US 7,582,162 B2Granted

Semiconductor device and semiconductor device production system

AssigneeSemiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.

InventorsAtsuo Isobe, Shunpei Yamazaki, Koji Dairiki, Hiroshi Shibata, Chiho Kokubo, Tatsuya Arao, Masahiko Hayakawa, Hidekazu Miyairi, Akihisa Shimomura, Koichiro Tanaka, Mai Akiba

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

patentgrep

Loading patent…

Abstract

A semiconductor device production system using a laser crystallization method is provided which can avoid forming grain boundaries in a channel formation region of a TFT, thereby preventing grain boundaries from lowering the mobility of the TFT greatly, from lowering ON current, and from increasing OFF current. Rectangular or stripe pattern depression and projection portions are formed on an insulating film. A semiconductor film is formed on the insulating film. The semiconductor film is irradiated with continuous wave laser light by running the laser light along the stripe pattern depression and projection portions of the insulating film or along the major or minor axis direction of the rectangle. Although continuous wave laser light is most preferred among laser light, it is also possible to use pulse oscillation laser light in irradiating the semiconductor film.

Claims30

Dependent claims

A semiconductor device production system comprising:

first means for forming an insulating film that has a rectangular or stripe pattern depression portion and a projection portion on a substrate;
second means for forming a semiconductor film on the insulating film;
third means for storing a pattern information of the insulating film;
a plurality of laser oscillators;
a plurality of AO modulators, each corresponding to the plurality of laser oscillators;
an optical system for collecting a plurality of laser lights emitted from the plurality of laser oscillators into a linear, laser beam on an irradiation position;
fourth means for moving the irradiation position of the linear laser beam;
fifth means for determining a scanning path of the linear laser beam and for controlling the fourth means, the scanning path being determined so as to include the depression portion of the semiconductor film from the pattern information of the insulating film referring to a marker that is formed on the substrate, and the fourth means being controlled to move the linear laser beam along the scanning path, thereby improving a crystallinity of the semiconductor film;
sixth means for patterning the semiconductor film with improved crystallinity to form an island between a center and an edge of the depression portion;
and
seventh means for measuring an energy density of the plurality of laser lights located between the plurality of laser oscillators and the plurality of AO modulators.

8 more elements

A semiconductor device production system comprising:

first means for storing a pattern information of an insulating film;
second means for forming the insulating film that has a rectangular or stripe pattern depression portion and a projection portion on a substrate in accordance with the pattern information of the insulating film;
third means for forming a semiconductor film on the insulating film;
fourth means for reading a position information of the semiconductor film;
fifth means for storing the position information of the semiconductor film read;
a plurality of laser oscillators;
a plurality of AO modulators, each corresponding to the plurality of laser oscillators;
an optical system for collecting a plurality of laser lights emitted from the plurality of laser oscillators into a linear laser beam on an irradiation position;
sixth means for moving the irradiation position of the linear laser beam;
seventh means for determining a scanning path of the linear laser beam and for controlling the sixth means, the scanning path being determined so as to include the depression portion based on the pattern information of the insulating film stored in the first means, the position information of the semiconductor film stored in the fifth means, and a thickness of the semiconductor film, and the sixth means being controlled to move the linear laser beam along the scanning path, thereby improving a crystallinity of the semiconductor film;
eighth means for patterning the semiconductor film with improved crystallinity to form an island between a center and an edge of the depression portion;
and
ninth means for measuring an energy density of the plurality of laser lights located between the plurality of laser oscillators and the plurality of AO modulators.

10 more elements

A semiconductor device production system comprising:

first means for forming an insulating film that has a rectangular or stripe pattern depression portion and a projection portion on a substrate;
second means for forming a semiconductor film on the insulating film;
third means for storing a pattern information of the insulating film;
a plurality of laser oscillators;
a plurality of AO modulators, each corresponding to the plurality of laser oscillators;
an optical system for collecting a plurality of laser lights emitted from the plurality of laser oscillators into a linear laser beam on an irradiation position;
fourth means for moving the irradiation position of the linear laser beam;
fifth means for determining a scanning path of the linear laser beam and for controlling the fourth means, the scanning path being determined so as to include the projection portion of the semiconductor film from the pattern information of the insulating film referring to a marker that is formed on the substrate, and the fourth means being controlled to move the linear laser beam along the scanning path, thereby improving a crystallinity of the semiconductor film;
sixth means for patterning the semiconductor film with improved crystallinity to form an island between a center and an edge of the projection portion;
and
seventh means for measuring an energy density of the plurality of laser lights located between the plurality of laser oscillators and the plurality of AO modulators.

8 more elements

A semiconductor device production system comprising:

first means for storing a pattern information of an insulating film;
second means for forming the insulating film that has a rectangular or stripe pattern depression portion and a projection portion on a substrate in accordance with the pattern information of the insulating film;
third means for forming a semiconductor film on the insulating film;
fourth means for reading a position information of the semiconductor film;
fifth means for storing the position information of the semiconductor film read;
a plurality of laser oscillators;
a plurality of AO modulators, each corresponding to the plurality of laser oscillators;
an optical system for collecting a plurality of laser lights emitted from the plurality of laser oscillators into a linear laser beam on an irradiation position;
sixth means for moving the irradiation position of the linear laser beam;
seventh means for determining a scanning path of the linear laser beam and for controlling the sixth means, the scanning path being determined so as to include the projection portion based .on the pattern information of the insulating film stored in the first means, the position information of the semiconductor film stored in the fifth means, and a thickness of the semiconductor film, and the sixth means being controlled to move the linear laser beam along the scanning path, thereby improving a crystallinity of the semiconductor film;
eighth means for patterning the semiconductor film with improved crystallinity to form an island between a center and an edge of the projection portion;
and
ninth means for measuring an energy density of the plurality of laser lights located between the plurality of laser oscillators and the plurality of AO modulators.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/600,833Filed 17 Nov 2006 · division
Priority: JP 2002-00926617 Jan 2002
Published: US 2007/0070346 A129 Mar 2007
Granted: 1 Sep 2009
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification41 codes

H10D 86/60
Characterised by multiple TFTs: wherein the TFTs are in active matrices
B23K 26/0738
Shaping the laser spot: into a linear shape
H10D 30/0314
Characterised by the gate electrodes: of lateral top-gate TFTs comprising only a single gate
H10D 30/0321
Of thin-film transistors [TFT]: comprising silicon, e.g. amorphous silicon or polysilicon

Family

Application10/338,043Parent of this division · filed 8 Jan 2003
Application11/013,539Parent of this division · filed 17 Dec 2004
US 2007/0070346 A1Pre-grant publication · published 29 Mar 2007
US 7,148,507 B2Parent of this division
US 6,841,797 B2Parent of this division
US 2003/0218169 A1Published application
US 2005/0098784 A1Published application
US 7,582,162 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.