JP2004158780A - Method for manufacturing semiconductor thin film, method for manufacturing semiconductor device and semiconductor device, method for manufacturing thin film transistor and thin film transistor, integrated circuit, electro-optical device and electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for manufacturing a semiconductor thin film capable of forming a semiconductor thin film having a positively controlled surface orientation conveniently and surely, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device employing the method, and a method for manufacturing a thin film transistor. <P>SOLUTION: The method for manufacturing a semiconductor thin film comprises a step for forming a thin hole H in the thickness direction in the insulating surface 2 of a substrate 1 having at least one insulating surface, a step for placing a single crystal semiconductor piece 4 having a surface of a specified orientation in the thin hole H while directing the surface upward, a step for forming a semiconductor film 5 by depositing a semiconductor material on the single crystal semiconductor piece 4 and the insulating surface 2, and a step for forming a substantial single crystal semiconductor film 3 having a surface orientation identical to that of the single crystal semiconductor piece 4 in a region surrounding the thin hole H by fusing/recrystallizing the semiconductor film 5 by the irradiation of a laser beam. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a semiconductor thin film. In particular, the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a substantially single crystal semiconductor film by irradiating a semiconductor film with a laser. Further, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing a thin film transistor using the same, a semiconductor device manufactured using these methods, and a thin film transistor, an integrated circuit, an electro-optical device, and an electronic device using the semiconductor device Equipment related.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a method of manufacturing a thin film transistor (TFT) on a general-purpose glass substrate at a low temperature, the documents described in Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2 below disclose holes on an insulating film on a substrate, After the amorphous silicon film is formed in the hole, the amorphous silicon film is irradiated with a laser beam to maintain the amorphous silicon in the bottom of the hole in a non-molten state while maintaining the amorphous silicon in the other portion. By bringing the amorphous silicon film into a molten state, crystal growth using the amorphous silicon held in a non-molten state as a crystal nucleus is generated, and the above-mentioned holes in the plane of the amorphous silicon film are centered. A method is disclosed in which the region is made substantially a single crystal silicon film.
[0003]
[Non-patent document 1]
"Single Crystal Thin Film Transistors" (IBM TECHNICAL DISCLOSURE BULLETIN Aug. 1993 pp 257-258)
[Non-patent document 2]
"Advanced Excimer-Laser Crystallization Techniques of Si Thin-Film For Location Control of Large Grain on Glass" (R. Ishihara et al., Proc.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the conventional methods described in the above-mentioned documents, the plane orientation of crystal grains cannot be controlled, so that the characteristics of a substantially single-crystal silicon film produced by such a method vary. Therefore, when a semiconductor device such as a thin film transistor is manufactured using this substantially single crystal silicon film, the characteristics of the completed semiconductor device vary, and it is difficult to obtain a semiconductor device having uniform characteristics. There was a problem.
[0005]
Further, in the conventional method, since the crystal is grown with the amorphous silicon film in the bottom of the hole as a nucleus, a plurality of crystal grains grow randomly from the amorphous silicon at the bottom of the hole. As a result, There is a possibility that the crystalline silicon film formed in the region centered on the hole becomes a polycrystalline film having a plurality of crystal grains. In order to avoid this, very fine holes having a diameter of 100 nm or less must be formed so that the crystal grains that grow to the opening can be filtered into only one crystal. Equipment was considered indispensable. Even with the use of these devices, in the actual manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, it is extremely difficult to form such fine holes uniformly on a large glass substrate, and there is a problem that the process becomes complicated. Was.
[0006]
Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional circumstances, and a method of manufacturing a semiconductor thin film capable of easily and reliably forming a semiconductor thin film having a controlled plane orientation, and a semiconductor device using the same. It is an object to provide a manufacturing method and a method for manufacturing a thin film transistor.
[0007]
Another object is to provide a semiconductor device manufactured by using this method, and a thin film transistor, an integrated circuit, an electro-optical device, and an electronic device using the semiconductor device.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor thin film according to the present invention that achieves the above objects includes a step of forming pores in a thickness direction on an insulating surface of at least one surface of an insulating substrate; Arranging a single crystal semiconductor piece having a divided surface such that the surface is the upper surface, depositing a semiconductor material on the single crystal semiconductor piece and the insulating surface to form a semiconductor film, Irradiating a laser to melt and recrystallize the semiconductor film to form a substantially single crystal semiconductor film having the same plane orientation as the surface of the single crystal semiconductor piece in a region centered on the pores. Features.
[0009]
Here, in this specification, “semiconductor material” is a general term for an amorphous semiconductor material and a crystalline semiconductor material, and the crystalline semiconductor material includes a polycrystalline semiconductor material and a microcrystalline semiconductor material. included. Therefore, the "semiconductor film" formed by depositing the semiconductor material is formed by depositing an amorphous semiconductor material or a crystalline semiconductor material, and is formed by depositing an amorphous semiconductor film or a crystalline semiconductor material. The crystalline semiconductor film includes a polycrystalline semiconductor film and a microcrystalline semiconductor film. The same applies to the following description.
[0010]
According to the method of manufacturing a semiconductor thin film according to the present invention as described above, when laser irradiation is performed, the semiconductor film is heated and melted by the energy absorbed from the laser light. After that, crystallization of the semiconductor material in a molten state occurs.
[0011]
At this time, since the single-crystal semiconductor piece is arranged in the pore, crystal growth proceeds from the upper surface of the single-crystal semiconductor piece using the single-crystal semiconductor piece as a nucleus, and the fine in-plane of the semiconductor film is formed from above the single-crystal semiconductor piece. The region around the hole changes into a substantially single crystal semiconductor film. Thus, a substantially single-crystal semiconductor film can be easily and reliably formed continuously. The substantially single crystal semiconductor film manufactured in this manner has uniform characteristics without variation in film quality due to crystal grain boundaries.
[0012]
The substantially single crystal semiconductor film has the effect of reducing the trap level density near the center of the forbidden band in the energy band diagram in comparison with the polycrystalline semiconductor film in terms of the electrical characteristics of the semiconductor because there are few defects inside. Have. Further, since a substantially single crystal semiconductor film has no or few crystal grain boundaries, a barrier when carriers such as electrons and holes flow is greatly reduced as compared with a polycrystalline semiconductor film.
[0013]
In addition, by configuring a semiconductor device using this substantially single crystal semiconductor film as a semiconductor thin film, a semiconductor device which is excellent in off-state current and mobility and can cope with high-speed operation can be easily realized. Therefore, according to this method of manufacturing a semiconductor thin film, a semiconductor thin film having good quality suitable for use in a semiconductor device can be manufactured.
[0014]
Furthermore, according to the method for manufacturing a semiconductor thin film, since the surface of the single crystal semiconductor piece is controlled to have a predetermined plane orientation, the surface of the substantially single crystal semiconductor film crystal-grown with the single crystal semiconductor piece as a nucleus is It has the same plane orientation as the surface of the single crystal semiconductor piece. That is, since the substantially single-crystal semiconductor film grows in the same plane orientation as the single-crystal semiconductor piece, the surface orientation of the surface of the substantially single-crystal semiconductor film to be formed is controlled by controlling the plane orientation of the surface of the single-crystal semiconductor piece. Can be controlled. Therefore, according to the method of manufacturing a semiconductor thin film, it is possible to form a substantially single crystal semiconductor film by controlling the surface orientation of the surface to a desired direction. Thus, for example, when a thin film transistor is manufactured using a substantially single-crystal semiconductor film, the plane orientation of the surface of the substantially single-crystal semiconductor film is controlled to a desired direction, and the channel direction also has the highest mobility in the semiconductor film used. Can be aligned in the direction of degrees.
[0015]
Further, in this method of manufacturing a semiconductor thin film, the pores are formed in a predetermined shape and orientation, and a single crystal semiconductor piece is arranged in the pores in accordance with the shape and orientation of the pores, whereby the crystal orientation of the surface is reduced. Is preferably controlled to form a substantially single crystal semiconductor film. This makes it possible to manufacture a semiconductor thin film by controlling characteristics caused by the crystal orientation of the semiconductor thin film.
[0016]
In the method of manufacturing a semiconductor thin film, it is preferable that the shape of the pores be cubic or rectangular. The shape of the pores is cubic or rectangular parallelepiped, and the plane orientation of the upper surface of the single crystal semiconductor piece is self-aligned by forming the single crystal semiconductor piece disposed in the pores into, for example, a cubic shape surrounded by {100} planes. It can be consistently set to {100}, and the crystal orientation in the formed substantially single-crystal semiconductor film can be easily and reliably managed.
[0017]
Further, in this method for manufacturing a semiconductor thin film, a silicon film is formed using silicon as a semiconductor material, and a single crystal silicon piece is used as a single crystal semiconductor piece. A single crystal silicon film can be manufactured.
[0018]
When a substantially single-crystal silicon film is formed, the plane orientation of the surface of the single-crystal silicon piece is preferably set to {100}. Thereby, a substantially single-crystal silicon film having a surface orientation of {100} can be obtained. A plane whose plane orientation is controlled to {100} has a low surface state density and a small number of carriers trapped in its surface state. Therefore, a substantially single crystal having excellent electric characteristics, which is suitable for a semiconductor device. A silicon film can be manufactured.
[0019]
Further, in this method of manufacturing a semiconductor thin film, when a plurality of semiconductor films are manufactured, when a single-crystal semiconductor piece is arranged in a pore, a surface unified to a predetermined plane orientation is formed in the plurality of pores. It is preferable to arrange the single crystal semiconductor piece having such that the surface thereof becomes an upper surface.
[0020]
Accordingly, a plurality of substantially single crystal semiconductor films having uniform characteristics can be manufactured without variation in film quality due to the plane orientation, in which the plane orientation of the surface is unified in a predetermined direction.
[0021]
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention includes a step of forming pores in a thickness direction on an insulating surface of at least one surface of an insulating substrate, and a step of forming a pore having a surface with a predetermined plane orientation. Arranging a crystalline semiconductor piece such that the surface thereof is an upper surface, depositing a semiconductor material on the single crystal semiconductor piece and an insulating surface to form a semiconductor film, and irradiating the semiconductor film with a laser Melting and recrystallizing the film to form a substantially single-crystal semiconductor film having the same plane orientation as the surface of the single-crystal semiconductor piece in a region centered on the pores; And forming a semiconductor device using the semiconductor device.
[0022]
According to the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention as described above, the semiconductor film is melted by laser irradiation and then the crystal is grown using a single crystal semiconductor piece as a nucleus in order to use the method for manufacturing a semiconductor thin film. Thus, the region from the upper surface of the single crystal semiconductor piece to the region centered on the pores in the plane of the semiconductor film changes to a substantially single crystal semiconductor film. Accordingly, a substantially single crystal semiconductor film having uniform characteristics without variation in film quality and orientation can be formed easily and reliably continuously.
[0023]
In addition, since a semiconductor device is formed using a substantially single crystal semiconductor film having the above-described advantages as a semiconductor thin film, the state density due to crystal grain boundaries and surfaces is reduced as compared with a semiconductor device using a polycrystalline silicon film. The carrier density in the semiconductor film is increased, and the carrier mobility is improved by preventing the carrier from being scattered due to disorder of the periodicity of the crystal at the crystal grain boundary. A semiconductor device which can operate at high speed at low voltage can be easily realized.
[0024]
Furthermore, according to this method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, since a substantially single-crystal semiconductor film formed by controlling the surface orientation of the surface to a desired direction is used as the semiconductor thin film, the characteristics resulting from the nonuniform surface orientation of the semiconductor thin film are used. It is possible to manufacture a semiconductor device by controlling the non-uniformity of the semiconductor device.
[0025]
In the method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, the pores are formed in a predetermined shape and direction, and a single crystal semiconductor piece is arranged in the pores in accordance with the shape and direction of the pores, whereby the crystal orientation on the surface is reduced. It is preferable to form a substantially single crystal semiconductor film by controlling the above, and to form a semiconductor device using the substantially single crystal semiconductor film as a semiconductor thin film. When a substantially single-crystal semiconductor film is used in a semiconductor device, by considering the crystal orientation of the substantially single-crystal semiconductor film, a semiconductor device can be easily manufactured by controlling characteristics caused by the crystal orientation of the semiconductor thin film. Can be.
[0026]
In the above-described method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the shape of the pores be cubic or rectangular. The orientation of the upper surface of the single crystal semiconductor piece is self-aligned by making the shape of the pore into a cubic shape or a rectangular parallelepiped shape, for example, by making the single crystal semiconductor piece placed in the pore into a cubic shape surrounded by {100} planes. {100}, and the crystal orientation in the formed substantially single-crystal semiconductor film can be easily and reliably managed. Thus, when the substantially single-crystal semiconductor film is used in a semiconductor device, by considering the crystal orientation of the substantially single-crystal semiconductor film, characteristics due to the crystal orientation of the semiconductor thin film can be controlled to easily manufacture the semiconductor device. be able to.
[0027]
Further, in the method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention described above, a silicon film is formed using silicon as a semiconductor material, and a single crystal silicon piece is used as a single crystal semiconductor piece, so that a semiconductor thin film as described above is used. A semiconductor device using a substantially single-crystal silicon film having advantages can be provided.
[0028]
In the case where a semiconductor device is manufactured using a substantially single crystal silicon film, the surface orientation of the surface of the single crystal semiconductor piece is preferably set to {100}. Thereby, a substantially single-crystal silicon film having a surface orientation of {100} can be obtained. Then, a surface whose plane orientation is controlled to {100} has a small surface state density and few carriers are trapped in the surface state, so that a semiconductor device having excellent electric characteristics can be manufactured.
[0029]
According to the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device of the present invention described above, when a plurality of semiconductor devices are manufactured, a predetermined surface is formed on the plurality of holes when the single-crystal semiconductor piece is arranged in the holes. It is preferable to dispose a single crystal semiconductor piece having a surface having a unified orientation so that the surface is the upper surface.
[0030]
Accordingly, a plurality of substantially single crystal semiconductor films having uniform characteristics can be manufactured without variation in film quality due to the plane orientation, in which the plane orientation of the surface is unified in a predetermined direction. Then, by manufacturing a semiconductor device using a substantially single crystal semiconductor film in which the plane orientation of the surface is unified in a predetermined direction, a plurality of semiconductor devices having uniform characteristics without variation in characteristics among the semiconductor devices. Can be produced.
[0031]
In addition, a semiconductor device according to the present invention includes a substantially single-crystal semiconductor film whose plane orientation is controlled in a predetermined direction on an insulating surface of an insulating substrate, at least one surface of which is in a thickness direction. And a substantially single crystal semiconductor film is buried in a part of the single crystal semiconductor film, and the substantially single crystal semiconductor film is used as a semiconductor thin film.
[0032]
According to this semiconductor device, since the semiconductor device is formed using the substantially single-crystal semiconductor film having good quality and suitable for use in the semiconductor device manufactured by the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, the polycrystalline semiconductor film is used. The carrier density in the semiconductor film is increased by reducing the state density due to the crystal grain boundaries and the surface as compared with the semiconductor device using the semiconductor device, and the periodicity of the crystal at the crystal grain boundaries is disturbed. It is possible to realize a semiconductor device which is excellent in electrical characteristics and can operate at low voltage and at high speed, such as improvement in carrier mobility by eliminating carrier scattering.
[0033]
Further, according to this semiconductor device, since a substantially single crystal semiconductor film whose surface orientation is controlled to a desired direction is used as a semiconductor thin film, a semiconductor device whose characteristics due to the surface orientation of the semiconductor thin film are controlled is realized. can do. For example, in the case of a substantially single-crystal silicon film, the {100} plane has a low surface state density, so that a semiconductor device manufactured so that this plane is exposed to the surface has a high carrier density in the semiconductor film and high performance. A semiconductor device can be realized.
[0034]
According to this semiconductor device, since a substantially single-crystal semiconductor film whose surface orientation is controlled to a desired direction is used as a semiconductor thin film, each semiconductor device has a plurality of uniform characteristics without variation in characteristics. A semiconductor device can be easily provided.
[0035]
The method of manufacturing a thin film transistor according to the present invention includes a step of forming pores in a thickness direction on an insulating surface of at least one surface of an insulating substrate, and a single crystal having a surface in which the pores have a predetermined plane orientation. Arranging a semiconductor piece such that the surface thereof is on the upper surface, depositing a semiconductor material on the single crystal semiconductor piece and the insulating surface to form a semiconductor film, and irradiating the semiconductor film with a laser to form the semiconductor film. Forming a substantially single crystal semiconductor film having the same plane orientation as the surface of the single crystal semiconductor piece in a region centered on the pores by melting and recrystallizing the substantially single crystal semiconductor film as at least a channel region. Forming a thin film transistor using the thin film transistor.
[0036]
In the method for manufacturing a thin film transistor according to the present invention as described above, since the method for manufacturing a semiconductor thin film is used, after the amorphous semiconductor film is melted by laser irradiation, crystal growth is performed using a single crystal semiconductor piece as a nucleus. By doing so, the area from the upper surface of the single crystal semiconductor piece to the region centered on the pores in the plane of the amorphous semiconductor film changes to a substantially single crystal semiconductor film. Thus, there is no variation in film quality due to crystal grain boundaries, and a substantially single-crystal semiconductor film having uniform characteristics can be easily and reliably formed continuously.
[0037]
Further, since a thin film transistor is formed using the substantially single crystal semiconductor film having the above-described advantages for at least a channel region of an active layer of the thin film transistor, the off-state current, the mobility, and the threshold voltage are excellent, and high-speed operation can be performed at a low voltage. A thin film transistor can be easily realized. In addition, by using the substantially single crystal semiconductor film not only in the channel region of the thin film transistor but also in the source / drain region, a thin film transistor having more excellent characteristics can be realized.
[0038]
Further, according to this method of manufacturing a thin film transistor, since a substantially single-crystal semiconductor film formed by controlling the plane orientation of the surface to a desired direction is used as an active layer of the thin film transistor, the characteristics due to the plane orientation of the semiconductor thin film are controlled. Thus, a semiconductor device can be manufactured. For example, in the case of a substantially single-crystal silicon film, the {100} plane has a low surface state density, so that the number of carriers captured by the surface states is reduced. Therefore, by using a substantially single crystal silicon film whose surface orientation is controlled to {100}, a high-performance thin film transistor having a low threshold voltage and excellent sub-threshold characteristics can be realized.
[0039]
In the method of manufacturing a thin film transistor according to the present invention, the pores are formed in a predetermined shape and direction, and a single crystal semiconductor piece is arranged in the pores in accordance with the shape and direction of the pores. Preferably, the crystal orientation is controlled to a predetermined crystal orientation to form a substantially single crystal semiconductor film, and the thin film transistor is formed so that the crystal orientation of the surface of the single crystal semiconductor film and the channel direction are substantially parallel. Further, it is preferable that the predetermined crystal orientation be a crystal orientation having the highest carrier mobility in the substantially single crystal semiconductor film.
[0040]
As a result, the crystal orientation with respect to the channel direction can be controlled to a desired direction. Therefore, by matching the channel direction with the direction having the highest carrier mobility in accordance with the material and characteristics of the semiconductor film used, a higher-performance thin film transistor can be obtained. It can be manufactured uniformly.
[0041]
The thin film transistor according to the present invention has a substantially single crystal semiconductor film whose plane orientation is controlled in a predetermined direction on an insulating surface of a substrate whose at least one surface is insulative, and has pores in a thickness direction on the insulating surface. And the pores are filled with a part of the substantially single crystal semiconductor film, and the substantially single crystal semiconductor film is used at least as a channel region.
[0042]
According to this thin film transistor, since it is formed using a substantially single crystal semiconductor film having good quality, which is suitable for use in a semiconductor device manufactured by the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, off-state current and mobility, A thin film transistor having an excellent threshold voltage and capable of operating at high speed at a low voltage can be easily realized.
[0043]
Further, according to this thin film transistor, since a substantially single crystal semiconductor film whose surface orientation is controlled to a desired direction is used as an active layer of the thin film transistor, a thin film transistor whose characteristics due to the plane orientation of the semiconductor thin film are controlled is realized. can do. For example, in the case of a substantially single crystal silicon film, the {100} plane has a low surface state density, so that the number of carriers captured by the surface states is reduced. Therefore, by using a substantially single crystal silicon film whose surface orientation is controlled to {100}, a high-performance thin film transistor having a low threshold voltage and excellent sub-threshold characteristics can be realized.
[0044]
According to this thin film transistor, since a substantially single crystal semiconductor film whose surface orientation is controlled to a desired direction is used as an active layer of the thin film transistor, each thin film transistor has a plurality of uniform characteristics without variation in characteristics. A thin film transistor can be easily provided.
[0045]
Further, in this thin film transistor, it is preferable that the crystal orientation of the surface of the substantially single crystal semiconductor film and the channel direction be substantially parallel. Thus, a higher performance thin film transistor can be realized by matching the direction of the channel with the highest carrier mobility with the channel direction according to the material and characteristics of the semiconductor film used. For example, when a substantially single crystal silicon film is used, the best characteristics can be expected when the channel direction is the <110> direction.
[0046]
An integrated circuit according to the present invention includes a semiconductor device manufactured by the above-described method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention. As a result, in this integrated circuit, it is possible to realize a high-speed operation at a low voltage, a uniform characteristic with no variation in characteristics, and low power consumption. Here, in this specification, an “integrated circuit” refers to a circuit (chip) in which a semiconductor device and associated wirings and the like are integrated and arranged to perform a certain function.
[0047]
Further, when the integrated circuit according to the present invention includes a plurality of semiconductor devices, the semiconductor device according to the present invention includes the plurality of semiconductor devices described above, and the plane orientation of the surface of the semiconductor thin film used in the semiconductor device is a predetermined value. It is preferable that the directions are unified. As a result, the characteristics of each semiconductor device do not vary, and a high-performance and high-performance electro-optical device that operates stably can be realized.
[0048]
An electro-optical device according to the present invention includes a semiconductor device manufactured by the above-described method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention. As a result, in the electro-optical device, it is possible to cope with a high-speed operation and to realize high-performance, high-performance, high-quality, and low-power characteristics having uniform characteristics.
[0049]
Here, in this specification, the term “electro-optical device” refers to a general device including the semiconductor device according to the present invention and an element that emits light by an electric action or an electro-optical element that changes the state of external light. And includes both a device that emits light by itself and a device that controls the passage of light from the outside. Such an electro-optical device includes, for example, a liquid crystal element as an electro-optical element, an electrophoretic element having a dispersion medium in which an electrophoretic element is dispersed, an electroluminescent (EL) element, and an electron generated by applying an electric field to a light emitting plate. And an active matrix type display device provided with an electron-emitting device that emits light.
[0050]
An electronic apparatus according to the present invention includes a semiconductor device manufactured by the above-described method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention. As a result, in this electronic device, high-speed operation can be supported, and high-performance, high-performance, high-quality, and low-power characteristics having uniform characteristics are realized.
[0051]
Here, in the present specification, the “electronic device” generally refers to an electronic device that includes the semiconductor device according to the present invention and performs a certain function, and includes, for example, the above-described electro-optical device. There is no particular limitation on the configuration of such an electronic device, and examples thereof include an IC card, a mobile phone, a video camera, a personal computer, a head-mounted display, a rear or front type projector, a facsimile device with a display function, and a finder for a digital camera. , A portable TV, a DSP device, a PDA, an electronic organizer, an electronic bulletin board, a display for publicity, and the like.
[0052]
In the present invention, “substantially single crystal” includes not only a single crystal grain but also a state close to this. Specifically, even when a plurality of crystals are combined, the size of the crystals is large and the number of the crystals is small, and from the viewpoint of the properties of the semiconductor thin film, a semiconductor thin film formed almost from a single crystal is used. This also includes the case of having the same properties.
[0053]
Further, in the present invention, “pores” refers to a substrate, or a single crystal semiconductor piece having a surface with a predetermined plane orientation provided on a surface of an insulating film, and is arranged such that the surface is an upper surface. And the cross-sectional shape thereof does not matter. That is, the cross-sectional shape of the pores may be substantially the same as the cross-sectional shape of the single crystal semiconductor piece, and various shapes such as a columnar shape, a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a rectangular parallelepiped shape can be adopted. However, from the viewpoint of controlling the crystal orientation in the channel direction, a rectangular parallelepiped or a rectangular parallelepiped is preferable.
[0054]
In the present invention, “continuous formation” means that crystals grow without generating crystal grain boundaries. Further, even if a crystal grain boundary is formed, the number of the crystal thin film is considered to be small, and from the viewpoint of the properties of the semiconductor thin film, the case where the semiconductor thin film has substantially the same properties as a semiconductor thin film formed without a crystal grain boundary is included.
[0055]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention is not limited to the following description, and can be appropriately modified without departing from the gist of the present invention.
[0056]
(First Embodiment)
In the first embodiment, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor thin film according to the present invention will be described.
[0057]
FIG. 1 shows a state where a semiconductor thin film is formed on an insulating film by applying the present invention. In FIG. 1, an insulating film 2 is formed on a glass substrate 1, and a substantially single-crystal silicon film 3 which is a semiconductor thin film is formed on the insulating film 2. In addition, pores H are provided on the surface of the insulating film 2 in the thickness direction of the insulating film 2.
[0058]
Since the substantially single crystal silicon film 3 has few defects inside, the effect of reducing the trap level density near the center of the forbidden band in the energy band diagram in comparison with the polycrystalline silicon film in terms of the electrical characteristics of the semiconductor is given. There is. Further, since the substantially single crystal silicon film 3 has no or few crystal grain boundaries, barriers when carriers such as electrons and holes flow are greatly reduced as compared with the polycrystalline silicon film.
[0059]
For this reason, by forming a semiconductor device using this substantially single-crystal silicon film 3 as a semiconductor thin film, the state density caused by crystal grain boundaries and surfaces becomes smaller as compared with a semiconductor device using a polycrystalline semiconductor film. As a result, the carrier density in the semiconductor film is increased, and the mobility of the carrier is improved by preventing the carrier from being scattered due to the disorder of the periodicity of the crystal at the crystal grain boundary. In addition, a semiconductor device which can operate at high speed at low voltage can be realized. For example, by using the substantially single crystal silicon film 3 as an active layer of a thin film transistor, that is, a source / drain region or a channel region, a thin film transistor excellent in off current, mobility, and threshold voltage and capable of operating at low voltage and high speed can be obtained. It can be easily realized.
[0060]
The substantially single crystal silicon film 3 is formed by controlling the crystal orientation of crystal grains to a desired direction. That is, the single crystal silicon film 3 is formed such that the surface orientation of the surface is controlled in a predetermined direction. For example, in the present embodiment, the surface of single crystal silicon film 3 is formed so as to be controlled to a {100} plane. Here, since the {100} plane has a smaller surface state density than the plane having another plane orientation, that is, the number of carrier traps is small, the thin film transistor is formed using the substantially single crystal silicon film 3 whose surface is controlled to the {100} plane. By manufacturing, a thin film transistor having excellent electric characteristics can be realized.
[0061]
FIG. 2 is a process chart showing a method for manufacturing the above-described substantially single-crystal silicon film 3. In order to manufacture the substantially single-crystal silicon film 3, first, as shown in FIG. 2A, a silicon oxide film is formed on the glass substrate 1 as the insulating film 2 to a thickness of, for example, 200 nm. Here, as a method of forming the silicon oxide film on the glass substrate 1, for example, a gas phase deposition method such as a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), a low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD), or a sputtering method is used. Can be used.
[0062]
Note that when a glass, quartz, ceramic, or other substrate having at least an insulating surface is used as the substrate, the insulating film 2 may not be formed. Of course, even on an insulating substrate, the insulating film 2 may be formed for the purpose of preventing contaminants from the substrate from diffusing into the semiconductor layer.
[0063]
Then, by performing a photolithography process and an etching process, as shown in FIG. 2B, a substantially cubic-shaped pore H having a side of, for example, about 0.5 μm is formed in the plane of the silicon oxide film as the insulating film 2. Form. The etching of the silicon oxide film is performed, for example, using CF. ₄ Gas and H ₂ It can be performed by reactive ion etching using gas plasma.
[0064]
In addition, when a substrate made of glass, quartz, ceramics, or other material having at least an insulating surface is used as a substrate and no insulating film is formed, pores H are formed directly on the insulating surface of the substrate.
[0065]
Next, as shown in FIG. 2 (c), the shape is substantially the same as the pores H, and the size is slightly smaller than the pores H, that is, a substantially cubic shape with one side of, for example, about 0.4 μm. The processed single crystal silicon piece 4 is arranged in the pore H. At this time, the single-crystal silicon pieces 4 are all processed so that a plane equivalent to the (100) plane appears on the surface, that is, a cube surrounded by {100} planes. As a result, the upper surface of single-crystal silicon piece 4 arranged in pore H, that is, the surface of single-crystal silicon piece 4 exposed in the surface of insulating film 2 is set to {100} plane. The upper surface of the piece 4 is substantially flush with the surface of the insulating film 2.
[0066]
The method of processing the single crystal silicon piece 4 is not particularly limited, and any method can be used as long as the single crystal silicon piece 4 can be processed into a desired shape and size.
[0067]
When the single-crystal silicon pieces 4 are arranged in the pores H, for example, a Fluidic Self Assembly method as shown in Information Display, 11/1999, p12 is used. Can be easily arranged in the pores H.
[0068]
That is, the pores H and the single-crystal silicon pieces 4 are formed as described above, the single-crystal silicon pieces 4 are dispersed in a liquid, and the liquid flows on the insulating film 2. Thereby, the single-crystal silicon pieces 4 dispersed in the liquid are fitted into the pores H provided in the insulating film 2. Then, by removing the liquid, the single crystal silicon pieces 4 can be arranged in the pores H as shown in FIG. At this time, since all surfaces of single-crystal silicon piece 4 are surrounded by {100} planes, the surface of single-crystal silicon piece 4 exposed in the surface of insulating film 2 is the {100} plane. . Thereby, single crystal silicon piece 4 is arranged with the {100} plane as the upper surface.
[0069]
The method for arranging single-crystal silicon pieces 4 in pores H is not limited to this, and any method can be used as long as single-crystal silicon pieces 4 can be surely arranged in pores H. It is possible.
[0070]
Next, as shown in FIG. 2D, amorphous silicon is deposited on the insulating film 2 and the single-crystal silicon piece 4 by, for example, LPCVD to form an amorphous silicon film having a thickness of about 50 nm to 250 nm. A silicon film 5 is formed. By depositing amorphous silicon on the silicon oxide film using the LPCVD method, a high-purity amorphous silicon film 5 can be easily formed on the insulating film 2 and the single crystal silicon piece 4. Here, amorphous silicon is deposited on the insulating film 2 and the single-crystal silicon piece 4 to form the amorphous silicon film 5, but the silicon film formed here is a polycrystalline silicon film. A silicon film or a microcrystalline silicon film may be formed.
[0071]
Next, as shown in FIG. 2E, the amorphous silicon film 5 is subjected to laser irradiation L1. The laser irradiation L1 uses, for example, XeCl pulse excimer laser light (wavelength 308 nm, pulse width 30 nsec), and the energy density is 0.4 J / cm so as to correspond to the thickness of the amorphous silicon film of 50 nm to 250 nm. ² ~ 1.5J / cm ² Perform as a degree.
[0072]
Here, the irradiated XeCl pulsed excimer laser light (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as laser light) is mostly absorbed near the surface of the amorphous silicon film 5. This is because the absorption coefficient of amorphous silicon at the wavelength (308 nm) of the XeCl pulsed excimer laser light is 0.139 nm. ^-1 Because it is big. Then, the amorphous silicon film 5 is heated by the energy of the absorbed laser beam, and is brought into a molten state. At this time, the laser irradiation energy density is adjusted so that at least a part of the single-crystal silicon piece 4 arranged in the pore H is not melted.
[0073]
Here, the amorphous silicon film 5 in the molten state is formed by forming a single-crystal silicon piece 4 disposed in the pore H as a nucleus, thereby forming a substantially single-crystal growth from the upper surface of the single-crystal silicon piece. The region around the pores H in the plane of the crystalline silicon film 5 changes to a substantially single crystal silicon film 3. At this time, the substantially single crystal growth of the amorphous silicon film 5 in the molten state proceeds in the same plane orientation as the upper surface of the single crystal silicon piece 4. Therefore, the surface of the formed substantially single crystal silicon film 3 is a {100} plane. As described above, the substantially single crystal silicon film 3 as shown in FIG. 1 can be continuously formed.
[0074]
Note that the silicon oxide film, which is the insulating film 2, has a characteristic that is substantially transparent to the laser light and does not absorb the energy of the laser light, so that it is not melted by laser irradiation. When the insulating film 2 is made of a material other than silicon oxide, a film transparent to laser light or a material having a melting point sufficiently higher than silicon can be selected as in the case of using a silicon oxide film. Just fine.
[0075]
In the above-described method, a state in which pores H are formed in the insulating film 2 and the single-crystal silicon pieces 4 having a surface controlled to a desired plane orientation are arranged in the pores H such that the surface is the upper surface. Then, the amorphous silicon film 5 is brought into a molten state by the laser irradiation L1. Then, by growing crystals from the single crystal silicon pieces 4 arranged in the pores H, the silicon in the molten state is changed into the substantially single crystal silicon film 3.
[0076]
That is, in this method, the single-crystal silicon piece 4 serving as a nucleus is intentionally arranged in the pore H without strictly controlling the size of the hole provided in the insulating film, laser irradiation conditions, and the like as in the related art. Thereby, amorphous silicon film 5 in a molten state from single crystal silicon piece 4 can be easily substantially single crystal grown.
[0077]
For this reason, the degree of freedom of the melting condition of the amorphous silicon film 5 is increased, and the restrictions in the manufacturing process are greatly eased. That is, it is not necessary to strictly control the size of the hole provided in the insulating film and the laser irradiation conditions as in the related art, and the degree of freedom in designing the size of the hole H is increased. No need. Further, the degree of freedom of the heating condition of the amorphous silicon film 5, that is, the laser irradiation condition can be increased, and the substantially single crystal silicon film 3 can be efficiently manufactured. Therefore, it is possible to form the substantially single crystal silicon film 3 more easily and reliably than in the conventional method.
[0078]
According to this method, it is possible to control the plane orientation of the surface of the substantially single crystal silicon film 3 grown substantially single crystal to a desired direction. That is, when the molten amorphous silicon grows substantially in single crystal from the upper surface of the single crystal silicon piece 4, it grows in the same plane orientation as the upper surface of the single crystal silicon piece 4. By controlling the plane orientation of the upper surface, the plane orientation of the surface of the substantially single crystal silicon film 3 formed can be controlled. Therefore, as described above, by setting the surface of single-crystal silicon piece 4 to the {100} plane, it is possible to easily obtain substantially single-crystal silicon film 3 having the surface set to the {100} plane.
[0079]
In the above description, the substantially single-crystal silicon film 3 having a {100} plane has been described. However, in the present invention, the plane orientation of the surface of the substantially single-crystal silicon film 3 is limited to {100}. Instead, a substantially single crystal silicon film having a surface orientation other than the {100} plane can be manufactured in the same manner as described above.
[0080]
In this case, the single-crystal silicon piece 4 is processed so that the surface of the single-crystal silicon piece 4 has a desired plane orientation. By arranging single-crystal silicon pieces 4 in fine holes H such that this surface is exposed in the plane of insulating film 2 from fine holes H, a desired plane orientation, that is, single-crystal silicon It is possible to form a substantially single-crystal silicon film having the same plane orientation as the surface of the piece 4.
[0081]
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of forming the pores H. In the above, the case where the shape and size of the pores H and the shape and size of the single-crystal silicon pieces 4 are substantially the same has been described, but the depth of the pores H and the height of the single-crystal silicon pieces 4 are different. You may do it. That is, for example, as shown in FIG. 3A, the depth of the pores H may be larger than the height of the single-crystal silicon piece 4. In the case of such a configuration, when the amorphous silicon film 5 is formed, a part of the amorphous silicon film 5 becomes a single crystal silicon piece 4 in the pore H as shown in FIG. It is formed to fill the top. Also in this case, the amorphous silicon film 5 in the molten state grows from the upper surface of the single-crystal silicon piece 4, that is, the surface having a predetermined plane orientation. The substantially single crystal silicon film 3 having the same plane orientation as the surface of the piece 4 can be obtained.
[0082]
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing still another example of forming the pores H. In FIG. 3, when forming the pores H, the pores H do not penetrate the insulating film 2 in the thickness direction of the insulating film 2, and the bottoms of the pores H are located in the middle of the insulating film 2 in the thickness direction. 4A, the pores H may penetrate the insulating film 2 as shown in FIG. 4A, and the pores H may be formed in the glass substrate 1 as shown in FIG. It may be configured to reach the surface. Also in these cases, a substantially single crystal silicon film 3 having the same plane orientation as the surface of single crystal silicon piece 4 can be obtained in the same manner as described above. However, from the viewpoint of work efficiency, it is preferable to set the depth of the pores H to be shallow.
[0083]
Also in these cases, the upper surface of the single crystal silicon piece 4 does not necessarily have to be exposed in the surface of the insulating film 2, and the upper surface of the single crystal silicon piece 4 is slightly recessed from the surface of the insulating film 2. No problem. However, it is preferable that the upper surface be flush with the surface of the insulating film 2 because there is no step in the semiconductor film.
[0084]
In the above description, the case where the shape of the pore H and the single-crystal silicon piece 4 is substantially cubic has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The shape of the piece 4 may be a substantially columnar shape or a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. In the case of such a configuration as well, by setting the surface that becomes the upper surface when arranged in the pores H of the single crystal silicon piece 4 to a desired plane orientation, a substantially single crystal silicon film having the same plane orientation as this surface 3 can be obtained.
[0085]
For example, in order to obtain a substantially single-crystal silicon film 3 having a surface orientation of {100} with the pores H and the single-crystal silicon pieces 4 having a substantially columnar shape, the upper and lower bottom surfaces of the single-crystal silicon pieces 4 are required. May be set to {100}. Thereby, when single-crystal silicon piece 4 is arranged in pore H, the upper or lower bottom surface of single-crystal silicon piece 4 becomes the upper surface, and this surface, that is, the single-crystal silicon piece set to {100} plane Substantially single crystal growth of the melted amorphous silicon film 5 occurs from the upper surface of 4, and a substantially single crystal silicon film 3 having a surface orientation of {100} can be obtained as described above.
[0086]
In the above description, a case where a substantially single-crystal silicon film is formed as a semiconductor thin film has been described. However, the present invention can be widely applied to a case where another substantially single-crystal semiconductor film such as a germanium film or a silicon-germanium film is formed. Is possible.
[0087]
(Second embodiment)
In the second embodiment, a semiconductor device according to the present invention and a method for manufacturing the same will be described using a thin film transistor as an example.
[0088]
FIG. 5A is a plan view showing a configuration of a thin film transistor which is a semiconductor device manufactured by applying the present invention, and FIG. 5B is a longitudinal section taken along line AA ′ in FIG. FIG.
[0089]
In the thin film transistor according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5B, an insulating film 2 is formed on a glass substrate 1, and a substantially single-crystal silicon film 3, which is a semiconductor thin film, is formed on the insulating film 2. Have been. In addition, pores H are provided on the surface of the insulating film 2 in the thickness direction of the insulating film 2.
[0090]
Further, as shown in FIG. 5B, a part of the patterned substantially single crystal silicon film 3 is used as a source / drain region 3 ', and a portion sandwiched between the source / drain regions 3' is a channel region 3 '. The gate electrode 11 is formed above the channel region 3 ′ with the silicon oxide film 10 interposed therebetween, and the silicon oxide film 12 is further formed.
[0091]
On the other hand, a source / drain electrode 13 is formed above the source / drain region 3 'via a silicon oxide film 10 and a silicon oxide film 12. Note that the source / drain electrode 13 is connected to the source / drain region 3 'via the contact hole C.
[0092]
As described above, in the thin film transistor according to the present embodiment, the thin film transistor is formed using the substantially single crystal silicon film 3 as a semiconductor thin film. Since the substantially single crystal silicon film 3 has few defects inside, the effect of reducing the trap level density near the center of the forbidden band in the energy band diagram in comparison with the polycrystalline silicon film in terms of the electrical characteristics of the semiconductor is given. There is. Further, since the substantially single crystal silicon film 3 has no or few crystal grain boundaries, barriers when carriers such as electrons and holes flow are greatly reduced as compared with the polycrystalline silicon film.
[0093]
For this reason, by forming a semiconductor device using this substantially single-crystal silicon film 3 as a semiconductor thin film, the state density caused by crystal grain boundaries and surfaces becomes smaller as compared with a semiconductor device using a polycrystalline semiconductor film. As a result, the carrier density in the semiconductor film is increased, and the mobility of the carrier is improved by preventing the carrier from being scattered due to the disorder of the periodicity of the crystal at the crystal grain boundary. In addition, a semiconductor device which can operate at high speed at low voltage can be realized.
[0094]
The thin film transistor according to the present embodiment using the substantially single crystal silicon film 3 as the active layer of the thin film transistor, that is, the source / drain region or the channel region, has excellent off current, mobility, and threshold voltage. Thus, a thin film transistor which can operate at high speed at a low voltage has been realized.
[0095]
Further, in this thin film transistor, the thin film transistor is formed by using the substantially single crystal silicon film 3 formed by controlling the plane orientation of the surface to a desired direction as an active layer, that is, a source / drain region or a channel region. As a result, a semiconductor device in which the non-uniformity of characteristics due to the non-uniform plane orientation of the semiconductor thin film is controlled is realized.
[0096]
That is, in this thin film transistor, the plane orientation of the surface of the substantially single crystal silicon film 3 is {100}. The {100} plane has a smaller number of surface state densities than a plane having another plane orientation, that is, has less carrier traps. As a result, a high-performance thin film transistor having excellent electrical characteristics has been realized.
[0097]
Further, in this thin film transistor, the channel direction of the channel region formed using the substantially single-crystal silicon film 3, that is, the source-drain direction in which current flows, is set to the <110> direction. In a thin film transistor formed using a silicon thin film, the best characteristics can be expected when the channel direction is set to the <110> direction. That is, when the channel direction is set to the <110> direction, the carrier mobility exhibits the best characteristics. However, by changing the direction of the pores H depending on the semiconductor film or according to the purpose, any desired crystal orientation can be made substantially parallel to the channel direction.
[0098]
Therefore, in this thin film transistor, by controlling the plane direction and the channel direction of the single crystal silicon film 3, that is, the substantially single crystal silicon film 3 whose surface plane direction is controlled to {100} is used as the active layer of the thin film transistor. Since it is used and the channel direction is configured as the <110> direction, a high-performance thin film transistor having the above-described excellent characteristics is realized.
[0099]
When the substantially single crystal silicon film 3 whose surface orientation is controlled to {100} and the channel direction is controlled to the <110> direction, the cross-sectional shape of the pore H is square. Is preferred. By making the cross-sectional shape of the pores H square, the crystal orientation in the formed substantially single-crystal silicon film 3 can be easily and reliably managed. Thus, a thin film transistor in which the channel direction is the <110> direction can be easily manufactured. That is, by easily and reliably managing the crystal orientation of the formed substantially single-crystal silicon film 3, the crystal orientation of the substantially single-crystal silicon film 3 is taken into consideration, and the characteristics resulting from the crystal orientation of the semiconductor thin film are controlled. Thus, a semiconductor device can be manufactured.
[0100]
FIG. 6 is a process chart showing a method for manufacturing the above-described thin film transistor. To manufacture such a thin film transistor, first, a substantially single-crystal silicon film 3 is formed on the insulating film 2 as shown in FIG. Since the steps up to the formation of the substantially single crystal silicon film 3 are the same as those in the first embodiment, the description in the first embodiment is referred to, and the detailed description is omitted here. .
[0101]
Next, by performing a photolithography step and an etching step, the amorphous silicon film 5 including the substantially single-crystal silicon film 3 is patterned to form a semiconductor thin film for a thin film transistor as shown in FIG.
[0102]
Next, as shown in FIG. 6C, a silicon oxide film 10 is formed on the substantially single crystal silicon film 3 by a method such as electron cyclotron resonance PECVD (ECR-CVD), parallel plate PECVD, or LPCVD. To form The silicon oxide film 10 functions as a gate insulating film of the thin film transistor.
[0103]
Next, a metal thin film such as tantalum or aluminum is formed by a sputtering method and then patterned to form a gate electrode 11 as shown in FIG. Then, using the gate electrode 11 as a mask, the source / drain region 3 ′ and the channel region 3 ″ are self-aligned with the gate electrode 11 by performing ion implantation II of impurity ions serving as donors or acceptors. When an nMOS transistor is manufactured, phosphorus (P) is used as an impurity ion, for example, at 1 × 10 ¹⁶ cm ^-2 Is implanted into the source / drain regions at a concentration of
[0104]
Then, activation of the impurity element implanted in the source / drain region 3 'is performed. The activation of the impurity element is performed, for example, at an irradiation energy density of 200 mJ / cm. ² ~ 400mJ / cm ² Irradiation of XeCl excimer laser at a temperature of about 250 ° C. to about 450 ° C. can be performed.
[0105]
Next, as shown in FIG. 6E, a silicon oxide film 12 having a thickness of, for example, about 500 nm is formed on the silicon oxide film 10 and the gate electrode 11 by a PECVD method or the like. Then, a contact hole C reaching the source / drain region 3 'is opened in the silicon oxide films 12, 10, and, for example, aluminum is deposited in the contact hole C and a peripheral portion of the contact hole C on the silicon oxide film 12 by a sputtering method or the like. Then, the source / drain electrodes 13 are formed by patterning. Thus, a thin film transistor is completed.
[0106]
In the above-described method of manufacturing a thin film transistor, since the substantially single-crystal silicon film 3 is manufactured by using the method described in the first embodiment, the substantially single-crystal silicon film 3 is more easily and reliably formed than the conventional method. Can be formed. Since a thin film transistor is manufactured using the substantially single crystal silicon film 3 as an active layer, a thin film transistor which is excellent in off-state current, mobility, and threshold voltage and can operate at low voltage and at high speed can be easily and reliably manufactured. can do.
[0107]
Further, in this method of manufacturing a thin film transistor, the thin film transistor is formed by using the substantially single crystal silicon film 3 formed by controlling the plane orientation of the surface to a desired direction as an active layer, that is, a source / drain region or a channel region. Therefore, a thin film transistor can be manufactured by controlling characteristics due to the plane orientation of the semiconductor thin film.
[0108]
That is, in this method of manufacturing a thin film transistor, for example, when a substantially single crystal silicon film is used as the semiconductor film of the active layer, the interface state density is smaller than that of a plane having another plane orientation, and good characteristics are obtained. Since the thin film transistor can be formed using the {100} plane as the MOS interface of the thin film transistor, a high-performance thin film transistor having high mobility can be easily manufactured.
[0109]
In this method of manufacturing a thin film transistor, since the crystal orientation with respect to the channel direction can be controlled to a desired direction, the direction in which the carrier mobility is highest and the channel direction are matched in accordance with the material and characteristics of the semiconductor film used. Thereby, a higher performance thin film transistor can be manufactured uniformly. That is, when the crystalline silicon film is used as the semiconductor film of the active layer, a higher-performance thin film transistor can be manufactured uniformly by matching the <110> direction with the highest carrier mobility with the channel direction.
[0110]
In the above description, the case where one thin film transistor is manufactured has been described. However, in the case where a plurality of thin film transistors are manufactured, a plurality of pores H formed for each thin film transistor have a uniform surface with a predetermined plane orientation. The single-crystal silicon piece is disposed such that the surface thereof is the upper surface.
[0111]
As a result, a plurality of substantially single-crystal silicon films having uniform characteristics can be manufactured without variation in film quality due to the plane orientation, in which the plane orientation of the surface is unified in a predetermined direction. Then, by manufacturing a semiconductor device using a substantially single crystal silicon film in which the surface orientation of the surface is unified in a predetermined direction, a plurality of semiconductor devices having uniform characteristics without variation in characteristics of each thin film transistor are manufactured. can do.
[0112]
In the above-described method of manufacturing a thin film transistor, a case has been described where only one pore H is formed per thin film transistor. Thus, it is possible to prevent a crystal fragment serving as a nucleus for crystal growth from being generated at a plurality of locations for one thin film transistor after laser irradiation on the amorphous silicon film 5. That is, since only one pore H is formed per thin film transistor, the base point for crystal growth can be set to only one place, and the substantially single-crystal silicon film 3 can be reliably formed continuously. Thus, a thin film transistor having favorable characteristics can be manufactured.
[0113]
In the above description, the case where a substantially single crystal silicon film is used as the semiconductor thin film has been described. However, the present invention can be widely applied to a case where another semiconductor film such as a germanium film or a silicon-germanium film is used. .
[0114]
(Third embodiment)
In the third embodiment, an integrated circuit and an electro-optical device according to the present invention will be described.
[0115]
FIG. 7 shows an integrated circuit configuration of an electro-optical display device 20 which is a specific example of the electro-optical device according to the present invention, and includes a semiconductor device manufactured by the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention. It is composed. The electro-optical display device 20 shown in FIG. 7 includes a light emitting layer OELD capable of emitting light by an electroluminescence effect in each pixel region, a storage capacitor C for storing electric charges for driving the light emitting layer OELD, and a switching element described above as a switching element. The semiconductor device includes thin film transistors T1 to T4, which are semiconductor devices manufactured in the second embodiment.
[0116]
Here, in the thin film transistors T1 to T4, a substantially single crystal silicon film 3 whose surface directions are all aligned in the same direction, that is, {100}, and the channel direction is aligned in the <110> direction is used. . Therefore, the thin film transistors included in the electro-optical display device 20 have uniform characteristics without variation in characteristics among the thin film transistors, and have good carrier mobility.
[0117]
From the driver area 21, a scanning line Vsel and a light emission control line Vgp are supplied to each pixel area G. Further, from the driver region 22, a data line Idata and a power supply line Vdd are supplied to each pixel region G. By controlling the scanning line Vsel and the data line Idata, current programming is performed for each pixel region G, and light emission by the light emitting unit OELD can be controlled.
[0118]
The electro-optical display device 20 as described above includes a semiconductor device manufactured by the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention, that is, a thin film transistor. Since the thin film transistor has excellent characteristics such as a small off-current value, a large carrier mobility, and uniform characteristics without variation, the semiconductor integrated circuit constituted by the thin film transistor is formed. Is capable of coping with high-speed operation at low voltage and consuming low power, and the electro-optical display device constituted thereby realizes characteristics of high performance, high function, high quality and low power consumption. I have.
[0119]
Further, since the plane orientations of the surfaces of the substantially single crystal silicon films constituting these semiconductor devices are all aligned in the same direction {100} and the channel direction is aligned in the <110> direction, A semiconductor device having uniform characteristics without variations in characteristics and having good carrier mobility has been realized. Therefore, in the electro-optical display device 20, a high-performance, high-quality electro-optical device that operates stably at high speed and has no display unevenness due to unevenness of the semiconductor device is realized.
[0120]
Note that the drive circuit described above is an example of a circuit in the case where a current light emitting element is used as a light emitting element, and another circuit configuration is also possible. Further, a liquid crystal display element other than the current light emitting element can be used as the light emitting element. In this case, the circuit configuration may be changed corresponding to the liquid crystal display element.
[0121]
(Fourth embodiment)
In a fourth embodiment, an electronic device according to the present invention will be described.
[0122]
FIGS. 8A to 8F show specific examples of the electronic apparatus according to the present invention, and are configured to include a semiconductor device manufactured by the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention. Things.
[0123]
FIG. 8A shows a mobile phone 30 on which a semiconductor device manufactured by the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention is mounted. The mobile phone 30 includes an electro-optical device (display panel) 31 and an audio output unit. 32, a voice input unit 33, an operation unit 34, an antenna unit 35, and the like. In the mobile phone 30, the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention is applied to, for example, manufacturing of a semiconductor device provided in a display panel or an integrated circuit incorporated therein.
[0124]
FIG. 8B shows a video camera 40 on which a semiconductor device manufactured by the method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention is mounted. The video camera 40 includes an electro-optical device (display panel) 41 and an operation unit 42. , An audio input unit 43, an image receiving unit 44, and the like. In the video camera 40, the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention is applied to, for example, manufacturing of a semiconductor device provided in a display panel or an integrated circuit incorporated therein.
[0125]
FIG. 8C shows a portable personal computer 50 on which a semiconductor device manufactured by the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention is mounted. The portable personal computer 50 includes an electro-optical device (display panel) 51. , An operation unit 52, a camera unit 53, and the like. In the portable personal computer 50, the method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention is applied to, for example, manufacturing of a semiconductor device provided in a display panel or an integrated circuit incorporated therein.
[0126]
FIG. 8D shows a head mounted display 60 on which a semiconductor device manufactured by the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention is mounted. The head mounted display 60 includes an electro-optical device (display panel) 61 and an optical device. It is provided with a system storage section 62, a band section 63, and the like. In the head mounted display 60, the method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention is applied to, for example, manufacturing of a semiconductor device provided in a display panel or an integrated circuit incorporated therein.
[0127]
FIG. 8E shows a rear projector 70 on which a semiconductor device manufactured by the method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention is mounted. The rear projector 70 includes an electro-optical device (light modulator) 71, A light source 72, an optical system 73, a mirror 74, a mirror 75, a screen 77, and the like are provided in a housing 76. In the rear projector 70, the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention is applied to, for example, manufacturing of a light modulator or a semiconductor device provided in an integrated circuit incorporated therein.
[0128]
FIG. 8F shows a front type projector 80 on which a semiconductor device manufactured by the method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention is mounted. The front type projector 80 includes an electro-optical device (image display source) 81 and An optical system 82 and the like are provided in a housing 83, and an image can be displayed on a screen 84. In the front type projector 80, the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention is applied to, for example, manufacturing of an image display source or a semiconductor device provided in a built-in integrated circuit.
[0129]
The electronic apparatus as described above includes a semiconductor device manufactured by the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention. The semiconductor device has excellent characteristics such as a small off-current value, a large carrier mobility, uniform characteristics, and the like. The circuit can cope with high-speed operation and has low power consumption, and the electronic device configured by this realizes characteristics of high performance, high function, high quality, and low power consumption.
[0130]
The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described electronic device, and is applicable to the manufacture of any electronic device. For example, in addition to the above, the present invention can also be applied to the manufacture of watches, IC cards, fax machines with display functions, viewfinders for digital cameras, portable TVs, DSP devices, PDAs, electronic notebooks, electronic bulletin boards, displays for advertising, etc. Therefore, a high-quality electronic device can be realized.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a view showing a semiconductor thin film according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a process chart showing a method for manufacturing a semiconductor thin film.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of forming a pore.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing still another example of forming a pore.
FIG. 5 is a view showing a thin film transistor according to the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a process chart showing a method for manufacturing a thin film transistor.
FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of an electro-optical device according to the invention.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an electric device according to the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 glass substrate, 2 insulating film, 3 substantially single crystal silicon film, 3 ′ source / drain region, 3 ″ channel region, 4 single crystal silicon piece, 5 amorphous silicon film, 10 silicon oxide film, 11 gate electrode, 12 Silicon oxide film, 13 source / drain electrodes

Claims (22)

A step of forming pores in the thickness direction on the insulating surface of at least one of the insulating substrates,
A step of arranging a single crystal semiconductor piece having a surface with a predetermined plane orientation in the pores such that the surface is an upper surface,
Depositing a semiconductor material on the single crystal semiconductor piece and the insulating surface to form a semiconductor film;
By irradiating the semiconductor film with a laser to melt and recrystallize the semiconductor film, a substantially single crystal semiconductor film having the same plane orientation as the surface of the single crystal semiconductor piece is formed in a region around the pore. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor thin film. The substantially single-crystal semiconductor is formed by controlling the crystal orientation of the surface by forming the pores in a predetermined shape and direction and arranging the single-crystal semiconductor pieces in the pores according to the shape and orientation of the pores. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a film is formed. The method according to claim 1, wherein the shape of the pore is a rectangular parallelepiped or a cube. 4. The semiconductor according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor material is silicon, the semiconductor film is a silicon film, and the single-crystal semiconductor piece is a single-crystal silicon piece. 5. Manufacturing method of thin film. The method according to claim 4, wherein the plane orientation of the surface of the single crystal silicon piece is {100}. When arranging the single-crystal semiconductor piece in the pores, a single-crystal semiconductor piece having a surface unified to a predetermined plane orientation in the plurality of pores is arranged so that the surface is the upper surface. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor thin film according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein A step of forming pores in the thickness direction on the insulating surface of at least one of the insulating substrates,
A step of arranging a single crystal semiconductor piece having a surface with a predetermined plane orientation in the pores such that the surface is an upper surface,
Depositing a semiconductor material on the single crystal semiconductor piece and the insulating surface to form a semiconductor film;
By irradiating the semiconductor film with a laser to melt and recrystallize the semiconductor film, a substantially single crystal semiconductor film having the same plane orientation as the surface of the single crystal semiconductor piece is formed in a region around the pore. The process of
Forming a semiconductor device using the substantially single crystal semiconductor film as a semiconductor thin film. The substantially single-crystal semiconductor is formed by controlling the crystal orientation of the surface by forming the pores in a predetermined shape and direction and arranging the single-crystal semiconductor pieces in the pores according to the shape and orientation of the pores. Forming a film,
8. The method according to claim 7, wherein a semiconductor device is formed using the substantially single crystal semiconductor film as a semiconductor thin film. 9. The method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 7, wherein the shape of the pore is a rectangular parallelepiped or a cubic shape. 10. The semiconductor according to claim 7, wherein the semiconductor material is silicon, the semiconductor film is a silicon film, and the single crystal semiconductor piece is a single crystal silicon piece. Device manufacturing method. The method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 10, wherein the plane orientation of the surface of the single crystal silicon piece is {100}. When arranging the single-crystal semiconductor piece in the pores, a single-crystal semiconductor piece having a surface unified to a predetermined plane orientation in the plurality of pores is arranged so that the surface is the upper surface. The method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 7, wherein: At least one surface has a substantially single crystal semiconductor film whose plane orientation is controlled in a predetermined direction on the insulating surface of the insulating substrate,
A pore in the thickness direction is provided on the insulating surface and the inside of the pore is buried by a part of the substantially single crystal semiconductor film,
A semiconductor device comprising the substantially single crystal semiconductor film as a semiconductor thin film. A step of forming pores in the thickness direction on the insulating surface of at least one of the insulating substrates,
A step of arranging a single crystal semiconductor piece having a surface with a predetermined plane orientation in the pores such that the surface is an upper surface,
Depositing a semiconductor material on the single crystal semiconductor piece and the insulating surface to form a semiconductor film;
By irradiating the semiconductor film with a laser to melt and recrystallize the semiconductor film, a substantially single crystal semiconductor film having the same plane orientation as the surface of the single crystal semiconductor piece is formed in a region around the pore. The process of
Forming a thin film transistor using the substantially single crystal semiconductor film at least as a channel region. The substantially single-crystal semiconductor is formed by controlling the crystal orientation of the surface by forming the pores in a predetermined shape and direction and arranging the single-crystal semiconductor pieces in the pores according to the shape and orientation of the pores. Forming a film,
The method of manufacturing a thin film transistor according to claim 14, wherein the thin film transistor is formed such that a crystal orientation of a surface of the single crystal semiconductor film is substantially parallel to a channel direction. 16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the predetermined crystal orientation is a crystal orientation having the highest carrier mobility in the substantially single crystal semiconductor film. At least one surface has a substantially single crystal semiconductor film whose plane orientation is controlled in a predetermined direction on the insulating surface of the insulating substrate,
A pore in the thickness direction is provided on the insulating surface and the inside of the pore is buried by a part of the substantially single crystal semiconductor film,
A thin film transistor using the substantially single crystal semiconductor film at least as a channel region. 18. The thin film transistor according to claim 17, wherein a crystal orientation on a surface of the substantially single crystal semiconductor film and a channel direction are substantially parallel. An integrated circuit comprising the semiconductor device according to claim 13. 20. The integrated circuit according to claim 19, wherein a plurality of the semiconductor devices are provided, and a plane orientation of a surface of a semiconductor thin film of the semiconductor device is unified in a predetermined direction. Controlling a plurality of scanning lines, a plurality of data lines, a pixel electrode and a switching element arranged corresponding to an intersection of the scanning line and the data line, and an electro-optical element; An electro-optical device that drives the electro-optical element by:
An electro-optical device, wherein the switching element includes the semiconductor device according to claim 13. An electronic apparatus comprising the semiconductor device according to claim 13.

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