US 5,696,003 A · Method for fabricating a semiconductor device using a catalyst introduction region

Abstract

Into an amorphous silicon film, catalyst elements for accelerating the crystallization are introduced. After patterning the amorphous silicon films in which the catalyst elements have been introduced into an island pattern, a heat treatment for the crystallization is conducted. Thus, the introduced catalyst elements efficiently diffuse only inside the island-patterned amorphous silicon films. As a result, a high-quality crystalline silicon film, having the crystal growth direction aligned in one direction and having no grain boundaries, is obtained. Using the thus formed crystalline silicon film, semiconductor devices having a high performance and stable characteristics are fabricated efficiently over the entire substrate, irrespective of the size of the devices.

Claims36

Dependent claims

A method for fabricating a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of:

(a) forming an amorphous silicon film on a substrate having an insulating surface in such a manner that the amorphous silicon film is patterned so as to form at least one island region and a catalyst element is selectively introduced into at least a portion of the island region;
and
(b) heat-treating the amorphous silicon film to cause a crystal growth in surrounding areas of the portion of the amorphous silicon film, into which the catalyst element has been introduced in only a single direction substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate such that no grain boundaries exist along the single direction, whereby obtaining a crystalline silicon film,
wherein the crystalline silicon film is used as a device region of the semiconductor device.

1 more element

A method for fabricating a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of:

(a) forming an amorphous silicon film on a substrate having an insulating surface;
(b) selectively introducing a catalyst element into a slit-like introduction region of the amorphous silicon film for accelerating crystallization thereof;
(c) heat-treating the amorphous silicon film to cause a crystal growth in surrounding areas of the slit-like introduction region of the amorphous silicon film in only a single direction substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate such that no grain boundaries exist along the single direction, whereby obtaining a crystalline silicon film;
and
(d) forming a thin film transistor using the crystalline silicon film,
wherein the thin film transistor is positioned so that a channel region thereof is located in an area in which the crystal growth from the slit-like introduction region proceeds at an annealing temperature lower than a lowest possible crystal growth temperature of amorphous silicon devoid of the catalyst element, and
either a length of the slit-like introduction region measured along a direction of a longer side thereof or a width of the slit-like introduction region measured along a direction of a shorter side thereof is set equal to or larger than a value at which a crystal growth range of the crystalline silicon film becomes constant irrespective of increase in the length or the width, and
the channel region is arranged within an area in which the crystalline silicon film has one-directional crystal growth direction and a number of branches and bends of crystalline regions from the one-dimensional crystal growth direction is 2 or less.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method for fabricating a semiconductor device using a catalyst introduction region

Life of this patent

Method for fabricating a semiconductor device using a catalyst introduction region

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims36