Non-single Crystal, Or Recrystallized, Material With Specified Crystal Structure (e.g., Specified Crystal Size Or Orientation) Patents (Class 257/64)
  • Patent number: 7495313
    Abstract: Germanium circuit-type structures are facilitated. In one example embodiment, a multi-step growth and anneal process is implemented to grow Germanium (Ge) containing material, such as heteroepitaxial-Germanium, on a substrate including Silicon (Si) or Silicon-containing material. In certain applications, defects are generally confined near a Silicon/Germanium interface, with defect threading to an upper surface of the Germanium containing material generally being inhibited. These approaches are applicable to a variety of devices including Germanium MOS capacitors, pMOSFETs and optoelectronic devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2009
    Assignees: Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University, Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ammar Munir Nayfeh, Chi On Chui, Krishna C. Saraswat, Takao Yonehara
  • Patent number: 7491972
    Abstract: A semiconductor device and a method of manufacture thereof by forming an amorphous semiconductor film on the surface of an insulative substrate, and irradiating the amorphous semiconductor film with a laser beam to crystallize it to form a polycrystalline semiconductor thin film. A transistor is then formed in the polycrystalline semiconductor thin film. More specifically, a UV-ray is irradiated to the rear face of the insulative substrate or the amorphous semiconductor film to heat the amorphous semiconductor film to a melting temperature or lower. Then a laser beam at a suitable shape selection laser energy density Ec forms the crystal grains with the number of closest crystal grains of 6 most predominantly being irradiated to convert the amorphous semiconductor film into a polycrystalline semiconductor thin film. The thin film transistor formed in this structure has a high yield and is capable of high-speed operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2009
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshinobu Kimura, Takahiro Kamo, Yoshiyuki Kaneko
  • Patent number: 7488980
    Abstract: A relaying pad is formed in a predetermined portion in an insulation layer of the single-crystal thin film device, in a region where the single-crystal thin film device is formed. The relaying pad is for providing connection wiring through the insulator substrate. With this configuration it is possible to prevent an increase in an aspect ratio of a contact hole formed in an insulation layer in a region in which a transferred device is formed, the semiconductor device including a substrate on which the transferred device and a deposited device coexist.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2009
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yutaka Takafuji, Takashi Itoga, Yasuyuki Ogawa
  • Patent number: 7485552
    Abstract: A thin film transistor and method of fabricating the same are provided. The thin film transistor is characterized in that low angle grain boundaries formed in a channel layer in a semiconductor layer pattern is tilted ?15 to 15° with respect to a current flowing direction. The method includes: forming an amorphous silicon layer on a substrate; forming a first capping layer on the amorphous silicon layer; forming a second capping layer on the first capping layer, and patterning the second capping layer such that seeds are formed in a line shape; forming a metal catalyst layer on the patterned second capping layer; diffusing the metal catalyst; and crystallizing and patterning the amorphous silicon layer to form a semiconductor layer pattern. Thus, a channel layer having an angle nearly parallel to the current flowing direction may be formed in a low angle grain boundary by forming and crystallizing the line-shaped seeds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2009
    Assignee: Samsung Mobile Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Byoung-Keon Park, Ki-Yong Lee, Jin-Wook Seo, Tae-Hoon Yang
  • Publication number: 20090026458
    Abstract: The present invention provides a porous semiconductive structure, characterized in that the structure has an electrical conductivity of 5·10?8 S·cm?1 to 10 S·cm?1, and an activation energy of the electrical conductivity of 0.1 to 700 meV, and a solid fraction of 30 to 60% by volume, and a pore size of 1 nm to 500 nm, the solid fraction having at least partly crystalline doped constituents which are bonded to one another via sinter necks and have sizes of 5 nm to 500 nm and a spherical and/or ellipsoidal shape, which comprise the elements silicon, germanium or an alloy of these elements, and also a process for producing a porous semiconductive structure, characterized in that A. doped semimetal particles are obtained, and then B. a dispersion is obtained from the semimetal particles obtained after step A, and then C. a substrate is coated with the dispersion obtained after step B, and then D. the layer obtained after step C is treated by means of a solution of hydrogen fluoride in water, and then E.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2008
    Publication date: January 29, 2009
    Applicant: EVONIK DEGUSSA GmbH
    Inventors: Andre EBBERS, Martin TROCHA, Robert LECHNER, Martin S. BRANDT, Martin STUTZMANN, Hartmut WIGGERS
  • Patent number: 7482274
    Abstract: A metal wiring suitable for a substrate of large size is provided. The present invention is characterized in that at least one layer of conductive film is formed on an insulating surface, a resist pattern is formed on the conductive film, and the conductive film having the resist pattern is etched to form a metal wiring while controlling its taper angle ? in accordance with the bias power density, the ICP power density, the temperature of lower electrode, the pressure, the total flow rate of etching gas, or the ratio of oxygen or chlorine in etching gas. The thus formed metal wiring has less fluctuation in width or length and can satisfactorily deal with an increase in size of substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2009
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koji Ono, Hideomi Suzawa
  • Publication number: 20080290344
    Abstract: An image display device manufactured by using a polycrystalline semiconductor film. The polycrystalline semiconductor film is composed of crystal grains with a region free from crystal grain boundaries of at least 2 ?m in width and at least 3 ?m in length, small crystal grain boundary groups each composed of three or more crystal grain boundaries arranged substantially in parallel to each other and with an interval of not greater than 100 ?m are included in a part of the region, and the small crystal grain boundary groups are partially eliminated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2008
    Publication date: November 27, 2008
    Inventors: Mitsuharu TAI, Mutsuko HATANO, Takeshi SATO, Seongkee PARK, Kiyoshi OUCHI
  • Patent number: 7456428
    Abstract: A semiconductor thin film is manufactured by scanning laser light or a substrate onto an arbitrary region of the semiconductor thin film and irradiating a laser thereon. The semiconductor thin film is formed by the substantially belt-shaped crystal being crystallized such that crystalline grains grow in the scanning direction, on the substrate, on XY coordinates where value x of beam size W (?m) of the laser light measured in substantially the same direction as the scanning direction is defined as X axis, and where value y of scanning velocity Vs (m/s) is defined as Y axis, the crystallization processing is performed within a region where all of the following conditions hold: condition 1: the beam size W is larger than wavelength of the laser beam, condition 2: the scanning velocity Vs is smaller than upper-limit of crystal growth speed, and condition 3: x×(1/y)<25 ?s.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2008
    Assignee: Hitachi Displays, Ltd.
    Inventors: Mutsuko Hatano, Mikio Hongo, Akio Yazaki, Mitsuharu Tai, Takeshi Noda, Yukio Takasaki
  • Patent number: 7449719
    Abstract: A gate insulating film is formed using a plasma on a three-dimensional silicon substrate surface having a plurality of crystal orientations. The plasma gate insulating film experiences no increase in interface state in any crystal orientations and has a uniform thickness even at corner portions of the three-dimensional structure. By forming a high-quality gate insulating film using a plasma, there can be obtained a semiconductor device having good characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignees: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Tadahiro Ohmi, Akinobu Teramoto
  • Publication number: 20080265255
    Abstract: Novel articles and methods to fabricate the same resulting in flexible, oriented, semiconductor-based, electronic devices on {110}<100> textured substrates are disclosed. Potential applications of resulting articles are in areas of photovoltaic devices, flat-panel displays, thermophotovoltaic devices, ferroelectric devices, light emitting diode devices, computer hard disc drive devices, magnetoresistance based devices, photoluminescence based devices, non-volatile memory devices, dielectric devices, thermoelectric devices and quantum dot laser devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2008
    Publication date: October 30, 2008
    Inventor: Amit Goyal
  • Patent number: 7442958
    Abstract: A thin film semiconductor device is provided which includes an insulating substrate, a Si thin film formed over the insulating substrate, and a transistor with the Si thin film as a channel thereof. The Si thin film includes a polycrystal where a plurality of narrow, rectangular crystal grains are arranged. A surface of the polycrystal is flat at grain boundaries thereof. Also, an average film thickness of the boundaries of crystals of the Si thin film ranges from 90 to 100% of an intra-grain average film thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2008
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinya Yamaguchi, Mutsuko Hatano, Mitsuharu Tai, Sedng-Kee Park, Takeo Shiba
  • Patent number: 7442594
    Abstract: Disclosed is a flat panel display capable of improving a white balance by making channel regions of transistors of R, G, and B unit pixels with different current mobilities. The flat panel display includes a plurality of pixels, each of the pixels including R, G and B unit pixels to embody red (R), green (G), and blue (B) colors, respectively, and each of the unit pixels including at least one transistor. Channel layers of the transistors of at least two unit pixels among the R, G, and B unit pixels have different current mobilities from one another. The R, G, B unit pixels includes transistors and the transistor of at least one unit pixel among the R, G, and B unit pixels includes the channel layer made of silicon layers of different film qualities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2008
    Assignee: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jae-Bon Koo, Ji-Yong Park, Sang-Il Park, Deuk-Jong Kim, Ul-Ho Lee, Jin-Soo Kim, Jin-Woung Jung, Chang-Gyu Lee
  • Publication number: 20080258147
    Abstract: In thin film transistors (TFTs) having an active layer of crystalline silicon adapted for mass production, a catalytic element is introduced into doped regions of an amorphous silicon film by ion implantation or other means. This film is crystallized at a temperature below the strain point of the glass substrate. Further, a gate insulating film and a gate electrode are formed. Impurities are introduced by a self-aligning process. Then, the laminate is annealed below the strain point of the substrate to activate the dopant impurities. On the other hand, Neckel or other element is also used as a catalytic element for promoting crystallization of an amorphous silicon film. First, this catalytic element is applied in contact with the surface of the amorphous silicon film. The film is heated at 450 to 650° C. to create crystal nuclei. The film is further heated at a higher temperature to grow the crystal grains. In this way, a crystalline silicon film having improved crystallinity is formed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2008
    Publication date: October 23, 2008
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hongyong ZHANG, Toru TAKAYAMA, Yasuhiko TAKEMURA, Akiharu MIYANAGA, Hisashi OHTANI
  • Patent number: 7439542
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method of integrated semiconductor devices such that different types of devices are formed upon a specific crystallographic orientation of a hybrid substrate. In accordance with the present invention, junction capacitance of one of the devices is improved in the present invention by forming the source/drain diffusion regions of the device in an epitiaxial semiconductor material such that they are situated on a buried insulating layer that extends partially underneath the body of the second semiconductor device. The second semiconductor device, together with the first semiconductor device, is both located atop the buried insulating layer. Unlike the first semiconductor device in which the body thereof is floating, the second semiconductor device is not floating. Rather, it is in contact with an underlying first semiconducting layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Min Yang
  • Patent number: 7439110
    Abstract: A strained HOT MOSFET fabrication method. The MOSFET fabrication method includes providing a semiconductor structure which includes (a) a first semiconductor layer having a first crystallographic orientation, (b) a buried insulating layer on top of the first semiconductor layer, (c) a second semiconductor layer on top of the buried oxide layer. The second semiconductor layer has a second crystallographic orientation different from the first crystallographic orientation. The method further includes forming a third semiconductor layer on top of the first semiconductor layer which has the first crystallographic orientation. The method further includes forming a fourth semiconductor layer on top of the third semiconductor layer. The fourth semiconductor layer (a) comprises a different material than that of the third semiconductor layer, and (b) has the first crystallographic orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kangguo Cheng, Woo-Hyeong Lee, Huilong Zhu
  • Patent number: 7432149
    Abstract: Methods and structures for CMOS devices with hybrid crystal orientations using double SOI substrates is provided. In accordance with preferred embodiments, a manufacturing sequence includes the steps of forming an SOI silicon epitaxy layer after the step of forming shallow trench isolation regions. The preferred sequence allows hybrid SOI CMOS fabrication without encountering problems caused by forming STI regions after epitaxy. A preferred device includes an NFET on a {100} crystal orientation and a PFET on a {110} crystal orientation. An NMOS channel may be oriented along the <100> direction, which is the direction of maximum electron mobility for a {100} substrate. A PMOS channel may be oriented along the <110> direction, which is the direction where hole mobility is maximum for a {110} substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2008
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: I-Lu Wu, Chung-Te Lin, Tan-Chen Lee
  • Publication number: 20080217622
    Abstract: Novel articles and methods to fabricate the same resulting in flexible, large-area, triaxially textured, single-crystal or single-crystal-like, semiconductor-based, electronic devices are disclosed. Potential applications of resulting articles are in areas of photovoltaic devices, flat-panel displays, thermophotovoltaic devices, ferroelectric devices, light emitting diode devices, computer hard disc drive devices, magnetoresistance based devices, photoluminescence based devices, non-volatile memory devices, dielectric devices, thermoelectric devices and quantum dot laser devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2007
    Publication date: September 11, 2008
    Inventor: Amit Goyal
  • Publication number: 20080197354
    Abstract: A thin film transistor includes first and second ohmic contacts formed on a substrate, wherein each of the first and second ohmic contacts includes polycrystalline silicon; a semiconductor formed on the first and second ohmic contacts and the substrate, the semiconductor including microcrystalline silicon; a blocking member formed on the semiconductor; an input electrode formed on the first ohmic contact; an output electrode formed on the second ohmic contact; an insulating layer formed on the blocking member, the input electrode, and the output electrode; and a control electrode formed on the insulating layer and disposed on the semiconductor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2007
    Publication date: August 21, 2008
    Inventors: Kyu-Sik Cho, Joon-Hoo Choi
  • Publication number: 20080194084
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for fabricating a composite structure having heat dissipation properties greater than a bulk single crystal silicon structure having the same dimensions. The structure includes a support substrate, a top layer and an oxide layer between the support substrate and the top layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2007
    Publication date: August 14, 2008
    Inventors: Oleg Kononchuk, Fabrice Letertre, Robert Langer
  • Publication number: 20080185667
    Abstract: An Mo film (6) is formed on a SiO2 film (5) by particularly using the film thickness and the deposition temperature (ambient temperature in a sputtering chamber) as the primary parameters and adjusting the film thickness to be within the range from 100 nm to 500 nm (more preferably 100 nm to 300 nm) and the deposition temperature to be within the range from 25° C. to 300° C., so as to control residual stress to have a predetermined value of 300 MPa or greater and to be oriented to increase the in-plane lattice constant. There can be thus provided a reliable CMOSTFT in which desired strain is easily and reliably imparted to polysilicon thin films (4a and 4b) to improve the mobility therein without adding an extra step of imparting the strain to the silicon thin film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 17, 2004
    Publication date: August 7, 2008
    Inventors: Kenichi Yoshino, Akito Hara, Michiko Takei, Takuya Hirano
  • Patent number: 7407840
    Abstract: A display device able to raise a light resistance of pixel transistors without depending upon a light shielding structure and a method of production of same, wherein an average crystal grain size of a polycrystalline silicon film 111 forming an active layer of the pixel transistors is controlled to be relatively small so as to suppress a photo-leakage current. The smaller the crystal grain size, the larger the included crystal defects. Carriers excited by light irradiation are smoothly captured by a defect level, and an increase of a photo-leakage current is suppressed. On the other hand, the average crystal grain size of the polycrystalline silicon film 111 constituting the peripheral transistors is controlled so as to become relatively large. The larger the crystal grain size, the larger the mobility of the carriers, and the higher the drivability of the peripheral transistors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2008
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Shingo Makimura, Makoto Hashimoto, Yoshiro Okawa, Tomohiro Wada, Kazunori Kataoka
  • Publication number: 20080111133
    Abstract: A thin film transistor includes a substrate; a semiconductor layer disposed on the substrate, and including polycrystalline silicon having a constant directivity and a uniformly distributed crystal grain boundary; a gate insulating layer; a gate electrode; an interlayer insulating layer; and source and drain electrodes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2007
    Publication date: May 15, 2008
    Applicant: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: JI-SU AHN
  • Patent number: 7372073
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a substrate having an insulating film on its surface, and ac active layer made of a semiconductive thin film on the substrate surface. The thin film contains a mono-domain region formed of multiple columnar and/or needle-like crystals parallel to the substrate surface without including crystal boundaries therein, allowing the active layer to consist of the mono-domain region only. The insulating film underlying the active layer has a specific surface configuration of an intended pattern in profile, including projections or recesses. To fabricate the active layer, form a silicon oxide film by sputtering on the substrate. Pattern the silicon oxide film providing the surface configuration. Form an amorphous silicon film by low pressure CVD on the silicon oxide film. Retain in the silicon oxide film and/or the amorphous silicon film certain metallic element for acceleration of silicon film to a crystalline silicon film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2008
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Jun Koyama, Akiharu Miyanaga, Takeshi Fukunaga
  • Patent number: 7365358
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a single crystal thin film includes forming a non-single crystal thin film on an insulating base; subjecting the non-single crystal thin film to a first heat-treatment, thereby forming a polycrystalline thin film in which polycrystalline grains are aligned in an approximately regular pattern; and subjecting the polycrystalline thin film to a second heat-treatment, thereby forming a single crystal thin film in which the polycrystalline grains are bonded to each other. In this method, either the first heat-treatment or the second heat-treatment may be performed by irradiation of laser beams, preferably, emitted from an excimer laser. A single crystal thin film formed by this fabrication method has a performance higher than a related art polycrystalline thin film and is suitable for fabricating a device having stable characteristics. The single crystal thin film can be fabricated for a short-time by using laser irradiation as the heat-treatments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2008
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Junichi Sato, Setsuo Usui, Yasuhiro Sakamoto, Yoshifumi Mori, Hideharu Nakajima
  • Publication number: 20080083926
    Abstract: The specification and drawings present a new apparatus and method for printing transistor or diode structures using nanoparticles (e.g., silicon nanoparticles). Si-based electronic structures (e.g., transistors, diodes) can be printed in a simple low cost process and thus being a potential alternative to obtain a low cost manufacturing process for, e.g., Si-based active matrix (AM) backplanes as well as other applications.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2006
    Publication date: April 10, 2008
    Inventor: Toni Ostergard
  • Publication number: 20080079003
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a substrate with a device layer having different crystal orientations in different portions or areas. One layer of material having one crystal orientation may be bonded to a substrate having another crystal orientation. Then, a portion of the layer may be amorphized and annealed to be re-crystallized to the crystal orientation of the substrate. N- and P-type devices, such as tri-gate devices, may both be formed on the substrate, with each type of device having the proper crystal orientation along the top and side surfaces of the claimed region for optimum performance. For instance, a substrate may have a portion with a <100> crystal orientation along a top and sidewalls of an NMOS tri-gate transistor and another portion having a <110> crystal orientation along parallel top and sidewall surfaces of a PMOS tri-gate transistor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2006
    Publication date: April 3, 2008
    Inventors: Mohamad A. Shaheen, Peter Tolchinsky, Jack T. Kavalieros, Brian S. Doyle, Suman Datta, David Simon
  • Publication number: 20080061297
    Abstract: An embodiment of the invention provides a substrate. The substrate comprises a single crystal substrate. An epitaxial buffer film is on the single crystal substrate. An epitaxial ZnGa2O4 is on the epitaxial buffer film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2007
    Publication date: March 13, 2008
    Applicant: INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE
    Inventors: Yan-Ru Lin, Song-Yeu Tsai
  • Patent number: 7339255
    Abstract: A semiconductor substrate encompasses a GaN substrate and a single-crystal layer formed of III-V nitride compound semiconductor epitaxially grown on the GaN substrate. The GaN substrate has a surface orientation defined by an absolute value of an off-angle of the surface from {0001} plane towards <1?100> direction lying in a range of 0.12 degree to 0.35 degree and by an absolute value of an off-angle of the surface from {0001} plane towards <11?20> direction lying in a range of 0.00 degree to 0.06 degree.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Koichi Tachibana, Chie Hongo, Shinya Nunoue, Masaaki Onomura
  • Publication number: 20080048187
    Abstract: A semiconductor thin film according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a polycrystallized semiconductor thin film formed by applying laser light to an amorphous semiconductor thin film; and crystal grains arranged into a lattice shape with a size that is about ½ of an oscillation wavelength of the laser light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2007
    Publication date: February 28, 2008
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toru TAKEGUCHI, Shinsuke Yura
  • Patent number: 7317207
    Abstract: To provide TFT of improved low-temperature polycrystalline layer that has higher electron mobility and assures less fluctuation in manufacture in view of realizing a liquid-crystal display device having a large display area by utilizing a glass substrate. A TFT having higher electron mobility can be realized within the predetermined range of characteristic fluctuation by utilizing the semiconductor thin-film (called quasi single crystal thin-film) formed of poly-crystal grain joined with the {111} twin-boundary of Diamond structure as the channel region (namely, active region) of TFT.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2008
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinya Yamaguchi, Masanobu Miyao, Nobuyuki Sugii, Seang-kee Park, Kiyokazu Nakagawa
  • Patent number: 7312471
    Abstract: A thin film transistor and a fabricating method of a thin film transistor for a liquid crystal display device includes forming a polycrystalline silicon film on a substrate, the polycrystalline silicon film having square shaped grains; forming an active layer by etching the polycrystalline silicon film; forming a gate electrode over the active layer, the gate electrode overlapping the active layer to form a channel region, the channel region being formed inside one of the grains; and forming source and drain electrodes connected to both sides of the active layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2007
    Assignee: LG.Philips LCD Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yun-Ho Jung
  • Patent number: 7307282
    Abstract: The TFT has a channel-forming region formed of a crystalline semiconductor film obtained by heat-treating and crystallizing an amorphous semiconductor film containing silicon as a main component and germanium in an amount of not smaller than 0.1 atomic % but not larger than 10 atomic % while adding a metal element thereto, wherein not smaller than 20% of the lattice plane {101} has an angle of not larger than 10 degrees with respect to the surface of the semiconductor film, not larger than 3% of the lattice plane {001} has an angle of not larger than 10 degrees with respect to the surface of the semiconductor film, and not larger than 5% of the lattice plane {111} has an angle of not larger than 10 degrees with respect to the surface of the semiconductor film as detected by the electron backscatter diffraction pattern method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2007
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Toru Mitsuki, Kenji Kasahara, Taketomi Asami, Tamae Takano, Takeshi Shichi, Chiho Kokubo, Yasuyuki Arai
  • Patent number: 7297980
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a flat panel display device comprising a polycrystalline silicon thin film transistor and provides a flat panel display device having improved characteristics by having a different number of grain boundaries included in polycrystalline silicon thin film formed in active channel regions of a driving circuit portion and active channel regions of pixel portion. This may be achieved by having a different number of grain boundaries included in the polycrystalline silicon thin film formed in active channel regions of a switching thin film transistor and a driving thin film transistor formed in the pixel portion, and by having a different number of grain boundaries included in polycrystalline silicon thin film formed in active channel regions of a thin film transistor for driving the pixel portion for each red, green and blue of the pixel portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ji-Yong Park, Ul-Ho Lee, Jae-Bon Koo, Ki-Yong Lee, Hye-Hyang Park
  • Patent number: 7297978
    Abstract: After an amorphous semiconductor thin film is crystallized by utilizing a catalyst element, the catalyst element is removed by performing a heat treatment in an atmosphere containing a halogen element. A resulting crystalline semiconductor thin film exhibits {110} orientation. Since individual crystal grains have approximately equal orientation, the crystalline semiconductor thin film has substantially no grain boundaries and has such crystallinity as to be considered a single crystal or considered so substantially.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Hisashi Ohtani, Toru Mitsuki, Akiharu Miyanaga, Yasushi Ogata
  • Patent number: 7288791
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide an epitaxial wafer with fewer pit defects in the epitaxial layer of a silicon monocrystalline wafer that has been doped with arsenic. Pit defects tend to occur when gas etching is performed prior to epitaxial film formation, but this tendency is reversed and a sound epitaxial layer is obtained by setting the crystal plane orientation to (100) and specifying the range of the tilt angle for the angle ? in the [001] direction or [001] direction or the angle ? in the [010] direction or [010] direction with respect to the [100] axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2007
    Assignee: Sumitomo Mitsubishi Silicon Corporation
    Inventors: Shigeru Umeno, Satoshi Murakami, Hirotaka Fujii
  • Patent number: 7288787
    Abstract: The present invention provides a thin-film transistor offering a higher electron (or hole) mobility, a method for manufacturing the thin-film transistor, and a display using the thin-film transistor. The present invention provides a thin-film transistor having a source region, a channel region, and a drain region in a semiconductor thin film with a crystal grown in a horizontal direction, the thin-film transistor having a gate insulating film and a gate electrode over the channel region, wherein a drain edge of the drain region which is adjacent to the channel region is formed in the vicinity of a crystal growth end position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2007
    Assignee: Advanced LCD Technologies Development Center Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Nakazaki, Genshiro Kawachi, Terunori Warabisako, Masakiyo Matsumura
  • Patent number: 7282738
    Abstract: A method of forming crystalline or polycrystalline layers includes providing a substrate and a patterning over the substrate. The method also includes providing nucleation material and forming the crystalline layer over the nucleation material. The crystalline material disposed over the substrate may be monocrystalline or polycrystalline.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2007
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventors: James G. Couillard, Kishor P. Gadkaree, Youchun Shi
  • Patent number: 7265385
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing an active matrix type display device, which is reliable and flexible, is provided. An active matrix type display device according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a first substrate, which is flexible; a thin glass layer provided on the first substrate via an adhesion layer, and having projections and depressions on a surface thereof opposing to the first substrate, the projections and depressions having rounded tips and bottoms; active elements provided on the thin glass layer, each active element corresponding to a pixel; a display provided above the thin glass layer, and driven by the active elements to display an image pixel by pixel; and a second substrate provided on the display, and having an opposing electrode formed thereon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2007
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Hioki, Masahiko Akiyama, Mitsuo Nakajima, Yujiro Hara, Yutaka Onozuka
  • Patent number: 7262431
    Abstract: A polycrystal thin film forming method comprising the step of forming a semiconductor thin film on a substrate 14, and the step of flowing a heated gas to the semiconductor thin film while an energy beam 38 is being applied to the semiconductor thin film at a region to which the gas is being applied to thereby melt the semiconductor film, and crystallizing the semiconductor thin film in its solidification. The energy beam is applied while the high-temperature gas is being flowed, whereby the melted semiconductor thin film can have low solidification rate, whereby the polycrystal thin film can have large crystal grain diameters and can have good quality of little defects in crystal grains and little twins.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2007
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akito Hara, Nobuo Sasaki
  • Patent number: 7259427
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a semiconductor device including a circuit composed of thin film transistors having a novel GOLD (Gate-Overlapped LDD (Lightly Doped Drain)) structure. The thin film transistor comprises a first gate electrode and a second electrode being in contact with the first gate electrode and a gate insulating film. Further, the LDD is formed by using the first gate electrode as a mask, and source and drain regions are formed by using the second gate electrode as the mask. Then, the LDD overlapping with the second gate electrode is formed. This structure provides the thin film transistor with high reliability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2007
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Hiroki Adachi
  • Publication number: 20070187668
    Abstract: A single crystal substrate and method of fabricating the same are provided. The single crystal substrate includes an insulator having a window exposing a portion of a substrate, a selective epitaxial growth layer formed on the portion of the substrate exposed through the window and a single crystalline layer formed on the insulator and the selective epitaxial growth layer using the selective epitaxial growth layer as an epitaxial seed layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2006
    Publication date: August 16, 2007
    Inventors: Takashi Noguchi, Hans S. Cho, Wenxu Xianyu, Huaxiang Yin
  • Patent number: 7256423
    Abstract: A thin film semiconductor device which includes an insulating substrate, a semiconductor polycrystal thin film formed over the substrate and a transistor with the thin film as a channel. The polycrystal includes a plurality of crystal grains, with grain boundaries between the crystal grains being recessed. The grain boundaries with the recessed surfaces are the most predominant of all grain boundaries within the channel. With this structure, the polycrystal can be a low temperature polycrystal that can be formed at a temperature of 150° C. or less, thereby achieving a low-cost device with high carrier mobility.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2007
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinya Yamaguchi, Mutsuko Hatano, Mitsuharu Tai, Sedng-Kee Park, Takeo Shiba
  • Patent number: 7250375
    Abstract: A method of processing a for an electronic device, comprising, at least: a nitridation step (a) of supplying nitrogen radicals on the surface of the electronic device substrate, to thereby form a nitride film on the surface thereof; and a hydrogenation step (b) of supplying hydrogen radicals to the surface of the electronic device substrate. By use of this method, it is possible to recover the degradation in the electric property of an insulating film due to a turnaround phenomenon which can occur at the time of nitriding an Si substrate, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2007
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Toshio Nakanishi, Takuya Sugawara, Seiji Matsuyama, Masaru Sasaki
  • Patent number: 7247880
    Abstract: A thin film transistor includes a substrate, a semiconductor layer pattern on the substrate, a gate insulating layer on the semiconductor layer pattern, and a gate electrode on a gate insulating layer. Low angle grain boundaries of polysilicon formed in a channel layer in the semiconductor layer pattern are tilted ?15 to 15° with respect to a current flowing direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2007
    Assignee: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Byoung-Keon Park, Ki-Yong Lee, Jin-Wook Seo, Tae-Hoon Yang
  • Patent number: 7235811
    Abstract: A system and method are provided for reducing film surface protrusions in the fabrication of LILAC films. The method comprises: forming an amorphous film with a first thickness; annealing the film using a LILAC process, with beamlets having a width in the range of 3 to 10 microns; in response to annealing, forming protrusions on the film surface; optionally oxidizing the film surface; thinning the film; and, in response to thinning the film, smoothing the film surface. Typically, the film surface is smoothed to a surface flatness of 300 ?, or less. In some aspects of the method, oxidizing the film surface includes oxidizing the film surface to a depth. Then, thinning the film includes thinning the film to a third thickness equal to the first thickness minus the depth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2007
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark A. Crowder, Apostolos T. Voutsas, Masahiro Adachi
  • Patent number: 7227186
    Abstract: An amorphous silicon film is laser irradiated a plural number of times to make the film composed of a plurality of crystal grains while suppressing the formation of protrusions at the boundaries of the adjoining grains to realize a polycrystalline silicon thin film transistor having at least partly therein the clusters of grains, or the aggregates of at least two crystal grains, with preferred orientation in the plane (111), and having high electron mobility of 200 cm2/Vs or above.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2007
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takuo Tamura, Kiyoshi Ogata, Yoichi Takahara, Kazuhiko Horikoshi, Hironaru Yamaguchi, Makoto Ohkura, Hironobu Abe, Masakazu Saitou, Yoshinobu Kimura, Toshihiko Itoga
  • Patent number: 7227187
    Abstract: To obtain a semiconductor device containing TFTs of different, suitable properties as display pixel TFTs and high-voltage, driver-circuit TFTs, the semiconductor device of the present invention includes: first and second islands-shaped polycrystalline silicon (p-Si) layers provided above an insulating substrate and having relatively large grain sizes; a third islands-shaped p-Si layer having relatively small grain sizes; a first gate insulating film provided on the first p-Si layer and having a first thickness; second and third gate insulating films provided on the second and third p-Si layers having second and third thicknesses which are not less than the first thickness; gate electrodes provided on the gate insulating films; n-type high-concentration source/drain regions formed by adding an n-type impurity to a high concentration outside channel regions; and second and third n-type low-concentration source/drain regions provided between the channel regions and the n-type high-concentration source/drain regi
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2007
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kazushige Hotta
  • Patent number: 7217952
    Abstract: A technique for manufacturing TFTs having little dispersion in their electrical characteristics is provided. Contamination of a semiconductor film is reduced by performing oxidation processing having an organic matter removing effect, forming a clean oxide film, after removing a natural oxide film formed on a semiconductor film surface. TFTs having little dispersion in their electrical characteristics can be obtained by using the semiconductor film thus obtained in active layers of the TFTs, and the electrical properties can be improved. In addition, deterioration in productivity and throughput can be reduced to a minimum by using a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of the present invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2007
    Assignees: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd., Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Setsuo Nakajima, Aiko Shiga, Naoki Makita, Takuya Matsuo
  • Patent number: 7205203
    Abstract: A method of forming a crystalline silicon layer that includes forming a semiconductor layer of amorphous silicon on a substrate having a first region and a second region at a periphery of the first region; forming at least one concave-shaped alignment key by irradiating a laser beam onto the semiconductor layer in the second region; and crystallizing the semiconductor layer in the first region using the at least one alignment key.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2007
    Assignee: LG.Philips LCD Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Young-Joo Kim
  • Patent number: 7202499
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a TFT of new structure in which the gate electrode overlaps with the LDD region and a TFT of such structure in which the gate electrode does not overlap with the LDD region. The TFT is made from crystalline semiconductor film and is highly reliable. The TFT of crystalline semiconductor film has the gate electrode formed from a first gate electrode 113 and a second gate electrode in close contact with said first gate electrode and gate insulating film. The LDD is formed by ion doping using said first gate electrode as a mask, and the source-drain region is formed using said second gate electrode as a mask. After that the second gate electrode in the desired region is selectively removed. In this way it is possible to form LDD region which overlaps with the second gate electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2007
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Setsuo Nakajima