Patents by Inventor Katsuaki TOCHIBAYASHI

Katsuaki TOCHIBAYASHI has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20170154789
    Abstract: To provide a highly reliable semiconductor device using an oxide semiconductor. The semiconductor device includes a first electrode layer; a second electrode layer positioned over the first electrode layer and including a stacked-layer structure of a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer; and an oxide semiconductor film and an insulating film positioned between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer in a thickness direction. The first conductive layer and the insulating film have a first opening portion in a region overlapping with the first electrode layer, The oxide semiconductor film has a second opening portion in a region overlapping with the first opening portion. The second conductive layer is in contact with the first electrode layer exposed in the first opening portion and the second opening portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2017
    Publication date: June 1, 2017
    Inventors: Shinya SASAGAWA, Motomu KURATA, Katsuaki TOCHIBAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20170117299
    Abstract: The semiconductor device includes a first layer including a first transistor, a second layer including a first insulating film over the first layer, a third layer including a second insulating film over the second layer, and a fourth layer including a second transistor over the third layer. A first conductive film electrically connects the first transistor and the second transistor to each other through an opening provided in the first insulating film. A second conductive film electrically connects the first transistor, the second transistor, and the first conductive film to one another through an opening provided in the second insulating film. A channel formation region of the first transistor includes a single crystal semiconductor. A channel formation region of the second transistor includes an oxide semiconductor. The width of a bottom surface of the second conductive film is 5 nm or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2016
    Publication date: April 27, 2017
    Inventors: Motomu KURATA, Shinya SASAGAWA, Ryota HODO, Katsuaki TOCHIBAYASHI, Tomoaki MORIWAKA, Jiro NISHIDA, Hidekazu MIYAIRI, Shunpei YAMAZAKI
  • Publication number: 20170062623
    Abstract: A change in electrical characteristics of a semiconductor device including an interlayer insulating film over a transistor including an oxide semiconductor as a semiconductor film is suppressed. The structure includes a first insulating film which includes a void portion in a step region formed by a source electrode and a drain electrode over the semiconductor film and contains silicon oxide as a component, and a second insulating film containing silicon nitride, which is provided in contact with the first insulating film to cover the void portion in the first insulating film. The structure can prevent the void portion generated in the first insulating film from expanding outward.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2016
    Publication date: March 2, 2017
    Inventors: Junichi KOEZUKA, Toshinari SASAKI, Katsuaki TOCHIBAYASHI, Shunpei YAMAZAKI
  • Publication number: 20170062619
    Abstract: A minute transistor is provided. A transistor with low parasitic capacitance is provided. A transistor having high frequency characteristics is provided. A transistor having a high on-state current is provided. A semiconductor device including the transistor is provided. A semiconductor device having a high degree of integration is provided. A semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor; a second insulator; a second conductor; a third conductor; a fourth conductor; a fifth conductor; a first conductor and a first insulator embedded in an opening portion formed in the second insulator, the second conductor, the third conductor, the fourth conductor, and the fifth conductor; a region where a side surface and a bottom surface of the second conductor are in contact with the fourth conductor; and a region where a side surface and a bottom surface of the third conductor are in contact with the fifth conductor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2016
    Publication date: March 2, 2017
    Inventors: Shinya SASAGAWA, Takashi HAMADA, Akihisa SHIMOMURA, Satoru OKAMOTO, Katsuaki TOCHIBAYASHI
  • Patent number: 9570622
    Abstract: To provide a highly reliable semiconductor device using an oxide semiconductor. The semiconductor device includes a first electrode layer; a second electrode layer positioned over the first electrode layer and including a stacked-layer structure of a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer; and an oxide semiconductor film and an insulating film positioned between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer in a thickness direction. The first conductive layer and the insulating film have a first opening portion in a region overlapping with the first electrode layer. The oxide semiconductor film has a second opening portion in a region overlapping with the first opening portion. The second conductive layer is in contact with the first electrode layer exposed in the first opening portion and the second opening portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shinya Sasagawa, Motomu Kurata, Katsuaki Tochibayashi
  • Patent number: 9553202
    Abstract: The semiconductor device includes a first layer including a first transistor, a second layer including a first insulating film over the first layer, a third layer including a second insulating film over the second layer, and a fourth layer including a second transistor over the third layer. A first conductive film electrically connects the first transistor and the second transistor to each other through an opening provided in the first insulating film. A second conductive film electrically connects the first transistor, the second transistor, and the first conductive film to one another through an opening provided in the second insulating film. A channel formation region of the first transistor includes a single crystal semiconductor. A channel formation region of the second transistor includes an oxide semiconductor. The width of a bottom surface of the second conductive film is 5 nm or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Motomu Kurata, Shinya Sasagawa, Ryota Hodo, Katsuaki Tochibayashi, Tomoaki Moriwaka, Jiro Nishida, Hidekazu Miyairi, Shunpei Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 9548393
    Abstract: A change in electrical characteristics of a semiconductor device including an interlayer insulating film over a transistor including an oxide semiconductor as a semiconductor film is suppressed. The structure includes a first insulating film which includes a void portion in a step region formed by a source electrode and a drain electrode over the semiconductor film and contains silicon oxide as a component, and a second insulating film containing silicon nitride, which is provided in contact with the first insulating film to cover the void portion in the first insulating film. The structure can prevent the void portion generated in the first insulating film from expanding outward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Junichi Koezuka, Toshinari Sasaki, Katsuaki Tochibayashi, Shunpei Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 9515175
    Abstract: A highly reliable semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device are provided. In a semiconductor device including a bottom-gate transistor in which an insulating layer functioning as a channel protective film is provided over an oxide semiconductor film, elements contained in an etching gas can be prevented from remaining as impurities on a surface of the oxide semiconductor film by performing impurity-removing process after formation of an insulating layer provided over and in contact with the oxide semiconductor film and/or formation of source and drain electrode layers. The impurity concentration in the surface of the oxide semiconductor film is lower than or equal to 5×1018 atoms/cm3, preferably lower than or equal to 1×1018 atoms/cm3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsuaki Tochibayashi, Satoshi Higano, Shunpei Yamazaki
  • Publication number: 20160329434
    Abstract: The semiconductor device includes a first insulating layer; a first oxide insulating layer over the first insulating layer; an oxide semiconductor layer over the first oxide insulating layer; a source electrode layer and a drain electrode layer over the oxide semiconductor layer; a second oxide insulating layer over the oxide semiconductor layer, the source electrode layer, and the drain electrode layer; a gate insulating layer over the second oxide insulating layer; a gate electrode layer over the gate insulating layer; a second insulating layer over the first insulating layer, the source electrode layer, the drain electrode layer, the second oxide insulating layer, the gate insulating layer, and the gate electrode layer; and a third insulating layer over the first insulating layer, the source electrode layer, the drain electrode layer, and the second insulating layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2016
    Publication date: November 10, 2016
    Inventors: Daigo ITO, Takahisa ISHIYAMA, Katsuaki TOCHIBAYASHI, Kazuya HANAOKA
  • Publication number: 20160284855
    Abstract: A highly reliable semiconductor device including a transistor using an oxide semiconductor is provided. In a semiconductor device including a bottom-gate transistor including an oxide semiconductor layer, a first insulating layer is formed in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer, and an oxygen doping treatment is performed thereon, whereby the first insulating layer is made to contain oxygen in excess of the stoichiometric composition. The formation of the second insulating layer over the first insulating layer enables excess oxygen included in the first insulating layer to be supplied efficiently to the oxide semiconductor layer. Accordingly, the highly reliable semiconductor device with stable electric characteristics can be provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2016
    Publication date: September 29, 2016
    Inventors: Shunpei YAMAZAKI, Junichi KOEZUKA, Kenichi OKAZAKI, Terumasa IKEYAMA, Katsuaki TOCHIBAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20160240684
    Abstract: A miniaturized transistor, a transistor with low parasitic capacitance, a transistor with high frequency characteristics, or a semiconductor device including the transistor is provided. The semiconductor device includes a first insulator, an oxide semiconductor over the first insulator, a first conductor and a second conductor that are in contact with the oxide semiconductor, a second insulator that is over the first and second conductors and has an opening reaching the oxide semiconductor, a third insulator over the oxide semiconductor and the second insulator, and a fourth conductor over the third insulator. The first conductor includes a first region and a second region. The second conductor includes a third region and a fourth region. The second region faces the third region with the first conductor and the first insulator interposed therebetween. The second region is thinner than the first region. The third region is thinner than the fourth region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2016
    Publication date: August 18, 2016
    Inventors: Shunpei YAMAZAKI, Yoshinobu ASAMI, Yutaka OKAZAKI, Motomu KURATA, Katsuaki TOCHIBAYASHI, Shinya SASAGAWA, Kensuke YOSHIZUMI, Hideomi SUZAWA
  • Patent number: 9391095
    Abstract: An oxide semiconductor layer with excellent crystallinity is formed to enable manufacture of transistors with excellent electrical characteristics for practical application of a large display device, a high-performance semiconductor device, etc. By first heat treatment, a first oxide semiconductor layer is crystallized. A second oxide semiconductor layer is formed over the first oxide semiconductor layer. By second heat treatment, an oxide semiconductor layer including a crystal region having the c-axis oriented substantially perpendicular to a surface is efficiently formed and oxygen vacancies are efficiently filled. An oxide insulating layer is formed over and in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer. By third heat treatment, oxygen is supplied again to the oxide semiconductor layer. A nitride insulating layer containing hydrogen is formed over the oxide insulating layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Hotaka Maruyama, Yoshiaki Oikawa, Katsuaki Tochibayashi
  • Patent number: 9305774
    Abstract: A stable and minute processing method of a thin film is provided. Further, a miniaturized semiconductor device is provided. A method for processing a thin film includes the following steps: forming a film to be processed over a formation surface; forming an organic coating film over the film to be processed; forming a resist film over the organic coating film; exposing the resist film to light or an electron beam; removing part of the resist film by development to expose part of the organic coating film; depositing an organic material layer on the top surface and a side surface of the resist film by plasma treatment; etching part of the organic coating film using the resist film and the organic material layer as masks to expose part of the film to be processed; and etching part of the film to be processed using the resist film and the organic material layer as masks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Taiga Muraoka, Motomu Kurata, Shinya Sasagawa, Katsuaki Tochibayashi
  • Publication number: 20160087105
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, including the steps of forming a semiconductor over a substrate; forming a first conductor over the semiconductor; forming a first insulator over the first conductor; forming a resist over the first insulator; performing light exposure and development on the resist to make a second region and a third region remain and expose part of the first insulator; applying a bias in a direction perpendicular to a top surface of the substrate and generating plasma using a gas containing carbon and halogen; and depositing and etching an organic substance with the plasma. The etching rate of the organic substance is higher than the deposition rate of the organic substance in an exposed part of the first insulator, and the deposition rate of the organic substance is higher than the etching rate of the organic substance in a side surface of the second region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2015
    Publication date: March 24, 2016
    Inventors: Shinya SASAGAWA, Akihisa SHIMOMURA, Katsuaki TOCHIBAYASHI, Yuta ENDO, Shunpei YAMAZAKI
  • Patent number: 9293589
    Abstract: A highly reliable semiconductor device including a transistor using an oxide semiconductor is provided. In a semiconductor device including a bottom-gate transistor including an oxide semiconductor layer, a first insulating layer is formed in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer, and an oxygen doping treatment is performed thereon, whereby the first insulating layer is made to contain oxygen in excess of the stoichiometric composition. The formation of the second insulating layer over the first insulating layer enables excess oxygen included in the first insulating layer to be supplied efficiently to the oxide semiconductor layer. Accordingly, the highly reliable semiconductor device with stable electric characteristics can be provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Junichi Koezuka, Kenichi Okazaki, Terumasa Ikeyama, Katsuaki Tochibayashi
  • Patent number: 9252248
    Abstract: An object is to provide a technique by which a semiconductor device including a high-performance and high-reliable transistor is manufactured. A protective conductive film which protects an oxide semiconductor layer when a wiring layer is formed from a conductive layer is formed between the oxide semiconductor layer and the conductive layer, and an etching process having two steps is performed. In a first etching step, an etching is performed under conditions that the protective conductive film is less etched than the conductive layer and the etching selectivity of the conductive layer to the protective conductive film is high. In a second etching step, etching is performed under conditions that the protective conductive film is more easily etched than the oxide semiconductor layer and the etching selectivity of the protective conductive film to the oxide semiconductor layer is high.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignee: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masami Jintyou, Yamato Aihara, Katsuaki Tochibayashi, Toru Arakawa
  • Publication number: 20160013324
    Abstract: A change in electrical characteristics of a semiconductor device including an interlayer insulating film over a transistor including an oxide semiconductor as a semiconductor film is suppressed. The structure includes a first insulating film which includes a void portion in a step region formed by a source electrode and a drain electrode over the semiconductor film and contains silicon oxide as a component, and a second insulating film containing silicon nitride, which is provided in contact with the first insulating film to cover the void portion in the first insulating film. The structure can prevent the void portion generated in the first insulating film from expanding outward.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2015
    Publication date: January 14, 2016
    Inventors: Junichi KOEZUKA, Toshinari SASAKI, Katsuaki TOCHIBAYASHI, Shunpei YAMAZAKI
  • Publication number: 20150349127
    Abstract: The semiconductor device includes a first layer including a first transistor, a second layer including a first insulating film over the first layer, a third layer including a second insulating film over the second layer, and a fourth layer including a second transistor over the third layer. A first conductive film electrically connects the first transistor and the second transistor to each other through an opening provided in the first insulating film. A second conductive film electrically connects the first transistor, the second transistor, and the first conductive film to one another through an opening provided in the second insulating film. A channel formation region of the first transistor includes a single crystal semiconductor. A channel formation region of the second transistor includes an oxide semiconductor. The width of a bottom surface of the second conductive film is 5 nm or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 17, 2014
    Publication date: December 3, 2015
    Inventors: Motomu Kurata, Shinya Sasagawa, Ryota Hodo, Katsuaki Tochibayashi, Tomoaki Moriwaka, Jiro Nishida, Hidekazu Miyairi, Shunpei Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 9184297
    Abstract: A change in electrical characteristics of a semiconductor device including an interlayer insulating film over a transistor including an oxide semiconductor as a semiconductor film is suppressed. The structure includes a first insulating film which includes a void portion in a step region formed by a source electrode and a drain electrode over the semiconductor film and contains silicon oxide as a component, and a second insulating film containing silicon nitride, which is provided in contact with the first insulating film to cover the void portion in the first insulating film. The structure can prevent the void portion generated in the first insulating film from expanding outward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Junichi Koezuka, Toshinari Sasaki, Katsuaki Tochibayashi, Shunpei Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 9147773
    Abstract: A highly reliable semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device are provided. The semiconductor device is manufactured with a high yield to achieve high productivity. In the manufacture of a semiconductor device including a transistor in which a gate electrode layer, a gate insulating film, and an oxide semiconductor film are sequentially stacked and a source electrode layer and a drain electrode layer are provided in contact with the oxide semiconductor film, the source electrode layer and the drain electrode layer are formed through an etching step and then a step for removing impurities which are generated by the etching step and exist on a surface of the oxide semiconductor film and in the vicinity thereof is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsuaki Tochibayashi, Satoshi Higano, Shunpei Yamazaki