Active solid-state devices (e.g. – transistors – solid-state diode – With means to control surface effects – Insulating coating
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-01
2002-04-30
Whitehead, Jr., Carl (Department: 2822)
Active solid-state devices (e.g., transistors, solid-state diode
With means to control surface effects
Insulating coating
C438S763000, C438S765000, C438S788000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06380612
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to an inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition(ICP CVD) technology, and more particularly, to amorphous silicon, micro crystalline silicon, thin film silicon nitride and thin film amorphous silicon transistors fabricated by the utilization thereof.
2. Related Art
Generally, thin amorphous silicon, micro crystalline silicon and amorphous silicon film have been widely used in semiconductor and liquid crystal devices. In addition, thin amorphous silicon film transistors(a-Si TFT) have been widely used as driving elements of pixel electrodes in liquid crystal displays. In particular, a hydrogenized amorphous silicon transistor(a-Si:H TFT) is widely used for its superiority in the areas of yield and utilization in large area display devices.
Plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition(PECVD) is currently used to manufacture thin amorphous silicon film, thin micro crystalline silicon film, thin silicon nitride film and thin amorphous silicon film transistors. But this type of vapor deposition due to its low plasma density of 10
10
cm
−3
has low vapor deposition rate and requires high gas pressure. This results in fabrication problems due to polymer formation. In addition, due to the electrode substances existing in the discharge area of the reaction chamber, thin film product is contaminated thus degrading thin film quality.
As available methods of plasma production, inductively coupled plasma deposition and capacitively coupled plasma deposition are provided. Inductively coupled plasma deposition is shown to be more efficient than capacitively coupled plasma deposition. Using inductively coupled plasma deposition, it is possible to produce plasma having a higher density such as 10
11
-10
12
cm
−3
, and for discharging to take place under low pressures such as 0.1-20 mTorr. (Refer to P. N Wainman et al., J. Vac. Sci. Technol., Al3(5), 2464, 1995.)
In the laid-open publication of Japanese patent application (No. 95-60704), there is disclosed, an inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition apparatus. The above patent application, however, does not present the manufacturing method for amorphous silicon film, microcrystalline silicon film, thin silicon nitride film and thin amorphous silicon film transistors possessing superior electrical and optical matter properties. In addition, in the above disclosed apparatus, dielectric shield is made of material containing oxygen, such as quartz, and during deposition, the generated plasma causes etching of the dielectric shield, resulting in the dissociation of oxygen and other impurities from the dielectric shield which adversely effects thin film quality. Furthermore, in the above mentioned inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition apparatus, gas injection holes which form a portion of gas supply unit are not located at a central region of the reaction chamber but to the side of the chamber. What results is the irregular distribution of supplied reactant gas, making difficult, the production of thin films having a large surface area. Namely, the above mentioned apparatus has a shortcoming a uniform and high density plasma within the reaction chamber is not produced.
According the ICP CVD method of the present invention, a uniform amorphous silicon is provided having superior electrical and other physical properties in areas such as photo sensitivity, electric conductivity, and optical band gap. In addition, uniform film silicon nitride with superior physical properties in areas such as electric conductivity, break down voltage, current density is provided. Thin uniform film silicon with fine crystalline grain size is also provided. Additionally, a thin film transistor having a uniform amorphous silicon film is provided with superior electrical properties in areas such as electric field effect mobility, and threshold voltage. Thus a TFT-LCD of quality can obtained according the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The first object of the present invention is to provide an inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition method capable of manufacturing an uniform amorphous silicon film having superior properties in areas of photo sensitivity, electric conductivity, activation energy, and optical band gap.
The second object of the present invention is to provide an inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition method capable of manufacturing an uniform silicon nitride film having superior thin film properties in areas of break down voltage, and current density.
The third object of the present invention is to provide an inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition method capable of producing a thin silicon film having fine and uniform crystalline grains.
The fourth object of the present invention is to provide an inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition method capable of producing thin film transistor containing uniform amorphous film silicon, having superior electrical properties in areas such as electric field effect mobility.
In order to accomplish the above objects of the present invention, there is provided an inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition method for depositing a selected thin film on a substrate from inductively coupled plasma, the method including the steps of: providing a vacuum reaction chamber including an interior bounded, in part by a dielectric shield, the dielectric shield having an amorphous silicon layer on its interior surface, an antenna arranged outside the deposition chamber adjacent to the dielectric shield, where RF power is applied; placing the substrate on a stage within the vacuum reaction chamber; exhausting the vacuum reaction chamber to provide a vacuum state; introducing a reactant gas to the vacuum reaction chamber at a predetermined pressure; and applying RF power to the antenna, whereby inductively coupled plasma for deposition of a thin film from the reactant gas is formed within the vacuum reaction chamber.
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Cho Se-Il
Jang Jin
Kim Jae-gak
Hyundai Display Technology Inc.
Jr. Carl Whitehead
Mitchell James
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