forming hafnium oxide with a reduced hydrogen concentration, which is one embodiment of the present invention.
Sequentially, heat treatment is preferably performed. The heat treatment is performed at higher than or equal to 250° C. and lower than or equal to 650° C., preferably higher than or equal to 300° C. and lower than or equal to 500° C., further preferably higher than or equal to 320° C. and lower than or equal to 450° C. Note that the heat treatment is performed in a nitrogen gas or inert gas atmosphere, or an atmosphere containing an oxidizing gas at 10 ppm or more, 1% or more, or 10% or more. For example, in the case where the heat treatment is performed in a mixed atmosphere of a nitrogen gas and an oxygen gas, the proportion of the oxygen gas may be approximately 20%. The heat treatment may be performed under reduced pressure. Alternatively, the heat treatment may be performed in an atmosphere containing an oxidizing gas at 10 ppm or more, 1% or more, or 10% or more in order to compensate for oxygen released, after heat treatment is performed in a nitrogen gas or inert gas atmosphere.
The gas used in the above heat treatment is preferably highly purified. For example, the amount of moisture contained in the gas used in the above heat treatment is 1 ppb or less, preferably 0.1 ppb or less, further preferably 0.05 ppb or less. The heat treatment using a highly purified gas can prevent entry of moisture or the like into the insulator 222 and the like as much as possible.
In this embodiment, as the heat treatment, treatment is performed with a flow rate ratio of a nitrogen gas and an oxygen gas of 4:1 at 400° C. for one hour after the deposition of the insulator 222. By the heat treatment, impurities such as water and hydrogen contained in the insulator 222 can be removed, for example. In the case where an oxide containing hafnium is used for the insulator 222, the insulator 222 is partly crystallized by the heat treatment in some cases. The heat treatment can also be performed after the deposition of the insulator 224, for example.
Next, an insulating film 224A is deposited over the insulator 222 (see
Next, an oxide film 230A and an oxide film 230B are deposited in this order over the insulating film 224A (see
The oxide film 230A and the oxide film 230B can be deposited by a sputtering method, a CVD method, an MBE method, a PLD method, an ALD method, or the like. An ALD method is preferably employed for the deposition of the oxide film 230A and the oxide film 230B, in which case a film with a uniform thickness can be formed even in a groove or an opening portion having a high aspect ratio. Employing a PEALD method is preferable because the oxide film 230A and the oxide film 230B can be formed at a lower temperature than that in the case of employing a thermal ALD method. In this embodiment, the oxide film 230A and the oxide film 230B are deposited by a sputtering method.
For example, in the case where the oxide film 230A and the oxide film 230B are deposited by a sputtering method, oxygen or a mixed gas of oxygen and a noble gas is used as a sputtering gas. Increasing the proportion of oxygen contained in the sputtering gas can increase the amount of excess oxygen in the deposited oxide films. In the case where the oxide films are deposited by a sputtering method, the above In-M-Zn oxide target or the like can be used.
In particular, when the oxide film 230A is deposited, part of oxygen contained in the sputtering gas is supplied to the insulator 224 in some cases. Thus, the proportion of oxygen contained in the sputtering gas is higher than or equal to 70%, preferably higher than or equal to 80%, further preferably 100%.
In the case where the oxide film 230B is deposited by a sputtering method and the proportion of oxygen contained in the sputtering gas for deposition is higher than 30% and lower than or equal to 100%, preferably higher than or equal to 70% and lower than or equal to 100%, an oxygen-excess oxide semiconductor is formed. In a transistor including an oxygen-excess oxide semiconductor for its channel formation region, relatively high reliability can be obtained.
Note that one embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto. In the case where the oxide film 230B is deposited by a sputtering method and the proportion of oxygen contained in the sputtering gas for deposition is higher than or equal to 1% and lower than or equal to 30%, preferably higher than or equal to 5% and lower than or equal to 20%, an oxygen-deficient oxide semiconductor is formed. In a transistor including an oxygen-deficient oxide semiconductor for its channel formation region, relatively high field-effect mobility can be obtained. Furthermore, when the deposition is performed while the substrate is being heated, the crystallinity of the oxide film can be improved.
In this embodiment, the oxide film 230A is deposited by a sputtering method using an oxide target with In:Ga:Zn=1:3:4 [atomic ratio]. In addition, the oxide film 230B is deposited by a sputtering method using an oxide target with In:Ga:Zn=4:2:4.1 [atomic ratio], an oxide target with In:Ga:Zn=1:1:1 [atomic ratio], an oxide target with In:Ga:Zn=1:1:1.2 [atomic ratio], or an oxide target with In:Ga:Zn=1:1:2 [atomic ratio]. Note that each of the oxide films is preferably formed so as to have characteristics required for the oxide 230a and the oxide 230b by selecting the deposition conditions and the atomic ratios as appropriate.
The insulating film 224A, the oxide film 230A, and the oxide film 230B are preferably deposited by a sputtering method without exposure to the air. For example, a multi-chamber deposition apparatus may be used. As a result, entry of hydrogen into the insulating film 224A, the oxide film 230A, and the oxide film 230B in intervals between deposition steps can be inhibited.
Next, heat treatment is preferably performed. The heat treatment can be performed in a temperature range where the oxide film 230A and the oxide film 230B do not become polycrystals, i.e., at higher than or equal to 250° C. and lower than or equal to 650° C., preferably higher than or equal to 400° C. and lower than or equal to 600° C. Note that the heat treatment is performed in a nitrogen gas or inert gas atmosphere, or an atmosphere containing an oxidizing gas at 10 ppm or more, 1% or more, or 10% or more. For example, in the case where the heat treatment is performed in a mixed atmosphere of a nitrogen gas and an oxygen gas, the proportion of the oxygen gas may be approximately 20%. The heat treatment may be performed under reduced pressure. Alternatively, the heat treatment may be performed in an atmosphere containing an oxidizing gas at 10 ppm or more, 1% or more, or 10% or more in order to compensate for oxygen released, after heat treatment is performed in a nitrogen gas or inert gas atmosphere.
The gas used in the above heat treatment is preferably highly purified. For example, the amount of moisture contained in the gas used in the above heat treatment is 1 ppb or less, preferably 0.1 ppb or less, further preferably 0.05 ppb or less. The heat treatment using a highly purified gas can prevent entry of moisture or the like into the oxide film 230A, the oxide film 230B, and the like as much as possible.
In this embodiment, the heat treatment is performed at 400° C. for one hour with the flow rate ratio of nitrogen gas to oxygen gas being 4:1. By the heat treatment using the oxygen gas, impurities such as carbon, water, and hydrogen in the oxide film 230A and the oxide film 230B can be reduced, for example. Furthermore, the reduction of impurities in the films improves the crystallinity of the oxide film 230B, thereby offering a dense structure with higher density. Thus, crystalline regions in the oxide film 230A and the oxide film 230B are expanded, so that in-plane variations of the crystalline regions in the oxide film 230A and the oxide film 230B can be reduced. Accordingly, an in-plane variation of electrical characteristics of the transistor 200 can be reduced.
By performing heat treatment, hydrogen in the insulator 216, the insulating film 224A, the oxide film 230A, and the oxide film 230B moves into the insulator 222 and is absorbed by the insulator 222. In other words, hydrogen in the insulator 216, the insulating film 224A, the oxide film 230A, and the oxide film 230B diffuses into the insulator 222. Accordingly, the hydrogen concentration in the insulator 222 increases, and the hydrogen concentrations in the insulator 216, the insulating film 224A, the oxide film 230A, and the oxide film 230B decrease.
In particular, the insulating film 224A functions as a gate insulator of the transistor 200, and the oxide film 230A and the oxide film 230B function as a channel formation region of the transistor 200. Thus, the transistor 200 preferably includes the insulating film 224A, the oxide film 230A, and the oxide film 230B with reduced hydrogen concentrations because favorable reliability can be obtained.
Next, a conductive film 242A is deposited over the oxide film 230B (see
Next, an insulating film 271A is deposited over the conductive film 242A (see
Note that the conductive film 242A and the insulating film 271A are preferably deposited by a sputtering method without exposure to the air. For example, a multi-chamber deposition apparatus may be used. As a result, the amounts of hydrogen in the conductive film 242A and the insulating film 271A can be reduced, and furthermore, entry of hydrogen into the films in intervals between deposition steps can be inhibited. In the case where a hard mask is provided over the insulating film 271A, a film to be the hard mask is preferably successively deposited without exposure to the air.
Next, the insulating film 224A, the oxide film 230A, the oxide film 230B, the conductive film 242A, and the insulating film 271A are processed into island shapes by a lithography method to form the insulator 224, the oxide 230a, the oxide 230b, a conductive layer 242B, and an insulating layer 271B (see
Note that in the lithography method, first, a resist is exposed to light through a mask. Next, a region exposed to light is removed or left using a developing solution, so that a resist mask is formed. Then, etching process through the resist mask is conducted, whereby a conductor, a semiconductor, an insulator, or the like can be processed into a desired shape. The resist mask may be formed through, for example, exposure of the resist to KrF excimer laser light, ArF excimer laser light, EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet) light, or the like. Alternatively, a liquid immersion technique may be employed in which a gap between a substrate and a projection lens is filled with liquid (e.g., water) in light exposure. Alternatively, an electron beam or an ion beam may be used instead of the light. Note that a mask is unnecessary in the case of using an electron beam or an ion beam. Note that the resist mask can be removed by a dry etching process such as ashing, a wet etching process, a wet etching process after a dry etching process, or a dry etching process after a wet etching process.
In addition, a hard mask formed of an insulator or a conductor may be used under the resist mask. In the case of using a hard mask, a hard mask with a desired shape can be formed in the following manner: an insulating film or a conductive film that is the material of the hard mask is formed over the conductive film 242A, a resist mask is formed thereover, and then the hard mask material is etched. The etching of the conductive film 242A and the like may be performed after removing the resist mask or with the resist mask remaining. In the latter case, the resist mask sometimes disappears during the etching. The hard mask may be removed by etching after the etching of the conductive film 242A and the like. Meanwhile, the hard mask is not necessarily removed when the hard mask material does not affect later steps or can be utilized in later steps. In this embodiment, the insulating layer 271B is used as a hard mask.
Here, the insulating layer 271B functions as a mask for the conductive layer 242B; thus, as illustrated in
Furthermore, as illustrated in
Not being limited to the above, the insulator 224, the oxide 230a, the oxide 230b, the conductive layer 242B, and the insulating layer 271B may have side surfaces that are substantially perpendicular to the top surface of the insulator 222. With such a structure, a plurality of the transistors 200 can be provided with high density in a small area.
A by-product generated in the above etching step is sometimes formed in a layered manner on the side surfaces of the insulator 224, the oxide 230a, the oxide 230b, the conductive layer 242B, and the insulating layer 271B. In this case, the layered by-product is formed between the insulator 275 and the insulator 224, the oxide 230a, the oxide 230b, the conductive layer 242B, and the insulating layer 271B. Hence, the layered by-product formed in contact with the top surface of the insulator 222 is preferably removed.
Next, the insulator 275 is deposited to cover the insulator 224, the oxide 230a, the oxide 230b, the conductive layer 242B, and the insulating layer 271B (see
In this manner, the oxide 230a, the oxide 230b, and the conductive layer 242B can be covered with the insulator 275 and the insulating layer 271B, which have a function of inhibiting diffusion of oxygen. This structure can suppress direct diffusion of oxygen from the insulator 280 or the like into the insulator 224, the oxide 230a, the oxide 230b, and the conductive layer 242B in a later step.
Next, an insulating film to be the insulator 280 is deposited over the insulator 275. The insulating film can be deposited by a sputtering method, a CVD method, an MBE method, a PLD method, an ALD method, or the like. A silicon oxide film may be deposited by a sputtering method as the insulating film, for example. When the insulating film is deposited by a sputtering method in an oxygen-containing atmosphere, the insulator 280 containing excess oxygen can be formed. Since a molecule containing hydrogen is not used as a deposition gas in the sputtering method, the concentration of hydrogen in the insulator 280 can be reduced. Note that heat treatment may be performed before the insulating film is deposited. The heat treatment may be performed under reduced pressure, and the insulating film may be successively deposited without exposure to the air. The treatment can remove moisture and hydrogen adsorbed onto the surface of the insulator 275 and the like, and further can reduce the moisture concentration and the hydrogen concentration in the oxide 230a, the oxide 230b, and the insulator 224. For the heat treatment, the above heat treatment conditions can be used.
Next, the insulating film to be the insulator 280 is subjected to CMP treatment, so that the insulator 280 with a flat top surface is formed (see
Here, as illustrated in
The opening 258 and the opening 158 are preferably formed to extend in the direction parallel to the straight line A3-A4 (the channel width direction of the transistor), as illustrated in
As illustrated in
The part of the insulator 280, the part of the insulator 275, and the part of the insulating layer 271B can be processed by a dry etching method or a wet etching method. A dry etching method is suitable for microfabrication. The processing may be performed under different conditions. For example, the part of the insulator 280 may be processed by a dry etching method and the part of the insulator 275 and the part of the insulating layer 271B may be processed by a wet etching method.
Next, a mask layer 259 is formed to cover the insulator 280 and the opening 158 (see
Here, as illustrated in
Since the width of the opening 263 is reflected in the distance between the conductor 242a and the conductor 242b, the distance L2 is preferably small. For example, the distance L2 is preferably less than or equal to 60 nm, less than or equal to 50 nm, less than or equal to 40 nm, less than or equal to 30 nm, less than or equal to 20 nm, or less than or equal to 10 nm, and greater than or equal to 1 nm or greater than or equal to 5 nm.
In order to process the opening 263 finely, a lithography method using an electron beam or short-wavelength light such as EUV light is preferably used.
As described above, the mask layer 259 including the opening 263 with a width of the distance L2 is provided inside the opening 258 with a width of the distance L1, whereby the opening 263 can be provided with a margin. Thus, a channel with a minute structure can be formed relatively easily.
Next, a portion of the conductive layer 242B that is exposed from the mask layer 259 is removed with the use of the mask layer 259, so that the oxide 230b is exposed. Thus, the conductor 242a and the conductor 242b can be formed (see
The portion of the conductive layer 242B is preferably processed by anisotropic etching. Processing by a dry etching method is particularly preferable because it is suitable for microfabrication. When the conductive layer 242B is processed by anisotropic etching, the side surfaces of the conductor 242a and the conductor 242b that face each other can be formed to be substantially perpendicular to the top surface of the oxide 230b. This structure can inhibit formation of what is called a Loff region between the region 230ba and the region 230bc and between the region 230bb and the region 230bc. Accordingly, the frequency characteristics of the transistor 200 can be improved, and the operation speed of the semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention can be improved.
After the formation of the conductor 242a and the conductor 242b, the mask layer 259 is removed. In the case where the resist mask is used for the mask layer 259, the mask layer 259 can be removed by a dry etching process such as ashing, a wet etching process, a wet etching process after a dry etching process, or a dry etching process after a wet etching process.
By the etching process, impurities are attached onto the side surface of the oxide 230a, the top surface and the side surface of the oxide 230b, the side surface of the conductor 242, the side surface of the insulator 280, and the like or the impurities are diffused thereinto in some cases. A step of removing the impurities may be performed. In addition, a damaged region might be formed on the surface of the oxide 230b by the above dry etching. The damaged region may be removed. The impurities come from components contained in the insulator 280, the insulator 275, part of the insulating layer 271B, and the conductive layer 242B: components contained in a member of an apparatus used to form the opening; and components contained in a gas or a liquid used for etching, for instance. Examples of the impurities include hafnium, aluminum, silicon, tantalum, fluorine, and chlorine.
In particular, impurities such as aluminum and silicon might reduce the crystallinity of the oxide 230b. Thus, it is preferable that impurities such as aluminum and silicon be removed from the surface of the oxide 230b and the vicinity thereof. The concentration of the impurities is preferably reduced. For example, the concentration of aluminum atoms of the oxide 230b and the vicinity thereof is lower than or equal to 5.0 atomic %, preferably lower than or equal to 2.0 atomic %, further preferably lower than or equal to 1.5 atomic %, still further preferably lower than or equal to 1.0 atomic %, and yet further preferably lower than 0.3 atomic %.
Note that since the density of a low-crystallinity region of the oxide 230b is reduced owing to impurities such as aluminum and silicon, a large amount of VOH is formed; thus, the transistor is likely to be normally on. Hence, the low-crystallinity region of the oxide 230b is preferably reduced or removed.
In contrast, the oxide 230b preferably has a layered CAAC structure. In particular, the CAAC structure preferably reaches a lower edge portion of a drain in the oxide 230b. Here, in the transistor 200, the conductor 242a or the conductor 242b, and its vicinity function as a drain. In other words, the oxide 230b in the vicinity of the lower edge portion of the conductor 242a (conductor 242b) preferably has a CAAC structure. In this manner, the low-crystallinity region of the oxide 230b is removed and the CAAC structure is formed also in the edge portion of the drain, which significantly affects the drain breakdown voltage, so that a variation in electrical characteristics of the transistor 200 can be further suppressed. In addition, the reliability of the transistor 200 can be improved.
In order to remove impurities and the like attached to the surface of the oxide 230b in the above etching step, cleaning treatment is performed. Examples of the cleaning method include wet cleaning using a cleaning solution (also can be referred to as wet etching process), plasma treatment using plasma, and cleaning by heat treatment, and any of these cleanings may be performed in combination as appropriate. Note that the cleaning treatment sometimes makes the groove portion deeper.
The cleaning treatment may be performed with wet cleaning using an aqueous solution in which ammonia water, oxalic acid, phosphoric acid, hydrofluoric acid, or the like is diluted with carbonated water or pure water; pure water; carbonated water; or the like. Alternatively, ultrasonic cleaning using such an aqueous solution, pure water, or carbonated water may be performed. Alternatively, such cleaning methods may be performed in combination as appropriate.
Note that in this specification and the like, in some cases, an aqueous solution in which hydrofluoric acid is diluted with pure water is referred to as diluted hydrofluoric acid, and an aqueous solution in which ammonia water is diluted with pure water is referred to as diluted ammonia water. The concentration, temperature, and the like of the aqueous solution may be adjusted as appropriate in accordance with an impurity to be removed, the structure of a semiconductor device to be cleaned, or the like. The concentration of ammonia in the diluted ammonia water is higher than or equal to 0.01% and lower than or equal to 5%, preferably higher than or equal to 0.1% and lower than or equal to 0.5%. The concentration of hydrogen fluoride in the diluted hydrofluoric acid is higher than or equal to 0.01 ppm and lower than or equal to 100 ppm, preferably higher than or equal to 0.1 ppm and lower than or equal to 10 ppm.
For the ultrasonic cleaning, a frequency greater than or equal to 200 kHz is preferable, and a frequency greater than or equal to 900 KHz is further preferable. Damage to the oxide 230b and the like can be reduced with this frequency.
The cleaning treatment may be performed a plurality of times, and the cleaning solution may be changed in every cleaning treatment. For example, the first cleaning treatment may use diluted hydrofluoric acid or diluted ammonia water and the second cleaning treatment may use pure water or carbonated water.
As the cleaning treatment in this embodiment, wet cleaning using diluted ammonia water is performed. The cleaning treatment can remove impurities that are attached onto the surfaces of the oxide 230a, the oxide 230b, and the like or diffused into the oxide 230a, the oxide 230b, and the like. Furthermore, the crystallinity of the oxide 230b can be increased.
After the etching or the cleaning treatment, heat treatment may be performed. The heat treatment is performed at higher than or equal to 100° C. and lower than or equal to 450° C., preferably higher than or equal to 350° C. and lower than or equal to 400° C. Note that the heat treatment is performed in a nitrogen gas or inert gas atmosphere, or an atmosphere containing an oxidizing gas at 10 ppm or more, 1% or more, or 10% or more. For example, the heat treatment is preferably performed in an oxygen atmosphere. Accordingly, oxygen can be supplied to the oxide 230a and the oxide 230b to reduce oxygen vacancies. In addition, the crystallinity of the oxide 230b can be improved by the heat treatment. The heat treatment may be performed under reduced pressure. Alternatively, heat treatment may be performed in an oxygen atmosphere, and then heat treatment may be successively performed in a nitrogen atmosphere without exposure to the air.
Next, an insulating film 252A is deposited (see
When the insulating film 252A is deposited by an ALD method, ozone (O3), oxygen (O2), water (H2O), or the like can be used as the oxidizer. When an oxidizer without containing hydrogen, such as ozone (O3) or oxygen (O2), is used, the amount of hydrogen diffused into the oxide 230b can be reduced.
In this embodiment, aluminum oxide is deposited as the insulating film 252A by a thermal ALD method.
Next, an insulating film 250A is deposited (see
The insulating film 250A can be deposited by a sputtering method, a CVD method, a PECVD method, an MBE method, a PLD method, an ALD method, or the like. The insulating film 250A is preferably deposited by a deposition method using a gas in which hydrogen atoms are reduced or removed. This can reduce the hydrogen concentration in the insulating film 250A. The hydrogen concentration in the insulating film 250A is preferably reduced because the insulating film 250A becomes the insulator 250 that faces the oxide 230b with the insulator 252 with a small thickness therebetween, in a later step.
In this embodiment, silicon oxynitride is deposited for the insulating film 250A by a PECVD method.
Next, it is preferable to perform microwave treatment in an atmosphere containing oxygen (see
Dotted lines in
The microwave treatment is preferably performed under reduced pressure, and the pressure may be higher than or equal to 10 Pa and lower than or equal to 1000 Pa, preferably higher than or equal to 300 Pa and lower than or equal to 700 Pa. The treatment temperature may be lower than or equal to 750° C., preferably lower than or equal to 500° C., and is approximately 250° C., for example. The oxygen plasma treatment can be followed successively by heat treatment without exposure to the air. For example, the heat treatment may be performed at higher than or equal to 100° C. and lower than or equal to 750° C., preferably higher than or equal to 300° C. and lower than or equal to 500° C.
Furthermore, the microwave treatment is preferably performed using an oxygen gas and an argon gas, for example. Here, the oxygen flow rate ratio (O2/(O2+Ar)) is higher than 0% and lower than or equal to 100%. The oxygen flow rate ratio (O2/(O2+Ar)) is preferably higher than 0% and lower than or equal to 50%. The oxygen flow rate ratio (O2/(O2+Ar)) is further preferably higher than or equal to 10% and lower than or equal to 40%. The oxygen flow rate ratio (O2/(O2+Ar)) is still further preferably higher than or equal to 10% and lower than or equal to 30%. The carrier concentration in the region 230bc can be reduced by thus performing the microwave treatment in an atmosphere containing oxygen. In addition, the carrier concentrations in the region 230ba and the region 230bb can be prevented from being excessively reduced by preventing an excess amount of oxygen from being introduced into the chamber in the microwave treatment.
As illustrated in
Meanwhile, the conductor 242a and the conductor 242b are provided over the region 230ba and the region 230bb illustrated in
As illustrated in
Furthermore, the insulator 252 having a barrier property against oxygen is provided in contact with the side surfaces of the conductor 242a and the conductor 242b. Thus, formation of oxide films on the side surfaces of the conductor 242a and the conductor 242b by the microwave treatment can be inhibited.
Furthermore, the film quality of the insulator 252 and the insulator 250a can be improved, leading to higher reliability of the transistor 200.
In the above manner, oxygen vacancies and VOH can be selectively removed from the region 230bc of the oxide semiconductor, whereby the region 230bc can be an i-type or substantially i-type region. Furthermore, supply of an excess amount of oxygen to the region 230ba and the region 230bb functioning as the source region and the drain region can be inhibited and the conductivity can be maintained. As a result, a change in the electrical characteristics of the transistor 200 can be inhibited, and thus a variation in the electrical characteristics of the transistors 200 in the substrate plane can be inhibited.
In the microwave treatment, a thermal energy is directly transmitted to the oxide 230b in some cases owing to an electromagnetic interaction between the microwave and a molecule in the oxide 230b. The oxide 230b may be heated by this thermal energy. Such heat treatment is sometimes referred to as microwave annealing. When microwave treatment is performed in an atmosphere containing oxygen, an effect equivalent to that of oxygen annealing is sometimes obtained. In the case where hydrogen is contained in the oxide 230b, it is probable that the thermal energy is transmitted to the hydrogen in the oxide 230b and the hydrogen activated by the energy is released from the oxide 230b.
The microwave treatment may be performed after the insulating film 252A is deposited. Alternatively, microwave treatment may be performed after the deposition of the insulating film 252A, without the microwave treatment performed after the deposition of the insulating film 250A.
In the case where the insulator 250 has a two-layer structure as illustrated in
Note that in the case where the insulator 250 has a stacked-layer structure of two layers as illustrated in
Heat treatment may be performed while the reduced pressure is maintained after each of microwave treatment after the deposition of the insulating film 252A and the insulating film 250A and microwave treatment after the deposition of the insulating film to be the insulator 250b. Such treatment enables hydrogen in the insulating film 252A, the insulating film 250A, the insulating film to be the insulator 250b, the oxide 230b, and the oxide 230a to be removed efficiently. Part of hydrogen is gettered by the conductor 242 (the conductor 242a and the conductor 242b) in some cases. Alternatively, the step of performing microwave treatment and then performing heat treatment with the reduced pressure being maintained may be repeated a plurality of cycles. The repetition of the heat treatment enables hydrogen in the insulating film 252A, the insulating film 250A, the insulating film to be the insulator 250b, the oxide 230b, and the oxide 230a to be removed more efficiently. Note that the temperature of the heat treatment is preferably higher than or equal to 300° C. and lower than or equal to 500° C. The microwave treatment, i.e., the microwave annealing may also serve as the heat treatment. The heat treatment is not necessarily performed in the case where the oxide 230b and the like are adequately heated by the microwave annealing.
Furthermore, the microwave treatment improves the film quality of the insulating film 252A, the insulating film 250A, and the insulating film to be the insulator 250b, thereby inhibiting diffusion of hydrogen, water, impurities, and the like. Accordingly, hydrogen, water, impurities, and the like can be inhibited from diffusing into the oxide 230b, the oxide 230a, and the like through the insulator 252 in a later step such as deposition of a conductive film to be the conductor 260 or later treatment such as heat treatment.
Next, an insulating film 254A is deposited (see
Next, a conductive film to be the conductor 260a and the conductor 160a and a conductive film to be the conductor 260b and the conductor 160b are deposited in this order. The conductive film to be the conductor 260a and the conductor 160a and the conductive film to be the conductor 260b and the conductor 160b can be deposited by a sputtering method, a CVD method, an MBE method, a PLD method, an ALD method, or the like. In this embodiment, titanium nitride is deposited for the conductive film to be the conductor 260a and the conductor 160a by an ALD method, and tungsten is deposited for the conductive film to be the conductor 260b and the conductor 160b by a CVD method.
Then, the insulating film 252A, the insulating film 250A, the insulating film 254A, the conductive film to be the conductor 260a and the conductor 160a, and the conductive film to be the conductor 260b and the conductor 160b are polished by CMP treatment until the insulator 280 is exposed. That is, portions of the insulating film 252A, the insulating film 250A, the insulating film 254A, the conductive film to be the conductor 260a and the conductor 160a, and the conductive film to be the conductor 260b and the conductor 160b that are exposed from the opening 258 and the opening 158 are removed. Thus, the insulator 252, the insulator 250, the insulator 254, and the conductor 260 (the conductor 260a and the conductor 260b) are formed in the opening 258, and the insulator 152, the insulator 150, the insulator 154, and the conductor 160 (the conductor 160a and the conductor 160b) are formed in the opening 158 (see
Accordingly, the insulator 252 is provided in contact with the inner wall and the side surface of the opening 258 overlapping with the oxide 230b. The conductor 260 is placed to fill the opening 258 with the insulator 252, the insulator 250, and the insulator 254 therebetween. In this manner, the transistor 200 is formed.
The insulator 152 is provided in contact with the inner wall and the side surface of the opening 158 overlapping with the conductor 242b. The conductor 160 is placed to fill the opening 158 with the insulator 152, the insulator 150, and the insulator 154 therebetween. In this manner, the capacitor 100 is formed.
As described above, the transistor 200 and the capacitor 100 can be manufactured in parallel in the same step. As described above, the insulator 252 and the insulator 152 can be formed using the same material, the insulator 250 and the insulator 150 can be formed using the same material, the insulator 254 and the insulator 154 can be formed using the same material, the conductor 260a and the conductor 160a can be formed using the same material, and the conductor 260b and the conductor 160b can be formed using the same material. Thus, the number of steps in the manufacturing process of the semiconductor device including the transistor 200 and the capacitor 100 can be reduced.
Then, heat treatment may be performed under conditions similar to those for the above heat treatment. In this embodiment, treatment is performed at 400° C. in a nitrogen atmosphere for one hour. The heat treatment can reduce the moisture concentration and the hydrogen concentration in the insulator 250 and the insulator 280. After the heat treatment, the insulator 282 may be deposited successively without exposure to the air.
Next, the insulator 282 is formed over the insulator 252, the insulator 250, the conductor 260, the insulator 152, the insulator 150, the conductor 160, and the insulator 280 (see
In this embodiment, for the insulator 282, aluminum oxide is deposited by a pulsed DC sputtering method using an aluminum target in an atmosphere containing an oxygen gas. The use of the pulsed DC sputtering method can achieve more uniform film thickness and improve the sputtering rate and film quality. The RF power applied to the substrate is lower than or equal to 1.86 W/cm2. The RF power is preferably higher than or equal to 0 W/cm2 and lower than or equal to 0.62 W/cm2. With low RF power, the amount of oxygen implanted to the insulator 280 can be reduced. The insulator 282 may have a two-layer structure. In this case, the lower layer of the insulator 282 is deposited with RF power applied to the substrate of 0 W/cm2, and the upper layer of the insulator 282 is deposited with RF power applied to the substrate of 0.62 W/cm2.
The insulator 282 is deposited by a sputtering method in an oxygen-containing atmosphere, whereby oxygen can be added to the insulator 280 during the deposition. Thus, excess oxygen can be contained in the insulator 280. At this time, the insulator 282 is preferably deposited while the substrate is being heated.
Next, an etching mask is formed over the insulator 282 by a lithography method and part of the insulator 282, part of the insulator 280, part of the insulator 275, part of the insulator 222, and part of the insulator 216 are processed until the top surface of the insulator 214 is exposed (see
Next, heat treatment may be performed. The heat treatment is performed at higher than or equal to 250° C. and lower than or equal to 650° C., preferably higher than or equal to 350° C. and lower than or equal to 600° C. The heat treatment is preferably performed at a temperature lower than that of the heat treatment performed after the deposition of the oxide film 230B. Note that the heat treatment is performed in an atmosphere of a nitrogen gas or an inert gas. By the heat treatment, part of oxygen added to the insulator 280 is diffused into the oxide 230 through the insulator 250 and the like.
By the heat treatment, oxygen contained in the insulator 280 and hydrogen bonded to the oxygen can be released to the outside from the side surface of the insulator 280 formed by the processing of the insulator 282, the insulator 280, the insulator 275, the insulator 222, and the insulator 216. Note that the hydrogen bonded to oxygen is released as water. Thus, unnecessary oxygen and hydrogen contained in the insulator 280 can be reduced.
In a region of the oxide 230 that overlaps with the conductor 260, the insulator 252 is provided to be in contact with the top surface and the side surface of the oxide 230. Since the insulator 252 has a barrier property against oxygen, diffusion of an excess amount of oxygen to the oxide 230 can be inhibited. Thus, oxygen can be supplied to the region 230bc or in the vicinity of the region 230bc, without supply of an excess amount of oxygen. Accordingly, oxygen vacancies and VOH formed in the region 230bc can be reduced while oxidation of the side surface of the conductor 242 due to excess oxygen can be inhibited. Thus, the transistor 200 can have favorable electrical characteristics and higher reliability.
On the other hand, in the case where the transistors 200 are integrated at a high density, the volume of the insulator 280 per transistor 200 becomes excessively small in some cases. In this case, the amount of oxygen diffusing into the oxide 230 in the heat treatment becomes significantly small. When the oxide 230 is heated while being in contact with the oxide insulator (e.g., the insulator 250) which does not contain sufficient oxygen, oxygen contained in the oxide 230 might be released. However, in the transistor 200 described in this embodiment, the insulator 252 is provided in contact with the top surface and the side surface of the oxide 230 in the region of the oxide 230 that overlaps with the conductor 260. Since the insulator 252 has a barrier property against oxygen, release of the oxygen from the oxide 230 can be reduced also in the heat treatment. Therefore, oxygen vacancies and VOH formed in the region 230bc can be reduced. Thus, the transistor 200 can have favorable electrical characteristics and higher reliability.
As described above, in either case of a large or small amount of oxygen supplied from the insulator 280 in the semiconductor device of this embodiment, a transistor having good electrical characteristics and high reliability can be formed. Thus, a semiconductor device with a reduced variation in electrical characteristics of the transistors 200 in the substrate plane can be provided.
Next, the insulator 283 is formed over the insulator 282 (see
Next, an insulating film to be the insulator 274 is formed over the insulator 283. The insulating film can be deposited by a sputtering method, a CVD method, an MBE method, a PLD method, an ALD method, or the like. In this embodiment, for the insulator film, silicon oxide is deposited by a CVD method.
Next, the insulating film to be the insulator 274 is polished by CMP treatment until the insulator 283 is exposed, whereby the top surface of the insulating film is planarized; thus, the insulator 274 is formed (see
Next, the insulator 285 is formed over the insulator 274 and the insulator 283 (see
In this embodiment, for the insulator 285, silicon oxide is deposited by a sputtering method.
Subsequently, openings reaching the conductor 242a are formed in the insulator 271, the insulator 275, the insulator 280, the insulator 282, the insulator 283, and the insulator 285 (see
Subsequently, an insulating film to be the insulator 241 is deposited and the insulating film is subjected to anisotropic etching, so that the insulator 241 is formed (see
As an anisotropic etching for the insulating film to be the insulator 241, a dry etching method may be employed, for example. When the insulator 241 is provided on the sidewall portions of the openings, passage of oxygen from the outside can be inhibited and oxidation of the conductor 240 to be formed next can be prevented. Furthermore, impurities such as water and hydrogen contained in the insulator 280 can be prevented from diffusing into the conductor 240.
Next, a conductive film to be the conductor 240 is deposited. The conductive film desirably has a stacked-layer structure which includes a conductor having a function of inhibiting passage of impurities such as water and hydrogen. For example, a stacked layer of tantalum nitride, titanium nitride, or the like and tungsten, molybdenum, copper, or the like can be employed. The conductive film can be deposited by a sputtering method, a CVD method, an MBE method, a PLD method, an ALD method, or the like.
Then, part of the conductive film to be the conductor 240 is removed by CMP treatment to expose the top surface of the insulator 285. As a result, the conductive film remains only in the opening, so that the conductor 240 having a flat top surface can be formed (see
Next, a conductive film to be the conductor 246 is deposited. The conductive film can be deposited by a sputtering method, a CVD method, an MBE method, a PLD method, an ALD method, or the like.
Then, the conductive film to be the conductor 246 is processed by a lithography method, thereby forming the conductor 246 in contact with the top surface of the conductor 240. At this time, part of the insulator 285 in a region where the insulator 285 does not overlap with the conductor 246 is sometimes removed.
Through the above process, the semiconductor device including the transistor 200 illustrated in
A microwave treatment apparatus that can be used for the above method for manufacturing the semiconductor device is described below.
First, a structure of a manufacturing apparatus that hardly allows entry of impurities in manufacturing a semiconductor device or the like is described with reference to
Furthermore, the atmosphere-side substrate transfer chamber 2702 is connected to the load lock chamber 2703a and the unload lock chamber 2703b, the load lock chamber 2703a and the unload lock chamber 2703b are connected to the transfer chamber 2704, and the transfer chamber 2704 is connected to the chamber 2706a, the chamber 2706b, the chamber 2706c, and the chamber 2706d.
Note that gate valves GV are provided in connecting portions between the chambers so that the chambers other than the atmosphere-side substrate supply chamber 2701 and the atmosphere-side substrate transfer chamber 2702 can be each independently kept in a vacuum state. Furthermore, the atmosphere-side substrate transfer chamber 2702 is provided with a transfer robot 2763a, and the transfer chamber 2704 is provided with a transfer robot 2763b. With the transfer robot 2763a and the transfer robot 2763b, a substrate can be transferred inside the manufacturing apparatus 2700.
The back pressure (total pressure) in the transfer chamber 2704 and each of the chambers is, for example, lower than or equal to 1×10−4 Pa, preferably lower than or equal to 3×10−5 Pa, further preferably lower than or equal to 1×10−5 Pa. Furthermore, the partial pressure of a gas molecule (atom) having a mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) of 18 in the transfer chamber 2704 and each of the chambers is, for example, lower than or equal to 3×10−5 Pa, preferably lower than or equal to 1×10−5 Pa, further preferably lower than or equal to 3×10−6 Pa. Furthermore, the partial pressure of a gas molecule (atom) having m/z of 28 in the transfer chamber 2704 and each of the chambers is, for example, lower than or equal to 3×10−5 Pa, preferably lower than or equal to 1×10−5 Pa, further preferably lower than or equal to 3×10−6 Pa. Furthermore, the partial pressure of a gas molecule (atom) having m/z of 44 in the transfer chamber 2704 and each of the chambers is, for example, lower than or equal to 3×10−5 Pa, preferably lower than or equal to 1×10−5 Pa, further preferably lower than or equal to 3×10−6 Pa.
Note that the total pressure and the partial pressure in the transfer chamber 2704 and each of the chambers can be measured using an ionization vacuum gauge, a mass analyzer, or the like.
Furthermore, the transfer chamber 2704 and the chambers each desirably have a structure in which the amount of external leakage or internal leakage is small. For example, the leakage rate in the transfer chamber 2704 is less than or equal to 1×100 Pa/min, preferably less than or equal to 5×10−1 Pa/min. Furthermore, the leakage rate in each chamber is less than or equal to 1×10−1 Pa/min, preferably less than or equal to 5×10−2 Pa/min.
Note that a leakage rate can be derived from the total pressure and partial pressure measured using the ionization vacuum gauge, the mass analyzer, or the like. For example, the leakage rate is preferably derived from the total pressure at the time when 10 minutes have passed from the start of evacuation to a vacuum using a vacuum pump such as a turbo molecular pump and the total pressure at the time when 10 minutes have passed from the operation of closing the valve. Note that the total pressure at the time when 10 minutes have passed from the start of evacuation to a vacuum is preferably an average value of the total pressures measured a plurality of times.
The leakage rate depends on external leakage and internal leakage. The external leakage refers to inflow of gas from the outside of a vacuum system through a minute hole, a sealing defect, or the like. The internal leakage is due to leakage through a partition, such as a valve, in a vacuum system or released gas from an internal member. Measures need to be taken from both aspects of external leakage and internal leakage in order that the leakage rate can be set to less than or equal to the above-described value.
For example, open/close portions of the transfer chamber 2704 and each of the chambers are preferably sealed with a metal gasket. For the metal gasket, metal covered with iron fluoride, aluminum oxide, or chromium oxide is preferably used. The metal gasket achieves higher adhesion than an O-ring and can reduce the external leakage. Furthermore, with the use of passive metal covered with iron fluoride, aluminum oxide, chromium oxide, or the like, the release of gas containing impurities released from the metal gasket is inhibited, so that the internal leakage can be reduced.
Furthermore, for a member of the manufacturing apparatus 2700, aluminum, chromium, titanium, zirconium, nickel, or vanadium, which releases a small amount of gas containing impurities, is used. Furthermore, an alloy containing any of iron, chromium, nickel, and the like covered with the above-described metal, which releases a small amount of gas containing impurities, may be used. The alloy containing any of iron, chromium, nickel, and the like is rigid, resistant to heat, and suitable for processing. Here, when surface unevenness of the member is reduced by polishing or the like to reduce the surface area, the release of gas can be reduced.
Alternatively, the above-described member of the manufacturing apparatus 2700 may be covered with iron fluoride, aluminum oxide, chromium oxide, or the like.
The member of the manufacturing apparatus 2700 is preferably formed using only metal when possible, and in the case where a viewing window formed of quartz or the like is provided, for example, the surface is preferably thinly covered with iron fluoride, aluminum oxide, chromium oxide, or the like to inhibit release of gas.
An adsorbed substance present in the transfer chamber 2704 and each of the chambers does not affect the pressure in the transfer chamber 2704 and each of the chambers because it is adsorbed onto an inner wall or the like; however, it causes a release of gas when the transfer chamber 2704 and each of the chambers are evacuated. Thus, although there is no correlation between the leakage rate and the exhaust rate, it is important that the adsorbed substance present in the transfer chamber 2704 and each of the chambers be desorbed as much as possible and exhaust be performed in advance with the use of a pump having high exhaust capability. Note that the transfer chamber 2704 and each of the chambers may be subjected to baking to promote desorption of the adsorbed substance. By the baking, the desorption rate of the adsorbed substance can be increased about tenfold. The baking is performed at higher than or equal to 100° C. and lower than or equal to 450° C. At this time, when the adsorbed substance is removed while an inert gas is introduced into the transfer chamber 2704 and each of the chambers, the desorption rate of water or the like, which is difficult to desorb simply by exhaust, can be further increased. Note that when the inert gas to be introduced is heated to substantially the same temperature as the baking temperature, the desorption rate of the adsorbed substance can be further increased. Here, a rare gas is preferably used as the inert gas.
Alternatively, treatment for evacuating the transfer chamber 2704 and each of the chambers is preferably performed a certain period of time after a heated inert gas such as a rare gas, heated oxygen, or the like is introduced to increase the pressure in the transfer chamber 2704 and each of the chambers. The introduction of the heated gas can desorb the adsorbed substance in the transfer chamber 2704 and each of the chambers, and impurities present in the transfer chamber 2704 and each of the chambers can be reduced. Note that this treatment is effective when repeated more than or equal to 2 times and less than or equal to 30 times, preferably more than or equal to 5 times and less than or equal to 15 times. Specifically, an inert gas, oxygen, or the like at a temperature higher than or equal to 40° C. and lower than or equal to 400° C., preferably higher than or equal to 50° C. and lower than or equal to 200° C. is introduced, so that the pressure in the transfer chamber 2704 and each of the chambers can be kept to be higher than or equal to 0.1 Pa and lower than or equal to 10 kPa, preferably higher than or equal to 1 Pa and lower than or equal to 1 kPa, further preferably higher than or equal to 5 Pa and lower than or equal to 100 Pa in the time range of 1 minute to 300 minutes, preferably 5 minutes to 120 minutes. After that, the transfer chamber 2704 and each of the chambers are evacuated in the time range of 5 minutes to 300 minutes, preferably 10 minutes to 120 minutes.
Next, the chamber 2706b and the chamber 2706c are described with reference to a schematic cross-sectional view illustrated in
The chamber 2706b and the chamber 2706c are chambers in which microwave treatment can be performed on an object, for example. Note that the chamber 2706b is different from the chamber 2706c only in the atmosphere in performing the microwave treatment. The other structures are common and thus collectively described below.
The chamber 2706b and the chamber 2706c each include a slot antenna plate 2808, a dielectric plate 2809, a substrate holder 2812, and an exhaust port 2819. Furthermore, a gas supply source 2801, a valve 2802, a high-frequency generator 2803, a waveguide 2804, a mode converter 2805, a gas pipe 2806, a waveguide 2807, a matching box 2815, a high-frequency power source 2816, a vacuum pump 2817, and a valve 2818 are provided outside the chamber 2706b and the chamber 2706c, for example.
The high-frequency generator 2803 is connected to the mode converter 2805 through the waveguide 2804. The mode converter 2805 is connected to the slot antenna plate 2808 through the waveguide 2807. The slot antenna plate 2808 is placed in contact with the dielectric plate 2809. Furthermore, the gas supply source 2801 is connected to the mode converter 2805 through the valve 2802. Then, gas is transferred to the chamber 2706b and the chamber 2706c through the gas pipe 2806 that runs through the mode converter 2805, the waveguide 2807, and the dielectric plate 2809. Furthermore, the vacuum pump 2817 has a function of exhausting gas or the like from the chamber 2706b and the chamber 2706c through the valve 2818 and the exhaust port 2819. Furthermore, the high-frequency power source 2816 is connected to the substrate holder 2812 through the matching box 2815.
The substrate holder 2812 has a function of holding a substrate 2811. For example, the substrate holder 2812 has a function of an electrostatic chuck or a mechanical chuck for holding the substrate 2811. Furthermore, the substrate holder 2812 has a function of an electrode to which electric power is supplied from the high-frequency power source 2816. Furthermore, the substrate holder 2812 includes a heating mechanism 2813 therein and has a function of heating the substrate 2811.
As the vacuum pump 2817, a dry pump, a mechanical booster pump, an ion pump, a titanium sublimation pump, a cryopump, or a turbomolecular pump can be used, for example. Furthermore, in addition to the vacuum pump 2817, a cryotrap may be used. The use of the cryopump and the cryotrap is particularly preferable because water can be efficiently exhausted.
Furthermore, for example, the heating mechanism 2813 may be a heating mechanism that uses a resistance heater or the like for heating. Alternatively, a heating mechanism that uses heat conduction or heat radiation from a medium such as a heated gas for heating may be used. For example, RTA (Rapid Thermal Annealing) such as GRTA (Gas Rapid Thermal Annealing) or LRTA (Lamp Rapid Thermal Annealing) can be used. In GRTA, heat treatment is performed using a high-temperature gas. An inert gas is used as the gas.
Furthermore, the gas supply source 2801 may be connected to a purifier through a mass flow controller. As the gas, a gas whose dew point is −80° C. or lower, preferably −100° C. or lower is preferably used. For example, an oxygen gas, a nitrogen gas, or a rare gas (an argon gas or the like) is used.
As the dielectric plate 2809, silicon oxide (quartz), aluminum oxide (alumina), or yttrium oxide (yttria) is used, for example. Furthermore, another protective layer may be further formed on a surface of the dielectric plate 2809. For the protective layer, magnesium oxide, titanium oxide, chromium oxide, zirconium oxide, hafnium oxide, tantalum oxide, silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, yttrium oxide, or the like is used. The dielectric plate 2809 is exposed to an especially high density region of high-density plasma 2810 described later; thus, provision of the protective layer can reduce the damage. Consequently, an increase in the number of particles or the like during the treatment can be suppressed.
The high-frequency generator 2803 has a function of generating a microwave at, for example, greater than or equal to 0.3 GHZ and less than or equal to 3.0 GHZ, greater than or equal to 0.7 GHZ and less than or equal to 1.1 GHZ, or greater than or equal to 2.2 GHZ and less than or equal to 2.8 GHZ. The microwave generated by the high-frequency generator 2803 is propagated to the mode converter 2805 through the waveguide 2804. The mode converter 2805 converts the microwave propagated in the TE mode into a microwave in the TEM mode. Then, the microwave is propagated to the slot antenna plate 2808 through the waveguide 2807. The slot antenna plate 2808 is provided with a plurality of slot holes, and the microwave passes through the slot holes and the dielectric plate 2809. Then, an electric field is generated below the dielectric plate 2809, and the high-density plasma 2810 can be generated. In the high-density plasma 2810, ions and radicals based on the gas species supplied from the gas supply source 2801 are present. For example, oxygen radicals are present.
At this time, the quality of a film or the like over the substrate 2811 can be modified by the ions and radicals generated in the high-density plasma 2810. Note that it is preferable in some cases to apply a bias to the substrate 2811 side using the high-frequency power source 2816. As the high-frequency power source 2816, an RF (Radio Frequency) power source with a frequency of 13.56 MHZ, 27.12 MHz, or the like may be used, for example. The application of a bias to the substrate side allows ions in the high-density plasma 2810 to efficiently reach a deep portion of an opening portion of the film or the like over the substrate 2811.
For example, in the chamber 2706b or the chamber 2706c, oxygen radical treatment using the high-density plasma 2810 can be performed by introducing oxygen from the gas supply source 2801.
Next, the chamber 2706a and the chamber 2706d are described with reference to a schematic cross-sectional view illustrated in
The chamber 2706a and the chamber 2706d are chambers in which an object can be irradiated with an electromagnetic wave, for example. Note that the chamber 2706a is different from the chamber 2706d only in the kind of the electromagnetic wave. The other structures have many common portions and thus are collectively described below.
The chamber 2706a and the chamber 2706d each include one or more lamps 2820, a substrate holder 2825, a gas inlet 2823, and an exhaust port 2830. Furthermore, a gas supply source 2821, a valve 2822, a vacuum pump 2828, and a valve 2829 are provided outside the chamber 2706a and the chamber 2706d, for example.
The gas supply source 2821 is connected to the gas inlet 2823 through the valve 2822. The vacuum pump 2828 is connected to the exhaust port 2830 through the valve 2829. The lamp 2820 is placed to face the substrate holder 2825. The substrate holder 2825 has a function of holding a substrate 2824. Furthermore, the substrate holder 2825 includes a heating mechanism 2826 therein and has a function of heating the substrate 2824.
As the lamp 2820, a light source having a function of emitting an electromagnetic wave such as visible light, ultraviolet light, or infrared light may be used, for example. For example, a light source having a function of emitting an electromagnetic wave which has a peak at a wavelength longer than or equal to 10 nm and shorter than or equal to 2500 nm, longer than or equal to 500 nm and shorter than or equal to 2000 nm, or longer than or equal to 40 nm and shorter than or equal to 340 nm may be used.
As the lamp 2820, a light source such as a halogen lamp, a metal halide lamp, a xenon arc lamp, a carbon arc lamp, a high-pressure sodium lamp, or a high-pressure mercury lamp can used, for example.
For example, part or the whole of electromagnetic wave emitted from the lamp 2820 is absorbed by the substrate 2824, so that the quality of a film or the like over the substrate 2824 can be modified. For example, generation or reduction of defects or removal of impurities can be performed. Note that generation or reduction of defects, removal of impurities, or the like can be efficiently performed while the substrate 2824 is heated.
Alternatively, for example, the electromagnetic wave emitted from the lamp 2820 may allow the substrate holder 2825 to generate heat for heating the substrate 2824. In that case, the substrate holder 2825 does not need to include the heating mechanism 2826 therein.
For the vacuum pump 2828, refer to the description of the vacuum pump 2817. Furthermore, for the heating mechanism 2826, refer to the description of the heating mechanism 2813. Furthermore, for the gas supply source 2821, refer to the description of the gas supply source 2801.
A microwave treatment apparatus that can be used in this embodiment is not limited to the above. A microwave treatment apparatus 2900 illustrated in
The substrate provided in the quartz tube 2901 is irradiated with the microwave generated by the high-frequency generator 2803, through the waveguide 2804. The vacuum pump 2817 is connected to the exhaust port 2819 through the valve 2818 and can adjust the pressure inside the quartz tube 2901. The gas supply source 2801 is connected to the gas pipe 2806 through the valve 2802 and can introduce a desired gas into the quartz tube 2901. The heating means 2903 can heat the substrates 2811 in the quartz tube 2901 to a desired temperature. Alternatively, the heating means 2903 may heat the gas which is supplied from the gas supply source 2801. With the use of the microwave treatment apparatus 2900, the substrates 2811 can be subjected to heat treatment and microwave treatment at the same time. Alternatively, the substrates 2811 can be heated and then subjected to microwave treatment. Alternatively, the substrates 2811 can be subjected to microwave treatment and then heat treatment.
All of the substrate 2811_1 to the substrate 2811_n may be substrates to be treated where a semiconductor device or a storage device is to be formed, or some of the substrates may be dummy substrates. For example, the substrate 2811_1 and the substrate 2811_n may be dummy substrates and the substrate 2811_2 to the substrate 2811_n−1 may be substrates to be treated. Alternatively, the substrate 2811_1, the substrate 2811_2, the substrate 2811_n−1, and the substrate 2811_n may be dummy substrates and the substrate 2811_3 to the substrate 2811_n−2 may be substrates to be treated. A dummy substrate is preferably used, in which case a plurality of substrates to be treated can be uniformly treated at the time of microwave treatment or heat treatment and a variation between the substrates to be treated can be reduced. For example, a dummy substrate is preferably placed over the substrate to be treated which is the closest to the high-frequency generator 2803 and the waveguide 2804, in which case the substrate to be treated is inhibited from being directly exposed to a microwave.
With the use of the above-described manufacturing apparatus, the quality of a film or the like can be modified while the entry of impurities into an object is inhibited.
Examples of the semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention are described below with reference to
Note that in the semiconductor device illustrated in
The semiconductor device illustrated in
For example, in the case where the insulator 283 has a stacked-layer structure of two layers, silicon nitride may be deposited by a sputtering method for a lower layer of the insulator 283 and silicon nitride may be deposited by an ALD method for an upper layer of the insulator 283. By using a sputtering method, which does not need to use a molecule containing hydrogen as a deposition gas, the hydrogen concentration in the lower layer of the insulator 282 can be reduced. Furthermore, in the case where a pinhole, disconnection, or the like is formed in the film deposited by a sputtering method, a portion overlapping with the pinhole, the disconnection, or the like can be filled with the film deposited by an ALD method with excellent coverage.
Note that in the case where the insulator 283 has a stacked-layer structure of two layers, part of a top surface of the upper layer of the insulator 283 is removed in some cases. The boundary between the upper layer and the lower layer of the insulator 283 is difficult to clearly detect in some cases.
As illustrated in
Like the conductor 205a, the conductor 205c is preferably formed using a conductive material having a function of reducing diffusion of hydrogen. Thus, the conductor 205b can be surrounded by the conductor 205a and the conductor 205c, so that impurities such as hydrogen contained in the conductor 205b can be prevented from diffusing into the oxide 230 through the insulator 216, the insulator 224, and the like. When the conductor 205a and the conductor 205c are formed using a conductive material having a function of inhibiting diffusion of oxygen, the conductivity of the conductor 205b can be inhibited from being lowered because of oxidation.
The insulator 271 a and the insulator 271b may each have a stacked-layer structure of two layers. Lower layers of the insulator 271a and the insulator 271b preferably function as at least barrier insulating films against oxygen. Thus, the lower layers of the insulator 271a and the insulator 271b preferably have a function of inhibiting the diffusion of oxygen. In this way, oxygen contained in the insulator 280 can be prevented from diffusing into the conductor 242a and the conductor 242b. Accordingly, oxidation of the conductor 242a and the conductor 242b by oxygen contained in the insulator 280 can be inhibited, so that an increase in resistivity and a reduction in on-state current can be inhibited.
Upper layers of the insulator 271a and the insulator 271b function as protective layers for making the lower layers of the insulator 271a and the insulator 271b remain. When a hard mask is removed after a conductive film to be the conductor 242a and the conductor 242b, an oxide film to be the oxide 230b, and the like are processed into an island shape, an insulating layer to be the lower layers of the insulator 271a and the insulator 271b might be removed. Thus, an insulating layer to be the upper layers of the insulator 271a and the insulator 271b is provided between the hard mask and the insulating layer to be the lower layers of the insulator 271a and the insulator 271b, whereby the insulating layer to be the lower layers of the insulator 271a and the insulator 271b can remain. For example, in the case where tungsten is used for the hard mask, silicon oxide or the like is preferably used for the upper layers of the insulator 271a and the insulator 271b.
A change in electrical characteristics of an OS transistor such as the transistor 200 due to exposure to radiation is small, i.e., an OS transistor has high tolerance to radiation; thus, an OS transistor can be suitably used even in an environment where radiation might enter. For example, OS transistors can be suitably used in outer space. Specifically, OS transistors can be used as transistors in semiconductor devices provided in a space shuttle, an artificial satellite, a space probe, and the like. Examples of radiation include X-rays and a neutron beam. Outer space refers to, for example, space at an altitude greater than or equal to 100 km, and outer space in this specification may also include thermosphere, mesosphere, and stratosphere.
Alternatively, for example, OS transistors can be used as transistors included in semiconductor devices provided in working robots in a nuclear power plant and a treatment plant or a disposal plant for radioactive wastes. In particular, OS transistors can be favorably used as transistors included in the semiconductor devices provided in remote control robots that are controlled remotely in demolishment of a reactor facility, taking out of a nuclear fuel or a fuel debris, a field investigation on a space with a large amount of radioactive substance, and the like.
An example of the semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to
Note that in the semiconductor device illustrated in
The semiconductor device 500 illustrated in
The semiconductor device 500 includes a plurality of transistors 200, a plurality of capacitors 100, and a plurality of opening regions 400 arranged in a matrix. In addition, a plurality of conductors 260 functioning as gate electrodes of the transistors 200 are provided to extend in the y-axis direction. In addition, a plurality of conductors 160 functioning as upper electrodes of the capacitors 100 are provided to extend in the y-axis direction. The opening regions 400 are formed in regions not overlapping with the oxides 230, the conductors 260, and the conductors 160. The sealing portion 265 is formed so as to surround the plurality of transistors 200, the plurality of conductors 260, the plurality of capacitors 100, the plurality of conductors 160, and the plurality of opening regions 400. Note that the number, the position, and the size of the transistors 200, the conductors 260, the capacitors 100, the conductors 160, and the opening regions 400 are not limited to those illustrated in
As illustrated in
Such a structure enables the plurality of transistors 200 and the plurality of capacitors 100 to be surrounded by the insulator 283, the insulator 214, and the insulator 212. One or more of the insulator 283, the insulator 214, and the insulator 212 preferably function as a barrier insulating film against hydrogen. Accordingly, entry of hydrogen contained in the region outside the sealing portion 265 into a region in the sealing portion 265 can be inhibited.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
When heat treatment is performed in such a state that the opening region 400 is formed and the insulator 280 is exposed in the opening portion of the insulator 282, part of oxygen contained in the insulator 280 can be made to diffuse outwardly from the opening region 400 while oxygen is supplied to the oxide 230. This enables oxygen to be sufficiently supplied to the region functioning as the channel formation region and its vicinity in the oxide semiconductor layer from the insulator 280 containing oxygen to be released by heating, and also prevents an excess amount of oxygen from being supplied thereto.
At this time, hydrogen contained in the insulator 280 can be bonded to oxygen and released to the outside through the opening region 400. The hydrogen bonded to oxygen is released as water. Thus, the amount of hydrogen contained in the insulator 280 can be reduced, and hydrogen contained in the insulator 280 can be inhibited from entering the oxide 230.
In
An example of the semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to
In the semiconductor device 600, the transistor 200a and the transistor 200b each have a similar structure to that of the transistor 200 except that the insulator 224, the oxide 230a, the oxide 230b, a conductor 242c, an insulator 271c, the conductor 240, the insulator 241, and the conductor 246 are shared between the transistor 200a and the transistor 200b. Thus, the above description can be referred to for the details. The capacitor 100a and the capacitor 100b each have a structure similar to that of the capacitor 100. Thus, the above description can be referred to for the details.
The semiconductor device 600 has a line-symmetric structure with respect to the dashed-dotted line A3-A4 as illustrated in
According to one embodiment of the present invention, a novel transistor can be provided. According to another embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor device that can be miniaturized or highly integrated can be provided. According to another embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor device with favorable frequency characteristics can be provided. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor device that operates at high speed can be provided. According to another embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor device with a small variation in transistor characteristics can be provided. According to another embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor device with favorable electrical characteristics can be provided. According to another embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor device with favorable reliability can be provided. According to another embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor device with a high on-state current can be provided. According to another embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor device with a high field-effect mobility can be provided. According to another embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor device with low power consumption can be provided.
At least part of the structure, method, and the like described in this embodiment can be implemented in appropriate combination with any of those in the other embodiments and example described in this specification.
In this embodiment, one embodiment of a semiconductor device will be described with reference to
As illustrated in
The transistor 200 is a transistor in which a channel is formed in a semiconductor layer including an oxide semiconductor. Since the transistor 200 has a low off-state current, a storage device that uses the transistor 200 can retain stored contents for a long time. In other words, such a storage device does not require refresh operation or has extremely low frequency of the refresh operation, which leads to a sufficient reduction in power consumption of the storage device. As described in the above embodiment, the transistor 200 has high frequency characteristics and thus enables the storage device to perform reading and writing at high speed.
In the semiconductor device illustrated in
The storage device illustrated in
The transistor 300 is provided on a substrate 311 and includes a conductor 316 functioning as a gate, an insulator 315 functioning as a gate insulator, a semiconductor region 313 formed of part of the substrate 311, and a low-resistance region 314a and a low-resistance region 314b functioning as a source region and a drain region. The transistor 300 may be a p-channel transistor or an n-channel transistor.
Here, in the transistor 300 illustrated in
Note that the transistor 300 illustrated in
Wiring layers provided with an interlayer film, a wiring, a plug, and the like may be provided between the structure bodies. A plurality of wiring layers can be provided in accordance with design. Here, a plurality of conductors functioning as plugs or wirings are collectively denoted by the same reference numeral in some cases. Furthermore, in this specification and the like, a wiring and a plug electrically connected to the wiring may be a single component. That is, there are cases where part of a conductor functions as a wiring and part of a conductor functions as a plug.
For example, an insulator 320, an insulator 322, an insulator 324, and an insulator 326 are sequentially stacked over the transistor 300 as interlayer films. A conductor 328, a conductor 330, and the like that are electrically connected to the capacitor 100 or the transistor 200 are embedded in the insulator 320, the insulator 322, the insulator 324, and the insulator 326. Note that the conductor 328 and the conductor 330 function as a plug or a wiring.
The insulators functioning as interlayer films may also function as planarization films that cover uneven shapes therebelow. For example, a top surface of the insulator 322 may be planarized by planarization treatment using a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) method or the like to improve planarity.
A wiring layer may be provided over the insulator 326 and the conductor 330. For example, in
Similarly, a conductor 218, a conductor (the conductor 205) included in the transistor 200, and the like are embedded in an insulator 210, the insulator 212, the insulator 214, and the insulator 216. Note that the conductor 218 has a function of a plug or a wiring that is electrically connected to the capacitor 100 or the transistor 300.
Here, like the insulator 241 described in the above embodiment, an insulator 217 is provided in contact with a side surface of the conductor 218 functioning as a plug. The insulator 217 is provided in contact with an inner wall of an opening formed in the insulator 210, the insulator 212, the insulator 214, and the insulator 216. That is, the insulator 217 is provided between the conductor 218 and each of the insulator 210, the insulator 212, the insulator 214, and the insulator 216. Note that the conductor 205 and the conductor 218 can be formed in parallel; thus, the insulator 217 is sometimes formed in contact with the side surface of the conductor 205.
As the insulator 217, an insulator such as silicon nitride, aluminum oxide, or silicon nitride oxide may be used, for example. Since the insulator 217 is provided in contact with the insulator 210, the insulator 212, the insulator 214, and the insulator 222, entry of impurities such as water and hydrogen into the oxide 230 through the conductor 218 from the insulator 210, the insulator 216, or the like can be inhibited. In particular, silicon nitride is suitable because of its high blocking property against hydrogen. Moreover, oxygen contained in the insulator 210 or the insulator 216 can be prevented from being absorbed by the conductor 218.
The insulator 217 can be formed in a manner similar to that of the insulator 241. For example, silicon nitride can be deposited by a PEALD method and an opening reaching the conductor 356 can be formed by anisotropic etching.
Examples of an insulator that can be used as an interlayer film include an insulating oxide, an insulating nitride, an insulating oxynitride, an insulating nitride oxide, an insulating metal oxide, an insulating metal oxynitride, and an insulating metal nitride oxide.
For example, when a material having a low dielectric constant is used for the insulator functioning as an interlayer film, parasitic capacitance generated between wirings can be reduced. Thus, a material is preferably selected depending on the function of an insulator.
For example, as the insulator 210, the insulator 352, the insulator 354, and the like, an insulator having a low dielectric constant is preferably included. For example, the insulator preferably includes silicon oxide to which fluorine is added, silicon oxide to which carbon is added, silicon oxide to which carbon and nitrogen are added, porous silicon oxide, a resin, or the like. Alternatively, the insulator preferably has a stacked-layer structure of a resin and silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, silicon nitride oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxide to which fluorine is added, silicon oxide to which carbon is added, silicon oxide to which carbon and nitrogen are added, or porous silicon oxide. When silicon oxide or silicon oxynitride, which is thermally stable, is combined with a resin, the stacked-layer structure can have thermal stability and a low dielectric constant. Examples of the resin include polyester, polyolefin, polyamide (e.g., nylon and aramid), polyimide, polycarbonate, and acrylic.
When a transistor using an oxide semiconductor is surrounded by an insulator having a function of inhibiting passage of oxygen and impurities such as hydrogen, the electrical characteristics of the transistor can be stable. Thus, the insulator having a function of inhibiting passage of oxygen and impurities such as hydrogen can be used as the insulator 214, the insulator 212, the insulator 350, and the like.
As the insulator having a function of inhibiting passage of oxygen and impurities such as hydrogen, a single layer or stacked layers of an insulator containing, for example, boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, magnesium, aluminum, silicon, phosphorus, chlorine, argon, gallium, germanium, yttrium, zirconium, lanthanum, neodymium, hafnium, or tantalum may be used. Specifically, as the insulator having a function of inhibiting passage of oxygen and impurities such as hydrogen, a metal oxide such as aluminum oxide, magnesium oxide, gallium oxide, germanium oxide, yttrium oxide, zirconium oxide, lanthanum oxide, neodymium oxide, hafnium oxide, or tantalum oxide: silicon nitride oxide; silicon nitride: or the like can be used.
As the conductor that can be used for a wiring or a plug, a material containing one or more kinds of metal elements selected from aluminum, chromium, copper, silver, gold, platinum, tantalum, nickel, titanium, molybdenum, tungsten, hafnium, vanadium, niobium, manganese, magnesium, zirconium, beryllium, indium, ruthenium, and the like can be used. Alternatively, a semiconductor having high electrical conductivity, typified by polycrystalline silicon containing an impurity element such as phosphorus, or silicide such as nickel silicide may be used.
For example, for the conductor 328, the conductor 330, the conductor 356, the conductor 218, the conductor 112, and the like, a single layer or stacked layers of conductive material such as a metal material, an alloy material, a metal nitride material, or a metal oxide material that is formed using the above materials can be used. It is preferable to use a high-melting-point material that has both heat resistance and conductivity, such as tungsten or molybdenum, and it is preferable to use tungsten. Alternatively, it is preferable to use a low-resistance conductive material such as aluminum or copper. The use of a low-resistance conductive material can reduce wiring resistance.
<Wiring or Plug in Layer Provided with Oxide Semiconductor>
In the case where an oxide semiconductor is used in the transistor 200, an insulator including an excess-oxygen region is provided in the vicinity of the oxide semiconductor in some cases. In that case, an insulator having a barrier property is preferably provided between the insulator including the excess-oxygen region and a conductor provided in the insulator including the excess-oxygen region.
For example, in
That is, the insulator 241 can inhibit excess oxygen contained in the insulator 224 and the insulator 280 from being absorbed by the conductor 240. In addition, providing the insulator 241 can inhibit diffusion of hydrogen, which is an impurity, into the transistor 200 through the conductor 240.
The insulator 241 is preferably formed using an insulating material having a function of inhibiting diffusion of oxygen and impurities such as water and hydrogen. For example, silicon nitride, silicon nitride oxide, aluminum oxide, hafnium oxide, or the like is preferably used. In particular, silicon nitride is preferable because of its high blocking property against hydrogen. Other than that, a metal oxide such as magnesium oxide, gallium oxide, germanium oxide, yttrium oxide, zirconium oxide, lanthanum oxide, neodymium oxide, or tantalum oxide can be used, for example.
As described in the above embodiment, the transistor 200 may be sealed with the insulator 212, the insulator 214, the insulator 282, and the insulator 283. Such a structure can inhibit entry of hydrogen contained in the insulator 274 or the like into the insulator 280 or the like.
Here, the conductor 240 penetrates the insulator 283 and the insulator 282, and the conductor 218 penetrates the insulator 214 and the insulator 212; however, as described above, the insulator 241 is provided in contact with the conductor 240, and the insulator 217 is provided in contact with the conductor 218. This can reduce the amount of hydrogen entering the inside of the insulator 212, the insulator 214, the insulator 282, and the insulator 283 through the conductor 240 and the conductor 218. In this manner, the transistor 200 is sealed with the insulator 212, the insulator 214, the insulator 282, the insulator 283, the insulator 241, and the insulator 217, so that impurities such as hydrogen contained in the insulator 274 or the like can be inhibited from entering from the outside.
The conductor 112 is provided over the conductor 240. The conductor 112 corresponds to the conductor 246 illustrated in
The insulator 130 is provided to cover the conductor 112, and the insulator 146 is provided over the insulator 130. As the insulator 130, the insulator that can be used as the insulator 283 described in the above embodiment is preferably used. As the insulator 146, an insulator that can be used as the insulator 210, the insulator 352, the insulator 354, and the like is preferably used.
A dicing line (sometimes referred to as a scribe line, a dividing line, or a cutting line) which is provided when a large-sized substrate is divided into semiconductor elements so that a plurality of semiconductor devices are each taken as a chip is described below. Examples of a dividing method include the case where a groove (a dicing line) for dividing the semiconductor elements is formed on the substrate, and then the substrate is cut along the dicing line to divide (split) it into a plurality of semiconductor devices.
Here, for example, as illustrated in
That is, in the opening provided in the insulator 282, the insulator 280, the insulator 275, the insulator 224, the insulator 222, and the insulator 216, the insulator 214 is in contact with the insulator 283.
For example, an opening may be provided in the insulator 282, the insulator 280, the insulator 275, the insulator 224, the insulator 222, the insulator 216, and the insulator 214. With such a structure, in the opening provided in the insulator 282, the insulator 280, the insulator 275, the insulator 224, the insulator 222, the insulator 216, and the insulator 214, the insulator 212 is in contact with the insulator 283. Here, the insulator 212 and the insulator 283 may be formed using the same material and the same method. When the insulator 212 and the insulator 283 are formed using the same material and the same method, the adhesion therebetween can be increased. For example, silicon nitride is preferably used.
With the structure, the transistors 200 can be surrounded by the insulator 212, the insulator 214, the insulator 282, and the insulator 283. Since at least one of the insulator 212, the insulator 214, the insulator 282, and the insulator 283 has a function of inhibiting diffusion of oxygen, hydrogen, and water, even when the substrate is divided into circuit regions each of which is provided with the semiconductor elements described in this embodiment to be processed into a plurality of chips, entry and diffusion of impurities such as hydrogen and water from the direction of the side surface of the divided substrate into the transistor 200 can be prevented.
With the structure, excess oxygen in the insulator 280 and the insulator 224 can be prevented from diffusing to the outside. Accordingly, excess oxygen in the insulator 280 and the insulator 224 is efficiently supplied to the oxide where the channel is formed in the transistor 200. The oxygen can reduce oxygen vacancies in the oxide where the channel is formed in the transistor 200. Thus, the oxide where the channel is formed in the transistor 200 can be an oxide semiconductor with a low density of defect states and stable characteristics. That is, the transistor 200 can have a small variation in the electrical characteristics and higher reliability.
At least part of the structure, method, and the like described in this embodiment can be implemented in appropriate combination with any of those in the other embodiments and example described in this specification.
In this embodiment, structure examples of a storage device using the semiconductor device described in the above embodiment as a memory cell will be described.
Note that the rows and the columns extend in directions orthogonal to each other. In this embodiment, the X direction (direction along the X-axis) is referred to as a “row” and the Y direction (direction along the Y-axis) is referred to as a “column”, but the X direction may be referred to as a “column” and the Y direction may be referred to as a “row”.
In
The memory array 20 includes m wirings WL extending in the row direction, m wirings PL extending in the row direction, and n wirings BL extending in the column direction. In this embodiment and the like, a first (first row) wiring WL is referred to as a wiring WL[1] and an m-th (m-th row) wiring WL is referred to as a wiring WL[m]. Similarly, a first (first row) wiring PL is referred to as a wiring PL[1] and an m-th (m-th row) wiring PL is referred to as a wiring PL[m]. Similarly, a first (first column) wiring BL is referred to as a wiring BL[1] and an n-th (n-th column) wiring BL is referred to as a wiring BL[n].
The plurality of memory cells 10 provided in the i-th row are electrically connected to the wiring WL in the i-th row (wiring WL[i]) and the wiring PL in the i-th row (wiring PL[i]). The plurality of memory cells 10 provided in the j-th column are electrically connected to the wiring BL in the j-th column (wiring BL[j]).
A DOSRAM (Dynamic Oxide Semiconductor Random Access Memory) (registered trademark) can be used for the memory array 20. A DOSRAM is a RAM including a IT (transistor) 1C (capacitor) memory cell, which is a memory in which an access transistor is a transistor including an oxide semiconductor in its channel formation region (hereinafter also referred to as an “OS transistor”). A current flowing between a source and a drain in an off state, that is, a leakage current, is extremely low in an OS transistor. A DOSRAM can retain electric charges corresponding to data stored in a capacitor for a long time by turning off an access transistor (a non-conduction state). For this reason, the refresh operation frequency of a DOSRAM can be lower than that of a DRAM formed with a transistor including silicon in its channel formation region (also referred to as a “Si transistor”). As a result, power consumption can be reduced.
The wiring BL functions as a bit line for writing and reading data. The wiring WL functions as a word line for controlling on/off (a conduction state and a non-conduction state) of an access transistor serving as a switch. The wiring PL has a function of transmitting a back gate potential to a back gate of the OS transistor, which is an access transistor, in addition to a function of a constant potential line connected to the capacitor. Note that a wiring BGL (not illustrated) can be additionally provided as a wiring for transmitting the back gate potential.
The driver circuit 21 includes a PSW 22 (power switch), a PSW 23, and a peripheral circuit 31. The peripheral circuit 31 includes a peripheral circuit 41, a control circuit 32, and a voltage generation circuit 33.
In the storage device 50, each circuit, each signal, and each voltage can be appropriately selected as needed. Alternatively, another circuit or another signal may be added. A signal BW, a signal CE, a signal GW, a signal CLK, a signal WAKE, a signal ADDR, a signal WDA, a signal PON1, and a signal PON2 are signals input from the outside, and a signal RDA is a signal output to the outside. The signal CLK is a clock signal.
The signal BW, the signal CE, and the signal GW are control signals. The signal CE is a chip enable signal, the signal GW is a global write enable signal, and the signal BW is a byte write enable signal. The signal ADDR is an address signal. The signal WDA is write data, and the signal RDA is read data. The signal PON1 and the signal PON2 are power gating control signals. Note that the signal PON1 and the signal PON2 may be generated in the control circuit 32.
The control circuit 32 is a logic circuit having a function of controlling the entire operation of the storage device 50. For example, the control circuit performs a logical operation on the signal CE, the signal GW, and the signal BW to determine an operation mode (e.g., a writing operation or a reading operation) of the storage device 50. Alternatively, the control circuit 32 generates a control signal for the peripheral circuit 41 so that the operation mode is executed.
The voltage generation circuit 33 has a function of generating a negative voltage. The signal WAKE has a function of controlling the input of the signal CLK to the voltage generation circuit 33. For example, when an H-level signal is supplied as the signal WAKE, the signal CLK is input to the voltage generation circuit 33, and the voltage generation circuit 33 generates a negative voltage.
The peripheral circuit 41 is a circuit for writing and reading data to/from the memory cells 10. The peripheral circuit 41 includes a row decoder 42, a column decoder 44, a row driver 43, a column driver 45, an input circuit 47 (Input Cir.), an output circuit 48 (Output Cir.), and a sense amplifier 46.
The row decoder 42 and the column decoder 44 have a function of decoding the signal ADDR. The row decoder 42 is a circuit for specifying a row to be accessed, and the column decoder 44 is a circuit for specifying a column to be accessed. The row driver 43 has a function of selecting the wiring WL specified by the row decoder 42. The column driver 45 has a function of writing data to the memory cells 10, a function of reading data from the memory cells 10, a function of retaining the read data, and the like.
The input circuit 47 has a function of retaining the signal WDA. Data retained by the input circuit 47 is output to the column driver 45. Data output from the input circuit 47 is data (Din) to be written to the memory cells 10. Data (Dout) read from the memory cells 10 by the column driver 45 is output to the output circuit 48. The output circuit 48 has a function of retaining Dout. In addition, the output circuit 48 has a function of outputting Dout to the outside of the storage device 50. Data output from the output circuit 48 is the signal RDA.
The PSW 22 has a function of controlling supply of VDD to the peripheral circuit 31. The PSW 23 has a function of controlling supply of VHM to the row driver 43. Here, in the storage device 50, a high power supply voltage is VDD and a low power supply voltage is GND (a ground potential). In addition, VHM is a high power supply voltage used to set a word line at a high level and is higher than VDD. The on/off of the PSW 22 is controlled by the signal PON1, and the on/off of the PSW 23 is controlled by the signal PON2. The number of power domains to which VDD is supplied is one in the peripheral circuit 31 in
The memory array 20 can be provided over the driver circuit 21 to overlap with the driver circuit 21. When the driver circuit 21 and the memory array 20 are provided to overlap with each other, the signal transmission distance between the driver circuit 21 and the memory array 20 can be shortened. Accordingly, resistance and parasitic capacitance between the driver circuit 21 and the memory array 20 are reduced, so that power consumption and signal delays can be reduced. In addition, the storage device 50 can be downsized.
A plurality of layers of memory arrays 20 can be provided over the driver circuit 21 to overlap with the driver circuit 21. Stacking the plurality of layers of memory arrays 20 can increase the memory density of the memory cells 10.
The memory cell 10[1] includes a transistor Tr1 and a capacitor Cp1. The memory cell 10[2] includes a transistor Tr2 and a capacitor Cp2. Note that for a common part of the memory arrays in the layers, the term “memory cell 10” is used for the memory cells in the layers in some cases. As for the transistor Tr, the capacitor Cp, and the wirings (BL, WL, and the like), for example, the wiring BL[1] and the wiring WL[1] are referred to as the wiring BL and the wiring WL, respectively, in some cases.
In the memory cell 10[1], one of a source and a drain of the transistor Tr1 is connected to the wiring BL[1]. The other of the source and the drain of the transistor Tr1 is connected to one electrode of the capacitor Cp1. The other electrode of the capacitor Cp1 is connected to the wiring PL[1]. A gate of the transistor Tr1 is connected to the wiring WL[1]. A back gate of the transistor Tr1 is connected to the wiring BGL.
In the memory cell 10[2], one of a source and a drain of the transistor Tr2 is electrically connected to a wiring BL[2]. The other of the source and the drain of the transistor Tr2 is electrically connected to one electrode of the capacitor Cp2. The other electrode of the capacitor Cp2 is electrically connected to a wiring PL[2]. A gate of the transistor Tr2 is connected to a wiring WL[2]. A back gate of the transistor Tr2 is connected to the wiring PL[1].
Although not illustrated, a structure similar to that of the second layer is repeated for the third and subsequent layers. For example, in a memory cell 10[j] provided in a memory array 20[j] in the j-th layer (j is an integer satisfying 2≤j<k), one of a source and a drain of a transistor Trj is connected to the wiring BL[j]. The other of the source and the drain of the transistor Trj is electrically connected to one electrode of a capacitor Cpj. The other electrode of the capacitor Cpj is electrically connected to a wiring PL[f]. A gate of the transistor Trj is connected to a wiring WL[j]. A back gate of the transistor Trj is connected to a wiring PL[j−1].
The wiring PL supplies a constant potential for holding the potential of the capacitor Cp. The constant potential supplied to the wiring PL is a constant potential (VBG), supplied to the wiring BGL, for controlling the threshold voltage of the transistor Tr. In this manner, the threshold voltage of the transistor Tr included in the memory array 20 in each layer can be controlled and a change in voltage applied to the capacitor Cp can be reduced. In addition, since the wiring PL can also function as the wiring BGL in the memory array 20 in each of the second and subsequent layers, the wiring BGL can be omitted.
The constant potential supplied to the wiring PL[2] is the constant potential (VBG), supplied to the wiring BGL, for controlling the threshold voltage of the transistor Tr1. Thus, the threshold voltage of the transistor Tr3 included in the memory array 20[3] can be controlled and a change in voltage applied to the capacitor Cp2 (not illustrated) can be reduced. In addition, since the wiring PL[2] can also function as the wiring BGL in the memory array 20[3], the wiring BGL in the memory array 20[3] can be omitted.
The constant potential supplied to the wiring PL[1] is the constant potential (VBG), supplied to the wiring BGL, for controlling the threshold voltage of the transistor Tr1. Thus, the threshold voltage of the transistor Tr2 included in the memory array 20[2] can be controlled and a change in voltage applied to the capacitor Cp1 (not illustrated) can be reduced. In addition, since the wiring PL[1] can also function as the wiring BGL in the memory array 20[2], the wiring BGL in the memory array 20[2] can be omitted. The same applies to the memory cell 10[4] in the fourth layer.
The memory strings illustrated in
In the memory cells 10[1] to 10[6] connected to the wiring BL[OD] and the wiring BL[EV] and arranged to overlap with each other, the wirings PL connected to the memory cells in the lower layers are connected to the back gates of the transistors Tr in the memory cells 10 in the upper layers as illustrated in
The constant potential supplied to the wiring PL is the constant potential (VBG) for controlling the threshold voltage of the transistor Tr, whereby the threshold voltage of the transistor Tr included in the memory array 20 in each of the second and subsequent layers can be controlled and a change in voltage applied to the capacitor Cp can be reduced. In addition, since the wiring PL can also function as the wiring BGL in the memory array 20 in each of the second and subsequent layers, the wiring BGL can be omitted.
As illustrated in
The wirings WL, the wirings PL, and a conductive layer 12 are provided over the semiconductor layer 11 to overlap with the semiconductor layer 11 in the memory cells 10. The transistor Tr is provided in a region where the wiring WL and the semiconductor layer 11 overlap with each other. The capacitor Cp is provided in a region where the wiring PL and the semiconductor layer 11 overlap with each other. The conductive layer 12 is a conductive layer for connecting the transistor Tr to the wiring BL. Note that the detailed description of the cross-sectional view of the memory cell 10 is similar to the description in Embodiment 1, and thus the above description is referred to.
In the case where the memory arrays 20 each including the memory cells 10 illustrated in
Although
As illustrated in
Here,
In
In
As illustrated in
Note that in the semiconductor device illustrated in
A conductor 247 provided in a manner similar to that of the conductor 240 is provided to overlap with the conductor 160. The conductor 247 is electrically connected to the conductor 205 functioning as the back gate in the upper layer. Accordingly, the potential of the conductor 205 in each of the second and subsequent layers becomes the same as that of the conductor 160; thus, the threshold voltage of the transistor Tr can be controlled with the constant potential supplied to the wiring PL and a change in voltage applied to the capacitor Cp can be reduced. In this structure, the conductor 160 functions as a wiring; thus, the conductor 205 in each of the second and subsequent layers is not necessarily provided to extend.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
When a plurality of memory arrays and a driver circuit are stacked as described above, high integration and large storage capacity of the storage device can be achieved.
This embodiment can be combined as appropriate with any of the other embodiments and the like described in this specification.
In this embodiment, an example of a chip 1200 on which the semiconductor device of the present invention is mounted is described with reference to
As illustrated in
A bump (not illustrated) is provided on the chip 1200, and as illustrated in
Storage devices such as DRAMs 1221 and a flash memory 1222 may be provided over the motherboard 1203. For example, the DOSRAM described in the above embodiment can be used as the DRAM 1221. This can make the DRAM 1221 have operate at high speed and have a large capacity.
The CPU 1211 preferably includes a plurality of CPU cores. In addition, the GPU 1212 preferably includes a plurality of GPU cores. Furthermore, the CPU 1211 and the GPU 1212 may each include a memory for temporarily storing data. Alternatively, a common memory for the CPU 1211 and the GPU 1212 may be provided in the chip 1200. The DOSRAM described above can be used as the memory. Moreover, the GPU 1212 is suitable for parallel computation of a number of data and thus can be used for image processing or product-sum operation. When an image processing circuit or a product-sum operation circuit including an oxide semiconductor of the present invention is provided in the GPU 1212, image processing or product-sum operation can be performed with low power consumption.
In addition, since the CPU 1211 and the GPU 1212 are provided on the same chip, a wiring between the CPU 1211 and the GPU 1212 can be shortened, and the data transfer from the CPU 1211 to the GPU 1212, the data transfer between memories included in the CPU 1211 and the GPU 1212, and the transfer of arithmetic operation results from the GPU 1212 to the CPU 1211 after the arithmetic operation in the GPU 1212 can be performed at high speed. The analog arithmetic unit 1213 includes one or both of an A/D (analog/digital) converter circuit and a D/A (digital/analog) converter circuit. Furthermore, the product-sum operation circuit may be provided in the analog arithmetic unit 1213.
The memory controller 1214 includes a circuit functioning as a controller of the DRAM 1221 and a circuit functioning as an interface of the flash memory 1222.
The interface 1215 includes an interface circuit for an external connection device such as a display device, a speaker, a microphone, a camera, or a controller. Examples of the controller include a mouse, a keyboard, and a game controller. As such an interface, a USB (Universal Serial Bus), an HDMI (registered trademark) (High-Definition Multimedia Interface), or the like can be used.
The network circuit 1216 includes a network circuit such as a LAN (Local Area Network). The network circuit 1216 may further include a circuit for network security.
The circuits (systems) can be formed in the chip 1200 through the same manufacturing process. Therefore, even when the number of circuits needed for the chip 1200 increases, there is no need to increase the number of steps in the manufacturing process; thus, the chip 1200 can be manufactured at low cost.
The motherboard 1203 provided with the package board 1201 on which the chip 1200 including the GPU 1212 is mounted, the DRAMs 1221, and the flash memory 1222 can be referred to as a GPU module 1204.
The GPU module 1204 includes the chip 1200 using SoC technology, and thus can have a small size. In addition, the GPU module 1204 is excellent in image processing, and thus is suitably used in a portable electronic appliance such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a laptop PC, or a portable (mobile) game machine. Furthermore, the product-sum operation circuit using the GPU 1212 can perform a method such as a deep neural network (DNN), a convolutional neural network (CNN), a recurrent neural network (RNN), an autoencoder, a deep Boltzmann machine (DBM), or a deep belief network (DBN): hence, the chip 1200 can be used as an AI chip or the GPU module 1204 can be used as an AI system module.
At least part of the structure, method, and the like described in this embodiment can be implemented in appropriate combination with any of those in the other embodiments and example described in this specification.
In this embodiment, examples of electronic components and electronic appliances in which the storage device or the like described in the above embodiment is incorporated are described.
First, examples of an electronic component including a storage device 720 are described with reference to
The storage device 720 includes a driver circuit layer 721 and a storage circuit layer 722.
An integrated circuit (a semiconductor device) such as a CPU, a GPU, or an FPGA can be used as the semiconductor device 735.
As the package board 732, a ceramic substrate, a plastic substrate, a glass epoxy substrate, or the like can be used. As the interposer 731, a silicon interposer, a resin interposer, or the like can be used.
The interposer 731 includes a plurality of wirings and has a function of electrically connecting a plurality of integrated circuits with different terminal pitches. The plurality of wirings have a single-layer structure or a layered structure. The interposer 731 has a function of electrically connecting an integrated circuit provided on the interposer 731 to an electrode provided on the package board 732. Accordingly, the interposer is sometimes referred to as a “redistribution substrate” or an “intermediate substrate”. A through electrode may be provided in the interposer 731 to be used for electrically connecting the integrated circuit and the package board 732. In the case of using a silicon interposer, a through-silicon via (TSV) can also be used as the through electrode.
A silicon interposer is preferably used as the interposer 731. The silicon interposer can be manufactured at lower cost than an integrated circuit because it is not necessary to provide an active element. Moreover, since wirings of the silicon interposer can be formed through a semiconductor process, the formation of minute wirings, which is difficult for a resin interposer, is easily achieved.
The storage device 720 needs to be connected to many wirings to achieve a wide memory bandwidth. Therefore, an interposer on which the storage device 720 is mounted requires minute and densely formed wirings. For this reason, a silicon interposer is preferably used as the interposer on which the storage device 720 is mounted.
In a SiP, an MCM, or the like using a silicon interposer, a decrease in reliability due to a difference in expansion coefficient between an integrated circuit and the interposer is less likely to occur. Furthermore, a surface of a silicon interposer has high planarity, and a poor connection between the silicon interposer and an integrated circuit provided on the silicon interposer is less likely to occur. It is particularly preferable to use a silicon interposer for a 2.5D package (2.5-dimensional mounting) in which a plurality of integrated circuits are arranged side by side on the interposer.
A heat sink (radiator plate) may be provided to overlap with the electronic component 730. In the case of providing a heat sink, the heights of integrated circuits provided on the interposer 731 are preferably the same. In the electronic component 730 of this embodiment, the heights of the storage device 720 and the semiconductor device 735 are preferably the same, for example.
An electrode 733 may be provided on the bottom portion of the package board 732 to mount the electronic component 730 on another substrate.
The electronic component 730 can be mounted on another substrate by various mounting methods not limited to BGA and PGA. For example, a mounting method such as SPGA (Staggered Pin Grid Array), LGA (Land Grid Array), QFP (Quad Flat Package), QFJ (Quad Flat J-leaded package), or QFN (Quad Flat Non-leaded package) can be employed.
The structure, method, and the like described in this embodiment can be used in an appropriate combination with any of other structures, methods, and the like described in this embodiment or the other embodiments.
In this embodiment, application examples of the storage device using the semiconductor device described in the above embodiment are described. The semiconductor device described in the above embodiment can be applied to, for example, storage devices of a variety of electronic appliances (e.g., information terminals, computers, smartphones, e-book readers, digital cameras (including video cameras), video recording/reproducing devices, and navigation systems). Here, the computers refer not only to tablet computers, notebook computers, and desktop computers, but also to large computers such as server systems. Alternatively, the semiconductor device described in the above embodiment is applied to a variety of removable storage devices such as memory cards (e.g., SD cards), USB memories, and SSDs (solid state drives).
The semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention can be used as a processor such as a CPU and a GPU or a chip.
The GPU or the chip of one embodiment of the present invention can be mounted on a variety of electronic appliances. Examples of electronic appliances include a digital camera, a digital video camera, a digital photo frame, an e-book reader, a mobile phone, a portable game machine, a portable information terminal, and an audio reproducing device in addition to electronic appliances provided with a relatively large screen, such as a television device, a monitor for a desktop or notebook information terminal or the like, digital signage, and a large game machine like a pachinko machine. When the GPU or the chip of one embodiment of the present invention is provided in the electronic appliance, the electronic appliance can include artificial intelligence.
The electronic appliance of one embodiment of the present invention may include an antenna. When a signal is received by the antenna, the electronic appliance can display a video, data, or the like on a display portion. When the electronic appliance includes the antenna and a secondary battery, the antenna may be used for contactless power transmission.
The electronic appliance of one embodiment of the present invention may include a sensor (a sensor having a function of measuring force, displacement, position, speed, acceleration, angular velocity, rotational frequency, distance, light, liquid, magnetism, temperature, a chemical substance, sound, time, hardness, an electric field, current, voltage, power, radioactive rays, flow rate, humidity, a gradient, oscillation, odor, or infrared rays).
The electronic appliance of one embodiment of the present invention can have a variety of functions. For example, the electronic appliance can have a function of displaying a variety of data (a still image, a moving image, a text image, and the like) on the display portion, a touch panel function, a function of displaying a calendar, date, time, and the like, a function of executing a variety of software (programs), a wireless communication function, and a function of reading out a program or data stored in a recording medium.
When the chip of one embodiment of the present invention is applied to the information terminal 5100, the information terminal 5100 can execute an application utilizing artificial intelligence. Examples of the application utilizing artificial intelligence include an application for recognizing a conversation and displaying the content of the conversation on the display portion 5102: an application for recognizing letters, figures, and the like input to the touch panel of the display portion 5102 by a user and displaying them on the display portion 5102; and an application for performing biometric authentication using fingerprints, voice prints, or the like.
Like the information terminal 5100 described above, when the chip of one embodiment of the present invention is applied to the notebook information terminal 5200, the notebook information terminal 5200 can execute an application utilizing artificial intelligence. Examples of the application utilizing artificial intelligence include design-support software, text correction software, and software for automatic menu generation. Furthermore, with the use of the notebook information terminal 5200, novel artificial intelligence can be developed.
Note that although
Using the GPU or the chip of one embodiment of the present invention in a game machine such as the portable game machine 5300 and the stationary game machine 5400 achieves a low-power-consumption game machine. Moreover, heat generation from a circuit can be reduced owing to low power consumption; thus, the influence of heat generation on the circuit, a peripheral circuit, and a module can be reduced.
Furthermore, when the GPU or the chip of one embodiment of the present invention is applied to the portable game machine 5300, the portable game machine 5300 including artificial intelligence can be achieved.
In general, the progress of a game, the actions and words of game characters, and expressions of an event and the like occurring in the game are determined by the program in the game: however, the use of artificial intelligence in the portable game machine 5300 enables expressions not limited by the game program. For example, it becomes possible to change expressions such as questions posed by the player, the progress of the game, time, and actions and words of game characters.
In addition, when a game requiring a plurality of players is played on the portable game machine 5300, the artificial intelligence can create a virtual game player; thus, the game can be played alone with the game player created by the artificial intelligence as an opponent.
Although the portable game machine and the stationary game machine are illustrated as examples of game machines in
The GPU or the chip of one embodiment of the present invention can be used in a large computer.
The supercomputer 5500 includes a rack 5501 and a plurality of rack-mount computers 5502. The plurality of computers 5502 are stored in the rack 5501. The computer 5502 includes a plurality of substrates 5504 on which the GPU or the chip described in the above embodiment can be mounted.
The supercomputer 5500 is a large computer mainly used for scientific computation. In scientific computation, an enormous amount of arithmetic operation needs to be processed at a high speed: hence, power consumption is large and chips generate a large amount of heat. Using the GPU or the chip of one embodiment of the present invention in the supercomputer 5500 achieves a low-power-consumption supercomputer. Moreover, heat generation from a circuit can be reduced owing to low power consumption; thus, the influence of heat generation on the circuit, a peripheral circuit, and a module can be reduced.
Although a supercomputer is illustrated as an example of a large computer in
The GPU or the chip of one embodiment of the present invention can be applied to an automobile, which is a moving vehicle, and the periphery of a driver's seat in the automobile.
The display panel 5701 to the display panel 5703 can provide a variety of kinds of information by displaying a speedometer, a tachometer, mileage, a fuel gauge, a gear state, air-condition setting, and the like. In addition, the content, layout, or the like of the display on the display panels can be changed as appropriate to suit the user's preference, so that the design quality can be increased. The display panel 5701 to the display panel 5703 can also be used as lighting devices.
The display panel 5704 can compensate for view obstructed by the pillar (a blind spot) by showing an image taken by an imaging device (not illustrated) provided for the automobile.
That is, displaying an image taken by the imaging device provided outside the automobile leads to compensation for the blind spot and an increase in safety. In addition, displaying an image to compensate for a portion that cannot be seen makes it possible for the driver to confirm the safety more naturally and comfortably. The display panel 5704 can also be used as a lighting device.
Since the GPU or the chip of one embodiment of the present invention can be applied to a component of artificial intelligence, the chip can be used for an automatic driving system of the automobile, for example. The chip can also be used for a system for navigation, risk prediction, or the like. A structure may be employed in which the display panel 5701 to the display panel 5704 display navigation information, risk prediction information, or the like.
Note that although an automobile is described above as an example of a moving vehicle, the moving vehicle is not limited to an automobile. Examples of the moving vehicle include a train, a monorail train, a ship, and a flying vehicle (a helicopter, an unmanned aircraft (a drone), an airplane, and a rocket), and these moving vehicles can each include a system utilizing artificial intelligence when the chip of one embodiment of the present invention is applied to each of these moving vehicles.
When the chip of one embodiment of the present invention is applied to the electric refrigerator-freezer 5800, the electric refrigerator-freezer 5800 including artificial intelligence can be achieved. Utilizing the artificial intelligence enables the electric refrigerator-freezer 5800 to have a function of automatically making a menu based on foods stored in the electric refrigerator-freezer 5800, expiration dates of the foods, or the like, a function of automatically adjusting temperature to be appropriate for the foods stored in the electric refrigerator-freezer 5800, and the like.
Although the electric refrigerator-freezer is described as an example of a household appliance, examples of other household appliances include a vacuum cleaner, a microwave oven, an electric oven, a rice cooker, a water heater, an IH cooker, a water server, a heating-cooling combination appliance such as an air conditioner, a washing machine, a drying machine, and an audio visual appliance.
The electronic appliances, the functions of the electronic appliances, the application examples of artificial intelligence, their effects, and the like described in this embodiment can be combined as appropriate with the description of another electronic appliance.
At least part of the structure, method, and the like described in this embodiment can be implemented in appropriate combination with any of those in the other embodiments and example described in this specification.
The semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention includes an OS transistor. A change in electrical characteristics of the OS transistor due to radiation irradiation is small. That is, the OS transistor is highly resistant to radiation, and thus can be suitably used even in an environment where radiation can enter. For example, the OS transistor can be suitably used in outer space. In this embodiment, a specific example of using the semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention in a device for space will be described with reference to
The amount of radiation in outer space is 100 or more times that on the ground. Examples of radiation include electromagnetic waves (electromagnetic radiation) typified by X-ray's and gamma rays and particle radiation typified by alpha rays, beta rays, neutron beam, proton beam, heavy-ion beams, and meson beams.
When the solar panel 6802 is irradiated with sunlight, electric power required for operation of the artificial satellite 6800 is generated. However, for example, in the situation where the solar panel is not irradiated with sunlight or the situation where the amount of sunlight with which the solar panel is irradiated is small, the amount of generated electric power is small. Accordingly, a sufficient amount of electric power required for operation of the artificial satellite 6800 might not be generated. In order to operate the artificial satellite 6800 even with a small amount of generated electric power, the artificial satellite 6800 is preferably provided with the secondary battery 6805. Note that a solar panel is referred to as a solar cell module in some cases.
The artificial satellite 6800 can generate a signal. The signal is transmitted through the antenna 6803, and the signal can be received by a ground-based receiver or another artificial satellite, for example. When the signal transmitted by the artificial satellite 6800 is received, the position of a receiver that receives the signal can be measured. Thus, the artificial satellite 6800 can construct a satellite positioning system.
The control device 6807 has a function of controlling the artificial satellite 6800. The control device 6807 is formed with one or more selected from a CPU, a GPU, and a storage device, for example. Note that a semiconductor device including the OS transistor of one embodiment of the present invention is suitably used for the control device 6807. A change in electrical characteristics due to radiation irradiation is smaller in an OS transistor than in a Si transistor. That is, the OS transistor has high reliability and thus can be suitably used even in an environment where radiation can enter.
The artificial satellite 6800 can be configured to include a sensor. For example, when configured to include a visible light sensor, the artificial satellite 6800 can have a function of sensing sunlight reflected by a ground-based object. Alternatively, when configured to include a thermal infrared sensor, the artificial satellite 6800 can have a function of sensing thermal infrared rays emitted from the surface of the earth. Thus, the artificial satellite 6800 can have a function of an earth observing satellite, for example.
Although the artificial satellite is described as an example of a device for space in this embodiment, one embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto. The semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention can be suitably used for a device for space such as a spacecraft, a space capsule, or a space probe, for example.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-215429 | Dec 2021 | JP | national |
| 2021-215431 | Dec 2021 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IB2022/062263 | 12/15/2022 | WO |
