PATENT DOCUMENT

Abstract:
An object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor device including a normally-off oxide semiconductor element whose characteristic variation is small in the long term. A cation containing one or more elements selected from oxygen and halogen is added to an oxide semiconductor layer, thereby suppressing elimination of oxygen, reducing hydrogen, or suppressing movement of hydrogen. Accordingly, carriers in the oxide semiconductor can be reduced and the number of the carriers can be kept constant in the long term. As a result, the semiconductor device including the normally-off oxide semiconductor element whose characteristic variation is small in the long term can be provided.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device including a semiconductor element using an oxide semiconductor. An embodiment of the disclosed invention relates to a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor element with favorable initial characteristics and small characteristic variation in the long term. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     There are a wide variety of metal oxides and such metal oxides are used for various applications. Indium oxide is a well-known material and is used as a transparent electrode material which is necessary for liquid crystal displays and the like. 
     Some metal oxides have semiconductor characteristics. The examples of such metal oxides having semiconductor characteristics are tungsten oxide, tin oxide, indium oxide, zinc oxide, and the like. A thin film transistor in which a channel formation region is formed using such metal oxides having semiconductor characteristics is known (for example, see Patent Documents 1 to 4, Non-Patent Document 1, and the like). 
     Further, not only single-component oxides but also multi-component oxides are known as metal oxides. For example, InGaO 3 (ZnO) m  (m is natural number) which is a homologous compound is known as a multi-component oxide containing In, Ga and Zn (for example, see Non-Patent Documents 2 to 4 and the like). 
     Furthermore, it is confirmed that an oxide semiconductor including such an In—Ga—Zn—O-based oxide is applicable to a channel layer of a thin film transistor (for example, see Patent Document 5, Non-Patent Documents 5 and 6, and the like). 
     REFERENCE 
     Patent Document 
     [Patent Document 1] Japanese Published Patent Application No. S60-198861 
     [Patent Document 2] Japanese Published Patent Application No. H8-264794 
     [Patent Document 3] Japanese Translation of PCT International Application No. H11-505377 
     [Patent Document 4] Japanese Published Patent Application No. 2000-150900 
     [Patent Document 5] Japanese Published Patent Application No. 2004-103957 
     Non-Patent Document 
     [Non-Patent Document 1] M. W. Prins, K. O. Grosse-Holz, G. Muller, J. F. M. Cillessen, J. B. Giesbers, R. P. Weening, and R. M. Wolf, “A ferroelectric transparent thin-film transistor”,  Appl. Phys. Lett.,  17 Jun. 1996, Vol. 68 pp. 3650-3652 
     [Non-Patent Document 2] M. Nakamura, N. Kimizuka, and T. Mohri, “The Phase Relations in the In 2 O 3 —Ga 2 ZnO 4 —ZnO System at 1350° C.”,  J. Solid State Chem.,  1991, Vol. 93, pp. 298-315 
     [Non-Patent Document 3] N. Kimizuka, M. Isobe, and M. Nakamura, “Syntheses and Single-Crystal Data of Homologous Compounds, In 2 O 3 (ZnO) m  (m=3, 4, and 5), InGaO 3 (ZnO) 3 , and Ga 2 O 3 (ZnO) m  (m=7, 8, 9, and 16) in the In 2 O 3 —ZnGa 2 O 4 —ZnO System”,  J. Solid State Chem.,  1995, Vol. 116, pp. 170-178 
     [Non-Patent Document 4] M. Nakamura, N. Kimizuka, T. Mohri, and M. Isobe, “Syntheses and crystal structures of new homologous compounds, indium iron zinc oxides (InFeO 3 (ZnO) m ) (m: natural number) and related compounds”,  KOTAI BUTSURI  ( SOLID STATE PHYSICS ), 1993, Vol. 28, No. 5, pp. 317-327 
     [Non-Patent Document 5] K. Nomura, H. Ohta, K. Ueda, T. Kamiya, M. Hirano, and H. Hosono, “Thin-film transistor fabricated in single-crystalline transparent oxide semiconductor”,  SCIENCE,  2003, Vol. 300, pp. 1269-1272 
     [Non-Patent Document 6] K. Nomura, H. Ohta, A. Takagi, T. Kamiya, M. Hirano, and H. Hosono, “Room-temperature fabrication of transparent flexible thin-film transistors using amorphous oxide semiconductors”,  NATURE,  2004, Vol. 432 pp. 488-492 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     As described above, an oxide semiconductor has been extensively researched; however, for its complex composition, the characteristics of the oxide semiconductor itself have not been elucidated. The present situation is that under these circumstances, a manufacturing condition by which a semiconductor element using an oxide semiconductor can have favorable characteristics has not been found. In particular, defects such as tendency to be normally-on and large variation in characteristics are seen notably. A cause of the tendency to be normally-on is a large number of carriers existing in an oxide semiconductor. Hydrogen, oxygen deficiency in an oxide semiconductor, and the like may cause the generation of carriers. 
     In view of the above-described problems, an object of an embodiment of the invention disclosed in this specification and the like (including at least the specification, the claims, and the drawings) is to provide a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor element whose characteristic variation is small in the long term. Another object of an embodiment is to obtain a normally-off oxide semiconductor element. 
     An embodiment of the present invention is to form a semiconductor element by adding a cation containing one or more elements selected from oxygen and halogen to an oxide semiconductor layer. In addition, the addition of a cation can also be performed on an insulating layer or an insulator which is in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer. 
     For example, an embodiment of the invention disclosed in this specification is a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of: forming a first conductive layer functioning as a gate electrode over a substrate; forming a first insulating layer covering the first conductive layer; forming an oxide semiconductor layer over the first insulating layer so that part of the oxide semiconductor layer overlaps with the first conductive layer; forming a second conductive layer electrically connected to the oxide semiconductor layer; forming a second insulating layer covering the oxide semiconductor layer and the second conductive layer; and adding a cation containing one or more elements selected from oxygen and halogen to the oxide semiconductor layer. 
     Note that the above-described oxide semiconductor layer preferably contains indium, gallium, and zinc. 
     In the above method, there is no particular limitation on a positional relation, a formation order, or the like of the oxide semiconductor layer and the second conductive layer. In the case where the second conductive layer has a layered structure, a structure may be employed in which the oxide semiconductor layer is sandwiched between layers of the second conductive layer. 
     In the above method, a step of performing heat treatment on the oxide semiconductor layer may be included. The heat treatment is preferably performed at a temperature higher than or equal to 100° C. and lower than or equal to 500° C., preferably higher than or equal to 200° C. and lower than or equal to 400° C. The heat treatment may be performed while the cation is being added. Thus, addition of hydrogen can be suppressed. 
     In the above method, the step of adding the cation to the oxide semiconductor layer is preferably performed at a stage when at least part of the oxide semiconductor layer is exposed. 
     In the above method, the cation containing one or more elements selected from oxygen and halogen is preferably added to the first insulating layer or the second insulating layer. 
     In the above method, the step of adding the cation is preferably performed by one selected from an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma method, a helicon wave plasma (HWP) method, an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) method, and a microwave-excited surface wave plasma (SWP) method; or a combination thereof because damage to an object to which the cation is added is small. 
     For example, another embodiment of the invention disclosed in this specification is a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of: forming an oxide semiconductor layer over an insulator; forming a first conductive layer electrically connected to the oxide semiconductor layer; forming an insulating layer covering the oxide semiconductor layer and the first conductive layer; forming a second conductive layer over the insulating layer so that part of the second conductive layer overlaps with the oxide semiconductor layer; and adding a cation containing one or more elements selected from oxygen and halogen to the oxide semiconductor layer. 
     Note that the above-described oxide semiconductor layer preferably contains indium, gallium, and zinc. 
     In the above method, there is no particular limitation on a positional relation, a formation order, or the like of the oxide semiconductor layer and the second conductive layer. In the case where the second conductive layer has a layered structure, a structure may be employed in which the oxide semiconductor layer is sandwiched between layers of the second conductive layer. 
     In the above method, a step of performing heat treatment on the oxide semiconductor layer may be included. The heat treatment is preferably performed at a temperature higher than or equal to 100° C. and lower than or equal to 500° C., preferably higher than or equal to 200° C. and lower than or equal to 400° C. The heat treatment may be performed while the cation is being added. Thus, addition of hydrogen can be suppressed. 
     In the above method, the step of adding the cation to the oxide semiconductor layer is preferably performed at a stage when at least part of the oxide semiconductor layer is exposed. 
     In the above method, a cation containing one or more elements selected from oxygen and halogen is preferably added to the insulator or the insulating layer. 
     In the above method, the step of adding the cation is preferably performed by one selected from an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma method, a helicon wave plasma (HWP) method, an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) method, and a microwave-excited surface wave plasma (SWP) method; or a combination thereof because damage to an object to which the cation is added is small. 
     Note that in this specification and the like, a semiconductor device means any device which can function by utilizing semiconductor characteristics; and a display device, a semiconductor circuit, and an electronic device are all included in the semiconductor devices. 
     According to an embodiment of the disclosed invention, a cation containing one or more elements selected from oxygen and halogen is added to an oxide semiconductor layer. By adding a cation containing oxygen, an oxygen deficiency portion in an oxide semiconductor can be reduced. Accordingly, the number of carriers can be reduced, so that a normally-off field effect transistor can be obtained. In addition, elimination of oxygen from the oxide semiconductor layer can be suppressed, so that a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor element whose characteristic variation is small in the long term can be provided. 
     The elimination of oxygen is not favorable because it causes oxygen deficiency in the oxide semiconductor and an increase of the number of carriers. In addition, in order to further suppress the elimination of oxygen, it is effective to add a cation containing oxygen to an insulating layer or an insulator which is in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer. Note that the above treatments also have an effect of suppressing characteristic variation of the semiconductor elements. 
     On the other hand, when a cation containing halogen is added to the oxide semiconductor layer, hydrogen can be eliminated or movement of hydrogen can be suppressed in advance, whereby the oxide semiconductor which is closer to intrinsic can be obtained. Accordingly, a normally-off field effect transistor can be obtained. It is preferable that a cation containing halogen be also added to the insulating layer or the insulator which is in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer because the entry of hydrogen from the outside into the oxide semiconductor layer can be suppressed. 
     As described above, according to an embodiment of the disclosed invention, a semiconductor device including a semiconductor element with favorable characteristics can be provided. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the accompanying drawings: 
         FIGS. 1A to 1E  are cross-sectional views illustrating a method for manufacturing a semiconductor element used for a semiconductor device; 
         FIGS. 2A to 2D  are cross-sectional views illustrating the method for manufacturing the semiconductor element used for the semiconductor device; 
         FIGS. 3A to 3E  are cross-sectional views illustrating a method for manufacturing a semiconductor element used for a semiconductor device; 
         FIGS. 4A to 4D  are cross-sectional views illustrating the method for manufacturing the semiconductor element used for the semiconductor device; 
         FIGS. 5A to 5D  are cross-sectional views illustrating a method for manufacturing a semiconductor element used for a semiconductor device; 
         FIGS. 6A to 6D  are cross-sectional views illustrating a method for manufacturing a semiconductor element used for a semiconductor device; 
         FIGS. 7A to 7C  are cross-sectional views illustrating a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device; 
         FIGS. 8A to 8C  are cross-sectional views illustrating the method for manufacturing the semiconductor device; 
         FIG. 9  is a plan view of the semiconductor device; 
       FIGS.  10 A 1 ,  10 A 2 , and  10 B illustrate semiconductor devices; 
         FIG. 11  illustrates a semiconductor device; 
         FIG. 12  illustrates a semiconductor device; 
         FIGS. 13A to 13C  illustrate semiconductor devices; 
         FIGS. 14A and 14B  illustrate a semiconductor device; 
         FIGS. 15A and 15B  illustrate examples of a usage pattern of electronic paper; 
         FIG. 16  is an external view illustrating an example of an e-book reader; 
         FIGS. 17A and 17B  are external views illustrating examples of a television set and a digital photo frame; 
         FIGS. 18A and 18B  are external views illustrating examples of an amusement machine; and 
         FIGS. 19A and 19B  are external views illustrating examples of a mobile phone handset. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Embodiments will be described below in detail using drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the description of the embodiments, and it is apparent to those skilled in the art that modes and details can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present invention disclosed in this specification and the like. A structure and a method of the different embodiment can be implemented by combination appropriately. On the description of the invention with reference to the drawings, a reference numeral indicating the same part is used in common throughout different drawings, and the repeated description is omitted. In addition, the semiconductor device in this specification indicates all devices that operate by utilizing semiconductor characteristics. 
     Embodiment 1 
     In this embodiment, an example of a method for manufacturing a semiconductor element used for a semiconductor device is described with reference to drawings. In this specification, although first plasma treatment and second plasma treatment are disclosed, it is very important to perform the second plasma treatment. The first plasma treatment may be selectively performed as appropriate by practitioners in accordance with required specifications. Note that in this specification, the first plasma treatment is defined as treatment which is performed on an insulating layer or an insulator which is in contact with an oxide semiconductor layer, and the second plasma treatment is defined as treatment which is performed on the oxide semiconductor layer. 
     First, a conductive film  102  is formed over a substrate  100  (see  FIG. 1A ). 
     Any substrate can be used for the substrate  100  as long as it is a substrate having an insulating surface, for example, a glass substrate. Further, it is preferable that the glass substrate be an alkali-free glass substrate. As a material of the alkali-free glass substrate, a glass material such as aluminosilicate glass, aluminoborosilicate glass, barium borosilicate glass, or the like is used, for example. Besides, as the substrate  100 , an insulating substrate formed of an insulator such as a ceramic substrate, a quartz substrate, or a sapphire substrate, a semiconductor substrate formed of a semiconductor material such as silicon, over which an insulating material is covered, a conductive substrate formed of a conductive material such as metal or stainless steel, over which an insulating material is covered can be used. In addition, a plastic substrate can be used as long as it can withstand heat treatment in a manufacturing process. 
     The conductive film  102  is preferably formed using a conductive material such as aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), tungsten (W), or titanium (Ti). As a formation method, a sputtering method, a vacuum evaporation, a plasma CVD method, and the like are given. In the case of using aluminum (or copper) for the conductive film  102 , since aluminum itself (or copper itself) has disadvantages such as low heat resistance and a tendency to be corroded, it is preferably formed in combination with a conductive material having heat resistance. 
     As the conductive material having heat resistance, it is possible to use metal containing an element selected from titanium (Ti), tantalum (Ta), tungsten (W), molybdenum (Mo), chromium (Cr), neodymium (Nd), and scandium (Sc), an alloy containing any of these elements as its component, an alloy containing a combination of any of these elements, a nitride containing any of these elements as its component, or the like. The conductive material having heat resistance and aluminum (or copper) may be stacked, whereby the conductive film  102  may be formed. 
     Although not shown in the drawings, a base layer may be provided over the substrate  100 . The base layer has a function of preventing diffusion of an impurity from the substrate  100 , such as an alkali metal (Li, Cs, Na, or the like), an alkaline earth metal (Ca, Mg, or the like), or the like. That is, provision of the base layer can achieve an object of improving the reliability of a semiconductor device. The base layer may be formed to have a single-layer structure or a layered structure using a variety of insulating materials such as silicon nitride or silicon oxide. Specifically, for example, a structure in which silicon nitride and silicon oxide are stacked in that order over the substrate  100  is favorable. This is because silicon nitride has a high blocking effect against an impurity. At the same time, in the case where silicon nitride is in contact with a semiconductor, there is a possibility that a problem occurs in the semiconductor element; thus, silicon oxide is preferably applied as a material to be in contact with the semiconductor. 
     Next, a resist mask  104  is selectively formed over the conductive film  102  and the conductive film  102  is selectively etched using the resist mask  104 , whereby a conductive layer  106  which functions as a gate electrode is formed (see  FIG. 1B ). 
     The resist mask  104  is formed through steps such as application of a resist material, light exposure using a photomask, and development. For the application of the resist material, a method such as a spin-coating method can be employed. Instead, the resist mask  104  may be selectively formed by a droplet discharging method, a screen printing method, or the like. In that case, the steps of light exposure using a photomask, development, and the like are not needed; therefore, improvement in productivity can be achieved. Note that the resist mask  104  is removed after the conductive layer  106  is formed by etching the conductive film  102 . 
     As the above etching, dry etching may be used, or wet etching may be used. In order to improve coverage with and prevent disconnection of a gate insulating layer or the like which is formed later, the etching is preferably performed so that end portions of the conductive layer  106  are tapered. For example, the end portions are preferably tapered at a taper angle greater than or equal to 20° and less than 90°. Here, the “taper angle” refers to an acute angle formed by a side surface of a layer which is tapered to a bottom surface thereof when the layer having a tapered shape is observed from a cross-sectional direction. 
     Next, an insulating layer  108  which functions as a gate insulating layer is formed to cover the conductive layer  106  (see  FIG. 1C ). The insulating layer  108  can be formed using a material such as silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, silicon nitride, silicon nitride oxide, aluminum oxide, or tantalum oxide. The insulating layer  108  may also be formed by stacking films formed of these materials. These films are preferably formed to a thickness greater than or equal to 5 nm and less than or equal to 250 nm by a sputtering method or the like. For example, as the insulating layer  108 , a silicon oxide film can be formed to a thickness of 100 nm by a sputtering method. 
     While the method for forming the insulating layer  108  is not particularly limited as long as the predetermined insulating layer  108  can be obtained, the effect of hydrogen, nitrogen, or the like in the film needs to be taken into consideration in the case where the insulating layer  108  is formed using another method (such as a plasma CVD method). For example, the insulating layer  108  is formed so that the hydrogen concentration and nitrogen concentration therein are lower than those in an oxide semiconductor layer to be formed later. More specifically, the hydrogen concentration in the insulating layer  108  may be 1×10 21  atoms/cm 3  or less (preferably 5×10 20  atoms/cm 3  or less); the nitrogen concentration in the insulating layer  108  may be 1×10 19  atoms/cm 3  or less. Note that in order to obtain the insulating layer  108  which has favorable characteristics, the temperature of the deposition is preferably 400° C. or lower; however, an embodiment of the disclosed invention is not limited to this. Further, the concentrations which are described above show the average values in the insulating layer  108 . 
     Alternatively, the insulating layer  108  with a layered structure may be formed by combination of a sputtering method and a CVD method (a plasma CVD method or the like). For example, a lower layer of the insulating layer  108  (a region in contact with the conductive layer  106 ) is formed by a plasma CVD method and an upper layer of the insulating layer  108  can be formed by a sputtering method. Since a film with favorable step coverage is easily formed by a plasma CVD method, it is suitable for a method for forming a film just above the conductive layer  106 . In the case of using a sputtering method, since it is easy to reduce hydrogen concentration in the film as compared to the case of using a plasma CVD method, by providing a film by a sputtering method in a region in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer, the hydrogen in the insulating layer  108  can be prevented from being diffused into the oxide semiconductor layer. Since the influence of hydrogen existing in the oxide semiconductor layer or in the vicinity thereof upon semiconductor characteristics is extremely large, it is effective to employ such a structure. 
     In this specification, an oxynitride refers to a substance that contains oxygen and nitrogen so that the content (the number of atoms) of oxygen is higher (larger) than that of nitrogen. For example, silicon oxynitride is a substance containing oxygen, nitrogen, silicon, and hydrogen in ranges of 50 at. % to 70 at. %, 0.5 at. % to 15 at. %, 25 at. % to 35 at. %, and 0.1 at. % to 10 at. %, respectively. A nitride oxide refers to a substance that contains oxygen and nitrogen so that the content (the number of atoms) of nitrogen is higher (larger) than that of oxygen. For example, a silicon nitride oxide is a substance containing oxygen, nitrogen, silicon, and hydrogen in ranges of 5 at. % to 30 at. %, 20 at. % to 55 at. %, 25 at. % to 35 at. %, and 10 at. % to 25 at. %, respectively. Note that rates of oxygen, nitrogen, silicon, and hydrogen fall within the aforementioned ranges in the cases where measurement is performed using Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) or hydrogen forward scattering (HFS). Moreover, the total of the percentages of the constituent elements does not exceed 100 at. %. 
     Subsequently, the first plasma treatment is performed on the insulating layer  108 . The treatment is performed in such a manner that plasma containing oxygen, halogen, or two or more elements of these is generated. As a method for generating plasma, an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma method, a helicon wave plasma (HWP) method, an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) method, a microwave-excited surface wave plasma (SWP) method, or the like can be used. In these methods, control of ion flux by an electric discharge power and control of ion energy by a bias power can be performed independently, so that a high electron density approximately higher than or equal to 1×10 11  ions/cm 3  and lower than or equal to 1×10 13  ions/cm 3  can be obtained. In that case, since a negative bias is applied to the substrate  100 , an ion introduced to the insulating layer  108  is only a cation. Typically, an oxygen ion such as O + , O 2+ , O 3+ , O 4+ , O 5+ , or O 6+ ; a chlorine ion such as Cl + , Cl 2+ , Cl 3+ , Cl 4+ , Cl 5+ , Cl 6+ , or Cl 7+ ; a fluorine ion such as F + , F 2+ , F 3+ , F 4+ , F 5+ , F 6+ , or F 7+ ; or the like is implanted into the insulating layer  108 . 
     When the energy of plasma is increased, not only a cation with a low valence but also a cation with a high valence is generated. When the cation with a high valence is implanted into the insulating layer  108 , the cation has higher energy. Therefore, the cation with a high valence is added into a deeper position from a surface of the insulating layer  108  than the cation with a low valence. The depth is almost proportional to the valence. Accordingly, the cation is added to the insulating layer  108  with uniform distribution, which is preferable. Specifically, when a distribution having a peak of a cation with a valence of 1 at a depth of around d is formed, a peak of a cation with a valence of 2 is formed at a depth of around 2 d. In a similar manner, as the valence is increased to 3, 4, or more, the position of the peak is deeper as 3 d, 4 d, or more. In addition, as the position of the peak is deeper, the distribution is expanded. Accordingly, for example, in the case of d=10 nm, it is preferable that plasma including a cation with a valence of 2 or more or preferably 4 or more be formed and added to the insulating layer  108  with a thickness of 50 nm. In the case of the insulating layer  108  with a thickness of 70 nm, it is preferable that plasma including a cation with a valence of 3 or more or preferably 6 or more be formed and the cation be added. A relational expression between a thickness t of a layer to which a cation is added and the valence n of a cation which is preferably contained is described below:
 
 n =[ t/ 2 d ], preferably  n =2×[ t/ 2 d ].
 
Note that [x] indicates a maximum integer which does not exceed x.
 
     In order to generate a cation with such a high valence, an electron temperature of the plasma may be higher than or equal to 5 eV and lower than or equal to 100 eV. In addition, it is preferable that a substrate temperature be higher than or equal to 100° C. and lower than or equal to 500° C. at the time when a cation is added because the amount of hydrogen which is added at the same time can be reduced. This is because as the substrate temperature is higher, hydrogen is remarkably eliminated from the insulating layer  108 . However, a high substrate temperature of 500° C. or higher is not preferable because such a high substrate temperature impairs an advantage that an oxide semiconductor element can be manufactured at a low temperature. After the heat treatment, a step of accelerating a cooling speed may be performed. Note that the first plasma treatment may be performed at room temperature (defined as 25° C. in this specification), or may be performed at a temperature lower than room temperature. 
     In this embodiment, an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) method is employed for the first plasma treatment. An example of recommended treatment conditions is as follows: the power for ICP is greater than or equal to 100 W and less than or equal to 2000 W, the power applied to a lower electrode provided on a substrate side is greater than or equal to 0 W and less than or equal to 300 W, the treatment time is greater than or equal to 10 seconds and less than or equal to 100 seconds, the inside pressure of a treatment chamber is greater than or equal to 0.1 Pa and less than or equal to 100 Pa, the oxygen (O 2 ) flow rate is greater than or equal to 10 sccm and less than or equal to 500 sccm, the temperature of the lower electrode is higher than or equal to −20° C. and lower than or equal to 500° C., and the RF power source frequency of ICP is 13.56 MHz. Note that the temperature of the lower electrode is conducted to the substrate; therefore, the temperature of the lower electrode is set so that the substrate temperature does not exceed 500° C. In addition, when power is applied to the lower electrode, the recommended RF power source frequency applied to the lower electrode is 3.2 MHz or 13.56 MHz. Note that halogen such as fluorine or chlorine may be used instead of oxygen (O 2 ) at the same or approximately the same flow rate. Alternatively, a gas containing two or more elements of these elements may be used. 
     Next, an oxide semiconductor film  110  is formed to cover the insulating layer  108  (see  FIG. 1D ). In this embodiment, a metal oxide semiconductor material is used for the oxide semiconductor film  110 . 
     The oxide semiconductor layer includes at least one element selected from In, Ga, Sn, Zn, Al, Mg, Hf and lanthanoid. For example, a four-component metal oxide such as an In—Sn—Ga—Zn—O-based oxide semiconductor; a three-component metal oxide such as an In—Ga—Zn—O-based oxide semiconductor, an In—Sn—Zn—O-based oxide semiconductor, an In—Al—Zn—O-based oxide semiconductor, a Sn—Ga—Zn—O-based oxide semiconductor, an Al—Ga—Zn—O-based oxide semiconductor, or a Sn—Al—Zn—O-based oxide semiconductor, an In—Hf—Zn—O-based oxide semiconductor, an In—La—Zn—O-based oxide semiconductor, an In—Ce—Zn—O-based oxide semiconductor, an In—Pr—Zn—O-based oxide semiconductor, an In—Nd—Zn—O-based oxide semiconductor, an In—Pm—Zn—O-based oxide semiconductor, an In—Sm—Zn—O-based oxide semiconductor, an In—Eu—Zn—O-based oxide semiconductor, an In—Gd—Zn—O-based oxide semiconductor, an In—Tb—Zn—O-based oxide semiconductor, an In—Dy—Zn—O-based oxide semiconductor, an In—Ho—Zn—O-based oxide semiconductor, an In—Er—Zn—O-based oxide semiconductor, an In—Tm—Zn—O-based oxide semiconductor, an In—Yb—Zn—O-based oxide semiconductor, or an In—Lu—Zn—O-based oxide semiconductor; a two-component metal oxide such as an In—Zn—O-based oxide semiconductor, a Sn—Zn—O-based oxide semiconductor, an Al—Zn—O-based oxide semiconductor, a Zn—Mg—O-based oxide semiconductor, a Sn—Mg—O-based oxide semiconductor, an In—Mg—O-based oxide semiconductor, or an In—Ga—O-based oxide semiconductor; a single-component metal oxide such as an In—O-based oxide semiconductor, a Sn—O-based oxide semiconductor, or a Zn—O-based oxide semiconductor; or the like can be used. In addition, any of the above oxide semiconductors may contain an element other than In, Ga, Sn, Zn, Al, Mg, Hf and lanthanoid, for example, SiO 2 . 
     For example, an In—Ga—Zn—O-based oxide semiconductor means an oxide semiconductor containing indium (In), gallium (Ga), and zinc (Zn), and there is no limitation on the composition ratio thereof. 
     As an example of the above oxide semiconductor material, one represented by InMO 3  (ZnO) m  (m&gt;0) is given. Here, M denotes one or more of metal elements selected from zinc (Zn), gallium (Ga), iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), manganese (Mn), and cobalt (Co) and the like. For example, the case where Ga is selected as M includes the case where the above metal element except Ga is also selected such as a combination of Ga and Ni, or a combination of Ga and Fe as well as the case where only Ga is used. Moreover, in the above oxide semiconductor, in some cases, a transition metal element such as Fe or Ni or an oxide of the transition metal is contained as an impurity element in addition to a metal element contained as M. Needless to say, the oxide semiconductor material is not limited to the above materials and a variety of oxide semiconductor materials such as zinc oxide or indium oxide can be used. 
     In the case where the oxide semiconductor film  110  is formed using an In—Ga—Zn—O-based material as the oxide semiconductor material, for example, a sputtering method using an oxide semiconductor target containing In, Ga, and Zn (In 2 O 3 :Ga 2 O 3 :ZnO=1:1:1) can be employed. The sputtering can be performed under the following conditions, for example: the distance between the substrate  100  and the target is 30 mm to 500 mm; the pressure is 0.1 Pa to 2.0 Pa; the direct current (DC) power supply is 0.25 kW to 5.0 kW; the temperature is 20° C. to 100° C.; the atmosphere is a rare gas atmosphere such as argon, an oxide atmosphere, or a mixed atmosphere of a rare gas such as argon and oxide. As the above sputtering method, an RF sputtering method using a high frequency power supply for a power supply for sputtering, a DC sputtering method using a DC power supply, a pulsed DC sputtering method in which a DC bias is applied in a pulsed manner or the like can be employed. 
     In the case where an In—Zn—O-based material is used as the oxide semiconductor, a target used has a composition ratio of In:Zn=50:1 to 1:2 in an atomic ratio (In 2 O 3 :ZnO=25:1 to 1:4 in a molar ratio), preferably In:Zn=20:1 to 1:1 in an atomic ratio (In 2 O 3 :ZnO=10:1 to 1:2 in a molar ratio), further preferably In:Zn=15:1 to 1.5:1 (In 2 O 3 :ZnO=15:2 to 3:4 in a molar ratio). For example, in a target used for formation of an In—Zn—O-based oxide semiconductor which has an atomic ratio of In:Zn:O=X:Y:Z, the relation of Z&gt;1.5X+Y is satisfied. 
     In this embodiment, the case of forming the oxide semiconductor film  110  using a single layer is described; however, the oxide semiconductor film  110  may be formed with a layered structure. For example, instead of the above structure, an oxide semiconductor film (hereinafter called an “oxide semiconductor film with normal conductivity”) having the same composition as the oxide semiconductor film  110  is formed over the insulating layer  108 , and after that, an oxide semiconductor film (hereinafter called an “oxide semiconductor film with high conductivity”) having constituent elements which are the same as those of the oxide semiconductor film  110  and having a composition ratio thereof which is different from that of the oxide semiconductor film  110  is formed. In that case, since the oxide semiconductor film with high conductivity is provided between a source electrode (or a drain electrode) and the oxide semiconductor film with normal conductivity, element characteristics can be improved. 
     The oxide semiconductor film with normal conductivity and the oxide semiconductor film with high conductivity can be formed by making deposition conditions thereof different. In this case, it is preferable that a flow rate ratio of an oxygen gas to an argon gas in the deposition conditions of the oxide semiconductor film with high conductivity be smaller than that in the deposition conditions of the oxide semiconductor film with normal conductivity. More specifically, the oxide semiconductor film with high conductivity is formed in a rare gas (such as argon or helium) atmosphere or an atmosphere containing an oxygen gas at 10% or less and a rare gas at 90% or more. The oxide semiconductor film with normal conductivity is formed in an oxygen atmosphere or an atmosphere in which a flow rate of an oxygen gas is 1 time or more that of a rare gas. In such a manner, two kinds of oxide semiconductor films having different conductivities can be formed. 
     Further, after the plasma treatment is performed, when the oxide semiconductor film  110  is formed without exposure to the air, the attachment of dust or moisture to an interface between the insulating layer  108  and the oxide semiconductor film  110  can be prevented. 
     Note that, the oxide semiconductor film  110  may have a thickness of approximately 5 nm to 200 nm. 
     Subsequently, the second plasma treatment is performed on the oxide semiconductor film  110 . A symbol “+” in  FIG. 1D  denotes a cation. The second plasma treatment can be performed using a method similar to that of the first plasma treatment. Note that the second plasma treatment may be performed at a stage when the oxide semiconductor film  110  is exposed; therefore, the treatment is not necessarily performed at this stage. The plasma treatment can dramatically improve characteristics of the semiconductor elements and reduce variation in the characteristics. 
     In the case where the oxide semiconductor film  110  is formed with a multi-layer structure including m layers, the second plasma treatment may be performed, for example, at a timing after deposition of any of a first layer to an (m−1)-th layer. Further, after heat treatment in the second plasma treatment, a step of accelerating a cooling speed may be performed. Note that the second plasma treatment may be performed at room temperature or a temperature lower than room temperature. 
     Next, a resist mask  112  is selectively formed over the oxide semiconductor film  110  and the oxide semiconductor film  110  is selectively etched using the resist mask  112 , whereby an oxide semiconductor layer  114  is formed (see  FIG. 1E ). Here, the resist mask  112  can be formed in a method similar to the resist mask  104 . After the semiconductor layer  114  is formed by etching the oxide semiconductor film  110 , the resist mask  112  is removed. 
     Wet etching or dry etching can be used for the etching of the oxide semiconductor film  110 . Here, an unnecessary portion of the oxide semiconductor film  110  is removed by wet etching using a mixed solution of acetic acid, nitric acid, and phosphoric acid, so that the oxide semiconductor layer  114  is formed. Note that an etchant (an etching solution) for the wet etching is not limited to the above solution as long as the oxide semiconductor film  110  can be etched. 
     In the case of using dry etching, for example, a gas containing a chlorine atom (such as chlorine (Cl 2 ) or chlorine dioxide (ClO 2 )) or a gas containing a chlorine atom to which oxygen (O 2 ) is added is preferably used. This is because by using a gas containing a chlorine atom, etching selectivity of the oxide semiconductor film  110  with respect to the conductive layer or the base layer can be easily obtained. 
     As an etching apparatus used for the dry etching, an etching apparatus using a reactive ion etching method (an RIE method), or a dry etching apparatus using a high-density plasma source such as ECR (electron cyclotron resonance) or ICP (inductively coupled plasma) can be used. Alternatively, a technique similar to the above methods may be used. 
     Next, a conductive film  116  is formed to cover the insulating layer  108  and the oxide semiconductor layer  114  (see  FIG. 2A ). The conductive film  116  can be formed using a material and a method which are similar to those of the conductive film  102 . For example, the conductive film  116  can be formed to have a single-layer structure of a molybdenum film or a titanium film. Alternatively, the conductive film  116  may be formed to have a layered structure and can have a layered structure of an aluminum film and a titanium film, for example. A three-layer structure in which a titanium film, an aluminum film, and a titanium film are sequentially stacked may be used. A three-layer structure in which a molybdenum film, an aluminum film, and a molybdenum film are sequentially stacked may be used. As the aluminum films used for these layered structures, an aluminum film including neodymium (Al—Nd) may be used. Further alternatively, the conductive film  116  may have a single-layer structure of an aluminum film containing silicon. 
     Next, a resist mask  118  and a resist mask  120  are selectively formed over the conductive film  116  and the conductive film  116  is selectively etched using the resist masks to form a conductive layer  122  which functions as one of source and drain electrodes and a conductive layer  124  which functions as the other of the source and drain electrodes (see  FIG. 2B ). Here, the resist mask  118  and the resist mask  120  can be formed in a method similar to that of the resist mask  104 . Note that the resist mask  118  and the resist mask  120  are removed after the conductive layer  122  and the conductive layer  124  are formed by etching the conductive film  116 . 
     The resist mask  118  may be formed using a multi-tone mask. Here, the multi-tone mask is a mask capable of light exposure with multi-level light intensity. With the use of a multi-tone mask, one-time exposure and development process allow a resist mask with plural thicknesses (typically, two kinds of thicknesses) to be formed. By use of the multi-tone mask, the number of steps can be suppressed. 
     Either wet etching or dry etching can be employed as a method for etching the conductive film  116 . Here, an unnecessary portion of the conductive film  116  is removed by dry etching to form the conductive layer  122  and the conductive layer  124 . 
     Note that, although a structure (a channel etch type) in which part of the oxide semiconductor layer  114  is removed when the conductive film  116  is etched is employed in this embodiment, an embodiment of the disclosed invention is not limited to this structure. Instead, another structure (an etching stopper type) can be employed in which a layer (an etching stopper) which prevents the etching from proceeding is formed between the oxide semiconductor layer  114  and the conductive film  116 , so that the oxide semiconductor layer  114  is not etched. 
     After the conductive layer  122  and the conductive layer  124  are formed, heat treatment is performed at 100° C. to 500° C., typically 200° C. to 400° C. The atmosphere of the heat treatment can be, for example, an air atmosphere, a nitrogen atmosphere, an oxygen atmosphere, or the like. Further, the heat treatment time can be about 0.1 to 5 hours. Here, the heat treatment at 350° C. for one hour in an air atmosphere is performed. Note that the timing of the heat treatment is not particularly limited as long as it is after the oxide semiconductor film  110  is formed and before an insulating layer serving as an interlayer insulating layer is formed. For example, the heat treatment may be performed just after the oxide semiconductor film  110  is formed. Alternatively, the heat treatment may be performed just after the oxide semiconductor layer  114  is formed or just after the conductive film  116  is formed. By performing the heat treatment (the first heat treatment) and the following heat treatment (second heat treatment), the characteristics of the semiconductor elements can be improved and variation in the characteristics can be reduced. 
     Note that it is preferable that the above-described heat treatment be performed at 400° C. or lower so as not to change (deteriorate) the characteristics of the insulating layer  108  which functions as the gate insulating layer. Needless to say, an embodiment of the disclosed invention should not be interpreted as being limited thereto. 
     Next, an insulating layer  126  is formed to cover the conductive layer  122 , the conductive layer  124 , the oxide semiconductor layer  114 , and the like (see  FIG. 2C ). 
     Here, the insulating layer  126  serves as a so-called interlayer insulating layer. The insulating layer  126  can be formed using a material such as silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, or tantalum oxide. The insulating layer  126  may also be formed by stacking films formed of these materials. 
     The hydrogen concentration in the insulating layer  126  is preferably 1×10 21  atoms/cm 3  or less (in particular, 5×10 20  atoms/cm 3  or less). In addition, the nitrogen concentration in the insulating layer  126  is preferably 1×10 19  atoms/cm 3  or less. Note that the above concentrations show the average values in the insulating layer  126 . 
     As a more specific example of the insulating layer  126  satisfying the above-described condition, a silicon oxide film formed by a sputtering method can be given. This is because, in the case of using a sputtering method, it is easy to reduce the hydrogen concentration in the film as compared to the case of using a plasma CVD method. Needless to say, any of other methods including a plasma CVD method may be employed as long as the above-described condition is satisfied. For example, the hydrogen concentration in the film can be reduced in such a manner that the insulating layer  126  is formed by a plasma CVD method and then plasma treatment similar to that performed on the insulating layer  108  is performed on the insulating layer  126 . The other conditions of the insulating layer  126  are not particularly limited. For example, the thickness of the insulating layer  126  may vary within a feasible range. 
     After that, a variety of electrodes and wirings are formed, whereby a semiconductor device provided with a transistor  150  is completed (see  FIG. 2D ). In this embodiment, a typical example is described in which a conductive layer  128  functioning as a pixel electrode of a display device is formed. However, an embodiment of the disclosed invention is not limited thereto. 
     After the conductive layer  128  is formed, heat treatment is performed at 100° C. to 500° C., typically, 200° C. to 400° C. The atmosphere in which the heat treatment is performed can be, for example, an air atmosphere, a nitrogen atmosphere, an oxygen atmosphere, or the like. Further, the heat treatment time can be about 0.1 to 5 hours. Here, the heat treatment at 350° C. for one hour in an air atmosphere is performed. Note that the timing of the heat treatment is not particularly limited as long as it is after the formation of the insulating layer  126 . For example, the above heat treatment may be performed just after the insulating layer  126  is formed or after another insulating layer, conductive layer, or the like is formed. By performing the heat treatment (the second heat treatment) and the preceding heat treatment (the first heat treatment), the characteristics of the semiconductor elements can be improved and variation in the characteristics can be reduced. 
     Note that the effect of the second heat treatment is not limited to the above. For example, the second heat treatment also provides an advantageous effect of repairing defects in the insulating layer  126 . Since the insulating layer  126  is formed at a relatively low temperature, defects exist in the film. The element characteristics might be adversely affected when the insulating layer  126  is used as it is. From a perspective of repairing such defects in the insulating layer  126 , it can be said that the above-described heat treatment plays an important role. 
     In addition, it is preferable that the heat treatment be performed at 400° C. or lower so as not to change (deteriorate) the characteristics of the insulating layer  108  which functions as the gate insulating layer. Needless to say, an embodiment of the disclosed invention should not be interpreted as being limited thereto. 
     As described in this embodiment, by performing plasma treatment on the oxide semiconductor film  110  with the use of a cation, the oxide semiconductor element having excellent characteristics can be provided. When the insulating layer  108  and/or the insulating layer  126  in contact with the oxide semiconductor film  110  are/is subjected to the treatment, the semiconductor element with higher reliability can be obtained. Accordingly, a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor element with excellent characteristics can be provided. 
     This embodiment can be combined with any of the other embodiments as appropriate. 
     Embodiment 2 
     In this embodiment, an example which is different from the above embodiment of a method for manufacturing a semiconductor element used for a semiconductor device is described with reference to drawings. Note that many parts of a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device in this embodiment are the same as those in the above embodiment. Therefore, in the following description, repeated description of the same portions is omitted, and different points are described in detail. 
     First, a conductive film  202  is formed over a substrate  200  (see  FIG. 3A ). The above embodiment (the description with reference to  FIG. 1A  or the like) can be referred to for the details of the substrate  200 , the conductive film  202 , or the like. A base layer may be formed over the substrate  200 . The above embodiment can also be referred to for the detail of the base layer. 
     Next, a resist mask  204  is selectively formed over the conductive film  202  and the conductive film  202  is selectively etched using the resist mask  204 , whereby a conductive layer  206  which functions as a gate electrode is formed (see  FIG. 3B ). The above embodiment (the description with reference to  FIG. 1B  or the like) can be referred to for the details of the resist mask  204 , the conductive layer  206 , the etching, or the like. 
     Then, an insulating layer  208  which functions as a gate insulating layer is formed so as to cover the conductive layer  206  (see  FIG. 3C ). The above embodiment (the description with reference to  FIG. 1C  or the like) can be referred to for the detail of the insulating layer  208  or the like. 
     Subsequently, treatment which is similar to the first plasma treatment described in Embodiment 1 is performed. The plasma treatment may be performed at a stage when at least part of the insulating layer  208  is exposed; therefore, the plasma treatment is not necessarily performed at this stage. The plasma may be generated by a microwave. A frequency at this time is 2.45 GHz, for example. 
     Next, a conductive film  210  is formed to cover the insulating layer  208  (see  FIG. 3D ). The conductive film  210  can be formed using a material and a method which are similar to those of the conductive film  202 . In other words, the above embodiment (the description with reference to  FIG. 1A  and  FIG. 2A  or the like) can be referred to for the details. 
     Next, a resist mask  212  and a resist mask  214  are selectively formed over the conductive film  210  and the conductive film  210  is selectively etched using the resist masks to form a conductive layer  216  which functions as one of source and drain electrodes and a conductive layer  218  which functions as the other of the source and drain electrodes (see  FIG. 3E ). Here, the resist mask  212  and the resist mask  214  can be formed in manner similar to the resist mask  204 . In other words, the above embodiment (the description with reference to  FIG. 1B  and  FIG. 2B  or the like) can be referred to for the details of the resist masks. 
     Either wet etching or dry etching can be employed as a method for etching the conductive film  210 . Here, an unnecessary portion of the conductive film  210  is removed by dry etching to form the conductive layer  216  and the conductive layer  218 . Note that although not illustrated in this embodiment, part of the insulating layer  208  is removed by the etching in some cases. 
     Next, an oxide semiconductor film  220  is formed to cover the insulating layer  208 , the conductive layer  216 , the conductive layer  218 , and the like (see  FIG. 4A ). The above embodiment (the description with reference to  FIG. 1D  or the like) can be referred to for the detail of the oxide semiconductor film  220 . 
     Subsequently, treatment which is similar to the second plasma treatment described in Embodiment 1 is performed. A symbol “+” in  FIG. 4A  denotes a cation. The plasma treatment is performed at a stage when at least part of the oxide semiconductor film  220  is exposed; therefore, the treatment is not necessarily performed at this stage. The plasma may be generated by a microwave. A frequency at this time is 2.45 GHz, for example. 
     Next, a resist mask  222  is selectively formed over the oxide semiconductor film  220  and the oxide semiconductor film  220  is selectively etched using the resist mask  222  to form an oxide semiconductor film  224  (see  FIG. 4B ). The above embodiment (the description with reference to  FIGS. 1B and 1E  or the like) can be referred to for the detail of the resist mask  222 . 
     Either wet etching or dry etching can be employed as a method for etching the oxide semiconductor film  220 . Here, an unnecessary portion of the oxide semiconductor film  220  is removed by wet etching using a mixed solution of acetic acid, nitric acid, and phosphoric acid, so that the oxide semiconductor film  224  is formed. Note that an etchant (an etchant solution) used for the wet etching is not limited to the above solution as long as the oxide semiconductor film  220  can be etched using the etchant. 
     In the case of dry etching, for example, a gas containing a chlorine atom (such as chlorine (Cl 2 ) or chlorine dioxide (ClO 2 )) or a gas containing a chlorine atom to which oxygen (O 2 ) is added is preferably used. This is because by using a gas including a chlorine atom, etching selectivity of the oxide semiconductor film  220  with respect to the conductive layer or the base layer can be easily obtained. Note that the above embodiment can be referred to for the detail of the etching or the like. 
     After the oxide semiconductor film  224  is formed, heat treatment at 100° C. to 500° C., typically 200° C. to 400° C., is performed. The atmosphere of the heat treatment can be, for example, an air atmosphere, a nitrogen atmosphere, an oxygen atmosphere, or the like. Further, the heat treatment time can be about 0.1 to 5 hours. Here, the heat treatment at 350° C. for one hour in an air atmosphere is performed. Note that the timing of the heat treatment is not particularly limited as long as it is after the oxide semiconductor film  220  is formed and before an insulating layer serving as an interlayer insulating layer is formed. For example, the above heat treatment may be performed just after the oxide semiconductor film  220  is formed. By performing the heat treatment (the first heat treatment) and the following heat treatment (the second heat treatment), the characteristics of the semiconductor elements can be improved and variation in the characteristics can be reduced. 
     Note that it is preferable that the heat treatment be performed at 400° C. or lower so as not to change (deteriorate) the characteristics of the insulating layer  208  which functions as the gate insulating layer. Needless to say, an embodiment of the disclosed invention should not be interpreted as being limited thereto. 
     Next, an insulating layer  226  is formed to cover the conductive layer  216 , the conductive layer  218 , the oxide semiconductor film  224 , and the like (see  FIG. 4C ). Here, the insulating layer  226  serves as a so-called interlayer insulating layer. The insulating layer  226  can be formed using a material such as silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, or tantalum oxide. The insulating layer  226  may also be formed by stacking films formed of these materials. 
     Subsequently, treatment which is similar to the first plasma treatment described in Embodiment 1 is performed. The plasma treatment may be performed at a stage when at least part of the insulating layer  226  is exposed; therefore, the plasma treatment is not necessarily performed at this stage. 
     The hydrogen concentration in the insulating layer  226  is preferably 1×10 21  atoms/cm 3  or less (in particular 5×10 20  atoms/cm 3  or less). In addition, the nitrogen concentration in the insulating layer  226  is preferably 1×10 19  atoms/cm 3  or less. Note that the above concentrations show the average values in the insulating layer  226 . 
     As a more specific example of the insulating layer  226 , which satisfies the above-described condition, a silicon oxide film formed by a sputtering method can be given. This is because, in the case of using a sputtering method, it is easy to reduce hydrogen concentration in the film as compared with the case of using a plasma CVD method. Needless to say, any of other methods including a plasma CVD method may be employed as long as the above-described condition is satisfied. For example, the hydrogen concentration in the film can be reduced in such a manner that the insulating layer  226  is formed by a plasma CVD method and then plasma treatment similar to that performed on the insulating layer  108  described in Embodiment 1 is performed on the insulating layer  226 . The other conditions of the insulating layer  226  are not particularly limited. For example, the thickness of the insulating layer  226  may vary within a feasible range. 
     After that, a variety of electrodes and wirings are formed, whereby a semiconductor device provided with a transistor  250  is completed (see  FIG. 4D ). In this embodiment, a typical example is described in which a conductive layer  228  which functions as a pixel electrode of a display device is formed (see  FIG. 4D ). However, an embodiment of the disclosed invention is not limited to this. 
     In addition, after the conductive layer  228  is formed, heat treatment is performed at 100° C. to 500° C., typically 200° C. to 400° C. The atmosphere in which the heat treatment is performed can be, for example, an air atmosphere, a nitrogen atmosphere, an oxygen atmosphere, or the like. Further, the heat treatment time can be about 0.1 to 5 hours. Here, the heat treatment at 350° C. for one hour in an air atmosphere is performed. Note that the timing of the heat treatment is not particularly limited as long as it is after the insulating layer  226  is formed. For example, the above heat treatment may be performed just after the insulating layer  226  is formed or after another insulating layer, conductive layer, or the like is formed. By performing the heat treatment (the second heat treatment) and the preceding heat treatment (the first heat treatment), the characteristics of the semiconductor elements can be improved and variation in the characteristics can be reduced. 
     Note that the effect of the second heat treatment is not limited to the above. For example, the second heat treatment also provides an advantageous effect of repairing defects in the insulating layer  226 . Since the insulating layer  226  is formed at a relatively low temperature, defects exist in the film. The element characteristics might be adversely affected when the insulating layer is used as it is. From a perspective of repairing such defects in the insulating layer  226 , it can be said that the above-described heat treatment plays an important role. 
     Note that it is preferable that the heat treatment be performed at 400° C. or lower so as not to change (deteriorate) the characteristics of the insulating layer  208  which functions as the gate insulating layer. Needless to say, an embodiment of the disclosed invention should not be interpreted as being limited thereto. 
     As described in this embodiment, by performing plasma treatment on the oxide semiconductor film  220  with the use of a cation, the oxide semiconductor element having excellent characteristics can be provided. When the insulating layer  208  in contact with the oxide semiconductor film  220  and/or the insulating layer  226  are/is subjected to the treatment, the semiconductor element with higher reliability can be obtained. Accordingly, a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor element which has excellent characteristics can be provided. 
     Note that this embodiment can be implemented in combination with the previous embodiment as appropriate. 
     Embodiment 3 
     In this embodiment, an example of a method for manufacturing a semiconductor element used for a semiconductor device is described with reference to drawings. 
     First, a conductive film  502  is formed over a substrate  500  (see  FIG. 5A ). Before the conductive film  502  is formed, treatment which is similar to the first plasma treatment described in Embodiment 1 may be performed on the substrate  500 , which is an insulator. Since the plasma treatment may be performed on an insulating surface of the substrate which is in contact with an oxide semiconductor layer  508  formed later, it is not necessarily performed at this stage. In the case where a base layer  501  described later is formed as an insulating layer between the substrate  500  and the conductive film  502 , the plasma treatment may performed on the base layer  501 . Note that the plasma may be generated by a microwave. A frequency at this time is 2.45 GHz, for example. 
     Any substrate can be used for the substrate  500  as long as it is a substrate having an insulating surface, for example, a glass substrate. Further, it is preferable that the glass substrate be an alkali-free glass substrate. As a material of the alkali-free glass substrate, a glass material such as aluminosilicate glass, aluminoborosilicate glass, barium borosilicate glass, or the like is used, for example. Alternatively, as the substrate  500 , an insulating substrate formed using an insulator such as a ceramic substrate, a quartz substrate, or a sapphire substrate, a semiconductor substrate which is formed using a semiconductor material such as silicon and whose surface is covered with an insulating material, or a conductive substrate which is formed using a conductor such as metal or stainless steel and whose surface is covered with an insulating material can be used. In addition, a plastic substrate can be used as long as it can withstand heat treatment in a manufacturing process. 
     The conductive film  502  is preferably formed using a conductive material such as aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), tungsten (W), or titanium (Ti). As a formation method, a sputtering method, a vacuum evaporation method, a plasma CVD method, and the like are given. In the case of using aluminum (or copper) for the conductive film  502 , since aluminum itself (or copper itself) has disadvantages such as low heat resistance and a tendency to be corroded, it is preferably formed in combination with a conductive material having heat resistance. 
     As the conductive material having heat resistance, it is possible to use metal containing an element selected from titanium (Ti), tantalum (Ta), tungsten (W), molybdenum (Mo), chromium (Cr), neodymium (Nd), and scandium (Sc), an alloy containing any of these elements as its component, an alloy containing a combination of any of these elements, a nitride containing any of these elements as its component, or the like. The conductive material having heat resistance and aluminum (or copper) may be stacked, whereby the conductive film  502  may be formed. 
     The base layer  501  may be formed over the substrate  500 . The base layer  501  has a function of preventing diffusion of an impurity from the substrate  500 , such as an alkali metal (e.g., Li, Cs, or Na) or an alkaline earth metal (e.g., Ca or Mg). In other words, the provision of the base layer  501  can realize improvement in the reliability of the semiconductor device. The base layer  501  may be formed with a single-layer structure or a layered structure using a variety of insulating materials such as silicon nitride or silicon oxide. Specifically, for example, a structure in which silicon nitride and silicon oxide are stacked in that order over the substrate  500  is favorable. This is because silicon nitride has a high blocking effect against an impurity. At the same time, in the case where silicon nitride is in contact with a semiconductor, there is a possibility that a problem occurs in the semiconductor element; thus, silicon oxide is preferably applied as a material to be in contact with the semiconductor. The base layer  501  can be formed by a sputtering method or a plasma CVD method. 
     Next, a resist mask is selectively formed over the conductive film  502  and the conductive film  502  is selectively etched using the resist mask to form conductive layers  506  functioning as source and drain electrodes. 
     The resist mask is formed through steps such as application of a resist material, light exposure using a photomask, and development. For the application of the resist material, a method such as a spin-coating method can be employed. Instead, the resist mask may be selectively formed by a droplet discharging method, a screen printing method, or the like. In that case, the steps of light exposure using a photomask, development, and the like are not needed; therefore, improvement in productivity can be achieved. Note that the resist mask is removed after the conductive layers  506  are formed by etching the conductive film  502 . 
     The resist mask may be formed using a multi-tone mask. Here, the multi-tone mask is a mask which enables light exposure with multi-level light intensity. With the use of a multi-tone mask, one-time exposure and development process allow a resist mask with plural thicknesses (typically, two kinds of thicknesses) to be formed. By use of the multi-tone mask, the number of steps can be suppressed. 
     As the above etching treatment, dry etching may be used, or wet etching may be used. In order to improve coverage with a gate insulating layer or the like which is formed later and prevent disconnection, the etching is preferably performed so that end portions of the conductive layers  506  are tapered. For example, the end portions are preferably tapered at a taper angle greater than or equal to 20° and less than 90°. Here, the “taper angle” refers to an acute angle formed by a side surface of a layer which is tapered to a bottom surface thereof when the layer having a tapered shape is observed from a cross-sectional direction. 
     Next, an oxide semiconductor film  503  is formed to cover the conductive layers  506  (see  FIG. 5B ). The oxide semiconductor film  503  can be formed using the material and the method described in Embodiment 1. Note that heat treatment may be performed after the oxide semiconductor film  503  is formed and before or after the oxide semiconductor film  503  is processed into an island shape. In this embodiment, treatment which is similar to the first heat treatment described in Embodiment 1 is performed. 
     Subsequently, treatment which is similar to the second plasma treatment is performed on the oxide semiconductor film  503 . This treatment is performed before or after the oxide semiconductor film  503  is processed into an island shape (see  FIG. 5B  or  FIG. 5C ). The oxide semiconductor film  503  is processed into an island shape by a photolithography method or the like to be the oxide semiconductor layer  508 . The plasma may be generated by a microwave. A frequency at this time is 2.45 GHz, for example. 
     Then, an insulating layer  510  functioning as a gate insulating film is formed. After that, treatment which is similar to the first plasma treatment may be performed on the insulating layer  510 . Next, a conductive layer  512  functioning as a gate electrode is formed. These layers can be formed using the materials and the methods which are described in the above embodiment. The plasma may be generated by a microwave. A frequency at this time is 2.45 GHz, for example. 
     Next, an insulating layer  514  is formed to cover the conductive layer  512  and the insulating layer  510  (see  FIG. 5C ). Here, the insulating layer  514  corresponds to a so-called interlayer insulating layer. The insulating layer  514  can be formed using a material such as silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, or tantalum oxide. The insulating layer  514  may also be formed by stacking films formed of these materials. 
     After that, a variety of electrodes and a wiring are formed, whereby a semiconductor device provided with a transistor  550  is completed (see  FIG. 5D ). In this embodiment, a typical example is described in which conductive layers  528  functioning as pixel electrodes of a display device are formed (see  FIG. 5D ). However, an embodiment of the disclosed invention is not limited thereto. 
     In addition, after the conductive layers  528  are formed, heat treatment is performed at 100° C. to 500° C., typically 200° C. to 400° C. The atmosphere in which the heat treatment is performed can be, for example, an air atmosphere, a nitrogen atmosphere, an oxygen atmosphere, or the like. Further, the heat treatment time can be about 0.1 to 5 hours. Here, the heat treatment at 250° C. for one hour in a nitrogen atmosphere is performed. Note that the timing of the heat treatment is not particularly limited as long as it is after the insulating layer  510  is formed. For example, the above heat treatment may be performed just after the insulating layer  510  is formed or after another insulating layer, conductive layer, or the like is formed. By performing the heat treatment (the second heat treatment) and the preceding heat treatment (the first heat treatment), the characteristics of the semiconductor elements can be improved and variation in the characteristics can be reduced. 
     It is preferable that the heat treatment be performed at 400° C. or lower so as not to change (deteriorate) the characteristics of the insulating layer  510  which functions as the gate insulating layer. Needless to say, an embodiment of the disclosed invention should not be interpreted as being limited thereto. 
     As described in this embodiment, by performing plasma treatment on the oxide semiconductor film  503  or the oxide semiconductor layer  508  with the use of a cation, the oxide semiconductor element having excellent characteristics can be provided. When the insulating layer  510  in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer  508  is also subjected to the treatment, the semiconductor element with higher reliability can be obtained. Similarly, the treatment may be performed on the substrate  500  or the base layer  501  which is in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer  508 . Accordingly, a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor element which has excellent characteristics can be provided. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 6D , a stacking order of the conductive layers  506  and the oxide semiconductor layer  508  may be inversed. In that case, treatment which is similar to the second plasma treatment is preferably performed at a stage when the oxide semiconductor layer is exposed. For example, the treatment is preferably performed at the timing after the oxide semiconductor film  503  is formed and before the oxide semiconductor film  503  is processed into an island shape as illustrated in  FIG. 6A ; the timing after the oxide semiconductor film  503  is processed to be the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer  508  as illustrated in  FIG. 6B ; the timing after the conductive layers  506  are formed as illustrated in  FIG. 6C ; or the like. The plasma may be generated by a microwave. A frequency at this time is 2.45 GHz, for example. 
     Note that this embodiment can be implemented in combination with the previous embodiment as appropriate. 
     Embodiment 4 
     In this embodiment, a manufacturing process of an active matrix substrate which is an example of a semiconductor device is described with reference to drawings. Note that many parts of the manufacturing process described in this embodiment are the same as those in the above embodiments. Therefore, in the following description, repeated description of the same portions is omitted, and different points are described in detail. Note that in the following description,  FIGS. 7A to 7C  and  FIGS. 8A to 8C  are cross-sectional views and  FIG. 9  is a plan view. In addition, line A 1 -A 2  and line B 1 -B 2  in each of  FIGS. 7A to 7C  and  FIGS. 8A to 8C  correspond to line A 1 -A 2  and line B 1 -B 2  in  FIG. 9 , respectively. Note also that in this embodiment, a semiconductor element illustrated in a structure taken along line A 1 -A 2  is similar to the semiconductor element described in Embodiment 2. 
     First, a wiring and an electrode (a gate electrode  302 , a capacitor wiring  304 , and a first terminal  306 ) are formed over a substrate  300  (see  FIG. 7A ). Specifically, after a conductive layer is formed over the substrate, the wiring and electrode are formed through an etching using a resist mask. In this embodiment, the wiring and electrode can be formed by a method similar to the method which is shown in the above embodiments; therefore, the above embodiments (the description with reference to  FIGS. 1A and 1B ,  FIGS. 3A and 3B , or the like) can be referred to for the details. Note that in the above description, the distinction between “an electrode” and “a wiring” is made only for convenience, and their functions are not limited by the denomination of “the electrode” or “the wiring”. For example, a gate electrode may refer to a gate wiring. 
     Note that the capacitor wiring  304  and the first terminal  306  can be formed at the same time using the same material and the same manufacturing method as those of the gate electrode  302 . Therefore, for example, the gate electrode  302  and the first terminal  306  can be electrically connected. The above embodiments can be referred to for the details of the material and the manufacturing method of the gate electrode  302 . 
     Next, a gate insulating layer  308  is formed over the gate electrode  302  and the gate insulating layer  308  is selectively etched so as to expose the first terminal  306 , whereby a contact hole is formed (see  FIG. 7B ). The above embodiments (the description with reference to  FIG. 1C ,  FIG. 3C , or the like) can be referred to for the detail of the gate insulating layer  308 . There is no particular limitation on the etching treatment, and either dry etching or wet etching may be used. 
     Next, after a conductive film covering the gate insulating layer  308  and the first terminal  306  is formed, the conductive film is selectively etched, so that a source electrode  310 , a drain electrode  312 , a connection electrode  314 , and a second terminal  316  are formed (see  FIG. 7C ). Note that in the above description, the distinction between “an electrode” and “a wiring” is made only for convenience, and their functions are not limited by the denomination of “the electrode” or “the wiring”. For instance, a source electrode may refer to a source wiring. In addition, the source electrode and the drain electrode may be interchanged depending on the structure or the operation condition of the transistor. 
     The above embodiments (the description with reference to  FIGS. 2A and 2B ,  FIGS. 3D and 3E , or the like) can be referred to for the material, the manufacturing method, the etching treatment, or the like of the above conductive film. Note that by performing dry etching in the etching treatment, a wiring structure can be miniaturized as compared with the case of using wet etching. For example, the connection electrode  314  can be directly connected to the first terminal  306  through the contact hole formed in the gate insulating layer  308 . In addition, the second terminal  316  can be electrically connected to the source electrode  310 . 
     Next, after an oxide semiconductor film is formed to cover at least the source electrode  310  and the drain electrode  312 , the oxide semiconductor film is selectively etched to form an oxide semiconductor layer  318  (see  FIG. 8A ). Here, the oxide semiconductor layer  318  is in contact with parts of the source electrode  310  and the drain electrode  312 . The above embodiments (the description with reference to  FIGS. 1D and 1E ,  FIGS. 4A and 4B , or the like) can be referred to for the detail of the oxide semiconductor layer  318 . 
     Subsequently, treatment which is similar to the second plasma treatment described in Embodiment 1 is performed. The plasma treatment may be performed at a stage when at least part of the oxide semiconductor layer  318  is exposed; therefore, the treatment is not necessarily performed at this stage. Note that not only the treatment but also treatment which is similar to the first plasma treatment of the above embodiments may be performed at a stage when at least part of an insulating layer in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer  318  is exposed. 
     After the oxide semiconductor layer  318  is formed, heat treatment at 100° C. to 500° C., typically 200° C. to 400° C., is performed. The atmosphere of the heat treatment can be, for example, an air atmosphere, a nitrogen atmosphere, an oxygen atmosphere, or the like. Further, the heat treatment time can be about 0.1 to 5 hours. Here, the heat treatment at 350° C. for one hour in an air atmosphere is performed. Note that the timing of the heat treatment is not particularly limited as long as it is after the oxide semiconductor layer  318  is formed and before an insulating layer serving as an interlayer insulating layer is formed. For example, the heat treatment may be performed just after the oxide semiconductor layer  318  is formed. By performing the heat treatment (the first heat treatment) and the following heat treatment (the second heat treatment), the characteristics of the semiconductor elements can be improved and variation in the characteristics can be reduced. 
     Note that it is preferable that the heat treatment be performed at 400° C. or lower so as not to change (deteriorate) the characteristics of the gate insulating layer  308 . Needless to say, an embodiment of the disclosed invention should not be interpreted as being limited thereto. 
     Then, an insulating layer  320  is formed to cover the source electrode  310 , the drain electrode  312 , the oxide semiconductor layer  318 , and the like and the insulating layer  320  is selectively etched, whereby contact holes which reach the drain electrode  312 , the connection electrode  314 , and the second terminal  316  are formed (see  FIG. 8B ). The insulating layer  320  can be formed using a material such as silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, or tantalum oxide. The insulating layer  320  may also be formed by stacking films formed of these materials. 
     The hydrogen concentration in the insulating layer  320  is preferably 1×10 21  atoms/cm 3  or less (preferably 5×10 20  atoms/cm 3  or less). In addition, the nitrogen concentration in the insulating layer  320  is preferably 1×10 19  atoms/cm 3  or less. Note that the above concentrations show the average values in the insulating layer  320 . 
     As a more specific example of the insulating layer  320 , which satisfies the above-described condition, a silicon oxide film formed by a sputtering method can be given. This is because, in the case of using a sputtering method, it is easy to reduce hydrogen concentration in the film as compared with the case of using a plasma CVD method. Needless to say, any of other methods including a plasma CVD method may be employed as long as the above condition is satisfied. For example, the hydrogen concentration in the film can be reduced in such a manner that the insulating layer  320  is formed by a plasma CVD method and then plasma treatment similar to that performed on the insulating layer  108  described in Embodiment 1 is performed on the insulating layer  320 . The other conditions of the insulating layer  320  are not particularly limited. For example, the thickness of the insulating layer  320  may vary within a feasible range. 
     Next, a transparent conductive layer  322  which is electrically connected to the drain electrode  312 , a transparent conductive layer  324  which is electrically connected to the connection electrode  314 , and a transparent conductive layer  326  which is electrically connected to the second terminal  316  are formed (see  FIG. 8C  and  FIG. 9 ). 
     The transparent conductive layer  322  functions as a pixel electrode and the transparent conductive layer  324  and the transparent conductive layer  326  function as electrodes or wirings used for connection with a flexible printed circuit (an FPC). More specifically, the transparent conductive layer  324  formed over the connection electrode  314  can be used as a terminal electrode for connection which functions as an input terminal of a gate wiring, and the transparent conductive layer  326  formed over the second terminal  316  can be used as a terminal electrode for connection which functions as an input terminal of a source wiring. 
     In addition, a storage capacitor can be formed using the capacitor wiring  304 , the gate insulating layer  308 , and the transparent conductive layer  322 . 
     The transparent conductive layer  322 , the transparent conductive layer  324 , and the transparent conductive layer  326  can be formed using a material such as indium oxide (In 2 O 3 ), indium tin oxide (In 2 O 3 —SnO 2 , also abbreviated as ITO), or an indium oxide zinc oxide alloy (In 2 O 3 —ZnO). For example, after the films containing the above material are formed by a sputtering method, a vacuum evaporation method, or the like, an unnecessary portion is removed by etching, whereby the transparent conductive layer  322 , the transparent conductive layer  324 , and the transparent conductive layer  326  may be formed. 
     In addition, after the transparent conductive layer  322 , the transparent conductive layer  324 , and the transparent conductive layer  326  are formed, heat treatment is performed at 100° C. to 500° C., typically 200° C. to 400° C. The atmosphere of the heat treatment can be, for example, an air atmosphere, a nitrogen atmosphere, an oxygen atmosphere, or the like. Further, the heat treatment time can be about 0.1 to 5 hours. Here, the heat treatment at 350° C. for one hour in an air atmosphere is performed. Note that the timing of the heat treatment is not particularly limited as long as it is after the insulating layer  320  is formed. For example, the above heat treatment may be performed just after the insulating layer  320  is formed or after the contact holes are formed in the insulating layer  320 . Alternatively, the heat treatment may be performed after another insulating layer, conductive layer, or the like is formed. By performing the heat treatment (the second heat treatment) and the preceding heat treatment (the first heat treatment), the characteristics of the semiconductor elements can be improved and variation in the characteristics can be reduced. 
     Note that the effect of the second heat treatment is not limited to the above. For example, the second heat treatment also provides an advantageous effect of repairing defects in the insulating layer  320 . Since the insulating layer  320  is formed at a relatively low temperature, defects exist in the film. Thus, the element characteristics might be adversely affected when the insulating layer is used as it is. From a perspective of repairing such defects in the insulating layer  320 , it can be said that the above-described heat treatment plays an important role. 
     Note that it is preferable that the heat treatment be performed at 400° C. or lower so as not to change (deteriorate) the characteristics of the gate insulating layer  308 . Needless to say, an embodiment of the disclosed invention should not be interpreted as being limited thereto. 
     Through the above steps, an active matrix substrate including a bottom-gate transistor  350  and an element such as a storage capacitor can be completed. For example, in the case of manufacturing an active matrix liquid crystal display device by using this, a liquid crystal layer may be provided between an active matrix substrate and a counter substrate provided with a counter electrode, and the active matrix substrate and the counter substrate may be fixed to each other. 
     As described in this embodiment, by performing plasma treatment on the oxide semiconductor layer  318  with the use of a cation, the oxide semiconductor element having excellent characteristics can be provided. When the insulating layer  308  in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer  318  and/or the insulating layer  320  are/is subjected to the treatment, the semiconductor element with higher reliability can be obtained. Accordingly, a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor element with excellent characteristics can be provided. 
     Note that although the case where the transistor  350  or other structures are formed using the method described in Embodiment 2 is described, the disclosed invention is not limited thereto. The method described in Embodiment 1 or the like may be used. Note that this embodiment can be implemented in combination with the above embodiment as appropriate. 
     Embodiment 5 
     In this embodiment, an example is described in which thin film transistors are manufactured and a semiconductor device having a display function (also referred to as a display device) is manufactured using the thin film transistors in a pixel portion and in a driver circuit. Further, part or whole of a driver circuit can be formed over the same substrate as a pixel portion, whereby a system-on-panel can be obtained. 
     The display device includes a display element. As the display element, a liquid crystal element (also referred to as a liquid crystal display element), a light-emitting element (also referred to as a light-emitting display element), or the like can be used. The light-emitting element includes, in its category, an element whose luminance is controlled by a current or a voltage, and specifically includes, in its category, an inorganic electroluminescent (EL) element, an organic EL element, and the like. Further, a display medium whose contrast is changed by an electric effect, such as electronic ink, may be used. 
     The display device includes in its category a panel in which a display element is sealed, and a module in which an IC including a controller or the like is mounted on the panel. Furthermore, an element substrate which forms a display device is provided with means for supplying current to the display element in each of pixels. Specifically, the element substrate may be in a state after only a pixel electrode of the display element is formed, or a state after a conductive film to be a pixel electrode is formed and before the conductive film is etched. 
     Note that a display device in this specification means an image display device, a display device, a light source (including a lighting device), and the like. Further, the display device also includes the following modules in its category: a module to which a connector such as an FPC (flexible printed circuit), a TAB (tape automated bonding) tape, or a TCP (tape carrier package) is attached; a module having a TAB tape or a TCP at the tip of which a printed wiring board is provided; a module in which an IC (integrated circuit) is directly mounted on a display element by a COG (chip on glass) method, and the like. 
     Hereinafter, in this embodiment, an example of a liquid crystal display device is described. FIGS.  10 A 1  and  10 A 2  are plan views and  FIG. 10B  is a cross-sectional view of panels in which thin film transistors  4010  and  4011  and a liquid crystal element  4013  that are formed over a first substrate  4001  are sealed by a second substrate  4006  and a sealant  4005 . Here, each of FIGS.  10 A 1  and  10 A 2  is a plan view, and  FIG. 10B  is a cross-sectional view taken along M-N of FIGS.  10 A 1  and  10 A 2 . 
     The sealant  4005  is provided to surround a pixel portion  4002  and a scan line driver circuit  4004  that are provided over the first substrate  4001 . The second substrate  4006  is provided over the pixel portion  4002  and the scan line driver circuit  4004 . In other words, the pixel portion  4002  and the scan line driver circuit  4004  are sealed together with a liquid crystal layer  4008 , by the first substrate  4001 , the sealant  4005 , and the second substrate  4006 . Further, a signal line driver circuit  4003  that is formed using a single crystal semiconductor film or a polycrystalline semiconductor film over a substrate separately prepared is mounted in a region different from the region surrounded by the sealant  4005  over the first substrate  4001 . 
     Note that there is no particular limitation on the connection method of a driver circuit which is separately formed, and a COG method, a wire bonding method, a TAB method, or the like can be used as appropriate. FIG.  10 A 1  illustrates an example of mounting the signal line driver circuit  4003  by a COG method, and FIG.  10 A 2  illustrates an example of mounting the signal line driver circuit  4003  by a TAB method. 
     In addition, the pixel portion  4002  and the scan line driver circuit  4004  provided over the first substrate  4001  each include a plurality of thin film transistors.  FIG. 10B  illustrates the thin film transistor  4010  included in the pixel portion  4002  and the thin film transistor  4011  included in the scan line driver circuit  4004 . Insulating layers  4020  and  4021  are provided over the thin film transistors  4010  and  4011 . 
     The transistors described in any of the above embodiments or the like can be applied to the thin film transistors  4010  and  4011 . Note that in this embodiment, the thin film transistors  4010  and  4011  are n-channel thin film transistors. 
     A pixel electrode layer  4030  included in the liquid crystal element  4013  is electrically connected to the thin film transistor  4010 . A counter electrode layer  4031  of the liquid crystal element  4013  is formed for the second substrate  4006 . The liquid crystal element  4013  is formed by the pixel electrode layer  4030 , the counter electrode layer  4031 , and the liquid crystal layer  4008 . Note that the pixel electrode layer  4030  and the counter electrode layer  4031  are provided with an insulating layer  4032  and an insulating layer  4033 , respectively, each of which functions as an alignment film. The liquid crystal layer  4008  is sandwiched between the pixel electrode layer  4030  and the counter electrode layer  4031  with the insulating layers  4032  and  4033  provided therebetween. 
     Note that as the first substrate  4001  and the second substrate  4006 , glass, metal (typically, stainless steel), ceramic, plastic, or the like can be used. As plastic, an FRP (fiberglass-reinforced plastics) substrate, a PVF (polyvinyl fluoride) film, a polyester film, an acrylic resin film, or the like can be used. Alternatively, a sheet with a structure in which an aluminum foil is sandwiched between PVF films or polyester films can be used. 
     A columnar spacer  4035  is provided in order to control the distance (a cell gap) between the pixel electrode layer  4030  and the counter electrode layer  4031 . The columnar spacer  4035  can be obtained by selective etching of an insulating film. Note that a spherical spacer may be used instead of a columnar spacer. In addition, the counter electrode layer  4031  is electrically connected to a common potential line formed over the same substrate as the thin film transistor  4010 . For example, the counter electrode layer  4031  can be electrically connected to the common potential line through conductive particles provided between the pair of substrates. Note that the conductive particles are preferably contained in the sealant  4005 . 
     In the case of using a horizontal electric field mode, a liquid crystal exhibiting a blue phase for which an alignment film is unnecessary may be used. A blue phase is one of the liquid crystal phases, which is generated just before a cholesteric phase changes into an isotropic phase while temperature of cholesteric liquid crystal is increased. Since the blue phase is only generated within a narrow range of temperatures, a liquid crystal composition containing a chiral agent at 5 wt % or more is preferably used. Thus, the temperature range in which the blue phase is generated can be extended. The liquid crystal composition which includes liquid crystal exhibiting a blue phase and a chiral agent has such characteristics that the response time is as short as 10 μs to 100 μs, alignment treatment is not needed because the liquid crystal composition has optical isotropy, and viewing angle dependency is small. 
     Although an example of a transmissive liquid crystal display device is described in this embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto. An embodiment of the present invention may also be applied to a reflective liquid crystal display device or a semi-transmissive liquid crystal display device. 
     In this embodiment, an example of the liquid crystal display device is described (see  FIG. 11 ) in which a polarizing plate is provided on the outer surface of the substrate (on the viewer side) and a coloring layer and an electrode layer used for a display element are provided on the inner surface of the substrate in this order; however, the polarizing plate may be provided on the inner surface of the substrate. In addition, the layered structure of the polarizing plate and the coloring layer is not limited to this embodiment. The layered structure can be varied as appropriate in accordance with the material, manufacturing conditions, or the like of the polarizing plate and the coloring layer. Further, a light-blocking film serving as a black matrix may be provided. 
     In this embodiment, in order to reduce the surface roughness of the thin film transistor, the thin film transistors obtained in the above embodiment are covered with the insulating layer  4021 . As the insulating layer  4021 , an organic material having heat resistance such as polyimide, acrylic resin, benzocyclobutene resin, polyamide, or epoxy resin can be used. Other than such organic materials, it is also possible to use a low-dielectric constant material (a low-k material), a siloxane-based resin, PSG (phosphosilicate glass), BPSG (borophosphosilicate glass), or the like. Note that the insulating layer  4021  may be formed by stacking a plurality of insulating films formed of these materials. 
     Here, the siloxane-based resin corresponds to a resin including a Si—O—Si bond which is formed using a siloxane-based material as a starting material. As a substituent, an organic group (e.g., an alkyl group or an aryl group) or a fluoro group may be used. In addition, the organic group may include a fluoro group. 
     There is no particular limitation on the method of forming the insulating layer  4021 , and the following method or means can be employed depending on the material, by a deposition method such as a sputtering method, an SOG method, a spin coating method, a dipping method, a spray coating method, or a droplet discharge method (e.g., an ink-jet method, screen printing, or offset printing), or a tool such as a doctor knife, a roll coater, a curtain coater, a knife coater, or the like. 
     The pixel electrode layer  4030  and the counter electrode layer  4031  can be made of a light-transmitting conductive material such as indium oxide containing tungsten oxide, indium zinc oxide containing tungsten oxide, indium oxide containing titanium oxide, indium tin oxide containing titanium oxide, indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide, or indium tin oxide to which silicon oxide is added. 
     A conductive composition containing a conductive high molecule (also referred to as a conductive polymer) may be used for the pixel electrode layer  4030  and the counter electrode layer  4031 . The pixel electrode formed of the conductive composition has preferably a sheet resistance of less than or equal to 1.0×10 4  Ω/square and a transmittance of greater than or equal to 70% at a wavelength of 550 nm. Furthermore, the resistivity of the conductive high molecule contained in the conductive composition is preferably 0.1 Ω·cm or less. 
     As the conductive high molecule, a so-called π-electron conjugated conductive macromolecule can be used. For example, polyaniline or a derivative thereof, polypyrrole or a derivative thereof, polythiophene or a derivative thereof, a copolymer of two or more of aniline, pyrrole, and thiophene or a derivative thereof, or the like can be given. 
     A variety of signals are supplied to the signal line driver circuit  4003 , the scan line driver circuit  4004 , the pixel portion  4002 , or the like from an FPC  4018 . 
     In addition, a connection terminal electrode  4015  is formed from the same conductive film as the pixel electrode layer  4030  included in the liquid crystal element  4013 , and a terminal electrode  4016  is formed from the same conductive film as source and drain electrode layers of the thin film transistors  4010  and  4011 . 
     The connection terminal electrode  4015  is electrically connected to a terminal included in the FPC  4018  via an anisotropic conductive film  4019 . 
     Although FIGS.  10 A 1 ,  10 A 2 , and  10 B, the signal line driver circuit  4003  is formed separately and mounted on the first substrate  4001 , this embodiment is not limited to this structure. The scan line driver circuit may be separately formed and then mounted, or only part of the signal line driver circuit or part of the scan line driver circuit may be separately formed and then mounted. 
       FIG. 11  illustrates an example in which a substrate  2600  provided with an oxide semiconductor element is used for a liquid crystal display module which corresponds to one mode of the semiconductor device. 
     In  FIG. 11 , the substrate  2600  provided with the oxide semiconductor element and a counter substrate  2601  are attached to each other with a sealant  2602 , and between them, an element layer  2603  including an oxide semiconductor element and the like, a liquid crystal layer  2604  including an alignment film and/or a liquid crystal layer, a coloring layer  2605 , and the like are provided to form a display region. The coloring layer  2605  is necessary for color display. In the case of an RGB method, respective coloring layers corresponding to red, green, and blue are provided for pixels. Polarizing plates  2606  and  2607  and a diffusion plate  2613  are provided outside the counter substrate  2601  and the substrate  2600  provided with the oxide semiconductor element. A light source includes a cold cathode tube  2610  and a reflective plate  2611 . A circuit board  2612  is connected to a wiring circuit portion  2608  of the substrate  2600  provided with the oxide semiconductor element through a flexible wiring board  2609 . Accordingly, an external circuit such as a control circuit or a power source circuit is included in a liquid crystal module. A retardation plate may be provided between the polarizing plate and the liquid crystal layer. 
     For a driving method of a liquid crystal, a TN (twisted nematic) mode, an IPS (in-plane-switching) mode, an FFS (fringe field switching) mode, an MVA (multi-domain vertical alignment) mode, a PVA (patterned vertical alignment) mode, an ASM (axially symmetric aligned micro-cell) mode, an OCB (optical compensated birefringence) mode, an FLC (ferroelectric liquid crystal) mode, an AFLC (antiferroelectric liquid crystal) mode, or the like can be used. 
     Through the above steps, a high-performance liquid crystal display device can be manufactured. This embodiment can be implemented in combination with the above embodiment, as appropriate. 
     Embodiment 6 
     In this embodiment, active matrix electronic paper that is an example of a semiconductor device will be described with reference to  FIG. 12 . A thin film transistor  650  used for the semiconductor device can be manufactured in a manner similar to that of the thin film transistor or the like described in the above embodiments. 
     The electronic paper illustrated in  FIG. 12  is an example of a display device in which a twist ball display method is employed. The twisting ball display system refers to a method in which spherical particles each colored in black and white are arranged between a first electrode layer and a second electrode layer, and a potential difference is generated between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer, whereby orientation of the spherical particles is controlled, so that display is performed. 
     The source or drain electrode layer of the thin film transistor  650  is electrically connected to a first electrode layer  660  through a contact hole formed in an insulating layer  585 . A substrate  602  is provided with a second electrode layer  670 . Spherical particles  680  each having a black region  680   a  and a white region  680   b  are provided between the first electrode layer  660  and the second electrode layer  670 . A space around the spherical particles  680  is filled with a filler  682  such as a resin (see  FIG. 12 ). In  FIG. 12 , the first electrode layer  660  corresponds to a pixel electrode, and the second electrode layer  670  corresponds to a common electrode. The second electrode layer  670  is electrically connected to a common potential line provided over the same substrate as the thin film transistor  650 . 
     Instead of the twisting ball, an electrophoretic display element can also be used. In that case, for example, a microcapsule having a diameter of approximately 10 μm to 200 μm in which transparent liquid, positively-charged white microparticles, and negatively-charged black microparticles are encapsulated, is preferably used. When an electric field is applied between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer, the white microparticles and the black microparticles move to opposite sides from each other, so that white or black is displayed. The electrophoretic display element has higher reflectance than a liquid crystal display element, and thus, an auxiliary light is unnecessary and a display portion can be recognized in a place where brightness is not sufficient. In addition, there is an advantage that even when power is not supplied to the display portion, an image which has been displayed once can be maintained. 
     Thus, high-performance electronic paper can be manufactured using an embodiment of the disclosed invention. Note that this embodiment can be implemented in combination with the above embodiment as appropriate. 
     Embodiment 7 
     In this embodiment, a light-emitting display device which is an example of a semiconductor device will be described. Here, a case is described where a light-emitting element utilizing electroluminescence is used as a display element. Note that light-emitting elements utilizing electroluminescence are classified by whether a light-emitting material is an organic compound or an inorganic compound. In general, the former is called an organic EL element, and the latter is called an inorganic EL element. 
     In an organic EL element, when voltage is applied to a light-emitting element, electrons and holes are injected from a pair of electrodes into a layer containing a light-emitting organic compound. Then, the carriers (electrons and holes) recombine, thereby emitting light. Owing to such a mechanism, the light-emitting element is called a current-excitation light-emitting element. 
     The inorganic EL elements are classified according to their element structures into a dispersion-type inorganic EL element and a thin-film inorganic EL element. A dispersion-type inorganic EL element has a light-emitting layer where particles of a light-emitting material are dispersed in a binder, and its light emission mechanism is donor-acceptor recombination-type light emission which utilizes a donor level and an acceptor level. A thin-film-type inorganic EL element has a structure where a light-emitting layer is sandwiched between dielectric layers, which are further sandwiched between electrodes, and its light emission mechanism is localized-type light emission that utilizes inner-shell electron transition of metal ions. Note that an example of an organic EL element as a light-emitting element is described here. 
     Structures of the light-emitting element will be described with reference to  FIGS. 13A to 13C . Here, the case where a driving transistor is an n-channel transistor is illustrated, and cross-sectional structures of pixels are described. Transistors  701 ,  711 , and  721  used for semiconductor devices illustrated in  FIGS. 13A to 13C  can be manufactured in a manner similar to that of the transistors described in the above embodiment. 
     In order to extract light from a light-emitting element, at least one of the anode and the cathode is transparent. Here, transparent means that at least light with an emission wavelength has sufficiently high transmittance. As a method for extracting light, a thin film transistor and a light emitting element are formed over a substrate; and there are a top emission method (a top extraction method) by which light is extracted from a side opposite to the substrate, a bottom emission method (a bottom extraction method) by which light is extracted from the substrate side, a dual emission method (a dual extraction method) by which light is extracted from both the substrate side and the side opposite to the substrate, and the like. 
     A top-emission-type light-emitting element is described using  FIG. 13A . 
       FIG. 13A  is a cross-sectional view of a pixel in the case where light is emitted from a light-emitting element  702  to an anode  705  side. Here, a cathode  703  of the light-emitting element  702  is electrically connected to the transistor  701  which is a driving transistor, and a light-emitting layer  704  and the anode  705  are stacked in this order over the cathode  703 . For the cathode  703 , a conductive film which has a low work function and reflects light can be used. For example, a material such as Ca, Al, MgAg, or AlLi is preferably used to form the cathode  703 . The light-emitting layer  704  may be formed using either a single layer or a plurality of layers stacked. When the light-emitting layer  704  is formed using a plurality of layers, an electron-injection layer, an electron-transport layer, a light-emitting layer, a hole-transport layer, and a hole-injection layer are preferably stacked in this order over the cathode  703 ; however, needless to say, it is not necessary to form all of these layers and a different layered structure may be employed. The anode  705  is formed using a light-transmitting conductive material. For example, a light-transmitting conductive material, such as indium oxide containing tungsten oxide, indium zinc oxide containing tungsten oxide, indium oxide containing titanium oxide, indium tin oxide containing titanium oxide, indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide, or indium tin oxide to which silicon oxide is added, may be used. 
     A structure in which the light-emitting layer  704  is sandwiched between the cathode  703  and the anode  705  can be called the light-emitting element  702 . In the case of the pixel illustrated in  FIG. 13A , light is emitted from the light-emitting element  702  to the anode  705  side as indicated by an arrow. 
     Next, a bottom-emission-type light-emitting element is described using  FIG. 13B . 
       FIG. 13B  is a cross-sectional view of a pixel in the case where light is emitted from a light-emitting element  712  to a cathode  713  side. Here, the cathode  713  of the light-emitting element  712  is formed over a light-transmitting conductive film  717  which is electrically connected to the driving transistor  711 , and a light-emitting layer  714  and an anode  715  are stacked in this order over the cathode  713 . Note that a light-blocking film  716  may be formed to cover the anode  715  when the anode  715  has a light-transmitting property. Similar to the case of  FIG. 13A , the cathode  713  can be formed using a conductive material which has a low work function. The cathode  713  is formed to have a thickness that can transmit light (preferably, approximately 5 nm to 30 nm). For example, an aluminum film with a thickness of approximately 20 nm can be used as the cathode  713 . The light-emitting layer  714  may be formed using a single layer or a plurality of layers stacked similarly to  FIG. 13A . The anode  715  does not necessarily transmit light, but may be formed using a light-transmitting conductive material as in the case of  FIG. 13A . As the light-blocking film  716 , a metal which reflects light or the like can be used; however, it is not limited thereto. For example, a resin to which black pigments are added or the like can be used. 
     A structure in which the light-emitting layer  714  is sandwiched between the cathode  713  and the anode  715  can be called the light-emitting element  712 . In the case of the pixel shown in  FIG. 13B , light emitted from the light-emitting element  712  is extracted through the cathode  713  side as indicated by an arrow. 
     Next, a dual-emission-type light-emitting element is described with reference to  FIG. 13C . 
     In  FIG. 13C , a cathode  723  of a light-emitting element  722  is formed over a light-transmitting conductive film  727  which is electrically connected to the driving transistor  721 , and a light-emitting layer  724  and an anode  725  are stacked in this order over the cathode  723 . The cathode  723  can be formed using a conductive material which has a low work function as in the case of  FIG. 13A . The cathode  723  is formed to have a thickness that can transmit light. For example, an Al film with a thickness of approximately 20 nm can be used as the cathode  723 . As in  FIG. 13A , the light-emitting layer  724  may be formed using a single layer or a plurality of layers stacked. As in  FIG. 13A , the anode  725  can be formed using a light-transmitting conductive material. 
     A structure in which the cathode  723 , the light-emitting layer  724 , and the anode  725  overlap with each other can be called the light-emitting element  722 . In the case of the pixel illustrated in  FIG. 13C , light is emitted from the light-emitting element  722  to both the anode  725  side and the cathode  723  side as indicated by arrows. 
     Although a case of using an organic EL element as a light-emitting element is described here, an inorganic EL element can also be used as a light-emitting element. The example is described here in which a thin film transistor (a driving transistor) which controls the driving of a light-emitting element is electrically connected to the light-emitting element; however, a transistor for current control or the like may be connected between the driving transistor and the light-emitting element. 
     The structure of the semiconductor device described in this embodiment is not limited to the structures of  FIGS. 13A to 13C  and can be modified in various ways. 
     Next, the appearance and a cross section of a light-emitting display panel (also referred to as a light-emitting panel) are described with reference to  FIGS. 14A and 14B .  FIG. 14A  is a plan view and  FIG. 14B  is a cross-sectional view of a panel in which thin film transistors  4509  and  4510  and a light-emitting element  4511  that are formed over a first substrate  4501  are sealed by a second substrate  4506  and a sealant  4505 . Here,  FIG. 14A  is a plan view and  FIG. 14B  is a cross-sectional view taken along line H-I in  FIG. 14A . 
     The sealant  4505  is provided to surround a pixel portion  4502 , signal line driver circuits  4503   a  and  4503   b , and scan line driver circuits  4504   a  and  4504   b , which are provided over the first substrate  4501 . In addition, the second substrate  4506  is provided over the pixel portion  4502 , the signal line driver circuits  4503   a  and  4503   b , and the scan line driver circuits  4504   a  and  4504   b . That is, the pixel portion  4502 , the signal line driver circuits  4503   a  and  4503   b , and the scan line driver circuits  4504   a  and  4504   b  are sealed together with a filler  4507 , with the first substrate  4501 , the sealant  4505 , and the second substrate  4506 . In such a manner, it is preferable that packaging (sealing) be performed using a protective film (such as a bonding film or an ultraviolet curable resin film), a cover material, or the like with high air-tightness and little degasification. 
     The pixel portion  4502 , the signal line driver circuits  4503   a  and  4503   b , and the scan line driver circuits  4504   a  and  4504   b , which are formed over the first substrate  4501 , each include a plurality of thin film transistors.  FIG. 14B  illustrates the thin film transistor  4510  included in the pixel portion  4502  and the thin film transistor  4509  included in the signal line driver circuit  4503   a.    
     As the thin film transistors  4509  and  4510 , the transistors described in the above embodiments can be employed. Note that in this embodiment, the thin film transistors  4509  and  4510  are n-channel thin film transistors. 
     Moreover, reference numeral  4511  denotes a light-emitting element. A first electrode layer  4517  which is a pixel electrode included in the light-emitting element  4511  is electrically connected to a source electrode layer or a drain electrode layer of the thin film transistor  4510 . Note that a structure of the light-emitting element  4511  is a layered structure of the first electrode layer  4517 , an electroluminescent layer  4512 , and a second electrode layer  4513 , but there is no particular limitation on the structure. The structure of the light-emitting element  4511  can be changed as appropriate depending on the direction in which light is extracted from the light-emitting element  4511 , or the like. 
     A partition  4520  is formed using an organic resin film, an inorganic insulating film, organic polysiloxane, or the like. It is particularly preferable that the partition  4520  be formed using a photosensitive material to have an opening portion over the first electrode layer  4517  so that a sidewall of the opening portion is formed as an inclined surface with continuous curvature. 
     The electroluminescent layer  4512  may be formed using either a single layer or a plurality of layers stacked. 
     A protective film may be formed over the second electrode layer  4513  and the partition  4520  in order to prevent oxygen, hydrogen, moisture, carbon dioxide, or the like from entering the light-emitting element  4511 . As the protective film, a silicon nitride film, a silicon nitride oxide film, a DLC (diamond like carbon) film, or the like can be formed. 
     A variety of signals are supplied to the signal line driver circuits  4503   a  and  4503   b , the scan line driver circuits  4504   a  and  4504   b , the pixel portion  4502 , or the like from FPCs  4518   a  and  4518   b.    
     In this embodiment, an example is described in which a connection terminal electrode  4515  is formed from the same conductive film as the first electrode layer  4517  of the light-emitting element  4511 , and a terminal electrode  4516  is formed from the same conductive film as the source and drain electrode layers of the thin film transistors  4509  and  4510 . 
     The connection terminal electrode  4515  is electrically connected to a terminal included in the FPC  4518   a  via an anisotropic conductive film  4519 . 
     The substrate located in the direction in which light is extracted from the light-emitting element  4511  needs to have a light-transmitting property. As a substrate having a light-transmitting property, a glass plate, a plastic plate, a polyester film, an acrylic film, and the like are given. 
     As the filler  4507 , an ultraviolet curable resin, a thermosetting resin, or the ilke can be used, in addition to an inert gas such as nitrogen or argon. For example, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), acrylic, polyimide, an epoxy resin, a silicone resin, polyvinyl butyral (PVB), ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), or the like can be used. In this embodiment, an example in which nitrogen is used for the filler is described. 
     If needed, an optical film, such as a polarizing plate, a circularly polarizing plate (including an elliptically polarizing plate), a retardation plate (a quarter-wave plate or a half-wave plate), or a color filter, may be provided on a light-emitting surface of the light-emitting element. Furthermore, an antireflection treatment may be performed on a surface thereof. For example, anti-glare treatment by which reflected light can be diffused by projections and depressions on the surface so as to reduce the glare can be performed. 
     The signal line driver circuits  4503   a  and  4503   b  and the scan line driver circuits  4504   a  and  4504   b  may be formed using a single crystal semiconductor film or a polycrystalline semiconductor film over a substrate separately prepared. Alternatively, only the signal line driver circuits or part thereof or only the scan line driver circuits or part thereof may be separately formed and mounted. This embodiment is not limited to the structure illustrated in  FIGS. 14A and 14B . 
     Through the above process, a high-performance light-emitting display device (display panel) can be manufactured. Note that this embodiment can be implemented in combination with the above embodiment as appropriate. 
     Embodiment 8 
     The semiconductor device manufactured by the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to an embodiment of the present invention can be applied to electronic paper. Electronic paper can be used for electronic appliances of a variety of fields as long as they can display data. For example, electronic paper can be applied to an e-book reader (electronic book), a poster, an advertisement in a vehicle such as a train, or displays of various cards such as a credit card. Examples of the electronic devices are illustrated in  FIGS. 15A and 15B  and  FIG. 16 . 
       FIG. 15A  illustrates a poster  2631  formed using electronic paper. In the case where an advertising medium is printed paper, the advertisement is replaced by hands; however, by using the electronic paper, the advertising display can be changed in a short time. Furthermore, stable images can be obtained without display defects. Note that the poster may have a configuration capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. 
       FIG. 15B  illustrates an advertisement  2632  in a vehicle such as a train. In the case where an advertising medium is printed paper, the advertisement is replaced by hands; however, by using an electronic paper, advertising display can be changed in a short time without using much human resources. Furthermore, stable images can be obtained without display defects. Note that the advertisement in a vehicle may have a configuration capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. 
       FIG. 16  illustrates an example of an e-book reader. For example, an e-book reader  2700  includes a housing  2701  and a housing  2703 . The housing  2701  and the housing  2703  are combined with a hinge  2711  so that the e-book reader  2700  can be opened and closed with the hinge  2711  as an axis. With such a structure, the e-book reader  2700  can operate like a paper book. 
     A display portion  2705  and a display portion  2707  are incorporated in the housing  2701  and the housing  2703 , respectively. The display portion  2705  and the display portion  2707  may display one image or different images. In the structure where different images are displayed on the display portion  2705  and the display portion  2707 , for example, the right display portion (the display portion  2705  in  FIG. 16 ) can display text and the left display portion (the display portion  2707  in  FIG. 16 ) can display images. 
       FIG. 16  illustrates an example in which the housing  2701  is provided with an operation portion and the like. For example, the housing  2701  is provided with a power switch  2721 , an operation key  2723 , a speaker  2725 , and the like. With the operation key  2723 , pages can be turned. Note that a keyboard, a pointing device, and the like may be provided on the same surface as the display portion of the housing. Furthermore, an external connection terminal (an earphone terminal, a USB terminal, a terminal that can be connected to various cables such as an AC adapter and a USB cable, or the like), a recording medium insertion portion, and the like may be provided on the back surface or the side surface of the housing. Moreover, the e-book reader  2700  may have a function of an electronic dictionary. 
     The e-book reader  2700  may have a configuration capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. Through wireless communication, desired book data or the like can be purchased and downloaded from an electronic book server. 
     This embodiment can be implemented in combination with the above embodiment, as appropriate. 
     Embodiment 9 
     A semiconductor device which is manufactured by a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to an embodiment of the present invention can be applied to a variety of electronic appliances (including an amusement machine). Examples of electronic devices are a television set (also referred to as a television or a television receiver), a monitor of a computer or the like, a camera such as a digital camera or a digital video camera, a digital photo frame, a mobile phone handset (also referred to as a mobile phone or a mobile phone device), a portable game console, a portable information terminal, an audio reproducing device, a large-sized game machine such as a pachinko machine, and the like. 
       FIG. 17A  illustrates an example of a television set. In a television set  9600 , a display portion  9603  is incorporated in a housing  9601 . The display portion  9603  can display images. Here, the housing  9601  is supported by a stand  9605 . 
     The television set  9600  can be operated with an operation switch of the housing  9601  or a separate remote controller  9610 . Channels and volume can be controlled with an operation key  9609  of the remote controller  9610  so that an image displayed on the display portion  9603  can be controlled. Furthermore, the remote controller  9610  may be provided with a display portion  9607  for displaying information output from the remote controller  9610 . 
     Note that the television set  9600  is provided with a receiver, a modem, and the like. With the use of the receiver, general television broadcasting can be received. Moreover, when the television set  9600  is connected to a communication network with or without wires via the modem, one-way (from a sender to a receiver) or two-way (between a sender and a receiver or between receivers) information communication can be performed. 
       FIG. 17B  illustrates an example of a digital photo frame. For example, in a digital photo frame  9700 , a display portion  9703  is incorporated in a housing  9701 . The display portion  9703  can display a variety of images. For example, the display portion  9703  can display data of an image taken with a digital camera or the like and function as a normal photo frame. 
     Note that the digital photo frame  9700  is provided with an operation portion, an external connection portion (a USB terminal, a terminal that can be connected to various cables such as a USB cable, or the like), a recording medium insertion portion, and the like. Although these components may be provided on the surface on which the display portion is provided, it is preferable to provide them on the side surface or the back surface for the design of the digital photo frame  9700 . For example, a memory storing data of an image taken with a digital camera is inserted in the recording medium insertion portion of the digital photo frame, whereby the image data can be transferred and then displayed on the display portion  9703 . 
     The digital photo frame  9700  may be configured to transmit and receive information wirelessly. The structure may be employed in which desired image data is transferred wirelessly to be displayed. 
       FIG. 18A  illustrates a portable amusement console including two housings: a housing  9881  and a housing  9891 . The housings  9881  and  9891  are connected with a connection portion  9893  so as to be opened and closed. A display portion  9882  and a display portion  9883  are incorporated in the housing  9881  and the housing  9891 , respectively. The portable game console illustrated in  FIG. 18A  additionally includes a speaker portion  9884 , a storage medium inserting portion  9886 , an LED lamp  9890 , an input means (operation keys  9885 , a connection terminal  9887 , a sensor  9888  (having a function of measuring force, displacement, position, speed, acceleration, angular speed, rotational frequency, distance, light, liquid, magnetism, temperature, chemical substance, sound, time, hardness, electric field, current, voltage, electric power, radiation, flow rate, humidity, gradient, vibration, smell, or infrared ray), and a microphone  9889 ), and the like. It is needless to say that the structure of the portable amusement console is not limited to the above and other structures provided with at least a semiconductor device may be employed. The portable amusement machine may include an additional accessory equipment, as appropriate. The portable game console illustrated in  FIG. 18A  has a function of reading a program or data stored in a storage medium to display it on the display portion, and a function of sharing information with another portable game console via wireless communication. The portable game console of  FIG. 18A  can have a variety of functions other than those above. 
       FIG. 18B  illustrates an example of a slot machine, which is a large game machine. In a slot machine  9900 , a display portion  9903  is incorporated in a housing  9901 . In addition, the slot machine  9900  includes an operation means such as a start lever or a stop switch, a coin slot, a speaker, and the like. It is needless to say that the structure of the slot machine  9900  is not limited to the above and other structures provided with at least a semiconductor device may be employed. The slot machine  9900  may include an additional accessory equipment, as appropriate. 
       FIG. 19A  illustrates an example of a mobile phone handset. A mobile phone handset  1000  includes a display portion  1002  incorporated in a housing  1001 , operation buttons  1003 , an external connection port  1004 , a speaker  1005 , a microphone  1006  and the like. 
     When the display portion  1002  of the mobile phone handset  1000  illustrated in  FIG. 19A  is touched with a finger or the like, information can be input into the mobile phone handset  1000 . Furthermore, operations such as making calls and composing mails can be performed by touching the display portion  1002  with a finger or the like. 
     There are mainly three screen modes of the display portion  1002 . The first mode is a display mode mainly for displaying images. The second mode is an input mode mainly for inputting information such as text. The third mode is a display-and-input mode in which two modes of the display mode and the input mode are combined. 
     For example, in a case of making a call or composing a mail, a text input mode mainly for inputting text is selected for the display portion  1002  so that text displayed on a screen can be input. In that case, it is preferable to display a keyboard or number buttons on almost all area of the screen of the display portion  1002 . 
     When a detection device including a sensor for detecting inclination, such as a gyroscope or an acceleration sensor, is provided inside the mobile phone handset  1000 , display on the screen of the display portion  1002  can be automatically switched by determining the installation direction of the mobile phone handset  1000  (whether the mobile phone handset  1000  is placed horizontally or vertically for a landscape mode or a portrait mode). 
     The screen modes are switched by touching the display portion  1002  or operating the operation buttons  1003  of the housing  1001 . Alternatively, the screen modes may be switched depending on the kind of the image displayed on the display portion  1002 . For example, when a signal of an image displayed on the display portion is a signal of moving image data, the screen mode is switched to the display mode. When the signal is a signal of text data, the screen mode is switched to the input mode. 
     Further, in the input mode, when input by touching the display portion  1002  is not performed for a certain period while a signal detected by the optical sensor in the display portion  1002  is detected, the screen mode may be controlled so as to be switched from the input mode to the display mode. 
     The display portion  1002  may function as an image sensor. For example, an image of a palm print, a fingerprint, or the like is taken when the display portion  1002  is touched with a palm or a finger, whereby personal identification can be performed. Further, by providing a backlight or a sensing light source which emits a near-infrared light in the display portion, an image of a finger vein, a palm vein, or the like can be taken. 
       FIG. 19B  also illustrates an example of a mobile phone handset. The mobile phone handset in  FIG. 19B  includes a display device  9410  in a housing  9411 , which includes a display portion  9412  and operation buttons  9413 , and a communication device  9400  in a housing  9401 , which includes operation buttons  9402 , an external input terminal  9403 , a microphone  9404 , a speaker  9405 , and a light-emitting portion  9406  that emits light when a phone call is received. The display device  9410  having a display function can be detached from and attached to the communication device  9400  having a telephone function in two directions shown by arrows. Accordingly, the display device  9410  and the communication device  9400  can be attached to each other along respective short axes or long axes. When only the display function is needed, the display device  9410  can be detached from the communication device  9400  and used alone. Images or input information can be transmitted or received by wireless or wire communication between the communication device  9400  and the display device  9410 , each of which has a rechargeable battery. 
     Note that this embodiment can be implemented in combination with the above embodiment as appropriate. 
     This application is based on Japanese Patent Application serial no. 2010-115940 filed with Japan Patent Office on May 20, 2010, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.