# US 8,541,266 B2 · Method for manufacturing semiconductor device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,541,266 B2 - Document ID: US8541266B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/429,977 - Filed: 2012-03-26 - Published: 2012-10-04 - Granted: 2013-09-24 - Earliest claimed: 2011-04-01 - Assignees: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Shunpei Yamazaki - Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8541266B2 ## CPC - H10D 30/6739: {Conductor-insulator-semiconductor electrodes} - H10D 30/6704: {having supplementary regions or layers in the thin films or in the insulated bulk substrates for controlling properties of the device} - H10D 30/6755: {Oxide semiconductors, e.g. zinc oxide, copper aluminium oxide or cadmium stannate} - H10D 99/00: Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass - H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES ## Abstract In a method for manufacturing a transistor including an oxide semiconductor layer, a gate electrode is formed and then an aluminum oxide film, a silicon oxide film, and the oxide semiconductor film are successively formed in an in-line apparatus without being exposed to the air and are subjected to heating and oxygen adding treatment in the in-line apparatus. Then, the transistor is covered with another aluminum oxide film and is subjected to heat treatment, so that the oxide semiconductor film from which impurities including hydrogen atoms are removed and including a region containing oxygen at an amount exceeding that in the stoichiometric composition ratio. The transistor including the oxide semiconductor film is a transistor having high reliability in which the amount of change in threshold voltage of the transistor by the bias-temperature stress (BT test) can be reduced. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of: forming a gate electrode layer over a substrate; forming a first aluminum oxide layer over the gate electrode layer in a first chamber of an apparatus; forming a first silicon oxide layer over the first aluminum oxide layer in a second chamber of the apparatus; forming an oxide semiconductor layer over the first silicon oxide layer in a third chamber of the apparatus; performing a heat treatment on the oxide semiconductor layer in a fourth chamber of the apparatus; and performing an oxygen supplying treatment on the oxide semiconductor layer in a fifth chamber of the apparatus; wherein the steps of forming the first aluminum oxide layer, forming the first silicon oxide layer, forming the oxide semiconductor layer, performing the heat treatment, and performing the oxygen supplying treatment are successively performed without exposing the substrate to air, and wherein the first chamber, the second chamber, the third chamber, the fourth chamber, and the fifth chamber are connected in series. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the oxide semiconductor layer comprises indium, gallium, and zinc. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the first aluminum oxide layer comprises oxygen at an amount exceeding that in an stoichiometric composition ratio of aluminum oxide. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the first silicon oxide layer comprises oxygen at an amount exceeding that in an stoichiometric composition ratio of silicon oxide. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the oxygen supplying treatment is performed to form an oxygen-excess region in the oxide semiconductor layer. ### Claim 6 A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of: forming a gate electrode layer over a substrate; forming a first aluminum oxide layer over the gate electrode layer in a first chamber of a first apparatus; forming a first silicon oxide layer over the first aluminum oxide layer in a second chamber of the first apparatus; forming an oxide semiconductor layer over the first silicon oxide layer in a third chamber of the first apparatus; performing a first heat treatment on the oxide semiconductor layer in a fourth chamber of the first apparatus; performing an oxygen supplying treatment on the oxide semiconductor layer in a fifth chamber of the first apparatus; forming a source electrode layer and a drain electrode layer over the oxide semiconductor layer; forming a second silicon oxide layer over the source electrode layer and the drain electrode layer in a sixth chamber of a second apparatus; forming a second aluminum oxide layer over the second silicon oxide layer in a seventh chamber of the second apparatus; and performing a second heat treatment on the oxide semiconductor layer in a eighth chamber of the second apparatus, wherein the steps of forming the first aluminum oxide layer, forming the first silicon oxide layer, forming the oxide semiconductor layer, performing the first heat treatment, and performing the oxygen supplying treatment are successively performed without exposing the substrate to air, wherein the first chamber, the second chamber, the third chamber, the fourth chamber, and the fifth chamber are connected in series, wherein the steps of forming the second silicon oxide layer, forming the second aluminum oxide layer, and performing the second heat treatment are successively performed without exposing the substrate to air, and wherein the sixth chamber, the seventh chamber, and the eighth chamber are connected in series. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 6, wherein the oxide semiconductor layer comprises indium, gallium, and zinc. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 6, wherein the first aluminum oxide layer comprises oxygen at an amount exceeding that in an stoichiometric composition ratio of aluminum oxide. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 6, wherein the first silicon oxide layer comprises oxygen at an amount exceeding that in an stoichiometric composition ratio of silicon oxide. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 6, wherein the oxygen supplying treatment is performed to form an oxygen-excess region in the oxide semiconductor layer. ### Claim 11 (depends on 6) The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 6, wherein the second silicon oxide layer comprises oxygen at an amount exceeding that in an stoichiometric composition ratio of silicon oxide. ### Claim 12 (depends on 6) The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 6, wherein the second aluminum oxide layer comprises oxygen at an amount exceeding that in an stoichiometric composition ratio of aluminum oxide. ### Claim 13 A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of: forming a gate electrode layer over a substrate; forming a first aluminum oxide layer over the gate electrode layer in a first chamber of a first apparatus; forming a first silicon oxide layer over the first aluminum oxide layer in a second chamber of the first apparatus; forming an oxide semiconductor layer over the first silicon oxide layer in a third chamber of the first apparatus; performing a first heat treatment on the oxide semiconductor layer in a fourth chamber of the first apparatus; performing an oxygen supplying treatment on the oxide semiconductor layer in a fifth chamber of the first apparatus; forming a source electrode layer and a drain electrode layer over the oxide semiconductor layer; forming a second silicon oxide layer over the source electrode layer and the drain electrode layer in a sixth chamber of a second apparatus; forming a layer over the second silicon oxide layer in a seventh chamber of the second apparatus; forming a second aluminum oxide layer over the layer in a eighth chamber of the second apparatus; and performing a second heat treatment on the oxide semiconductor layer in a ninth chamber of the second apparatus, wherein the layer formed in the seventh chamber comprises one selected from the group consisting of a combination of an organic compound and a metal oxide, a transparent conductive oxide, and an oxide semiconductor comprising nitrogen, wherein the steps of forming the first aluminum oxide layer, forming the first silicon oxide layer, forming the oxide semiconductor layer, performing the first heat treatment, and performing the oxygen supplying treatment are successively performed without exposing the substrate to air, wherein the first chamber, the second chamber, the third chamber, the fourth chamber, and the fifth chamber are connected in series, wherein the steps of forming the second silicon oxide layer, forming the layer, forming the second aluminum oxide layer, and performing the second heat treatment are successively performed without exposing the substrate to air, and wherein the sixth chamber, the seventh chamber, the eighth chamber, and the ninth chamber are connected in series. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 13, wherein the oxide semiconductor layer comprises indium, gallium, and zinc. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 13, wherein the first aluminum oxide layer comprises oxygen at an amount exceeding that in an stoichiometric composition ratio of aluminum oxide. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 13, wherein the first silicon oxide layer comprises oxygen at an amount exceeding that in an stoichiometric composition ratio of silicon oxide. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 13, wherein the oxygen supplying treatment is performed to form an oxygen-excess region in the oxide semiconductor layer. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 13, wherein the second silicon oxide layer comprises oxygen at an amount exceeding that in an stoichiometric composition ratio of silicon oxide. ### Claim 19 (depends on 13) The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 13, wherein the second aluminum oxide layer comprises oxygen at an amount exceeding that in an stoichiometric composition ratio of aluminum oxide. ### Claim 20 (depends on 13) The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 13, wherein the metal oxide is a transition metal oxide, and wherein the organic compound has a hole-transport property.