Kobe Steel, Ltd.

Kobelco Research Institute, Inc.

Mototaka Ochi

Hiroshi Goto

Nobuyuki Kawakami

Toshihiro Kugimiya

Aya Miki

Shinya Morita

Katsufumi Tomihisa

Kazushi Hayashi

Yoshihiro Yokota

Yoko Shida

Hiroshi Gotou

Shinya Fukuma

Toshiki Sato

Junichi Nakai

Katsutoshi Takagi

Yuuki Tauchi

Takashi Onishi

Aya Hino

Hiroyuki Okuno

Yuki Iwasaki

Yuki Tao

Kenta Hirose

Masaya Ehira

Norihiro Jiko

Akira Nanbu

Yasuyuki Takanashi

Yuichi Taketomi

A thin film transistor includes at least a gate electrode, a gate insulating film, an oxide semiconductor layer, source/drain electrodes, and at least one layer of a passivation film on a substrate. Metal elements constituting the oxide semiconductor layer include In, Ga, Zn, and Sn. Respective ratios of the metal elements to a total (In+Ga+Zn+Sn) of the metal elements in the oxide semiconductor layer satisfy: In: 30 atom % or more and 45 atom % or less, Ga: 5 atom % or more and less than 20 atom %, Zn: 30 atom % or more and 60 atom % or less, and Sn: 4.0 atom % or more and less than 9.0 atom %.

Thin film transistor including oxide semiconductor layer

An oxide sintered body is obtained by sintering indium oxide, gallium oxide and tin oxide. The oxide sintered body has a relative density of 90% or more and an average grain size of 10 &#x3bc;m or less. In the oxide sintered body, the relations 30 atomic %&#x2264;[In]&#x2264;50 atomic %, 20 atomic %&#x2264;[Ga]&#x2264;30 atomic % and 25 atomic %&#x2264;[Sn]&#x2264;45 atomic % are satisfied. [In], [Ga] and [Sn] are ratios of contents (atomic %) of indium gallium and tin, respectively, to all metal elements contained in the oxide sintered body. The oxide sintered body has an InGaOphase which satisfies the relation [InGaO]&#x2265;0.05.

Oxide sintered body and sputtering target, and method for producing same

A quality evaluation method for an oxide semiconductor thin film includes: selecting a peak value having a largest calculated value and a time constant for the peak value among calculated values obtained by substituting each signal value for respective elapsed times after stopping excitation light irradiation and the corresponding elapsed time into the following Equation (1); and estimating, from the peak value and the time constant, an energy level of defect state and the defect density in the oxide semiconductor thin film:=(signal value)&#xd7;(elapsed time for the signal value)&#x2003;&#x2003;Equation 1.

Method for evaluating quality of oxide semiconductor thin film, method for managing quality of oxide semiconductor thin film, and device for manufacturing semiconductor using said method for managing quality

An Ag alloy film used for a reflecting electrode or an interconnection electrode, the Ag alloy film exhibiting low electrical resistivity and high reflectivity and having exceptional oxidation resistance under cleaning treatments such as an Oplasma treatment or UV irradiation, wherein the Ag alloy film contains either In in an amount of larger than 2.0 atomic % to 2.7 atomic % or smaller; or Zn in an amount of larger than 2.0 atomic % to 3.5 atomic % or smaller; or both. The Ag alloy film may further contain Bi in an amount of 0.01 to 1.0 atomic %.

Ag alloy film for reflecting electrode or wiring electrode, reflecting electrode or wiring electrode, and Ag alloy sputtering target

Provided are: a novel electrode which is suitable for use in an input device as typified by a capacitive touch panel sensor, and which has low electrical resistivity and low reflectance; and a method for producing this electrode. This electrode has a multilayer structure comprising a first layer that is formed of an Al film or an Al alloy film and a second layer that is partially nitrided and is formed of an Al alloy containing Al and at least one element selected from the group consisting of Mn, Cu, Ti and Ta.

Electrode and method for producing same

Provided is a method for reliably and simply evaluating the quality of an oxide semiconductor thin film and a laminated body having a protective film on the surface of this oxide semiconductor thin film. Also provided is a method for reliably and simply managing the quality of an oxide semiconductor thin film. This method, which is for evaluating the quality of an oxide semiconductor thin film and a laminated body having a protective film on the surface of this oxide semiconductor thin film, has: a first step, wherein an oxide semiconductor thin film is formed on a substrate, after which the electron state of the oxide semiconductor thin film is measured by a contact method or a noncontact method, thereby evaluating defects arising from in-film defects in the oxide semiconductor thin film; and a second step, wherein the oxide semiconductor thin film is processed on the basis of a condition determined on the basis of that evaluation, after which a protective film is formed on the surface of the oxide semiconductor thin film, and then the electron state of the oxide semiconductor thin film is measured by a contact method or a noncontact method, thereby evaluating defects arising from defects at the interface between the oxide semiconductor thin film and the protective film.

Method for evaluating quality of oxide semiconductor thin film and laminated body having protective film on surface of oxide semiconductor thin film, and method for managing quality of oxide semiconductor thin film

This thin film transistor comprises, on a substrate, at least a gate electrode, a gate insulating film, an oxide semiconductor layer, a source-drain electrode, and two or more protective films. The oxide semiconductor layer comprises Sn, O and one or more elements selected from the group consisting of In, Ga and Zn. In addition, the two or more protective films are composed of at least a first protective film that is in contact with the oxide semiconductor film, and one or more second protective films other than the first protective film. The first protective film is a SiOfilm having a hydrogen concentration of 3.5 atomic % or lower.

Thin film transistor and method for manufacturing same

Provided is a thin film transistor that has high mobility and excellent stress resistance and is good typically in adaptability to wet etching process. The thin film transistor includes a substrate, and, disposed on the substrate in the following sequence, a gate electrode, a gate insulator film, oxide semiconductor layers, source-drain electrodes, and a passivation film that protects the source-drain electrodes. The oxide semiconductor layers have a first oxide semiconductor layer including In, Ga, Zn, Sn, and O, and a second oxide semiconductor layer including In, Ga, Sn, and O. The second oxide semiconductor layer is disposed on the gate insulator film. The first oxide semiconductor layer is disposed between the second oxide semiconductor layer and the passivation film. The atomic ratios in contents of the individual metal elements to all the metal elements constituting the first and the second oxide semiconductor layers are controlled to predetermined ratios.

Thin film transistor

The present invention provides an Al alloy film for a display device, to be directly connected to a conductive oxide film on a substrate, the Al alloy film comprising Ge in an amount of 0.05 to 0.5 at %, and comprising Gd and/or La in a total amount of 0.05 to 0.45 at %, a display device using the same, and a sputtering target for the display device. For the Al alloy film of the present invention, even when a barrier metal is not provided, and a conductive oxide film and the Al alloy film are directly connected, the adhesion between the conductive oxide film and the Al alloy film is high, and the contact resistivity is low, and preferably, the dry etching property is also excellent.

Al alloy film for display device, display device, and sputtering target

Provided is a direct contact technology by which a barrier metal layer between a Cu alloy wiring composed of pure Cu or a Cu alloy and a semiconductor layer can be eliminated, and the Cu alloy wiring can be directly and surely connected to the semiconductor layer within a wide process margin. The wiring structure is provided with the semiconductor layer and the Cu alloy film composed of pure Cu or the Cu alloy on a substrate in this order from the substrate side. A laminated structure is included between the semiconductor layer and the Cu alloy film. The laminated structure is composed of an (N, C, F) layer, which contains at least one element selected from among a group composed of nitrogen, carbon and fluorine, and a Cu&#x2014;Si diffusion layer, which contains Cu and Si, in this order from the substrate side. Furthermore, at least the one element selected from among the group composed of nitrogen, carbon and fluorine is bonded to Si contained in the semiconductor layer.

Wiring structure, thin film transistor substrate, method for manufacturing thin film transistor substrate, and display device

A display device is provided with a Cu alloy film having high adhesiveness to a transparent substrate and a low electrical resistivity. The Cu alloy film for the display device is directly brought into contact with the transparent substrate, and the Cu alloy film has the multilayer structure, which includes a first layer (Y) composed of a Cu alloy containing, in total, 2-20 atm % of at least one element selected from among a group composed of Zn, Ni, Ti, Al, Mg, Ca, W, Nb, and Mn, and a second layer (X) which is composed of pure Cu or substantially a Cu alloy having Cu as the main component and has an electrical resistivity lower than that of the first layer (Y). The first layer (Y) is brought into contact with the transparent substrate.

Display device

To avoid a phenomenon of deterioration which is characteristic to an organic EL display device, such as a dark spot, without forming a pin hole in an organic material used for forming an organic EL layer. A reflective anode for an organic EL display device includes: an Ag-based alloy film () containing 0.01 to 1.5 atomic % of Nd and formed on a substrate (); and an oxide conductive film () formed on the Ag-based alloy film () and in direct contact with the film ().

Reflective anode and wiring film for organic EL display device

A reflective electrode () includes an aluminum alloy layer () and an aluminum oxide layer () arranged on or above a substrate and is directly connected to a transparent pixel electrode () without the interposition of a barrier metal layer. The aluminum alloy layer contains 0.1 to 2 atomic percent of nickel or cobalt and 0.1 to 2 atomic percent of lanthanum. The aluminum oxide layer has a ratio [O]/[Al] of the number of oxygen atoms [O] to the number of aluminum atoms [Al] of 0.30 or less. The aluminum oxide layer has a thickness in its thinnest portion of 10 nm or less. The reflective electrode has a high reflectance and a low contact resistance, even when subjected to a heat treatment at a low temperature of 100&#xb0; C. or higher but 300&#xb0; C. or lower. The reflective electrode also has excellent thermal stability and does not cause defects such as hillocks.

Reflective electrode, display device, and method for producing display device

An interconnection structure, containing a substrate and, in the following order from a side of the substrate: (I) a semiconductor layer; (II) a multilayer structure including (II-a) a first layer containing at least one type of an element selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, carbon and fluorine and (II-b) an Al&#x2014;Si diffusion layer containing Al and Si; and (III) an Al film of pure Al or an Al alloy, wherein the at least one of element selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, carbon, and fluorine in the first layer is bonded with Si contained in the semiconductor layer.

Interconnection structure, a thin film transistor substrate, and a manufacturing method thereof, as well as a display device

The present invention provides a thin film transistor substrate and a display device in which a decrease in the dry etching rate of a source electrode and drain electrode is not caused; no etching residues are generated; and a barrier metal can be eliminated between a semiconductor layer and metal wires such as the source and drain electrodes. The present invention is a thin film transistor substrate having a semiconductor layer, a source electrode, a drain electrode, and a transparent conductive film, in which the source electrodeand drain electrodeare formed by patterning by means of dry etching and comprises an Al alloy thin film comprising 0.1 to 1.5 atom % of Si and/or Ge, 0.1 to 3.0 atom % of Ni and/or Co, and 0.1 to 0.5 atom % of La and/or Nd, and the thin film transistor is directly connected with the semiconductor layer

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Kobe, Japan

Mototaka Ochi