KR100315756B1 - Semiconductor device manufacturing method and apparatus therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

There is provided a system for automatically crystallizing an amorphous silicon film at a low temperature by the action of a catalytic element.

The steps required for applying a solution containing an element for promoting crystallization to the surface of the amorphous silicon film are performed in a unit denoted by (14 to 21). At this time, the substrate is transported to the robot arm 12.

Description

Semiconductor device manufacturing method and apparatus therefor

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device fabrication method using a silicon semiconductor thin film having crystallinity and a fabrication apparatus used in the fabrication.

A thin film transistor (hereinafter referred to as TFT) using a thin film semiconductor is known. This TFT is formed by forming a thin film semiconductor on a substrate and using the thin film semiconductor. This TFT is used in various integrated circuits, and is attracting attention particularly as a switching element provided in each pixel of an electro-optical device, particularly an active matrix type liquid crystal display device, and a driver element formed in a peripheral circuit portion.

As the thin film semiconductor used for the TFT, it is simple to use an amorphous silicon film, but its electrical characteristic is low. In order to improve the characteristics of the TFT, a silicon thin film having crystallinity may be used. The silicon film having crystallinity is referred to as polycrystalline silicon, polysilicon, microcrystalline silicon and the like. In order to obtain a silicon film having this crystallinity, an amorphous silicon film is first formed and then crystallized by heating.

However, crystallization by heating requires a time of 10 hours or more at a heating temperature of 600 DEG C or higher, and there is a problem that it is difficult to use a glass substrate as a substrate. For example, Corning 7059 glass used in an active liquid crystal display device has a deflection point of 593 deg. C and has a problem in heating at 600 deg. C or more in consideration of the large-sized substrate.

According to the researches of the present inventors, crystallization can be carried out at a treatment time of about 4 hours at 550 DEG C by depositing a trace amount of elements such as nickel, palladium and further lead on the surface of an amorphous silicon film and then heating Proved.

Plasma treatment, vapor deposition, and further ion implantation may be used to introduce such a trace element (a catalytic element promoting crystallization). The plasma treatment is carried out by using a material containing a catalytic element as an electrode in a plasma CVD apparatus of a parallel plate type or a positive light type and generating a plasma in an atmosphere of nitrogen or hydrogen to form an amorphous silicon film Is added.

However, introduction of a large amount of the catalytic element is undesirable because it interferes with the reliability and electrical stability of the semiconductor device.

That is, the element (catalytic element) for promoting crystallization of nickel or the like is required when crystallizing the amorphous silicon, but it is preferable that the element is not contained in the crystallized silicon at all. In order to attain this object, it is necessary to select one of the crystalline silicon elements having a strong recessionary glass flavor as a catalytic element, to reduce the amount of the catalytic element required for crystallization to a minimum, and to crystallize it in the minimum amount. For this purpose, it is necessary to precisely control the addition amount of the catalyst element.

In the case where nickel is used as a catalytic element, an amorphous silicon film is formed and nickel is added in accordance with a plasma treatment method to produce a crystalline silicon film. The crystallization process and the like are examined in detail.

(1) When nickel is introduced on the amorphous silicon film by the plasma treatment, nickel has already penetrated to a considerable depth in the amorphous silicon film before the heat treatment.

(2) The initial nucleation of crystals originates from the nickel-incorporated surface.

(3) Even when nickel is deposited on an amorphous silicon film by a vapor deposition method, crystallization occurs as in the case of plasma processing.

From the above, it can be concluded that all of the nickel introduced by the plasma treatment is not effectively functioning. That is, it is believed that even if a large amount of nickel is introduced, nickel which does not function sufficiently exists. From this, it is considered that the point (surface) where nickel and silicon are in contact functions at the time of low-temperature crystallization. It is concluded that nickel as fine as possible should be dispersed as much as possible. That is to say, it is concluded that "it is necessary to disperse and introduce nickel in a low concentration as possible in a small amount within a range where low temperature crystallization is possible in the vicinity of the surface of the amorphous silicon film".

As a method of introducing a very small amount of nickel only in the vicinity of the surface of the amorphous silicon film, in other words, a method of introducing a trace amount of a catalytic element promoting crystallization only in the vicinity of the surface of the amorphous silicon film, a vapor deposition method can be mentioned. However, the vapor deposition method has poor controllability. There is a problem that it is difficult to strictly control the introduction amount of the catalytic element.

As a method for solving the above problem, a technique of applying a solution containing a catalyst element on an amorphous silicon film, adsorbing a predetermined amount of a catalytic element on the surface of the amorphous silicon film, and then performing heat treatment is used.

According to this method, the concentration of the catalyst element introduced into the amorphous silicon film can be strictly controlled by the amount of nickel contained in the solution and the time in which the solution is brought into contact with the amorphous silicon film.

The catalyst addition method using this solution has many advantages, but there are disadvantages due to the simplicity of the process. A disadvantage is that it is sensitive to particle contamination. This is due to the fact that when the particles are present on the surface to be coated with the solution, the solution can not sufficiently contact the surface to be coated.

Further, after the step of adding the catalytic element, a heat treatment step by diffusion furnace or the like is required. In this step, it is also necessary to prevent the inner surface of the diffusion furnace and the like from being contaminated by the catalytic element. From this point of view, there is a need to perform the solution coating process.

An object of the present invention is to provide a structure in which a process of introducing a catalytic element by using a solution is performed by a series of successive processes.

1 shows an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. This apparatus is for continuously performing a series of processes of applying a solution containing nickel on the surface of an amorphous silicon film or on a surface to be formed with an amorphous silicon film.

As shown in FIG. 1, the entire device is unitized and arranged on a body denoted by reference numeral 11. A plurality of substrates (20 substrates in the present embodiment) are held on the carrier 13, and the substrates are transported one by one by the robot arm 12 serving as the substrate transport means to the glass trough which the respective processes are performed. Further, since the entire device is covered with a clean booth or the like, the amount of dust in the interior can be kept small compared to the outside, and the contamination during the process can be suppressed to a low level.

The robot arm has a structure for supporting the substrate from the lower side, and does not contaminate the surface of the substrate on which the processing is performed.

An example of processing one glass substrate will be described below. First, one glass substrate is taken out from the carrier 13 by the robot arm 12 and transported to the positioning unit 18. [ This positioning unit has a function of accurately determining the position of the substrate on the robot arm 12. [ This is because it is necessary to arrange the substrate by the robot arm in the spinner in a subsequent process because the center of the spinner and the center of the substrate need to be aligned at this time.

After the positioning is completed, the substrate is transferred to the cleaning unit 14. This transfer is naturally carried out by the robot arm 12. The cleaning unit 14 has a structure in which a spinner is disposed, and a substrate disposed on the spinner and rotated by the spinner is cleaned with pure water.

After the cleaning is completed, the substrate is transported to the drying unit 15 by the robot arm 12 and dried. The drying unit 15 has a structure in which a substrate is placed on a hot plate and heated and dried. As the drying unit, drying with warm air may be performed.

The dried substrate is transported to the cooling unit 16 by the robot arm 12. The cooling unit 16 is for cooling the heated substrate in the drying process. In this cooling unit, the substrate is cooled by placing the substrate on a metal having a high thermal conductivity.

The cooled substrate is transferred to the oxidation unit 17. The oxidation unit 17 is for generating ozone by UV light from a low-pressure mercury lamp in an oxygen atmosphere and oxidizing the surface of the surface to be formed. Since this oxidation unit needs to be sealed after bringing in the substrate, it is composed of a chamber having a door. In this oxidation unit, an extremely thin oxide film is formed on the surface of the substrate.

This oxide film serves to improve the wetting property with the solution in the subsequent solution applying step and to serve as an adsorption support for the compound containing the catalytic element.

The oxidation unit may be configured to perform thermal oxidation, or to perform oxidation with an oxidizing solution such as hydrogen peroxide.

After the oxidation is completed, the substrate is again transported to the positioning unit 18 and the positioning is performed. Thereafter, the substrate is transported to the coating unit 19. The coating unit 19 has a function of coating a solution containing a catalytic element promoting crystallization on a substrate.

Specifically, it has a structure in which a solution containing a catalyst element is applied to the surface of a substrate disposed on a spinner, and then spin drying is performed. Other than using a spinner, the solution may be applied and then dried by blowing or heating.

Thereafter, drying is carried out by the drying unit 20 as necessary. This is because drying in the coating unit 19 may be insufficient. If the drying method is the same in the drying unit 15 and the drying unit 20, only one unit may be used.

In the drying step, when the substrate is heated, the substrate is transported to the cooling unit 21 for cooling. This process may be performed in the cooling unit 16.

Thus, a branching element is introduced onto the surface of the amorphous silicon film on the glass substrate. Thereafter, the wafer is subjected to the heat treatment process without going through the cleaning process. The transfer to the heating process is also preferably performed by a cassette-to-cassette as a robot arm. Such a configuration is an effective means for solving the problems of particles and contamination.

In the configuration shown in Fig. 1, a positioning mechanism may be provided for each unit. Although not shown in FIG. 1, a laser annealing unit by irradiation of a laser beam, a heat treatment unit for performing a heat treatment, and a unit for performing rapid thermal annealing (RTA) by irradiation of infrared light are added, May be continuously performed.

Next, the solution used for adding the catalytic element and the catalytic element will be described. As the solution, an aqueous solution, an organic solvent solution and the like can be used. The state of the catalytic element contained in the solution includes a state of being contained as a compound and a state of being simply dispersed.

As the solvent containing the catalytic element, a polar solvent selected from water, alcohol, acid, and ammonia can be used.

When nickel is used as a catalyst and the nickel is contained in a polar solvent, nickel is introduced as a nickel compound. Typical examples of the nickel compound include nickel nitrate, nickel nitrate, nickel nitrate, nickel carbonate, nickel chloride, nickel iodide, nickel nitrate, nickel sulfate, nickel formate, nickel acetylacetonate, nickel 4-cyclohexylbutanoate , Nickel oxide, and nickel hydroxide.

As the solution containing the catalytic element, a nonpolar solvent selected from benzene, toluene, xylene, carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, ether, trichlorethylene and fron may be used. Moreover, the polarity referred to here is not rigid, but is based on general chemical properties.

In this case, nickel is introduced as a nickel compound. Typical examples of the nickel compound include nickel acetylacetonate and nickel 2-ethylhexanoate.

It is also useful to add a surfactant to the solution containing the catalytic element. This is to control the adsorbability by increasing the adhesion to the surface to be coated. This surfactant may be applied on the surface to be coated in advance.

When a nickel element is used as a catalytic element, it is necessary to dissolve it in an acid to prepare a solution.

The above is an example using a solution in which nickel, which is a catalytic element, is completely dissolved. However, even if the nickel is not completely dissolved, a material such as an emulsion in which powder made of nickel or a nickel compound is uniformly dispersed in the dispersion medium may be used .

These cases also apply to the case where a material other than nickel is used as the catalytic element.

When nickel is used as a catalytic element for promoting crystallization and a polar solvent such as water is used as a solution solvent containing nickel, when these solutions are directly applied to an amorphous silicon film, there is a case where the solution is turned over have. In this case, a thin oxide film having a thickness of 100 Å or less is formed first, and a solution containing a catalytic element is applied thereon, whereby the solution can be uniformly applied. Also, a method of improving wetting by adding a material such as a surfactant to a solution is also effective.

In addition, a nonpolar solvent such as a toluene solution of nickel 2-ethylhexanoate is used as a solution, and it can be directly applied on the surface of the amorphous silicon film. In this case, it is effective to previously apply a material such as an adhesive agent used at the time of applying the resist. However, when the amount is too large, it is necessary to pay attention to the addition of the catalytic element to the amorphous silicon.

The amount of the catalytic element to be contained in the solution varies depending on the kind of the solution, but the tendency is that the amount of nickel is from 200 ppm to 1 ppm, preferably from 50 ppm to 1 ppm (relative to the weight of the solution) By weight). This is a value determined in consideration of the nickel concentration in the film and the resistance to hydrofluoric acid after the end of crystallization.

In addition, crystal growth can be selectively performed by selectively applying a solution containing a catalyst element. Particularly, in this case, crystal growth can be performed in a direction substantially parallel to the surface of the silicon film from the region where the solution is applied, toward the region where the solution is not applied. An area in which crystal growth is performed in a direction substantially parallel to the plane of the silicon film is referred to as a region in which crystal growth is performed in the lateral direction.

It was also confirmed that the concentration of the catalytic element was low in the region where crystal growth was performed in the lateral direction. Although it is useful to use a crystalline silicon film as the active layer region of the semiconductor device, the impurity concentration in the active layer region is generally low. Therefore, forming the active layer region of the semiconductor device by using the region where the crystal growth is performed in the lateral direction is useful in manufacturing the device.

In the present invention, the most remarkable effect can be obtained when nickel is used as the catalytic element, but it is preferable to use Ni, Pd, Pt, Cu, Ag, Au, In, Sn , P, As, and Sb can be used. Further, one kind or plural kinds of elements selected from Group VIII elements, IIIb, IVb and Vb elements may be used.

When Fe (iron) is used as a catalytic element, a compound known as an iron salt such as ferric bromide (FeBr ₂ 6H ₂ O), ferric bromide (FeBr ₃ 6H ₂ O) nitric acid and ferric _{(Fe (C 2 H 3 O} 2) 3 xH 2 O), ferrous chloride (FeCl ₂ 4H ₂ O), ferric chloride (FeCl ₃ 6H ₂ O), fluoride, ferric (FeF ₃ 3H ₂ O), ferric nitrate _{(Fe (NO 3) 3 9H} 2 O), phosphate of ferrous _{(Fe 3 (PO4) 2 8H} 2 O), ferric phosphate (FePO ₄ 2H ₂ O) from The selected one can be used.

When Co (cobalt) is used as the catalytic element, a compound known as a cobalt salt such as cobalt (CoBr 6 H ₂ O), cobalt (Co (C ₂ H ₃ O ₂ ) ₂ 4H ₂ O), it may be used one selected from cobalt chloride (CoCl ₂ 6H ₂ O), cobalt fluoride (CoF ₂ xH ₂ O), cobalt nitrate _{(Co (NO 3) 2 6H} 2 O).

When Ru (ruthenium) is used as the catalytic element, a compound known as a ruthenium salt such as ruthenium chloride (RuCl ₃ H ₂ O) can be used as the compound.

When Rh (rhodium) is used as the catalytic element, a compound known as a rhodium salt such as rhodium chloride (RhCl ₃ 3H ₂ O) can be used as the compound.

When Pd (palladium) is used as the catalytic element, a compound known as a palladium salt such as palladium chloride (PdCl ₂ 2H ₂ O) can be used as the compound thereof.

When Os (osmium) is used as the catalytic element, a compound known as Osmium salt, such as OsCl ₃ , may be used as the compound.

When Ir (iridium) is used as the catalytic element, a material known as an iridium salt such as iridium trichloride (IrCl ₃ 3H ₂ O) or iridium tetrachloride (IrCl ₄ ) can be used as the compound thereof .

When Pt (platinum) is used as the catalytic element, a compound known as a platinum salt, for example, platinum chloride (PtCl ₄ 5H ₂ O) can be used as the compound.

(Cu (CH ₃ COO) ₂ ), cupric chloride (CuCl ₂ 2H ₂ O), cupric nitrate (Cu (NO ₃ ) ₂ ), and the like are used as the catalyst element. ₃ ) ₂ 3H ₂ O) can be used.

In the case of using gold as the catalytic element, as their compounds, trichloro gold (AuCl ₃ xH ₂ O), yeomhwageum salt (AuHCl ₄ 4H ₂ O), tetrachloro-gold sodium (AuNaCl ₄ 2H ₂ O) can use the material selected from have.

In addition, the method of introducing the catalytic element is not limited to the use of a solution such as an aqueous solution or alcohol, and a substance containing a catalytic element can be widely used. For example, a metal compound or an oxide containing a catalytic element can be used.

[Example 1]

The present embodiment is an example in which a catalytic element for promoting crystallization is contained in an aqueous solution and is coated on an amorphous silicon film and then crystallized by heating.

FIG. 2 shows a manufacturing process of this embodiment. In this embodiment, up to the introduction of the catalytic element (here, nickel is used) will be described. In this embodiment, Corning 7059 glass is used as the substrate 201. The size thereof is set to 100 mm x 100 mm.

First, an amorphous silicon film is formed to a thickness of 100 to 1500 ANGSTROM by a plasma CVD method or an LPCVD method. Here, the amorphous silicon film 22 is formed to have a thickness of 1000 angstroms by the plasma CVD method (FIG. 2 (A)).

Hereinafter, the substrate 201 on which an amorphous silicon film is formed is simply referred to as a substrate. Hereinafter, a process of introducing nickel to the surface of the amorphous silicon film 22 using the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 will be described.

First, as shown in FIG. 2 (A), a plurality of substrates 201 on which an amorphous silicon film 22 is formed are disposed on the carrier 13. Then, the substrate is transported to the positioning unit 18 using the robot arm 12, and is transported to the cleaning unit 14 after positioning. Clean the substrate thoroughly.

Next, the substrate is transported to the drying unit 15 and dried at 120 DEG C for 90 seconds. Next, the substrate is transported to the cooling unit 16 and cooled for 5 seconds. Then, the substrate is transported to the positioning unit 18 again for positioning. Next, the substrate is transported by the oxidation unit 17, and UV light is irradiated for 5 minutes in an oxygen atmosphere to form an extremely thin oxide film 23 on the surface of the amorphous silicon film (FIG. 2 (B)).

Instead of using UV light, an oxidized film may be obtained by immersing the hydrogen peroxide solution for 5 minutes while heating to 70 캜. A thermal oxide film may also be used.

The oxide film 23 is intended to diffuse the nitrate solution over the entire surface of the amorphous silicon film, that is, to improve the wettability in a process after the application of the nitrate solution containing nickel. For example, when a solution of a nitrate is directly applied to the surface of an amorphous silicon film, nickel can not be introduced into the entire surface of the amorphous silicon film because the amorphous silicon repels the nitrate solution. That is, uniform crystallization can not be performed.

After the formation of the oxide film 23, the substrate is transported to the coating unit 19, and a nitric acid solution containing nickel is coated on the substrate. That is, a nitrate solution 24 containing nickel is applied to the surface of the amorphous silicon film 22 with an extremely thin oxide film 23 interposed therebetween.

In this embodiment, a solution in which the concentration of nickel is 100 ppm with respect to the nitrate solution in terms of weight is used. The application step is carried out as follows. First, 2 ml of the nitrate solution is dropped on the surface of the oxide film 23 on the amorphous silicon film 22, and this state is maintained for 5 minutes. Then, spin drying (2000 rpm, 60 seconds) is performed using the spinner 25 (see Figs. 2 (C) and 2 (D)).

The nickel concentration in the nitrate solution is practically usable if it is 1 ppm or more, preferably 10 ppm or more. When a nonpolar solvent such as a toluene solution of nickel 2-ethylhexanoate is used as the solution, the oxide film 23 is not required, and the catalytic element can be introduced directly onto the amorphous silicon film.

A nickel containing layer having an average film thickness of several angstroms to several hundreds of angstroms can be formed on the surface of the amorphous silicon film 22 after spin-drying by performing the coating step of this nickel solution one to several times. In this case, the nickel in this layer diffuses into the amorphous silicon film in the subsequent heating step, and acts as a catalyst for promoting crystallization. In addition, this layer is not necessarily a complete film.

After application of the solution, the state is maintained for 5 minutes. The concentration of nickel finally contained in the silicon film 22 can be controlled by the holding time, but the largest control factor is the concentration of the solution.

After the application is completed, the substrate is transferred from the coating unit 19 to the drying unit 20, dried, and cooled again in the cooling unit 21.

In this way, the process using the apparatus of FIG. 1 is terminated. Then, in a heating furnace, heat treatment is performed at 550 占 폚 for 4 hours in a nitrogen atmosphere. As a result, a silicon thin film 26 having crystallinity formed on the substrate 201 can be obtained.

The above-mentioned heat treatment can be carried out at a temperature of 450 DEG C or higher, but if the temperature is low, the heating time must be lengthened and the production efficiency is lowered. When the temperature is 550 占 폚 or higher, the problem of heat resistance of the glass substrate used as the substrate becomes apparent.

Although the method of introducing the catalytic element into the amorphous silicon film is described in this embodiment, a method of introducing the catalytic element under the amorphous silicon film may be employed. In this case, the catalyst element may be introduced onto the underlying film (lower film) by using a solution containing the catalyst element prior to the film formation of the amorphous silicon film.

[Example 2]

This embodiment shows an example in which a TFT provided in each pixel portion of an active matrix type liquid crystal display device is manufactured using the silicon film having crystallinity prepared in Embodiment 1. [ It goes without saying that the application range of the TFT is applicable not only to a liquid crystal display but also to a thin film integrated circuit generally referred to.

First, an island-shaped region 104 is formed by patterning a crystalline silicon film fabricated by the process shown in Embodiment 1. This island-shaped region 104 constitutes the active layer of the TFT. Then, a silicon oxide film 105 having a thickness of 200 to 1,500 angstroms is formed. This silicon oxide film also functions as a gate insulating film (FIG. 3 (A)).

Care should be taken in forming the silicon oxide film 105. Here, TEOS is used as a raw material and decomposed and deposited by RF plasma CVD at a substrate temperature of 150 to 600 占 폚, preferably 300 to 450 占 폚, together with oxygen. The pressure ratio of TEOS to oxygen was 1: 1 to 1: 3, the pressure was 0.05 to 0.5 torr, and the RF power was 100 to 250W. Alternatively, the substrate temperature was set to 350 to 600 占 폚, preferably 400 to 550 占 폚, by the low pressure CVD method or the atmospheric pressure CVD method together with the ozone gas using TEOS as a raw material. After the film formation, the substrate was annealed in oxygen or ozone atmosphere at 400 to 600 DEG C for 30 to 60 minutes.

In this state, the crystallization of the silicon region 104 may be promoted by irradiating a KrF excimer laser (wavelength: 248 nm, pulse width: 20 nsec) or strong light equivalent thereto. Particularly, since RTA (Rapid Thermal Anneal) using infrared light can selectively heat only silicon without heating the glass substrate and further reduce the interface level at the interface between the silicon and the silicon oxide film, Which is useful in manufacturing an insulated gate field effect semiconductor device.

Thereafter, an aluminum film having a thickness of 2000 Å to 1 탆 is formed by an electron beam evaporation method, and this is patterned to form a gate electrode 106. The aluminum may be doped with scandium (Sc) in an amount of 0.15 to 0.2% by weight. Subsequently, the substrate is immersed in an ethylene glycol solution of pH = 7, 1-3% tartaric acid, and anodic oxidation is performed using platinum as a negative electrode and the aluminum gate electrode as a positive electrode. The anodic oxidation is terminated by raising the voltage to 220 V at the initial constant current, holding it for 1 hour in this state. In this embodiment, the rising rate of the voltage in the constant current state is suitably 2 to 5 V / min. Thus, an anodic oxide 107 having a thickness of 1500 to 3500 angstroms, for example, 2000 angstroms is formed (FIG. 3 (B)).

Thereafter, an impurity (phosphorus) was injected in the island-shaped silicon film of each TFT in a self-aligning manner using the gate electrode portion as a mask by ion doping (also referred to as plasma doping). Phosphine (PH ₃ ) was used as a flue gas. The dosage should be ¹ to ⁴ x 10 ¹⁵ cm ^-2 .

Next, as shown in Fig. 3 (C), a KrF excimer laser (wavelength: 248 nm, pulse width: 20 nsec) was irradiated to irradiate a portion of the deteriorated crystallinity due to the introduction of the impurity region Thereby improving crystallinity. Energy density of the laser is 150~400 mJ / cm ^2, preferably, 200~250 mJ / cm ^2. Thus, N-type impurity (phosphorus) regions 108 and 109 are formed. The sheet resistance of these regions was 200 to 800 Ω / □.

In this process, instead of using a laser, a so-called RTA (rapid thermal annealing) (RTP, also referred to as rapid thermal annealing) which raises the temperature to 1000 to 1200 占 폚 (temperature of the silicon monitor) in a short time using a flash lamp and heats the sample ) May be used.

Thereafter, a silicon oxide film having a thickness of 3000 Å is formed on the front surface by TEOS as a raw material as an intervening insulating material 110, a plasma CVD method using this material and oxygen, a reduced pressure CVD method using ozone, or an atmospheric pressure CVD method. The substrate temperature is set at 250 to 450 캜, for example, 350 캜. After the film formation, the silicon oxide film is mechanically polished to obtain the flatness of the surface. Then, an ITO film is deposited by a sputtering method and is patterned to be a pixel electrode 111 (FIG. 3 (D)).

The interlayer insulator 110 is etched to form contact holes in the source / train of the TFT as shown in FIG. 3E, to form the wirings 112 and 113 of chromium or titanium nitride, 113 are connected to the pixel electrode 111.

The crystalline silicon film into which nickel is introduced by plasma treatment has a lower selectivity to the buffer hydrofluoric acid than the silicon oxide film, so that the crystalline silicon film is often etched in the process of forming the contact hole.

However, when nickel is introduced using an aqueous solution at a low concentration of 10 ppm as in the present embodiment, since the resistance to hydrofluoric acid is high, the formation of the contact holes can be stabilized and reproducibility can be improved.

Finally, hydrogen is annealed at 300 to 400 ° C for 0.1 to 2 hours in hydrogen to complete the hydrogenation of silicon. In this manner, the TFT is completed. Then, a plurality of simultaneously fabricated TFTs are arranged in a matrix form to complete an active matrix type liquid crystal display device. This TFT has source / drain regions 108 and 109 and a channel forming region 114. [ Also, reference numeral 115 denotes an electrical junction portion of NI.

When the structure of this embodiment is employed, it is considered that the concentration of nickel present in the active layer is about 3 × 10 ¹⁸ cm ^-3 or less and 1 × 10 ¹⁶ atoms cm ^-3 to 3 × 10 ¹⁸ atoms cm ^-3 .

By employing the constitution of the present invention, a crystalline silicon film can be obtained with good productivity at a low temperature. Further, in the embodiment, the layer containing the catalyst is formed on the amorphous silicon film. However, even if a layer containing a catalyst is formed on the substrate in advance and an amorphous silicon film is formed thereon, the present invention is not deviated from the gist.

FIG. 1 is a view showing a configuration of an embodiment; FIG.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a manufacturing process of the embodiment; FIG.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a manufacturing process of the embodiment; FIG.

DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERENCE NUMERALS

11: main body 12: robot arm 13: carrier

14: cleaning unit 15: drying unit 16: cooling unit

17: oxidation unit 18: positioning unit 19: coating unit

20: drying unit 21: cooling unit 22: silicon film

23: oxide film 25: spinner 201: glass substrate

Claims (41)

A step of bringing the substrate into a first unit designed to oxidize the surface of the substrate by using the substrate carrying means to oxidize the surface of the substrate, And a second unit designed to apply a solution containing a catalyst element for promoting crystallization of a semiconductor film to the surface of the substrate by carrying out the substrate from the first unit by the substrate transfer means, Applying the solution to a surface of the substrate to provide a continuous layer on the surface, Wherein the first unit, the substrate carrying unit, and the second unit are disposed in the same apparatus. The semiconductor device manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is provided with the semiconductor film. A step of bringing the substrate into a first unit designed to oxidize the surface of the substrate by using the substrate carrying means to oxidize the surface of the substrate, The substrate is taken out of the first unit by the substrate transfer means and brought into a second unit designed to apply a solution containing a catalyst element for promoting crystallization of the semiconductor film to the surface of the substrate, And applying the solution, Wherein the first unit, the substrate carrying unit, and the second unit are disposed in the same apparatus. The semiconductor device manufacturing method according to claim 3, wherein the semiconductor film is provided on the substrate. Forming a semiconductor film containing silicon on a substrate; A lithographic apparatus comprising: a carrier unit positioned on a base and capable of placing the substrate thereon; at least one oxidation unit positioned on the base and oxidizing the surface of the substrate; a positioning unit positioned on the base to position the substrate; At least one drying unit disposed on the substrate and adapted to dry the organs, at least one drying unit positioned on the base and cooling at least the substrate, Preparing a device including one cooling unit and a transporting unit located on the base and transporting the substrate from one of the units to another unit; Transporting the substrate to the oxidation unit by the transporting means; Oxidizing the substrate in the oxidation unit to form a thin oxide film on the surface of the semiconductor film capable of distributing catalytic material on the entire surface of the semiconductor film; Transporting the substrate to the coating unit by the transporting unit; And And forming a solution containing a catalyst material capable of promoting crystallization of silicon on the surface of the semiconductor film so as to provide a continuous layer on the surface of the semiconductor film. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 5, wherein the silicon is an amorphous phase. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the solution comprises a nickel solution. The method according to claim 1, wherein the catalytic element is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Ni, Pd, Pt, Cu, Ag, Au, In, Sn, P, As and Sb. 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the catalytic element is at least one element selected from Group VIII, IIIb, IVb and Vb elements of the periodic table. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the application step is performed at least once. The method according to claim 1, wherein the entire device is covered with a clean booth. 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the thin oxide film formed by oxidizing the surface of the substrate has a thickness of 100 ANGSTROM or less. The method according to claim 3, wherein the solution is at least one selected from the group consisting of a polar solvent, a non-polar solvent, and a surfactant. The method according to claim 1, wherein the oxidation step is performed by ozone generated using ultraviolet light irradiation. The method of claim 1, wherein the oxidation step is performed by an oxidizing solution such as hydrogen peroxide. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor film is an amorphous silicon film. 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the catalytic element is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Ni, Pd, Pt, Cu, Ag, Au, In, Sn, P, As and Sb. 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the catalytic element is at least one element selected from Group VIII, IIIb, IVb and Vb elements of the periodic table. The method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 3, wherein the application step is performed at least once. The method according to claim 3, wherein the entire device is covered with a clean booth. 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the thin oxide film formed by oxidizing the surface of the substrate has a thickness of 100 ANGSTROM or less. The method according to claim 3, wherein the solution is at least one selected from the group consisting of a polar solvent, a non-polar solvent, and a surfactant. 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the oxidation step is performed by ozone generated using ultraviolet light irradiation. 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the oxidation step is performed by an oxidizing solution such as hydrogen peroxide. The semiconductor device manufacturing method according to claim 3, wherein the semiconductor film is an amorphous silicon film. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the catalytic material is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Ni, Pd, Pt, Cu, Ag, Au, In, Sn, P, As and Sb. 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the catalyst material is at least one element selected from group VIII, IIIb, IVb and Vb elements of the periodic table. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 5, wherein the step of forming a solution containing a catalyst material on the surface of the semiconductor film is performed at least once. The method according to claim 5, wherein the entire device is covered with a clean booth. The method according to claim 5, wherein the oxide film has a thickness of 100 Å or less. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the solution is at least one selected from the group consisting of a polar solvent, a nonpolar solvent, and a surfactant. The method according to claim 5, wherein the oxidation step is performed by ozone generated using ultraviolet light irradiation. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the oxidation process is performed by an oxidizing solution such as hydrogen peroxide. A carrier unit positioned on the base and capable of placing a substrate thereon, At least one oxidation unit positioned on the base and oxidizing the surface of the substrate, A positioning unit positioned on the base and positioning the substrate, At least one application unit located on the base and applying a solution to a surface of the substrate, At least one drying unit disposed on the substrate to dry the substrate, At least one cooling unit located on the base and cooling the substrate, and And a transporting unit which is located on the base and transports the substrate from one of the units to another unit, A semiconductor film is formed on the substrate, Wherein the solution includes a catalyst material capable of promoting crystallization of the semiconductor film. The semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus according to claim 34, wherein the semiconductor film comprises amorphous silicon. 35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the solution comprises a nickel solution. The semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus according to claim 34, wherein the catalytic material is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Ni, Pd, Pt, Cu, Ag, Au, In, Sn, P, As and Sb. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the catalytic material is at least one element selected from Group VIII, IIIb, IVb and Vb elements of the periodic table. The semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus according to claim 34, wherein the entire device is covered with a clean booth. 35. The semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus according to claim 34, wherein an oxide film having a thickness of 100 angstroms or less is formed on the surface of the semiconductor film. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the solution is at least one selected from the group consisting of a polar solvent, a non-polar solvent, and a surfactant.