CN114207797A - Laser annealing apparatus and method for forming crystallized film - Google Patents
Laser annealing apparatus and method for forming crystallized film Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CN114207797A CN114207797A CN202080056343.3A CN202080056343A CN114207797A CN 114207797 A CN114207797 A CN 114207797A CN 202080056343 A CN202080056343 A CN 202080056343A CN 114207797 A CN114207797 A CN 114207797A
- Authority
- CN
- China
- Prior art keywords
- film
- laser beam
- annealed
- laser
- crystallized
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
- 238000005224 laser annealing Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 38
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims description 70
- 239000000758 substrate Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 58
- 238000012545 processing Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 21
- 230000010355 oscillation Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 20
- 230000001678 irradiating effect Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 4
- 239000010408 film Substances 0.000 claims description 177
- 229910021417 amorphous silicon Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 56
- 230000003287 optical effect Effects 0.000 claims description 14
- 241001270131 Agaricus moelleri Species 0.000 claims description 8
- 230000008569 process Effects 0.000 claims description 7
- 239000010409 thin film Substances 0.000 claims description 7
- 239000011347 resin Substances 0.000 claims description 6
- 229920005989 resin Polymers 0.000 claims description 6
- 229910010272 inorganic material Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 5
- 239000011147 inorganic material Substances 0.000 claims description 5
- 239000011521 glass Substances 0.000 description 24
- 230000000052 comparative effect Effects 0.000 description 23
- 238000000137 annealing Methods 0.000 description 18
- 229910021420 polycrystalline silicon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 17
- 229910021421 monocrystalline silicon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 16
- 229920005591 polysilicon Polymers 0.000 description 14
- 239000010410 layer Substances 0.000 description 12
- 239000004065 semiconductor Substances 0.000 description 10
- 239000010949 copper Substances 0.000 description 9
- VYPSYNLAJGMNEJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Silicium dioxide Chemical compound O=[Si]=O VYPSYNLAJGMNEJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 5
- 238000009826 distribution Methods 0.000 description 5
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 5
- 229910052814 silicon oxide Inorganic materials 0.000 description 5
- 230000008859 change Effects 0.000 description 4
- 238000002425 crystallisation Methods 0.000 description 4
- 230000008025 crystallization Effects 0.000 description 4
- 238000002438 flame photometric detection Methods 0.000 description 4
- 229910021424 microcrystalline silicon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 4
- RYGMFSIKBFXOCR-UHFFFAOYSA-N Copper Chemical compound [Cu] RYGMFSIKBFXOCR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 3
- 229910052581 Si3N4 Inorganic materials 0.000 description 3
- 229910052802 copper Inorganic materials 0.000 description 3
- 238000003384 imaging method Methods 0.000 description 3
- 230000007246 mechanism Effects 0.000 description 3
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 3
- 229910052751 metal Inorganic materials 0.000 description 3
- 238000013021 overheating Methods 0.000 description 3
- HQVNEWCFYHHQES-UHFFFAOYSA-N silicon nitride Chemical compound N12[Si]34N5[Si]62N3[Si]51N64 HQVNEWCFYHHQES-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 3
- 230000003685 thermal hair damage Effects 0.000 description 3
- 239000004642 Polyimide Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 2
- 229920001721 polyimide Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 238000012546 transfer Methods 0.000 description 2
- XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Silicon Chemical compound [Si] XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 238000009825 accumulation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000009471 action Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000013078 crystal Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000006378 damage Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000007423 decrease Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000001514 detection method Methods 0.000 description 1
- -1 for example Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000003993 interaction Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000004973 liquid crystal related substance Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000012423 maintenance Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000002844 melting Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000008018 melting Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000011241 protective layer Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052710 silicon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000010703 silicon Substances 0.000 description 1
- LIVNPJMFVYWSIS-UHFFFAOYSA-N silicon monoxide Chemical compound [Si-]#[O+] LIVNPJMFVYWSIS-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 239000007787 solid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000007711 solidification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000008023 solidification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000009827 uniform distribution Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
- H01L21/67005—Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
- H01L21/67011—Apparatus for manufacture or treatment
- H01L21/67098—Apparatus for thermal treatment
- H01L21/67115—Apparatus for thermal treatment mainly by radiation
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
- B23K26/00—Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring
- B23K26/02—Positioning or observing the workpiece, e.g. with respect to the point of impact; Aligning, aiming or focusing the laser beam
- B23K26/06—Shaping the laser beam, e.g. by masks or multi-focusing
- B23K26/073—Shaping the laser spot
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
- B23K26/00—Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring
- B23K26/08—Devices involving relative movement between laser beam and workpiece
- B23K26/082—Scanning systems, i.e. devices involving movement of the laser beam relative to the laser head
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
- B23K26/00—Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring
- B23K26/352—Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring for surface treatment
- B23K26/354—Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring for surface treatment by melting
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/02—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/02104—Forming layers
- H01L21/02365—Forming inorganic semiconducting materials on a substrate
- H01L21/02656—Special treatments
- H01L21/02664—Aftertreatments
- H01L21/02667—Crystallisation or recrystallisation of non-monocrystalline semiconductor materials, e.g. regrowth
- H01L21/02675—Crystallisation or recrystallisation of non-monocrystalline semiconductor materials, e.g. regrowth using laser beams
- H01L21/02678—Beam shaping, e.g. using a mask
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/02—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/02104—Forming layers
- H01L21/02365—Forming inorganic semiconducting materials on a substrate
- H01L21/02656—Special treatments
- H01L21/02664—Aftertreatments
- H01L21/02667—Crystallisation or recrystallisation of non-monocrystalline semiconductor materials, e.g. regrowth
- H01L21/02675—Crystallisation or recrystallisation of non-monocrystalline semiconductor materials, e.g. regrowth using laser beams
- H01L21/02683—Continuous wave laser beam
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/02—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/04—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having potential barriers, e.g. a PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer
- H01L21/18—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having potential barriers, e.g. a PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer the devices having semiconductor bodies comprising elements of Group IV of the Periodic Table or AIIIBV compounds with or without impurities, e.g. doping materials
- H01L21/20—Deposition of semiconductor materials on a substrate, e.g. epitaxial growth solid phase epitaxy
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/02—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/04—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having potential barriers, e.g. a PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer
- H01L21/18—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having potential barriers, e.g. a PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer the devices having semiconductor bodies comprising elements of Group IV of the Periodic Table or AIIIBV compounds with or without impurities, e.g. doping materials
- H01L21/26—Bombardment with radiation
- H01L21/263—Bombardment with radiation with high-energy radiation
- H01L21/268—Bombardment with radiation with high-energy radiation using electromagnetic radiation, e.g. laser radiation
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/02—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/04—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having potential barriers, e.g. a PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer
- H01L21/18—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having potential barriers, e.g. a PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer the devices having semiconductor bodies comprising elements of Group IV of the Periodic Table or AIIIBV compounds with or without impurities, e.g. doping materials
- H01L21/28—Manufacture of electrodes on semiconductor bodies using processes or apparatus not provided for in groups H01L21/20 - H01L21/268
- H01L21/28008—Making conductor-insulator-semiconductor electrodes
- H01L21/28017—Making conductor-insulator-semiconductor electrodes the insulator being formed after the semiconductor body, the semiconductor being silicon
- H01L21/28026—Making conductor-insulator-semiconductor electrodes the insulator being formed after the semiconductor body, the semiconductor being silicon characterised by the conductor
- H01L21/28035—Making conductor-insulator-semiconductor electrodes the insulator being formed after the semiconductor body, the semiconductor being silicon characterised by the conductor the final conductor layer next to the insulator being silicon, e.g. polysilicon, with or without impurities
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H10D—INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
- H10D30/00—Field-effect transistors [FET]
- H10D30/01—Manufacture or treatment
- H10D30/021—Manufacture or treatment of FETs having insulated gates [IGFET]
- H10D30/031—Manufacture or treatment of FETs having insulated gates [IGFET] of thin-film transistors [TFT]
- H10D30/0312—Manufacture or treatment of FETs having insulated gates [IGFET] of thin-film transistors [TFT] characterised by the gate electrodes
- H10D30/0316—Manufacture or treatment of FETs having insulated gates [IGFET] of thin-film transistors [TFT] characterised by the gate electrodes of lateral bottom-gate TFTs comprising only a single gate
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H10D—INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
- H10D30/00—Field-effect transistors [FET]
- H10D30/01—Manufacture or treatment
- H10D30/021—Manufacture or treatment of FETs having insulated gates [IGFET]
- H10D30/031—Manufacture or treatment of FETs having insulated gates [IGFET] of thin-film transistors [TFT]
- H10D30/0321—Manufacture or treatment of FETs having insulated gates [IGFET] of thin-film transistors [TFT] comprising silicon, e.g. amorphous silicon or polysilicon
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H10D—INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
- H10D30/00—Field-effect transistors [FET]
- H10D30/60—Insulated-gate field-effect transistors [IGFET]
- H10D30/67—Thin-film transistors [TFT]
Landscapes
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Optics & Photonics (AREA)
- Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
- Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
- Power Engineering (AREA)
- Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Toxicology (AREA)
- High Energy & Nuclear Physics (AREA)
- Plasma & Fusion (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Crystallography & Structural Chemistry (AREA)
- Electromagnetism (AREA)
- Recrystallisation Techniques (AREA)
- Thin Film Transistor (AREA)
Abstract
A laser annealing apparatus for irradiating a film to be annealed formed on a substrate with a continuous oscillation laser beam oscillated from a light source to modify the film to be annealed into a crystallized film, wherein the laser annealing apparatus comprises a beam processing unit for processing the continuous oscillation laser beam so as to be a converged laser beam, and the laser beam is relatively scanned with respect to the film to be annealed in a state where a spot portion where the laser beam is most converged is positioned inside the film of the film to be annealed.
Description
Technical Field
The present invention relates to a laser annealing apparatus and a method of forming a crystallized film.
Background
A Thin Film Transistor (TFT) is used as a switching element for actively driving a Thin Display (FPD) such as a liquid crystal Display (lcd) and an Organic EL Display (OLED). As a material constituting a semiconductor layer of a thin film transistor (hereinafter referred to as a TFT), amorphous Silicon (a-Si: amorphous Silicon), polycrystalline Silicon (p-Si: polycrystalline Silicon), or the like is used.
Amorphous silicon has low mobility as an index of the ease of electron movement, and cannot fully cope with the high mobility required for FPDs with higher density and higher definition. Accordingly, as a TFT in an FPD, it is preferable to form a channel layer from polysilicon having higher mobility than amorphous silicon. As a method for forming a polysilicon film, an Excimer Laser Annealing (ELA) method is known.
In this ELA method, laser light emitted in pulses from an excimer laser is shaped into a beam-like laser beam having a uniform distribution in an optical system and used. In this ELA method, for example, as shown in fig. 14, a glass substrate 100 on which an amorphous silicon film 103a is formed is prepared. Then, the irradiation position of the laser beam LBp to be pulse-irradiated is fixed, and the operation of moving the glass substrate 100 in the scanning direction S is repeated, whereby the laser beam LBp is irradiated to the entire surface of the amorphous silicon film 103 a. The amorphous silicon film 103a is instantaneously melted by irradiation of the laser beam LBp, and then crystallized to be modified into a polysilicon film 103 p. As shown in fig. 14, a gate line 101 made of copper (Cu) is formed on a glass substrate 100, and a gate insulating film 102 is interposed between the gate line 101 and an amorphous silicon film 103.
The wavelength of the laser light used in this ELA method is, for example, a short wavelength of about 308nm, and therefore, is almost absorbed by the amorphous silicon film 103. Further, as schematically shown in fig. 14, pulse irradiation is employed in this ELA method, and therefore, the substrate is cooled before the next pulse is irradiated, and a polysilicon film is formed in a state where the substrate is not overheated, and thus, this method becomes a source of LTPS (low temperature polysilicon). The broken line Tp in fig. 14 schematically shows a region affected by temperature change of the lower layer of the region irradiated with each pulse. According to this ELA method, there is an advantage that the gate line 101 and the like formed on the glass substrate 100 are less susceptible to the influence of overheating.
However, the ELA method described above has a problem that equipment cost and maintenance cost are high because the gas laser is oscillated using a rare gas. In addition, in the ELA method, there are also problems as follows: the gas laser generates a strong output, and it is difficult to maintain the degree of uniformity (coherence) of the laser phase and the output in a constant state. In the ELA method, the polysilicon film 103p is formed to a region where no TFT is formed (the occupancy exceeds 9), and thus the energy efficiency is poor. In addition, when the ELA method is used, a process of removing the polysilicon film in a region where the TFT is not formed is added, and thus there is a problem that the number of processes in the subsequent process is increased.
In recent years, as a method for forming polycrystalline silicon or pseudo single crystal silicon grown as a lateral (lateral) crystal, there is a method of scanning a beam-shaped laser beam, which is a blue Continuous Wave (CW) laser of about 500nm, for example (see, for example, patent document 1).
In this method, for example, as shown in fig. 15, a polysilicon film 103p is formed by performing continuous heating by relatively scanning a laser beam LBcw with respect to an amorphous silicon film 103 a. Note that a broken line Tcw in fig. 15 schematically shows a region affected by temperature change of the lower layer of the region irradiated with the continuously oscillating laser beam LBcw.
Prior art documents
Patent document
Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2003-86505
Disclosure of Invention
Problems to be solved by the invention
The conventional annealing method using the above CW laser has the following problems.
That is, in this annealing method, since the laser beam LBcw is continuously oscillated, there is a problem that heat is accumulated on the glass substrate 100 to overheat the gate line 101 and damage occurs.
Further, the annealing method has the following problems: when a blue laser beam having a wavelength band of about 400nm to 500nm is used, the light beam reaches the gate line 101 and the glass substrate 100 below the amorphous silicon film 103a, and thus the gate line 101 and the glass substrate 100 are overheated and damaged due to the interaction with the accumulated heat. In particular, in the annealing method using the CW laser, it is difficult to apply a flexible substrate made of a resin such as polyimide, for example, as the substrate.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a laser annealing apparatus and a method for forming a crystallized film, which can efficiently crystallize a film to be annealed without thermally damaging a substrate, a wiring layer, and the like, which are disposed below the film to be annealed.
Means for solving the problems
In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object, an aspect of the present invention provides a laser annealing apparatus for irradiating a film to be annealed formed on a substrate with a continuous oscillation laser beam oscillated from a light source to modify the film to be annealed into a crystallized film, the laser annealing apparatus including a beam processing unit for processing the continuous oscillation laser beam so as to be a converged laser beam, wherein the laser beam is scanned relative to the film to be annealed in a state where a spot portion where the laser beam is most converged is located inside the film to be annealed.
In the foregoing aspect, the film to be annealed is preferably an amorphous silicon film, and a gate line of a thin film transistor is preferably formed on the substrate below the film to be annealed.
In the above aspect, the substrate is preferably made of a non-metallic inorganic material or resin.
In the above aspect, the diameter of the laser beam irradiated to the surface of the film to be annealed is preferably 5 μm or more and 300 μm or less.
In the above aspect, the diameter of the laser beam irradiated to the surface of the film to be annealed is preferably 10 μm or more and 100 μm or less.
In the above aspect, the scanning speed at which the laser beam is scanned relative to the film to be annealed is preferably 100mm to 1000 mm/sec.
In the above aspect, preferably, the power density of the laser beam is 150 to 500kW/cm2。
In the above aspect, the laser beam preferably has a flat top shape, and a cross-sectional shape in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis is preferably circular.
In the above aspect, the laser beam preferably has a ring shape, and a cross-sectional shape in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis is preferably a circle.
As the above aspect, it is preferable to provide: a light-condensing adjustment unit that adjusts a position of the spot unit in the laser beam formed by the beam processing unit; and a control unit that controls the light condensing adjustment unit and the light source.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a method of forming a crystallized film, in which a film to be annealed, which is formed on a substrate, is irradiated with a continuous oscillation laser beam to modify the film to be annealed into a crystallized film, wherein the continuous oscillation laser beam is processed so as to be a converged laser beam, a spot portion where the laser beam is most converged is disposed so as to be located in an inner portion of the film to be annealed, and the laser beam is relatively scanned with respect to the film to be annealed.
In the foregoing aspect, the film to be annealed is preferably an amorphous silicon film, and a gate line of a thin film transistor is preferably formed on the substrate below the film to be annealed.
In the above aspect, the substrate is preferably made of a non-metallic inorganic material or resin.
In the above aspect, the diameter of the laser beam irradiated to the surface of the film to be annealed is preferably 5 μm or more and 300 μm or less.
In the above aspect, the diameter of the laser beam irradiated to the surface of the film to be annealed is preferably 10 μm or more and 100 μm or less.
In the above aspect, the scanning speed at which the laser beam is scanned relative to the film to be annealed is preferably 100mm to 1000 mm/sec.
In the above aspect, preferably, the power density of the laser beam is 150 to 500kW/cm2。
In the above aspect, the laser beam preferably has a flat top shape, and a cross-sectional shape in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis is preferably circular.
In the above aspect, the laser beam preferably has a ring shape, and a cross-sectional shape in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis is preferably a circle.
Effects of the invention
According to the laser annealing apparatus and the method for forming a crystallized film of the present invention, the film to be annealed can be crystallized efficiently without causing thermal damage to the substrate, the wiring layer, and the like disposed below the film to be annealed.
Drawings
Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a laser annealing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a method of forming a crystallized film (pseudo single crystal silicon film) using the laser annealing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 3 is a process plan view showing a method for forming a crystallized film (pseudo single crystal silicon film) using the laser annealing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 4 is a process plan view showing a method for forming a crystallized film (pseudo single crystal silicon film) using the laser annealing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the beam type of the laser beam used in the laser annealing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a graph showing a change in power density per unit area (kW/cm) in the method for forming a crystallized film according to the embodiment of the present invention2) And the scanning speed (mm/sec).
Fig. 7 is a plan view of the glass substrate on which the amorphous silicon film is formed in comparative example 1 and comparative example 2.
Fig. 8 is a plan view showing the annealing result of comparative example 1.
Fig. 9 is a plan view showing the annealing result of comparative example 2.
Fig. 10 is a plan view showing a damaged portion on a gate line generated by annealing of comparative example 2.
Fig. 11 is a graph showing the crystallization state and the temperature distribution in comparative example 2.
Fig. 12-1 is an explanatory view schematically showing heat conduction at a cross section of the portion (1) of fig. 11.
Fig. 12-2 is an explanatory view schematically showing heat conduction at a cross section of the portion (2) of fig. 11.
Fig. 12-3 are explanatory views schematically showing heat conduction at the section of (3) of fig. 11.
Fig. 12 to 4 are explanatory views schematically showing heat conduction at the section of fig. 11 (4).
Fig. 12 to 5 are explanatory views schematically showing heat conduction at the section of fig. 11 (5).
Fig. 13 is an explanatory view showing another beam shape (annular shape) in the method for forming a crystallized film according to the embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 14 is a perspective view showing a conventional laser annealing method using a pulsed laser.
Fig. 15 is a perspective view showing a conventional laser annealing method using a continuous oscillation laser.
Detailed Description
Hereinafter, a laser annealing apparatus and a method of forming a crystallized film according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the drawings are schematic, and it should be noted that the number of the respective members, the size, the ratio of the sizes, the shape, and the like of the respective members are different from those in the actual case. Further, the drawings also include portions having different dimensional relationships, ratios, and shapes from each other.
(Structure of laser annealing apparatus)
As shown in fig. 1, the laser annealing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a light source 2, a beam processing unit 3, a condensing adjustment unit 4, a control unit 5, and a substrate conveyance unit not shown.
The light source 2 includes a continuous wave laser (CW) light source as a light source that oscillates CW laser light. Here, the continuous oscillation laser (CW laser) also includes a so-called pseudo continuous oscillation in which a target region is continuously irradiated with laser light. That is, the laser light may be a pulse laser light, or may be a pseudo continuous oscillation laser light whose pulse interval is shorter than the cooling time of the heated silicon thin film (amorphous silicon film) (irradiation with the next pulse before solidification). As the laser light source, various lasers such as a semiconductor laser, a solid laser, a liquid laser, and a gas laser can be used.
The beam processing unit 3 performs processing so that the continuous oscillation laser beam oscillated from the light source 2 becomes a laser beam LBcw converging on the flare portion F toward the downstream side (rear side). In the present embodiment, an imaging optical system is used as the beam processing unit 3. In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 5, the laser beam LBcw has a flat-top shape, and the cross-sectional shape in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis is a circle.
The condensing adjustment unit 4 includes a functional unit that adjusts the position of the flare portion F of the laser beam LBcw by operating the imaging optical system of the beam processing unit 3 and adjusts the beam shape of the laser beam LBcw.
The control unit 5 outputs a control signal to the light source 2 and the light condensing adjustment unit 4 based on information from a storage unit not shown and a position detection mechanism of the spot portion F, and controls the position of the spot portion F.
The substrate transport unit, not shown, includes a mechanism for transporting the substrate subjected to the annealing process at an arbitrary speed in the scanning direction S. Therefore, the laser beam LBcw is relatively scanned with respect to the substrate by scanning the substrate side while fixing the position of the beam processing section 3.
In the present embodiment, the glass substrate 10 shown in fig. 1 to 3 is used as the substrate.
On the glass substrate 10, a gate line 11 patterned with copper (Cu), another metal wiring pattern (not shown), and a silicon nitride film (Si) are sequentially stacked3N4)12 silicon oxide film (SiO)2)13, an amorphous silicon film 14a as an annealing target film, and the like. The gate line 11 includes a portion which is formed for each pixel region not shown and serves as a gate electrode of the TFT. Incidentally, as an example, the gate line 11 has a thickness of 200 to 700nm, the silicon nitride film 12 has a thickness of about 300nm, the silicon oxide film 13 has a thickness of 50 to 100nm, and the amorphous silicon film 14a has a thickness of about 50 nm.
As shown in fig. 2, in the present embodiment, the diameter d of the laser beam LBcw irradiated to the surface of the amorphous silicon film 14a is set to any size of 5 μm or more and 300 μm or less. The range of the diameter dimension d is a size that allows the irradiation surface of the laser beam LBcw to be accommodated in the semiconductor active region of the TFT. The diameter of the irradiation surface of the laser beam LBcw is preferably 10 μm or more and 100 μm or less.
In the present embodiment, the scanning speed of the laser beam LBcw scanning the amorphous silicon film 14a is preferably 100 to 1000 mm/sec.
In this embodiment mode, the amorphous silicon film 14a can be modified into the pseudo single crystal silicon film 14La by irradiating the amorphous silicon film 14a with the laser beam LBcw under the above-described conditions.
According to the laser annealing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the spot portion F with high power density in the laser beam LBcw is located inside the amorphous silicon film 14a, and therefore, a large amount of heat is supplied to the amorphous silicon film 14 a. Then, most of the heat is transferred from the flare portion F to the side (the direction of arrow h) in the amorphous silicon film 14 a. Since the light beam is diffused on the rear side (lower side) of the spot portion F, the power density of the light reaching the underlying silicon oxide film 13 and the like becomes low, and overheating of the lower layer side of the amorphous silicon film 14a can be suppressed. Therefore, according to the laser annealing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the gate line 11, other wiring patterns, the glass substrate 10, and the like from being damaged by overheating.
(method of Forming crystallized film Using laser annealing apparatus)
A method for forming the pseudo single crystal silicon film 14La as a crystallized film by using the laser annealing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment will be described below.
First, as shown in fig. 1 to 3, the glass substrate 10 on which the amorphous silicon film 14a is formed is set to a substrate transfer unit not shown. As shown in fig. 3, a gate line 11 and a metal wiring pattern, not shown, are formed on the glass substrate 10. As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the beam processing section 3 is adjusted so that the spot portion F of the laser beam LBcw is located in the film of the amorphous silicon film 14a above the gate line 11. The beam processing unit 3 is adjusted and driven by the light-condensing adjustment unit 4 controlled by the control unit 5.
Next, as shown in fig. 1 to 3, the amorphous silicon film 14a formed on the glass substrate 10 is irradiated with a laser beam LBcw while scanning the glass substrate 10 side along the scanning direction S by a substrate transfer unit not shown. As a result, as shown in fig. 4, the amorphous silicon film 14a above the gate line 11 is modified to a pseudo single crystal silicon film 14 La.
The wavelength of the continuous wave laser used in the present embodiment is, for example, 450 nm. In addition, the diameter dimension d of the irradiation surface of the laser beam LBcw is set to 10 μm. In the case of forming the TFT, the diameter d of the laser beam LBcw may be set to be 5 μm or more and 300 μm or less, and preferably 10 μm or more and 100 μm or less. Incidentally, in the present embodiment, the numerical aperture NA in the imaging optical system of the beam processing section 3 is set to 0.4, but is not limited thereto. In the method for forming a crystallized film according to this embodiment, a beam having a flat top shape as shown in fig. 5 and a circular cross-sectional shape in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis is used as the laser beam LBcw.
FIG. 6 shows a method for forming the crystallized filmIn the change of power density per unit area (kW/cm) as energy density2) And a scanning speed (mm/sec). As shown in fig. 6, it is found that in the method for forming a crystallized film according to the present embodiment, a pseudo single crystal silicon film (lateral Si) can be formed in a region sandwiched between boundary lines L1 and L2. That is, as can be seen from FIG. 6, the energy density was 150 (kW/cm)2) In the above case, a pseudo single crystal silicon film can be formed. At an energy density of 90 (kW/cm)2) In this case, a pseudo single crystal silicon film can be formed at a scanning speed within a range of 200 to 500 mm/sec. Further, the energy density was 110 (kW/cm)2) In this case, a pseudo single crystal silicon film can be formed at a scanning speed in the range of 400 to 1000 mm/sec. The energy density was 500 (kW/cm)2) In this case, since reliable melting and lateral growth of the amorphous silicon film can be ensured, a pseudo single crystal silicon film can be formed. Therefore, in the method for forming a crystallized film, the power density is 150 (kW/cm)2) In the above case, a pseudo single crystal silicon film can be formed at a power density of up to 500 (kW/cm) in consideration of a practical scanning speed2) The method of forming the crystallized film can be realized within the above range.
Next, as a comparative example, a case where annealing is performed using a laser beam LBcw obtained by processing a continuous oscillation laser into a linear beam as shown in fig. 15 will be described.
[ comparative example ]
Hereinafter, comparative example 1 in which a crystallized film was formed by an annealing method using a laser beam LBcw obtained by processing into a linear beam using a continuous oscillation laser will be described. First, as shown in a plan view of a main part of fig. 7, an amorphous silicon film 103a is prepared in which gate lines 101 made of copper (Cu) are formed on a glass substrate 100 and formed on top of the gate lines 101.
Next, as shown in fig. 15, annealing is performed while scanning the glass substrate 100 side in the scanning direction S with respect to the laser beam LBcw that is a CW laser. As the CW laser, a blue semiconductor laser is used. The laser beam LBcw has a length in the short axis direction of 25 μm and a length in the long axis direction of 1.2 mm. The distribution of the power density in the short axis direction of the laser beam LBcw is gaussian and the distribution of the power density in the long axis direction is flat-top.
Comparative example 1
Comparative example 1 in which annealing was performed using the above-described beam-shaped laser beam LBcw under the following conditions will be described. Comparative example 1 is a case where the power density of a CW laser is set to, for example, 70kW/cm2And the scanning speed of the glass substrate 100 is set to, for example, 300 mm/sec. That is, the power density per unit area is low even when the scanning speed is considered. In comparative example 1, as shown in fig. 8, an amorphous silicon film 103a and a microcrystalline silicon film 103 μ c remaining in the form of amorphous silicon (a-Si) are formed in a region above the gate line 101. In addition, the entire region where the gate line 101 is not disposed is the polysilicon film 103 p. Therefore, the amorphous silicon film 103a and the microcrystalline silicon film 103 μ c are present in a mixture as a semiconductor layer of the TFT. Therefore, a switching element with high mobility cannot be manufactured, and variation in characteristics may occur between TFTs.
Comparative example 2
In comparative example 2, annealing was performed using a linear laser beam LBcw under the following conditions as in comparative example 1. In comparative example 2, the power density of the CW laser was set to, for example, 140kW/cm2The scanning speed of the glass substrate 100 is set to, for example, 400 mm/sec or more. In this comparative example 2, as shown in fig. 9, an amorphous silicon film 103a and a polysilicon film 103p remaining in the form of amorphous silicon (a-Si) are formed in a region above the gate line 101. In addition, substantially all of the region where the gate line 101 is not disposed is the polysilicon film 103 p. Therefore, in comparative example 2, the amorphous silicon film 103a and the polysilicon film 103p are also mixed as the semiconductor layer of the TFT. Therefore, a switching element with high mobility cannot be manufactured, and variation in characteristics may occur between TFTs. As shown in fig. 9 and 10, in this comparative example 2, a damaged portion 101d is generated on the gate line 101. Therefore, in the annealing method under the conditions as in comparative example 2, the yield of the TFT panel may be reduced, and the durability of the TFT panel may be reduced.
Although comparative examples 1 and 2 have been described above, in the annealing method using the continuous oscillation laser, even when the laser beam LBcw is not in the form of a beam, there is a concern that the wiring, the substrate, and the like formed therebelow may be damaged. Fig. 11 shows the temperature distribution and the crystallization state corresponding to the portions (1) to (5) of the gate line 101 when annealing is performed in the same procedure as in comparative example 2.
Fig. 12-1 is a sectional explanatory view of this region (1) in fig. 11. When the laser beam LBcw is located at this position, since the gate line 101 does not exist right below the region to which the laser beam LBcw is irradiated, thermal conduction is poor and heat remains in the amorphous silicon film 103. Therefore, crystallization is promoted in this region.
Fig. 12-2 is a sectional explanatory view of this region (2) in fig. 11. When the laser beam LBcw is located at this position, since the edge portion of the gate line 101 exists immediately below, heat from the laser beam LBcw is rapidly taken away by the gate line 101 made of Cu which is good in thermal conductivity, and heat is not left in the amorphous silicon film 103. Therefore, in this region, the amorphous silicon film 103 is not crystallized and the amorphous silicon film 103 remains.
Fig. 12-3 are sectional explanatory views of the region (3) in fig. 11, and fig. 12-4 are sectional explanatory views of the region (4) in fig. 11. When the laser beam LBcw is located at these positions, as the temperature of the gate line 101 becomes higher, heat is hard to be transferred to the gate line 101, resulting in heat accumulation in the amorphous silicon film 103. Therefore, the amorphous silicon film 103 gradually shifts from the microcrystalline silicon film 103 μ c to the crystalline state of the polysilicon film 103 p.
Fig. 12 to 5 are sectional explanatory views of this region (5) in fig. 11. When the laser beam LBcw is located at this position, since the edge portion of the gate line 101 exists below the position where the laser beam LBcw is irradiated, the edge portion takes away heat supplied to the glass substrate 100 side, and the temperature of the edge portion becomes high sharply. Therefore, the edge portion of the gate line 101 is easily thermally damaged. At this time, the temperature of the region of the amorphous silicon film 103 above the edge portion is deprived of heat and decreases, and thus, the amorphous silicon film (μ c — Si) becomes a microcrystalline silicon film as a crystallized state.
[ action and Effect of the present embodiment ]
The operation and effect of the method for forming a crystallized film according to the present embodiment will be described below.
In the method of forming a crystallized film according to this embodiment, since scanning is performed in a state where the flare portion F of the laser beam LBcw is located inside the amorphous silicon film 14a, the amorphous silicon film 14a is selectively annealed in a state where the power density is high. Therefore, heat is transferred laterally (in the direction of arrow h shown in fig. 1) from the flare F to crystallize a predetermined range.
In the method for forming a crystallized film according to this embodiment, the amorphous silicon film 14a can be uniformly heated without being affected by the lower layer, and a uniform pseudo single crystal silicon film can be formed. According to the method for forming a crystallized film of this embodiment, it is needless to say that a high-quality polysilicon film can be formed by changing the condition settings.
In the method for forming a crystallized film according to the present embodiment, since the laser beam is dispersed and widened below the flare portion F of the laser beam LBcw and the power density is reduced, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of thermal damage to the gate line 11, other metal wiring patterns not shown, and the glass substrate 10 disposed below.
In the method for forming a crystallized film according to the present embodiment, since thermal damage to the lower layer side of the amorphous silicon film 14a can be suppressed, a flexible resin substrate such as polyimide can be used as the substrate. In the present embodiment, it is needless to say that a non-metallic inorganic material other than glass may be used as the substrate.
In the method for forming a crystallized film according to the present embodiment, even when the scanning speed varies slightly, the pseudo single crystal silicon film 14La can be formed without affecting the crystallization state. That is, the method for forming a crystallized film according to the present embodiment has the following effects: even if the scanning direction is changed, the amorphous silicon film 14a can be annealed in a thermally stable manner.
The method of forming a crystallized film according to the present embodiment has an effect of increasing the margin of annealing conditions, as shown in fig. 6.
(other embodiments)
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the description and drawings that form a part of the disclosure of the embodiments should not be construed as limiting the present invention. It is understood that various alternative embodiments, examples, and operational techniques can be adopted by those skilled in the art based on the disclosure.
For example, in the above embodiment, the configuration applicable to an FPD such as the glass substrate 10 as a substrate is adopted, but the present invention may also be applied to a semiconductor substrate. Further, as the film to be annealed formed on such a semiconductor substrate, for example, Cu wiring can be given. In this case, the Cu wiring of the semiconductor device using the semiconductor wafer can be crystallized to improve conductivity.
In the above-described embodiment, the flat-top shape is applied as the laser beam LBcw, but the intensity distribution of the laser may be gaussian. As shown in fig. 13, the laser beam LBcw may also be a ring-shaped (doughmut) laser beam LBcw. By using such a ring-shaped laser beam LBcw, there is an advantage that the profile portion of the crystallized film formed on the film to be annealed can be reliably crystallized.
In the above-described embodiments, the substrate in which the film to be annealed is laminated on the uppermost layer is used, but a structure in which a protective layer such as a silicon oxide film is provided on the film to be annealed can also be applied.
In the laser annealing apparatus 1 of the above-described embodiment, the condensing adjustment unit 4 is provided, but the condensing adjustment unit 4 may be omitted by providing an adjustment mechanism in the beam processing unit 3.
Description of the symbols
1 laser annealing device
2 light source
3 light beam processing part
4 light-gathering adjusting part
5 control part
10 glass substrate (base plate)
11 gate line
12 silicon nitride film
13 silicon oxide film
14a amorphous silicon film (film to be annealed)
14La pseudo single crystal silicon film
F spot part
LBcw laser beam (continuous oscillation)
LBp laser beam (pulse oscillation)
Claims (19)
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP2019157088A JP2021034693A (en) | 2019-08-29 | 2019-08-29 | Laser annealing device and method for forming a crystallized film |
JP2019-157088 | 2019-08-29 | ||
PCT/JP2020/030415 WO2021039365A1 (en) | 2019-08-29 | 2020-08-07 | Laser annealing device and method for forming crystallized film |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
CN114207797A true CN114207797A (en) | 2022-03-18 |
Family
ID=74677672
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
CN202080056343.3A Withdrawn CN114207797A (en) | 2019-08-29 | 2020-08-07 | Laser annealing apparatus and method for forming crystallized film |
Country Status (5)
Country | Link |
---|---|
JP (1) | JP2021034693A (en) |
KR (1) | KR20220047564A (en) |
CN (1) | CN114207797A (en) |
TW (1) | TW202115812A (en) |
WO (1) | WO2021039365A1 (en) |
Family Cites Families (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
TW535194B (en) | 2000-08-25 | 2003-06-01 | Fujitsu Ltd | Semiconductor device, manufacturing method therefor, and semiconductor manufacturing apparatus |
JP2007194605A (en) * | 2005-12-20 | 2007-08-02 | Semiconductor Energy Lab Co Ltd | Laser irradiation device and laser irradiation method |
JP2010192611A (en) * | 2009-02-17 | 2010-09-02 | Sharp Corp | Method of manufacturing semiconductor device substrate, and semiconductor device substrate |
JP2011165717A (en) * | 2010-02-04 | 2011-08-25 | Hitachi Displays Ltd | Display device and method of manufacturing the same |
JP2012248551A (en) * | 2011-05-25 | 2012-12-13 | Panasonic Corp | Laser irradiation apparatus |
KR20230107411A (en) * | 2016-10-07 | 2023-07-14 | 가부시키가이샤 한도오따이 에네루기 켄큐쇼 | Glass substrate cleaning method, semiconductor device manufacturing method, and glass substrate |
-
2019
- 2019-08-29 JP JP2019157088A patent/JP2021034693A/en active Pending
-
2020
- 2020-08-07 CN CN202080056343.3A patent/CN114207797A/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2020-08-07 WO PCT/JP2020/030415 patent/WO2021039365A1/en active Application Filing
- 2020-08-07 KR KR1020227001281A patent/KR20220047564A/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 2020-08-14 TW TW109127689A patent/TW202115812A/en unknown
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
JP2021034693A (en) | 2021-03-01 |
KR20220047564A (en) | 2022-04-18 |
WO2021039365A1 (en) | 2021-03-04 |
TW202115812A (en) | 2021-04-16 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US20080087895A1 (en) | Polysilicon thin film transistor and method of fabricating the same | |
CN213366530U (en) | Laser annealing device | |
JP5800292B2 (en) | Laser processing equipment | |
KR19980081656A (en) | Crystallization Method of Laser Thin Film and Laser Light Irradiation Apparatus | |
WO2020137399A1 (en) | Laser annealing method and laser annealing device | |
US9218968B2 (en) | Method for forming crystalline thin-film and method for manufacturing thin film transistor | |
KR20210119962A (en) | Laser annealing method and laser annealing apparatus | |
CN114207797A (en) | Laser annealing apparatus and method for forming crystallized film | |
US20060141683A1 (en) | Production method for thin-film semiconductor | |
JP2004039660A (en) | Method for manufacturing polycrystalline semiconductor film, method for manufacturing thin film transistor, display device, and pulse laser annealing apparatus | |
TWI869437B (en) | Laser annealing device and laser annealing method | |
WO2020184153A1 (en) | Laser annealing device | |
JP2007221062A (en) | Method and apparatus for manufacturing semiconductor device | |
JP7632873B2 (en) | Laser Annealing Equipment | |
KR102738977B1 (en) | Laser annealing method, laser annealing device and crystallized silicon film substrate | |
JP7161758B2 (en) | Laser annealing equipment | |
JP5053609B2 (en) | Laser annealing technology, semiconductor film, semiconductor device, and electro-optical device | |
TW202303705A (en) | Laser annealing device and laser annealing method | |
WO2025013431A1 (en) | Laser annealing apparatus and laser annealing method | |
JP2025009666A (en) | Laser annealing apparatus and laser annealing method | |
JP5064750B2 (en) | Laser annealing technology, semiconductor film, semiconductor device, and electro-optical device | |
JP2008311494A (en) | Manufacturing method of crystalline semiconductor film, and laser device | |
JP2008091512A (en) | Laser annealing technique, semiconductor film, semiconductor device, and electrooptical device | |
JP2020119912A (en) | Laser annealing apparatus and laser annealing method | |
JP2011108944A (en) | Methods for manufacturing semiconductor film, thin film transistor and display device |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
PB01 | Publication | ||
PB01 | Publication | ||
SE01 | Entry into force of request for substantive examination | ||
SE01 | Entry into force of request for substantive examination | ||
WW01 | Invention patent application withdrawn after publication | ||
WW01 | Invention patent application withdrawn after publication |
Application publication date: 20220318 |