Semiconductor device and method for fabricating the same
AssigneeSharp Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorNaoki Makita
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Abstract
A semiconductor device includes at least one thin-film transistor, which includes a semiconductor layer, a gate electrode and a gate insulating film. In the semiconductor layer, a crystalline region, including a channel forming region, a source region and a drain region, is defined. The gate electrode is provided to control the conductivity of the channel forming region. The gate insulating film is provided between the gate electrode and the semiconductor layer. The semiconductor layer includes a gettering region outside of the crystalline region thereof.
Claims30
A semiconductor device comprising at least one thin-film transistor, the thin-film transistor including:
- a semiconductor layer, including at least one catalytic element for promoting crystallization, in which a crystalline region, including a channel forming region, a source region and a drain region, is defined;
- a gate electrode for controlling the conductivity of the channel forming region;
- and
- a gate insulating film, which is provided between the gate electrode and the semiconductor layer, wherein,
- when the thin-film transistor operates, the semiconductor layer includes a gettering region having an amorphous phase outside of the crystalline region thereof adjacent to the source region or the drain region,
- the at least one catalytic element is included in each of the gettering region, the channel forming region, the source region and the drain region,
- a concentration of the at least one catalytic element in the gettering region is higher than the concentration of the at least one catalytic element in each of the channel forming region, the source region and the drain region, individually, and
- the at least one catalytic element is selected from the group consisting of Ni, Co, Sn, Pb, Pd, Fe and Cu.
A semiconductor device comprising an n-channel thin-film transistor and a p-channel thin-film transistor,
- wherein the n-channel thin-film transistor and the p-channel thin-film transistor each include:
- a semiconductor layer, including at least one catalytic element for promoting crystallization, in which a crystalline region, including a channel forming region, a source region and a drain region, is defined;
- a semiconductor layer, including at least one catalytic element for promoting crystallization, in which a crystalline region, including a channel forming region, a source region and a drain region, is defined;
- a gate electrode for controlling the conductivity of the channel forming region;
- and
- a gate insulating film, which is provided between the gate electrode and the semiconductor layer, wherein,
- when the thin-film transistor operates, the semiconductor layer includes a gettering region having an amorphous phase outside of the crystalline region thereof adjacent to the source region or the drain region,
- the at least one catalytic element is included in each of the gettering region, the channel forming region, the source region and the drain region,
- a concentration of the at least one catalytic element in the gettering region is higher than the concentration of the at least one catalytic element in each of the channel forming region, the source region and the drain region, individually, and
- the at least one catalytic element is selected from the group consisting of Ni, Go, Sn, Pb, Pd, Fe and Cu.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.