US5696003A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method for fabricating a semiconductor device using a catalyst introduction region
Assignee: Sharp Corp
•
Filing: 1994-12-16
•
Granted: 1997-12-09
•
Expires: 2014-12-16
Abstract
Abstract Into an amorphous silicon film, catalyst elements for accelerating the crystallization are introduced. After patterning the amorphous silicon films in which the catalyst elements have been introduced into an island pattern, a heat treatment for the crystallization is conducted. Thus, the introduced catalyst elements efficiently diffuse only inside the island-patterned amorphous silicon films. As a result, a high-quality crystalline silicon film, having the crystal growth direction aligned in one direction and having no grain boundaries, is obtained. Using the thus formed crystalline silicon film, semiconductor devices having a high performance and stable characteristics are fabricated efficiently over the entire substrate, irrespective of the size of the devices.
Inventors
- 👤 Naoki Makita
- 👤 Takashi Funai
- 👤 Yoshitaka Yamamoto
- 👤 Yasuhiro Mitani
- 👤 Katsumi Nomura
- 👤 Tadayoshi Miyamoto
- 👤 Takamasa Kosai
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 11:24
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10D; H10D30/00; H10D30/60; H10D30/67; H10P; H10P14/00; H10P14/20; H10P14/38; H10P14/3802; H10P14/3806; H10D30/01; H10D30/021; H10D30/031; H10D30/0312; H10D30/0314; H10D30/0321; H10D86/00; H10D86/01; H10D86/021; H10D86/0221; H10D86/0223; H10D86/0225; H10P14/29; H10P14/2901; H10P14/2922; H10P14/34; H10P14/3402; H10P14/3404; H10P14/3411; H10P14/3808; H10P14/3816; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S148/00; Y10S148/016
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 44
Claim 1
Independent Claim
135 words
A method for fabricating a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of: (a) forming an amorphous silicon film on a substrate having an insulating surface in such a manner that the amorphous silicon film is patterned so as to form at least one island region and a catalyst element is selectively introduced into at least a portion of the island region; and (b) heat-treating the amorphous silicon film to cause a crystal growth in surrounding areas of the portion of the amorphous silicon film, into which the catalyst element has been introduced in only a single direction substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate such that no grain boundaries exist along the single direction, whereby obtaining a crystalline silicon film, wherein the crystalline silicon film is used as a device region of the semiconductor device.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
135 words
A method for fabricating a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of: (a) forming an amorphous silicon film on a substrate having an insulating surface in such a manner that the amorphous silicon film is patterned so as to form at least one island region and a catalyst element is selectively introduced into at least a portion of the island region; and (b) heat-treating the amorphous silicon film to cause a crystal growth in surrounding areas of the portion of the amorphous silicon film, into which the catalyst element has been introduced in only a single direction substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate such that no grain boundaries exist along the single direction, whereby obtaining a crystalline silicon film, wherein the crystalline silicon film is used as a device region of the semiconductor device.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
51 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein the step (a) further comprises the steps of: forming the amorphous silicon film on the substrate; patterning the amorphous silicon film to form the at least one island region; and selectively introducing the catalyst element into at least the portion of the island region.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
71 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein the step (a) further comprises the steps of: forming the amorphous silicon film on the substrate; selectively introducing the catalyst element into at least a portion of the amorphous silicon film; and patterning the amorphous silicon film to form the at least one island region, the island region including the portion of the amorphous silicon film into which the catalyst element has been introduced.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
40 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor device is fabricated in such a manner that a direction along which an electric current carrier moves in the crystalline silicon film is substantially parallel to the single crystal growth direction.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
45 words
A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of forming a mask layer which has an opening for defining the portion of the island region into which the catalyst element is to be introduced, wherein the catalyst element is introduced through the opening.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein within the device region, the catalyst element is introduced into at least part of a region to be a source region or a drain region.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein the catalyst element is at least one element selected from a group consisting of Ni, Co, Pd, Pt, Cu, Ag, Au, In, Sn, Al, P, As and Sb.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
264 words
A method for fabricating a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of: (a) forming an amorphous silicon film on a substrate having an insulating surface; (b) selectively introducing a catalyst element into a slit-like introduction region of the amorphous silicon film for accelerating crystallization thereof; (c) heat-treating the amorphous silicon film to cause a crystal growth in surrounding areas of the slit-like introduction region of the amorphous silicon film in only a single direction substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate such that no grain boundaries exist along the single direction, whereby obtaining a crystalline silicon film; and (d) forming a thin film transistor using the crystalline silicon film, wherein the thin film transistor is positioned so that a channel region thereof is located in an area in which the crystal growth from the slit-like introduction region proceeds at an annealing temperature lower than a lowest possible crystal growth temperature of amorphous silicon devoid of the catalyst element, and either a length of the slit-like introduction region measured along a direction of a longer side thereof or a width of the slit-like introduction region measured along a direction of a shorter side thereof is set equal to or larger than a value at which a crystal growth range of the crystalline silicon film becomes constant irrespective of increase in the length or the width, and the channel region is arranged within an area in which the crystalline silicon film has one-directional crystal growth direction and a number of branches and bends of crystalline regions from the one-dimensional crystal growth direction is 2 or less.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
264 words
A method for fabricating a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of: (a) forming an amorphous silicon film on a substrate having an insulating surface; (b) selectively introducing a catalyst element into a slit-like introduction region of the amorphous silicon film for accelerating crystallization thereof; (c) heat-treating the amorphous silicon film to cause a crystal growth in surrounding areas of the slit-like introduction region of the amorphous silicon film in only a single direction substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate such that no grain boundaries exist along the single direction, whereby obtaining a crystalline silicon film; and (d) forming a thin film transistor using the crystalline silicon film, wherein the thin film transistor is positioned so that a channel region thereof is located in an area in which the crystal growth from the slit-like introduction region proceeds at an annealing temperature lower than a lowest possible crystal growth temperature of amorphous silicon devoid of the catalyst element, and either a length of the slit-like introduction region measured along a direction of a longer side thereof or a width of the slit-like introduction region measured along a direction of a shorter side thereof is set equal to or larger than a value at which a crystal growth range of the crystalline silicon film becomes constant irrespective of increase in the length or the width, and the channel region is arranged within an area in which the crystalline silicon film has one-directional crystal growth direction and a number of branches and bends of crystalline regions from the one-dimensional crystal growth direction is 2 or less.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
23 words
A method according to claim 8, wherein the channel region is arranged at a position within 60 μm from the slit-like introduction region.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
36 words
A method according to claim 8, wherein the channel region is arranged within an area in which a number of branches and bends of crystalline regions from the one-dimensional crystal growth direction is 1 or less.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
23 words
A method according to claim 10, wherein the channel region is arranged at a position within 30 μm from the slit-like introduction region.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
22 words
A method according to claim 8, wherein a plurality of channel regions are formed, whereby forming a plurality of thin film transistors.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
23 words
A method according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of thin film transistors are arranged on both sides of the slit-like introduction region.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of exposing the crystalline silicon film to laser or other light having a high intensity to improve crystallinity of the crystalline film.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method according to claim 8, wherein the catalyst element is at least one element selected from a group consisting of Ni, Co, Pd, Pt, Cu, Ag, Au, In, Sn, Al, P, As and Sb.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
216 words
A method for fabricating a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of: (a) forming an amorphous silicon film on a substrate having an insulating surface; (b) selectively introducing a catalyst element into a slit-like introduction region of the amorphous silicon film for accelerating crystallization thereof; (c) heat-treating the amorphous silicon film to cause a crystal growth in surrounding areas of the slit-like introduction region of the amorphous silicon film in directions substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate, whereby obtaining a crystalline silicon film; and (d) forming a thin film transistor using the crystalline silicon film, wherein the thin film transistor is positioned so that a channel region thereof is located in a selected area among a crystal growth region in which the crystal growth from the slit-like introduction region proceeds at an annealing temperature lower than a lowest possible crystal growth temperature of amorphous silicon devoid of the catalyst element, the selected area being defined so that a first side of the selected area is substantially parallel to a shorter side of the slit-like introduction region and a second side of the selected area which is substantially perpendicular to the first side of the selected area is at least 30 micrometers shorter on each end thereof than a longer side of the slit-like introduction region.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
216 words
A method for fabricating a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of: (a) forming an amorphous silicon film on a substrate having an insulating surface; (b) selectively introducing a catalyst element into a slit-like introduction region of the amorphous silicon film for accelerating crystallization thereof; (c) heat-treating the amorphous silicon film to cause a crystal growth in surrounding areas of the slit-like introduction region of the amorphous silicon film in directions substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate, whereby obtaining a crystalline silicon film; and (d) forming a thin film transistor using the crystalline silicon film, wherein the thin film transistor is positioned so that a channel region thereof is located in a selected area among a crystal growth region in which the crystal growth from the slit-like introduction region proceeds at an annealing temperature lower than a lowest possible crystal growth temperature of amorphous silicon devoid of the catalyst element, the selected area being defined so that a first side of the selected area is substantially parallel to a shorter side of the slit-like introduction region and a second side of the selected area which is substantially perpendicular to the first side of the selected area is at least 30 micrometers shorter on each end thereof than a longer side of the slit-like introduction region.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
43 words
A method according to claim 16, wherein a distance between the channel region and a shorter side of the slit-like introduction region is 30 μm or more, the distance being measured along a direction of the longer side of the slit-like introduction region.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
22 words
A method according to claim 16, wherein a plurality of channel regions are formed, whereby forming a plurality of thin film transistors.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
23 words
A method according to claim 18, wherein the plurality of thin film transistors are arranged on both sides of the slit-like introduction region.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of exposing the crystalline silicon film to laser or other light having a high intensity to improve crystallinity of the crystalline film.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method according to claim 16, wherein the catalyst element is at least one element selected from a group consisting of Ni, Co, Pd, Pt, Cu, Ag, Au, In, Sn, Al, P, As and Sb.
Claim 25
Independent Claim
190 words
A method for fabricating a semiconductor device comprising the steps of: (a) forming an amorphous silicon film on a substrate having an insulating surface; (b) selectively introducing a catalyst element into a slit-like introduction region of the amorphous silicon film for accelerating crystallization thereof; (c) heat-treating the amorphous silicon film to cause a crystal growth in surrounding areas of the slit-like introduction region of the amorphous silicon film in directions substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate, whereby obtaining a crystalline silicon film; and (d) forming a thin film transistor using the crystalline silicon film, wherein the thin film transistor is positioned so that a channel region thereof is located in an area in which the crystal growth from the slit-like introduction region proceeds at an annealing temperature lower than a lowest possible crystal growth temperature of amorphous silicon devoid of the catalyst element, and a length of the slit-like introduction region measured along a direction of a longer side thereof is set equal to or larger than a value at which a crystal growth range of the crystalline silicon film becomes constant irrespective of increase in the length.
Claim 26
Independent Claim
190 words
A method for fabricating a semiconductor device comprising the steps of: (a) forming an amorphous silicon film on a substrate having an insulating surface; (b) selectively introducing a catalyst element into a slit-like introduction region of the amorphous silicon film for accelerating crystallization thereof; (c) heat-treating the amorphous silicon film to cause a crystal growth in surrounding areas of the slit-like introduction region of the amorphous silicon film in directions substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate, whereby obtaining a crystalline silicon film; and (d) forming a thin film transistor using the crystalline silicon film, wherein the thin film transistor is positioned so that a channel region thereof is located in an area in which the crystal growth from the slit-like introduction region proceeds at an annealing temperature lower than a lowest possible crystal growth temperature of amorphous silicon devoid of the catalyst element, and a length of the slit-like introduction region measured along a direction of a longer side thereof is set equal to or larger than a value at which a crystal growth range of the crystalline silicon film becomes constant irrespective of increase in the length.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method according to claim 22, wherein the length in the longer side direction of the slit-like introduction region is 120 μm or more.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
22 words
A method according to claim 22, wherein a plurality of channel regions are formed, whereby forming a plurality of thin film transistors.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
23 words
A method according to claim 24, wherein the plurality of thin film transistors are arranged on both side of the slit-like introduction region.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method according to claim 22, further comprising the step of exposing the crystalline silicon film to laser or other light having a high intensity to improve crystallinity of the crystalline film.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method according to claim 22, wherein the catalyst element is at least one element selected from a group consisting of Ni, Co, Pd, Pt, Cu, Ag, Au, In, Sn, Al, P, As and Sb.
Claim 32
Independent Claim
190 words
A method for fabricating a semiconductor device comprising the steps of: (a) forming an amorphous silicon film on a substrate having an insulating surface; (b) selectively introducing a catalyst element into a slit-like introduction region of the amorphous silicon film for accelerating crystallization thereof; (c) heat-treating the amorphous silicon film to cause a crystal growth in surrounding areas of the slit-like introduction region of the amorphous silicon film in directions substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate, whereby obtaining a crystalline silicon film; and (d) forming a thin film transistor using the crystalline silicon film, wherein the thin film transistor is positioned so that a channel region thereof is located in an area in which the crystal growth from the slit-like introduction region proceeds at an annealing temperature lower than a lowest possible crystal growth temperature of amorphous silicon devoid of the catalyst element, and a width of the slit-like introduction region measured along a direction of a shorter side thereof is set equal to or larger than a value at which a crystal growth range of the crystalline silicon film becomes constant irrespective of increase in the width.
Claim 33
Independent Claim
190 words
A method for fabricating a semiconductor device comprising the steps of: (a) forming an amorphous silicon film on a substrate having an insulating surface; (b) selectively introducing a catalyst element into a slit-like introduction region of the amorphous silicon film for accelerating crystallization thereof; (c) heat-treating the amorphous silicon film to cause a crystal growth in surrounding areas of the slit-like introduction region of the amorphous silicon film in directions substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate, whereby obtaining a crystalline silicon film; and (d) forming a thin film transistor using the crystalline silicon film, wherein the thin film transistor is positioned so that a channel region thereof is located in an area in which the crystal growth from the slit-like introduction region proceeds at an annealing temperature lower than a lowest possible crystal growth temperature of amorphous silicon devoid of the catalyst element, and a width of the slit-like introduction region measured along a direction of a shorter side thereof is set equal to or larger than a value at which a crystal growth range of the crystalline silicon film becomes constant irrespective of increase in the width.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method according to claim 28, wherein the width in the shorter side direction of the slit-like introduction region is 5 μm or more.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
22 words
A method according to claim 28, wherein a plurality of channel regions are formed, whereby forming a plurality of thin film transistors.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
23 words
A method according to claim 30, wherein the plurality of thin film transistors are arranged on both sides of the slit-like introduction region.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method according to claim 28, further comprising the step of exposing the crystalline silicon film to laser or other light having a high intensity to improve crystallinity of the crystalline film.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method according to claim 28, wherein the catalyst element is at least one element selected from a group consisting of Ni, Co, Pd, Pt, Cu, Ag, Au, In, Sn, Al, P, As and Sb.
Claim 39
Independent Claim
147 words
A method for fabricating a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of: (a) forming an amorphous silicon film on a substrate having an insulating surface in such a manner that the amorphous silicon film is patterned so as to form at least one island region; (b) selectively introducing a catalyst element into at least a portion of the island region; (c) heat-treating the amorphous silicon film to cause a crystal growth in surrounding areas of the portion of the amorphous silicon film into which the catalyst element has been introduced in only a single direction substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate where no grain boundaries exist along the single direction, whereby obtaining a crystalline silicon film; and (d) applying a laser beam to improve the crystallinity of the crystalline silicon film, wherein the crystalline silicon film is used as a device region of the semiconductor device.
Claim 40
Independent Claim
147 words
A method for fabricating a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of: (a) forming an amorphous silicon film on a substrate having an insulating surface in such a manner that the amorphous silicon film is patterned so as to form at least one island region; (b) selectively introducing a catalyst element into at least a portion of the island region; (c) heat-treating the amorphous silicon film to cause a crystal growth in surrounding areas of the portion of the amorphous silicon film into which the catalyst element has been introduced in only a single direction substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate where no grain boundaries exist along the single direction, whereby obtaining a crystalline silicon film; and (d) applying a laser beam to improve the crystallinity of the crystalline silicon film, wherein the crystalline silicon film is used as a device region of the semiconductor device.
Claim 41
Independent Claim
144 words
A method for fabricating a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of: (a) forming an amorphous silicon film having a thickness in the range of 25 to 150 nm on an insulating surface of a substrate in such a manner that the amorphous silicon film is patterned so as to form at least one island region; (b) selectively introducing a catalyst element into at least a portion of the island region; and (c) heat-treating the amorphous silicon film to cause a crystal growth in surrounding areas of the portion of the amorphous silicon film into which the catalyst element has been introduced in only a single direction substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate where no grain boundaries exist along the single direction, whereby obtaining a crystalline silicon film, wherein the crystalline silicon film is used as a device region of the semiconductor device.
Claim 42
Independent Claim
144 words
A method for fabricating a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of: (a) forming an amorphous silicon film having a thickness in the range of 25 to 150 nm on an insulating surface of a substrate in such a manner that the amorphous silicon film is patterned so as to form at least one island region; (b) selectively introducing a catalyst element into at least a portion of the island region; and (c) heat-treating the amorphous silicon film to cause a crystal growth in surrounding areas of the portion of the amorphous silicon film into which the catalyst element has been introduced in only a single direction substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate where no grain boundaries exist along the single direction, whereby obtaining a crystalline silicon film, wherein the crystalline silicon film is used as a device region of the semiconductor device.
Claim 43
Independent Claim
168 words
A method for fabricating a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of: (a) forming an amorphous silicon film on a substrate having an insulating surface in such a manner that the amorphous silicon film is patterned so as to form at least one island region and a catalyst element is selectively introduced into at least a portion of the island region, the catalyst element being introduced by a method selected from the group consisting of a liquid-state process, an ion doping process, an evaporation process, a sputtering process, a solution coating process and plasma processing; and (b) heat-treating the amorphous silicon film to cause a crystal growth in surrounding areas of the portion of the amorphous silicon film into which the catalyst element has been introduced, in only a single direction substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate where no grain boundaries exist along the single direction, whereby obtaining a crystalline silicon film, wherein the crystalline silicon film is used as a device region of the semiconductor device.
Claim 44
Independent Claim
168 words
A method for fabricating a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of: (a) forming an amorphous silicon film on a substrate having an insulating surface in such a manner that the amorphous silicon film is patterned so as to form at least one island region and a catalyst element is selectively introduced into at least a portion of the island region, the catalyst element being introduced by a method selected from the group consisting of a liquid-state process, an ion doping process, an evaporation process, a sputtering process, a solution coating process and plasma processing; and (b) heat-treating the amorphous silicon film to cause a crystal growth in surrounding areas of the portion of the amorphous silicon film into which the catalyst element has been introduced, in only a single direction substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate where no grain boundaries exist along the single direction, whereby obtaining a crystalline silicon film, wherein the crystalline silicon film is used as a device region of the semiconductor device.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3783049A
Cited
US4068020A
Cited
US4309223A
Cited
JPS62122172A
Cited
JPH01187814A
Cited
JPH02140915A
Cited
US5531182A
Cited
US5278093A
Cited
JPH03290924A
Cited
US5147826A
Cited
JPH04165613A
Cited
US5289030A
Cited
JPH0555142A
Cited
JPH05136048A
Cited
US5403772A
Cited
JPH06244205A
Cited
US5275851A
Cited
JPH06260651A
Cited
JPH06268212A
Cited
US5569610A
Cited
US5501989A
Cited
US5481121A
Cited
US5488000A
Cited
US5529937A
Cited
US5508533A
Cited
US5534716A
Cited
US5543352A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2000-12-08 | 2001-06-09 | 2001-12-09 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2004-12-08 | 2005-06-09 | 2005-12-09 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2008-12-08 | 2009-06-09 | 2009-12-09 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |