Abstract: An island-shaped single crystal semiconductor layer whose top surface has a plane within ±10° from a {211} plane is formed on an insulating surface; a non-single-crystal semiconductor layer is formed in contact with the top surface and a side surface of the single crystal semiconductor layer and on the insulating surface; the non-single-crystal semiconductor layer is irradiated with laser light to melt the non-single-crystal semiconductor layer, and to crystallize the non-single-crystal semiconductor layer formed on the insulating surface with use of the single crystal semiconductor layer as a seed crystal, so that a crystalline semiconductor layer is formed. A semiconductor device having an n-channel transistor and a p-channel transistor formed with use of the crystalline semiconductor layer is provided.

Abstract: An object is to provide a method for manufacturing a highly reliable semiconductor device including a transistor with stable electric characteristics. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes the steps of: forming a gate electrode over a substrate having an insulating surface; forming a gate insulating film over the gate electrode; forming an oxide semiconductor film over the gate insulating film; irradiating the oxide semiconductor film with an electromagnetic wave such as a microwave or a high frequency; forming a source electrode and a drain electrode over the oxide semiconductor film irradiated with the electromagnetic wave; and forming an oxide insulating film, which is in contact with part of the oxide semiconductor film, over the gate insulating film, the oxide semiconductor film, the source electrode, and the drain electrode.

Abstract: An object is to provide an oxide semiconductor layer having a novel structure which is preferably used for a semiconductor device. Alternatively, another object is to provide a semiconductor device using an oxide semiconductor layer having the novel structure. An oxide semiconductor layer includes an amorphous region which is mainly amorphous and a crystal region containing crystal grains of In2Ga2ZnO7 in a vicinity of a surface, in which the crystal grains are oriented so that the c-axis is almost vertical with respect to the surface. Alternatively, a semiconductor device uses such an oxide semiconductor layer.

Abstract: A color image of an inspection object is taken by an imaging means capable of taking a color image to obtain color information of an RGB color space. A gray-scale image of a color component of the RGB color space or another color space is generated, and the inspection object is detected by a pattern recognition technique. Alternatively, a binary image is generated from the generated gray-scale image, and the inspection object is detected by performing pattern recognition on the binary image. Color data of a pixel occupied by the detected inspection object is compared with color data of a non-defective inspection object which is previously prepared to judge whether or not the inspection object is defective. In addition, this judgment result is reflected in another manufacturing step through a network and product quality is improved.

Abstract: In a channel protected thin film transistor in which a channel formation region is formed using an oxide semiconductor, an oxide semiconductor layer which is dehydrated or dehydrogenated by a heat treatment is used as an active layer, a crystal region including nanocrystals is included in a superficial portion in the channel formation region, and the rest portion is amorphous or is formed of a mixture of amorphousness/non-crystals and microcrystals, where an amorphous region is dotted with microcrystals. By using an oxide semiconductor layer having such a structure, a change to an n-type caused by entry of moisture or elimination of oxygen to or from the superficial portion and generation of a parasitic channel can be prevented and a contact resistance with a source and drain electrodes can be reduced.

Abstract: An embodiment is to include an inverted staggered (bottom gate structure) thin film transistor in which an oxide semiconductor film containing In, Ga, and Zn is used as a semiconductor layer and a buffer layer is provided between the semiconductor layer and a source and drain electrode layers. The buffer layer having higher carrier concentration than the semiconductor layer is provided intentionally between the source and drain electrode layers and the semiconductor layer, whereby an ohmic contact is formed.

Abstract: To provide a transistor having a favorable electric characteristics and high reliability and a display device including the transistor. The transistor is a bottom-gate transistor formed using an oxide semiconductor for a channel region. An oxide semiconductor layer subjected to dehydration or dehydrogenation through heat treatment is used as an active layer. The active layer includes a first region of a superficial portion microcrystallized and a second region of the rest portion. By using the oxide semiconductor layer having such a structure, a change to an n-type, which is attributed to entry of moisture to the superficial portion or elimination of oxygen from the superficial portion, and generation of a parasitic channel can be suppressed. In addition, contact resistance between the oxide semiconductor layer and source and drain electrodes can be reduced.

Abstract: An object is to provide a method for manufacturing a highly reliable semiconductor device including a transistor with stable electric characteristics. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes the steps of: forming a gate electrode over a substrate having an insulating surface; forming a gate insulating film over the gate electrode; forming an oxide semiconductor film over the gate insulating film; irradiating the oxide semiconductor film with an electromagnetic wave such as a microwave or a high frequency; forming a source electrode and a drain electrode over the oxide semiconductor film irradiated with the electromagnetic wave; and forming an oxide insulating film, which is in contact with part of the oxide semiconductor film, over the gate insulating film, the oxide semiconductor film, the source electrode, and the drain electrode.

Abstract: An oxide semiconductor film which has more stable electric conductivity is provided. Further, a semiconductor device which has stable electric characteristics and high reliability is provided by using the oxide semiconductor film. An oxide semiconductor film includes a crystalline region, and the crystalline region includes a crystal in which an a-b plane is substantially parallel with a surface of the film and a c-axis is substantially perpendicular to the surface of the film; the oxide semiconductor film has stable electric conductivity and is more electrically stable with respect to irradiation with visible light, ultraviolet light, and the like. By using such an oxide semiconductor film for a transistor, a highly reliable semiconductor device having stable electric characteristics can be provided.

Abstract: One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a thin film transistor using an oxide semiconductor film containing indium (In), gallium (Ga), and zinc (Zn), in which the contact resistance between the oxide semiconductor layer and a source and drain electrodes is reduced, and to provide a method for manufacturing the thin film transistor. An ohmic contact is formed by intentionally providing a buffer layer having a higher carrier concentration than the IGZO semiconductor layer between the IGZO semiconductor layer and the source and drain electrode layers.

Abstract: A semiconductor device having a novel structure or a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device is provided. For example, the reliability of a transistor which is driven at high voltage or large current is improved. For improvement of the reliability of the transistor, a buffer layer is provided between a drain electrode layer (or a source electrode layer) and an oxide semiconductor layer such that the end portion of the buffer layer is beyond the side surface of the drain electrode layer (or the source electrode layer) when seen in a cross section, whereby the buffer layer can relieve the concentration of electric field. The buffer layer is a single layer or a stacked layer including a plurality of layers, and includes, for example, an In—Ga—Zn—O film containing nitrogen, an In—Sn—O film containing nitrogen, an In—Sn—O film containing SiOx, or the like.

Abstract: The thin film transistor includes, over a substrate having an insulating surface, a gate insulating layer covering a gate electrode, an amorphous semiconductor layer over the gate insulating layer, a semiconductor layer including an impurity element imparting one conductivity type over the amorphous semiconductor layer. The amorphous semiconductor layer comprises an NH radical. Defects of the amorphous semiconductor layer are reduced by cross-linking dangling bonds with the NH radical in the amorphous semiconductor layer.

Abstract: It is an object of an embodiment of the present invention to reduce leakage current between a source and a drain in a transistor including an oxide semiconductor. As a first gate film in contact with a gate insulating film, a compound conductor which includes indium and nitrogen and whose band gap is less than 2.8 eV is used. Since this compound conductor has a work function of greater than or equal to 5 eV, preferably greater than or equal to 5.5 eV, the electron concentration in an oxide semiconductor film can be maintained extremely low. As a result, the leakage current between the source and the drain is reduced.

Abstract: An object is to provide a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor film, which has stable electrical characteristics and high reliability. A stack of first and second material films is formed by forming the first material film (a film having a hexagonal crystal structure) having a thickness of 1 nm to 10 nm over an insulating surface and forming the second material film having a hexagonal crystal structure (a crystalline oxide semiconductor film) using the first material film as a nucleus. As the first material film, a material film having a wurtzite crystal structure (e.g., gallium nitride or aluminum nitride) or a material film having a corundum crystal structure (?-Al2O3, ?-Ga2O3, In2O3, Ti2O3, V2O3, Cr2O3, or ?-Fe2O3) is used.

Abstract: An object is to manufacture a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor film, which has stable electric characteristics and high reliability. A crystalline oxide semiconductor film is formed, without performing a plurality of steps, as follows: by utilizing a difference in atomic weight of plural kinds of atoms included in an oxide semiconductor target, zinc with low atomic weight is preferentially deposited on an oxide insulating film to form a seed crystal including zinc; and tin, indium, or the like with high atomic weight is deposited on the seed crystal while causing crystal growth. Further, a crystalline oxide semiconductor film is formed by causing crystal growth using a seed crystal with a hexagonal crystal structure including zinc as a nucleus, whereby a single crystal oxide semiconductor film or a substantially single crystal oxide semiconductor film is formed.

Abstract: The thin film transistor includes a gate insulating layer covering a gate electrode, over a substrate having an insulating surface; a semiconductor layer forming a channel formation region, in which a plurality of crystal regions is included in an amorphous structure; an impurity semiconductor layer imparting one conductivity type which forms a source region and a drain region; and a buffer layer formed from an amorphous semiconductor, which is located between the semiconductor layer and the impurity semiconductor layer. The thin film transistor includes the crystal region which includes minute crystal grains and inverted conical or inverted pyramidal grain each of which grows approximately radially from a position away from an interface between the gate insulating layer and the semiconductor layer toward a direction in which the semiconductor layer is deposited in a region which does not reach the impurity semiconductor layer.

Abstract: One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a thin film transistor using an oxide semiconductor film containing indium (In), gallium (Ga), and zinc (Zn), in which the contact resistance between the oxide semiconductor layer and a source and drain electrodes is reduced, and to provide a method for manufacturing the thin film transistor. An ohmic contact is formed by intentionally providing a buffer layer having a higher carrier concentration than the IGZO semiconductor layer between the IGZO semiconductor layer and the source and drain electrode layers.

Abstract: A process for fabricating a highly stable and reliable semiconductor, comprising: coating the surface of an amorphous silicon film with a solution containing a catalyst element capable of accelerating the crystallization of the amorphous silicon film, and heat treating the amorphous silicon film thereafter to crystallize the film.

Abstract: An embodiment is to include a staggered (top gate structure) thin film transistor in which an oxide semiconductor film containing In, Ga, and Zn is used as a semiconductor layer and a buffer layer is provided between the semiconductor layer and a source and drain electrode layers. The buffer layer having higher carrier concentration than the semiconductor layer is provided intentionally between the source and drain electrode layers and the semiconductor layer, whereby an ohmic contact is formed.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a technology of reducing a nickel element in the silicon film which is crystallized by using nickel. An extremely small amount of nickel is introduced into an amorphous silicon film which is formed on the glass substrate. Then this amorphous silicon film is crystallized by heating. At this time, the nickel element remains in the crystallized silicon film. Then an amorphous silicon film is formed on the surface of the silicon film crystallized with the action of nickel. Then the amorphous silicon film is further heat treated. By carrying out this heat treatment, the nickel element is dispersed from the crystallized silicon film into the amorphous silicon film with the result that the nickel density in the crystallized silicon film is lowered.