Patents by Inventor Motoki Nakashima

Motoki Nakashima 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: 20170025544
    Abstract: In a transistor including an oxide semiconductor, a change in electrical characteristics is suppressed and reliability is improved. The transistor includes an oxide semiconductor film over a first insulating film; a second insulating film over the oxide semiconductor film; a metal oxide film over the second insulating film; a gate electrode over the metal oxide film; and a third insulating film over the oxide semiconductor film and the gate electrode. The oxide semiconductor film includes a channel region overlapping with the gate electrode, a source region in contact with the third insulating film, and a drain region in contact with the third insulating film. The source region and the drain region contain one or more of hydrogen, boron, carbon, nitrogen, fluorine, phosphorus, sulfur, chlorine, titanium, and a rare gas.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2016
    Publication date: January 26, 2017
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Kenichi OKAZAKI, Junichi KOEZUKA, Tomonori NAKAYAMA, Motoki NAKASHIMA
  • Publication number: 20170025542
    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, so that high productivity is achieved. In a semiconductor device including a transistor in which a source electrode layer and a drain electrode layer are provided over and in contact with an oxide semiconductor film, entry of impurities and formation of oxygen vacancies in an end face portion of the oxide semiconductor film are suppressed. This can prevent fluctuation in the electric characteristics of the transistor which is caused by formation of a parasitic channel in the end face portion of the oxide semiconductor film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2016
    Publication date: January 26, 2017
    Inventors: Shunpei YAMAZAKI, Motoki NAKASHIMA, Masahiro TAKAHASHI
  • Publication number: 20170016108
    Abstract: There have been cases where transistors formed using oxide semiconductors are inferior in reliability to transistors formed using amorphous silicon. Thus, in the present invention, a semiconductor device including a highly reliable transistor formed using an oxide semiconductor is manufactured. An oxide semiconductor film is deposited by a sputtering method, using a sputtering target including an oxide semiconductor having crystallinity, and in which the direction of the c-axis of a crystal is parallel to a normal vector of the top surface of the oxide semiconductor. The target is formed by mixing raw materials so that its composition ratio can obtain a crystal structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2016
    Publication date: January 19, 2017
    Inventors: Shunpei YAMAZAKI, Tetsunori MARUYAMA, Yuki IMOTO, Hitomi SATO, Masahiro WATANABE, Mitsuo MASHIYAMA, Kenichi OKAZAKI, Motoki NAKASHIMA, Takashi SHIMAZU
  • Publication number: 20160351720
    Abstract: To suppress a change in electrical characteristics and improve reliability in a transistor. The transistor includes a first gate electrode, a first insulating film over the first gate electrode, a second insulating film over the first insulating film, an oxide semiconductor film over the second insulating film, a source electrode electrically connected to the oxide semiconductor film, a drain electrode electrically connected to the oxide semiconductor film, a third insulating film over the oxide semiconductor film, a fourth insulating film over the third insulating film, a second gate electrode over the fourth insulating film, and a fifth insulating film over the second gate electrode. One or more of the second insulating film, the third insulating film, and the fourth insulating film include a halogen element. The halogen element is detected from one or more of a top surface, a bottom surface, and a side surface of the oxide semiconductor film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2016
    Publication date: December 1, 2016
    Inventors: Shunpei YAMAZAKI, Tomonori NAKAYAMA, Motoki NAKASHIMA, Tomoki HIRAMATSU
  • Publication number: 20160351721
    Abstract: In a semiconductor device using a transistor including an oxide semiconductor, a change in electrical characteristics is suppressed and reliability is improved. The semiconductor device includes a gate electrode over an insulating surface; an oxide semiconductor film overlapping with the gate electrode; a gate insulating film that is between the gate electrode and the oxide semiconductor film and in contact with the oxide semiconductor film; a protective film in contact with a surface of the oxide semiconductor film that is an opposite side of a surface in contact with the gate insulating film; and a pair of electrodes in contact with the oxide semiconductor film. The spin density of the gate insulating film or the protective film measured by electron spin resonance spectroscopy is lower than 1×1018 spins/cm3, preferably higher than or equal to 1×1017 spins/cm3 and lower than 1×1018 spins/cm3.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2016
    Publication date: December 1, 2016
    Inventors: Akiharu MIYANAGA, Yasuharu HOSAKA, Toshimitsu OBONAI, Junichi KOEZUKA, Motoki NAKASHIMA, Masahiro TAKAHASHI, Shunsuke ADACHI, Takuya HIROHASHI
  • Publication number: 20160343733
    Abstract: To provide a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor film having conductivity, or a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor film having a light-transmitting property and conductivity. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes the steps of forming an oxide semiconductor film over a first insulating film, performing first heat treatment in an atmosphere where oxygen contained in the oxide semiconductor film is released, and performing second heat treatment in a hydrogen-containing atmosphere, so that an oxide semiconductor film having conductivity is formed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2016
    Publication date: November 24, 2016
    Inventors: Masashi OOTA, Noritaka ISHIHARA, Motoki NAKASHIMA, Yoichi KUROSAWA, Shunpei YAMAZAKI, Yasuharu HOSAKA, Toshimitsu OBONAI, Junichi KOEZUKA
  • Patent number: 9466728
    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, so that high productivity is achieved. In a semiconductor device including a transistor in which a source electrode layer and a drain electrode layer are provided over and in contact with an oxide semiconductor film, entry of impurities and formation of oxygen vacancies in an end face portion of the oxide semiconductor film are suppressed. This can prevent fluctuation in the electric characteristics of the transistor which is caused by formation of a parasitic channel in the end face portion of the oxide semiconductor film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Motoki Nakashima, Masahiro Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20160284861
    Abstract: An object is to provide a material suitably used for a semiconductor included in a transistor, a diode, or the like. Another object is to provide a semiconductor device including a transistor in which the condition of an electron state at an interface between an oxide semiconductor film and a gate insulating film in contact with the oxide semiconductor film is favorable. Further, another object is to manufacture a highly reliable semiconductor device by giving stable electric characteristics to a transistor in which an oxide semiconductor film is used for a channel. A semiconductor device is formed using an oxide material which includes crystal with c-axis alignment, which has a triangular or hexagonal atomic arrangement when seen from the direction of a surface or an interface and rotates around the c-axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2016
    Publication date: September 29, 2016
    Inventors: Shunpei YAMAZAKI, Motoki NAKASHIMA, Tatsuya HONDA
  • Patent number: 9443987
    Abstract: In a semiconductor device using a transistor including an oxide semiconductor, a change in electrical characteristics is suppressed and reliability is improved. The semiconductor device includes a gate electrode over an insulating surface; an oxide semiconductor film overlapping with the gate electrode; a gate insulating film that is between the gate electrode and the oxide semiconductor film and in contact with the oxide semiconductor film; a protective film in contact with a surface of the oxide semiconductor film that is an opposite side of a surface in contact with the gate insulating film; and a pair of electrodes in contact with the oxide semiconductor film. The spin density of the gate insulating film or the protective film measured by electron spin resonance spectroscopy is lower than 1×1018 spins/cm3, preferably higher than or equal to 1×1017 spins/cm3 and lower than 1×1018 spins/cm3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2016
    Assignee: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Akiharu Miyanaga, Yasuharu Hosaka, Toshimitsu Obonai, Junichi Koezuka, Motoki Nakashima, Masahiro Takahashi, Shunsuke Adachi, Takuya Hirohashi
  • Patent number: 9437428
    Abstract: To provide a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor film having conductivity, or a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor film having a light-transmitting property and conductivity. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes the steps of forming an oxide semiconductor film over a first insulating film, performing first heat treatment in an atmosphere where oxygen contained in the oxide semiconductor film is released, and performing second heat treatment in a hydrogen-containing atmosphere, so that an oxide semiconductor film having conductivity is formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2016
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masashi Oota, Noritaka Ishihara, Motoki Nakashima, Yoichi Kurosawa, Shunpei Yamazaki, Yasuharu Hosaka, Toshimitsu Obonai, Junichi Koezuka
  • Publication number: 20160254386
    Abstract: Provided is a transistor with stable electrical characteristics. Provided is a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor over a substrate, a first conductor in contact with a top surface of the oxide semiconductor, a second conductor in contact with the top surface of the oxide semiconductor, a first insulator over the first and second conductors and in contact with the top surface of the oxide semiconductor, a second insulator over the first insulator, a third conductor over the second insulator, and a third insulator over the third conductor. The third conductor overlaps with the first conductor with the first and second insulators positioned therebetween, and overlaps with the second conductor with the first and second insulators positioned therebetween. The first insulator contains oxygen. The second insulator transmits less oxygen than the first insulator. The third insulator transmits less oxygen than the first insulator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2016
    Publication date: September 1, 2016
    Inventors: Shunpei YAMAZAKI, Tetsuhiro TANAKA, Akihisa SHIMOMURA, Ryo TOKUMARU, Yasumasa YAMANE, Yuhei SATO, Naoki OKUNO, Motoki NAKASHIMA
  • Publication number: 20160240607
    Abstract: Stable electrical characteristics are given to a transistor and a highly reliable semiconductor device is provided. In addition, an oxide material which enables manufacture of such a semiconductor device is provided. An oxide film is used in which two or more kinds of crystalline portions which are different from each other in a direction of an a-axis or a direction of a b-axis in an a-b plane (or the top surface, or the formation surface) are included, and each of the crystalline portions is c-axis aligned, has at least one of triangular atomic arrangement and hexagonal atomic arrangement when seen from a direction perpendicular to the a-b plane, a top surface, or a formation surface, includes metal atoms arranged in a layered manner, or metal atoms and oxygen atoms arranged in a layered manner along the c-axis, and is expressed as In2SnZn2O7(ZnO)m (m is 0 or a natural number).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2016
    Publication date: August 18, 2016
    Inventors: Shunpei YAMAZAKI, Motoki NAKASHIMA
  • Patent number: 9382611
    Abstract: There have been cases where transistors formed using oxide semiconductors are inferior in reliability to transistors formed using amorphous silicon. Thus, in the present invention, a semiconductor device including a highly reliable transistor formed using an oxide semiconductor is manufactured. An oxide semiconductor film is deposited by a sputtering method, using a sputtering target including an oxide semiconductor having crystallinity, and in which the direction of the c-axis of a crystal is parallel to a normal vector of the top surface of the oxide semiconductor. The target is formed by mixing raw materials so that its composition ratio can obtain a crystal structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Tetsunori Maruyama, Yuki Imoto, Hitomi Sato, Masahiro Watanabe, Mitsuo Mashiyama, Kenichi Okazaki, Motoki Nakashima, Takashi Shimazu
  • Patent number: 9368633
    Abstract: An object is to provide a material suitably used for a semiconductor included in a transistor, a diode, or the like. Another object is to provide a semiconductor device including a transistor in which the condition of an electron state at an interface between an oxide semiconductor film and a gate insulating film in contact with the oxide semiconductor film is favorable. Further, another object is to manufacture a highly reliable semiconductor device by giving stable electric characteristics to a transistor in which an oxide semiconductor film is used for a channel. A semiconductor device is formed using an oxide material which includes crystal with c-axis alignment, which has a triangular or hexagonal atomic arrangement when seen from the direction of a surface or an interface and rotates around the c-axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2016
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Motoki Nakashima, Tatsuya Honda
  • Publication number: 20160163869
    Abstract: Change in electric characteristics of a semiconductor device including a transistor having a crystalline oxide semiconductor is suppressed, and reliability thereof is improved. Furthermore, a semiconductor device with low power consumption is provided. The transistor includes a gate electrode, a gate insulator, and an oxide semiconductor including a crystal. The oxide semiconductor includes hydrogen or hydroxy group. The number of released gas molecules observed as water molecules with a thermal desorption spectrometer is 1.0/nm3 or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2015
    Publication date: June 9, 2016
    Inventors: Shunpei YAMAZAKI, Motoki NAKASHIMA
  • Patent number: 9331206
    Abstract: Stable electrical characteristics are given to a transistor and a highly reliable semiconductor device is provided. In addition, an oxide material which enables manufacture of such a semiconductor device is provided. An oxide film is used in which two or more kinds of crystalline portions which are different from each other in a direction of an a-axis or a direction of a b-axis in an a-b plane (or the top surface, or the formation surface) are included, and each of the crystalline portions is c-axis aligned, has at least one of triangular atomic arrangement and hexagonal atomic arrangement when seen from a direction perpendicular to the a-b plane, a top surface, or a formation surface, includes metal atoms arranged in a layered manner, or metal atoms and oxygen atoms arranged in a layered manner along the c-axis, and is expressed as In2SnZn2O7(ZnO)m (m is 0 or a natural number).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Motoki Nakashima
  • Patent number: 9299855
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor layer, a gate electrode overlapping with the semiconductor layer, a first gate insulating layer between the semiconductor layer and the gate electrode, and a second gate insulating layer between the first gate insulating layer and the gate electrode. The first gate insulating layer includes an oxide in which the nitrogen content is lower than or equal to 5 at. %, and the second gate insulating layer includes charge trap states.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Takuya Hirohashi, Masahiro Takahashi, Motoki Nakashima, Ryosuke Watanabe, Masashi Tsubuku
  • Patent number: 9240489
    Abstract: An object is to provide a material suitably used for a semiconductor included in a transistor, a diode, or the like. Another object is to provide a semiconductor device including a transistor in which the condition of an electron state at an interface between an oxide semiconductor film and a gate insulating film in contact with the oxide semiconductor film is favorable. Further, another object is to manufacture a highly reliable semiconductor device by giving stable electric characteristics to a transistor in which an oxide semiconductor film is used for a channel. A semiconductor device is formed using an oxide material which includes crystal with c-axis alignment, which has a triangular or hexagonal atomic arrangement when seen from the direction of a surface or an interface and rotates around the c-axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2016
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Motoki Nakashima, Tatsuya Honda
  • Publication number: 20150325702
    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, so that high productivity is achieved. In a semiconductor device including a transistor in which a source electrode layer and a drain electrode layer are provided over and in contact with an oxide semiconductor film, entry of impurities and formation of oxygen vacancies in an end face portion of the oxide semiconductor film are suppressed. This can prevent fluctuation in the electric characteristics of the transistor which is caused by formation of a parasitic channel in the end face portion of the oxide semiconductor film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2015
    Publication date: November 12, 2015
    Inventors: Shunpei YAMAZAKI, Motoki NAKASHIMA, Masahiro TAKAHASHI
  • Patent number: 9130048
    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, so that high productivity is achieved. In a semiconductor device including a transistor in which a source electrode layer and a drain electrode layer are provided over and in contact with an oxide semiconductor film, entry of impurities and formation of oxygen vacancies in an end face portion of the oxide semiconductor film are suppressed. This can prevent fluctuation in the electric characteristics of the transistor which is caused by formation of a parasitic channel in the end face portion of the oxide semiconductor film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Motoki Nakashima, Masahiro Takahashi