Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US7691687?dq=6,332,126
Timestamp: 2017-06-28 11:55:44
Document Index: 510578043

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 119', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'in Fine', 'art 1', 'art 1']

Patent US7691687 - Method for processing laser-irradiated thin films having variable thickness - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inPatentsA crystalline film includes a first crystalline region having a first film thickness and a first crystalline grain structure; and a second crystalline region having a second film thickness and a second crystalline grain structure. The first film thickness is greater than the second film thickness and...http://www.google.com/patents/US7691687?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US7691687 - Method for processing laser-irradiated thin films having variable thicknessAdvanced Patent SearchTry the new Google Patents, with machine-classified Google Scholar results, and Japanese and South Korean patents.Publication numberUS7691687 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 11/651,305Publication dateApr 6, 2010Filing dateJan 9, 2007Priority dateSep 16, 2003Fee statusPaidAlso published asUS7164152, US8715412, US20050059223, US20070111349, US20100187529, US20130161312, WO2005029543A2, WO2005029543A3Publication number11651305, 651305, US 7691687 B2, US 7691687B2, US-B2-7691687, US7691687 B2, US7691687B2InventorsJames S. ImOriginal AssigneeThe Trustees Of Columbia University In The City Of New YorkExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (178), Non-Patent Citations (85), Referenced by (17), Classifications (15), Legal Events (2) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetMethod for processing laser-irradiated thin films having variable thickness
US 7691687 B2Abstract
1. A method for processing a film, comprising:
(a) generating a first laser beam pattern from a pulsed laser beam, the first laser beam pattern having an intensity that is sufficient to at least partially melt at least a portion of a first region of a film to be crystallized;
(b) generating a second laser beam pattern from a pulsed laser beam, the second laser beam pattern having an intensity that is sufficient to at least partially melt at least a portion of a second region of the film to be crystallized,
wherein the first region of the film comprises a first thickness and the second region of the film comprises a second thickness, and the first and second thicknesses are different;
(c) irradiating the first region of the film with the first laser beam pattern to form a first crystalline region having a first grain structure; and
(d) irradiating the second region of the film with the second laser beam pattern to form a second crystalline region having a second grain structure.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the film comprises a semiconductor material.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the film comprises a metal.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second laser beam patterns are generated using a single laser beam source.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second laser beam patterns are generated using a plurality of laser beam sources.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first laser beam pattern comprises a set of patterned beamlets.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second laser beam pattern comprises a set of patterned beamlets.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of irradiating of the first and second regions of the film occur substantially at the same time.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of irradiating of the first and second regions of the film occur sequentially.
after step (c), repositioning the first laser beam pattern on the film to illuminate a second portion of the first region of the film, and irradiating the first region of the film as in step (c), said steps of repositioning and irradiating occurring at least once; and
after step (d), repositioning the second laser beam pattern on the film to illuminate a second portion of the second region of the film, and irradiating the second region of the film as in step (d), said steps of repositioning and irradiating occurring at least once.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein repositioning occurs by movement of the mask, the film, or both.
12. The method of claim 10, wherein the repositioned laser beams irradiate a portion of the film that overlaps with a previously irradiated portion of the film.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the repositioned laser beams are a distance less than the lateral crystal growth of the crystallized material from a previously positioned laser beam.
14. The method of claim 1, wherein the laser irradiation of the first and second regions comprises a sequential lateral solidification process (SLS).
15. The method of claim 1, wherein the first region film thickness is greater than the second region film thickness.
16. The method of claim 1, wherein the first laser beam pattern is generated using a laser beam shaped according to a first mask and a first set of laser features, and wherein the second laser beam pattern is generated using a laser beam shaped according to a second mask and second set of laser features.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein a single laser beam source is used and the laser beam is directed through the first set of laser optics to irradiate the first film region, and the second set of laser optics to irradiate the second film region.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein a plurality of laser beam sources are used and a laser beam from a first laser beam source is directed through the first set of laser optics to irradiate the first film region, and a laser beam from a second laser beam source is directed through the second set of laser optics to irradiate the second film region.
19. The method of claim 16, wherein the masks for the first and second laser beam patterns are different.
20. The method of claim 16, wherein the intensities of the shaped laser beams of the first and second laser beam patterns are different.
21. The method of claim 4, wherein the laser beam source is selected from the group consisting of continuous wave laser, solid state laser and excimer laser.
22. The method of claim 5, wherein the laser beam source is selected from the group consisting of continuous wave laser, solid state laser and excimer laser.
23. The method of claim 1, wherein conditions for irradiation of the first and second regions of the film are selected from those suitable for sequential laser solidification, excimer laser anneal and uniform grain structure crystallization.
24. The method of claim 23, wherein the first irradiation conditions are suitable for sequential laser solidification and the second irradiation conditions are suitable for uniform grain structure crystallization.
This patent application is a divisional application of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/754,157, filed Jan. 9, 2004 and entitled “Laser-Irradiated Thin Films Having Variable Thickness,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/503,424 filed Sep. 16, 2003, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
In one aspect of the invention, a method for processing a film includes (a) generating a first laser beam pattern from a pulsed laser beam, the laser beam pattern having an intensity that is sufficient to at least partially melt at least a portion of a first region of a film to be crystallized; (b) generating a second laser beam pattern from a pulsed laser beam, the second laser beam pattern having an intensity that is sufficient to at least partially melt at least a portion of a second region of the film to be crystallized, wherein the first region of the film comprises a first thickness and the second region of the film comprises a second thickness, and the first and second thicknesses are different; (c) irradiating the first region of the film with the first set of patterned beamlets to form a first crystalline region having a first grain structure; and (d) irradiating the second region of the film with the second set of patterned beamlets to form a second crystalline region having a second grain structure. The laser beam pattern includes a “set” of patterned beamlets, and the set of patterned beamlets includes one or more laser beamlets.
Films of different thicknesses, although similarly processed, have different film properties. Thick films generally exhibit a higher electron mobility than similarly processed thin films. “Thick” and “thin” are used here in the relative sense, in that any film that is thicker relative to a second comparative film will exhibit improved film properties. A film can be situated on a substrate and can have one or more intermediate layers there between. The film can have a thickness between 100 Å and 10,000 Å so long as at least certain areas thereof can be completely or partially melted throughout their entire thickness. While the invention pertains to all films of all thicknesses susceptible to laser-induced crystallization, “thick” films typically can range from about 500 Å (50 nm) to about 10,000 Å (1 μm), and more typically from about 500 Å (50 nm) to about 5000 Å (500 nm); and “thin” films typically can range from about 100 Å (10 nm) to about 2000 Å (200 nm) and more typically about 200-500 Å (20-50 nm).
Thus according to one or more embodiments of the present invention, a semiconductor film to be crystallized having regions of different heights (film thicknesses) is provided. In those regions of the films where high electron mobility is required for optimal device function, the semiconductor film layer is “thick.” In those regions of the film where lower electron mobility is adequate for device performance, a “thin” film is deposited. Thus, thick films are located only in those regions of the substrate requiring high speed or mobility, and the thick film regions are processed using a slower, more energy intensive crystallization process. The remaining surface (which is typically the bulk of the surface) is a thin film that is processed more rapidly using a low cost, low energy crystallization process.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional illustration of a thin film article 100 having multiple film thicknesses according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. A film 110 is deposited on a substrate 120. The film 110 has regions of different film thicknesses. Region 125 of the film has a film thickness t1 that is greater than that of region 130 having a thickness of t2. By way of example, t1 is in the range of about 50-200 nm, and t2 is in the range of about 20-50 nm. In addition, the polycrystalline grain structures of regions 125 and 130 differ. The grain structure may be polycrystalline or have large single crystalline subdomains. Region 125 possesses fewer grain boundaries or other defects per unit area than region 130; and region 125 has a higher mobility. Although the actual mobilities of the regions will vary dependent upon the composition of the film and the particular lateral crystallization techniques used, thick region 125 typically has a mobility in the range of greater than about 300 cm2/V-s or about 300-400 cm2/V-s and thin regions 130 typically have a mobility in the range of less than about 300 cm2/V-s. In one or more embodiments of the present invention, regions 125 are the active channel regions for a high mobility device, such as a TFT integration region and region 130 is an active channel for a low mobility device such as a pixel control device. In one or more embodiments, the single crystalline subdomains of the crystalline regions are large enough to accommodate an active channel of an electronic device such as a TFT.
Improvements in crystal properties typically are observed regardless of the specific crystallization process employed. The films can be laterally or transversely crystallized, or the films can crystallize using spontaneous nucleation. By “lateral crystal growth” or “lateral crystallization,” as those terms are used herein, it is meant a growth technique in which a region of a film is melted to the film/surface interface and in which recrystallization occurs in a crystallization front moving laterally across the substrate surface. By “transverse crystal growth” or “transverse crystallization,” as those terms are used herein, it is meant a growth technique in which a region of film is partially melted, e.g., not through its entire thickness, and in which recrystallization occurs in a crystallization front moving through the film thickness, e.g., from the film surface towards the center of the film in a direction transverse to that of the above-described lateral crystallization. In spontaneous nucleation, crystal growth is statistically distributed over the melted regions and each nucleus grows until it meets other growing crystals. Exemplary crystallization techniques include excimer laser anneal (ELA), sequential lateral solidification (SLS), and uniform grain structure (UGS) crystallization.
Referring to FIG. 2A, the ELA process uses a long and narrow shaped beam 150 to irradiate the thin film. In ELA, a line-shaped and homogenized excimer laser beam is generated and scanned across the film surface. For example, the width 160 of the center portion of the ELA beam can be up to about 1 cm, typically about 0.4 mm, and the length 170 can be up to about 70 cm, typically about 400 mm, so that the beam can potentially irradiate the entire semiconductor thin film 180 in a single pass. The excimer laser light is very efficiently absorbed in, for example, an amorphous silicon surface layer without heating the underlying substrate. With the appropriate laser pulse duration (approx. 20-50 ns) and intensity (350-400 mJ/cm2), the amorphous silicon layer is rapidly heated and melted; however, the energy dose is controlled so that the film is not totally melted down to the substrate. As the melt cools, recrystallization into a polycrystalline structure occurs. Line beam exposure is a multishot technique with an overlay of 90% to 99% between shots. The properties of silicon films are dependent upon the dose stability and homogeneity of the applied laser light. Line-beam exposure typically produces films with an electron mobility of 100 to 150 cm2/Vs.
Referring to FIG. 2B, an apparatus 200 is shown that may be used for sequential lateral solidification and/or for uniform grain structure crystallization. Apparatus 200 has a laser source 220. Laser source 220 may include a laser (not shown) along with optics, including mirrors and lenses, which shape a laser beam 240 (shown by dotted lines) and direct it toward a substrate 260, which is supported by a stage 270. The laser beam 240 passes through a mask 280 supported by a mask holder 290. The laser beam pulses 240 generated by the beam source 220 provide a beam intensity in the range of 10 mJ/cm2 to 1 J/cm2, a pulse duration in the range of 10 to 300 ns, and a pulse repetition rate in the range of 10 Hz to 300 Hz. Currently available commercial lasers such as Lambda Steel 1000 available from Lambda Physik, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., can achieve this output. Higher laser energy and larger mask sizes are contemplated as laser power increases. After passing through the mask 280, the laser beam 240 passes through projection optics 295 (shown schematically). The projection optics 295 reduces the size of the laser beam, and simultaneously increases the intensity of the optical energy striking the substrate 260 at a desired location 265. The demagnification is typically on the order of between 3× and 7× reduction, preferably a 5× reduction, in image size. For a 5× reduction the image of the mask 280 striking the surface at the location 265 has 25 times less total area than the mask, correspondingly increasing the energy density of the laser beam 240 at the location 265.
In uniform grain structure (UGS) crystallization, a film of uniform crystalline structure is obtained by masking a laser beam so that non-uniform edge regions of the laser beam do not irradiate the film. The mask can be relatively large, for example, it can be 1 cm×0.5 cm; however, it should be smaller than the laser beam size, so that edge irregularities in the laser beam are blocked. The laser beam provides sufficient energy to partially or completely melt the irradiated regions of the thin film. UGS crystallization provides a film having an edge region and a central region of uniform fine-grained polycrystals of different sizes. In the case where the laser irradiation energy is above the threshold for complete melting, the edge regions exhibit large, laterally grown crystals. In the case where the laser irradiation energy is below the threshold for complete melting, grain size will rapidly decrease from the edges of the irradiated region. For further detail, see U.S. application Ser. No. 60/405,084, filed Aug. 19, 2002 and entitled “Process and System for Laser Crystallization Processing of Semiconductor Film Regions on a Substrate to Minimize Edge Areas, and Structure of Such Semiconductor Film Regions,” which is hereby incorporated by reference.
The many microtranslations called for by the sequential lateral solidification process increase processing time; however, they produce a film having highly elongated, low defect grains. In one or more embodiments, this process is used to process the thick regions of the semiconductor film. The polycrystalline grains obtained using this process are typically of high mobility, e.g., 300-400 cm2/V-s. This is the value typically found for devices with having parallel grain boundaries but few perpendicular grain boundaries. These highly elongated grains are well suited for the active channel regions in integration TFTs.
According to the above-described method of sequential lateral solidification, the entire film is crystallized using multiple pulses. This method is hereinafter referred to as an “n-shot” process, alluding to the fact that a variable, or “n”, number of laser pulses (“shots”) is required for complete crystallization. Further detail of the n-shot process is found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,322,625, entitled “Crystallization Processing of Semiconductor Film Regions on a Substrate and Devices Made Therewith,” and in U.S. Pat. No. 6,368,945, entitled “System for Providing a Continuous Motion Sequential Lateral Solidification,” both of which are incorporated in their entireties by reference.
In one or more embodiments, regions of the semiconductor film are processed using a sequential lateral solidification process that produces smaller crystal grains than those of the preceding “n-shot” method. The film regions are therefore of lower electron mobility; however the film is processed rapidly and with a minimum number of passes over the film substrate, thereby making it a cost-efficient processing technique. These crystallized regions are well suited for the thin film regions of the semiconductor thin film used as the active channel in pixel control TFTs.
The sample is then translated a distance approaching, but more than, half the width of the mask feature, and the film is irradiated with a second excimer laser pulse. For example, in one embodiment, the sample (or mask) is translated a distance equal to ½(mask feature width 360+mask spacing 340). The second irradiation melts the remaining amorphous regions 742 spanning the recently crystallized regions 740 to form melt regions 751, 752 and 753. The initial crystal seed region 743 melts and serves as a site for lateral crystal growth. As shown in FIG. 7C, the crystal structure that forms the central section 745 outwardly grows upon solidification of melted regions 742, so that a uniform, long grain polycrystalline silicon region is formed.
According to the above-described method of sequential lateral solidification, the entire mask area is crystallized using only two laser pulses. This method is hereinafter referred to as a “two-shot” process, alluding to the fact that only two laser pulses (“shots”) are required for complete crystallization. Further detail of the two-shot process is found in Published International Application No. WO 01/18854, entitled “Methods for Producing Uniform Large-Grained and Grain Boundary Location Manipulated Polycrystalline Thin Film Semiconductors Using Sequential Lateral Solidification,” which is incorporated in its entirety by reference.
In step 830 the “thick” film region of the semiconductor film is irradiated to obtain a first crystalline region. According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the region is irradiated in a sequential lateral solidification “n”-shot process. The first crystalline region may include the entire “thick” film region, such that the film is crystallized up to the edge of the thick film region. Edge melting may result in material flow at the interface between the thick and thin films; however, rapid recrystallization and surface tension are expected to limit material flow. Alternatively, the entire thick film region may not be irradiated, forming for example an amorphous border between the “thick” and “thin” film regions.
In step 850 the “thin” film region of the semiconductor film is irradiated to obtain a second crystalline region. According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the region is irradiated in a sequential lateral solidification two-shot process. ELA and UGS crystallization can also be used to provide a crystalline region of uniform grain structure.
Variations of the process are contemplated within the scope of the present invention. For example, the crystallization method used for the first and second regions of the film can be the same or different. In one or more embodiments, the thick film regions requiring higher mobility can be processed using a technique such as SLS that produces elongated, grain boundary location-controlled grain structure, and the thin film regions can be processed using a less expensive technique, such as UGS crystallization. In one or more embodiments of the present invention, a portion of the “thick” and/or “thin” regions are processed. The remaining unprocessed portions remain in the as-deposited crystalline state, e.g., amorphous or small-grained polycrystalline. The size and location of the processed and unprocessed regions of the “thick” and/or “thin” regions may be selected, for example, to correspond to devices to be located on the film.
By way of further example, even when using the same crystallization technique, the masks for the first and second irradiations can be the same or different. When the masks are the same, then the conditions of irradiation typically may vary, as for example described above where an “n”-step and a two-step process are used for the two film thickness regions. In some embodiments, different masks are used for the first and second irradiations. For example, the orientation of the mask features can vary so that crystal growth proceeds in different directions on the film. Mask orientation can be varied by rotating the mask or the substrate stage on which the sample rests or by using different masks.
In some embodiments, the laser features, e.g., the laser beam shape and energy density, can be modified so that each region of the amorphous film is irradiated with a laser beam (i.e., a laser beam pattern) having different beam characteristics, e.g., beam energy profile (density), beam shape, beam pulse duration, etc. The beam characteristics of the laser beams being delivered to the amorphous film can be controlled and modulated via the optical elements, e.g., lenses, homogenizers, attenuators, and demagnification optics, etc., and the configuration and orientation of a mask(s), if present. By modulating the beam characteristics of the laser beams in accordance with the processing requirements (to facilitate crystallization) of the film portion to be irradiated, the laser source's output energy can be more efficiently utilized in the crystallization fabrication process, which in turn can lead to improved (i.e., shorter) film processing times and/or lower energy processing requirements. Accordingly, the laser beams can be controlled and modulated so that different regions of the film that have different processing requirements are irradiated by laser beams having different beam characteristics. For example, the “thin” portions of the amorphous film layer can be subjected to laser beams that have certain energy beam characteristics while the “thick” portions of the film layer can be subjected to laser beams that have different energy beam characteristics.
In systems having a single optical path, one or more of the optical elements and the mask (if present) can be adjusted, inserted or substituted, etc., within the optical path so as provide laser beamlets having different energy beam characteristics. Additionally, the orientation of the substrate, relative to the orientation of the incoming laser beams, can also be adjusted to effectively produce a laser beam that has different energy beam characteristics. In one or more embodiments, for example, the laser system can include a mask that is rotatable via a mask holder. The mask is held in a first position to facilitate the irradiation processing of a first portion of the film and then is rotated to a second position, e.g., rotate 90°, to facilitate the irradiation processing of a second portion of the film. In one or more embodiments, the laser system can include two masks having different masking shapes being located on a mask holder. To irradiate a first portion of the silicon film, the first mask is aligned with the laser beam optical path via the mask holder. To irradiate a second portion, the second mask is then aligned with the laser beam optical path via the mask holder, e.g., the mask holder can be a rotatable disk cartridge. In yet another embodiment, for example, the system can include an adjustable demagnification optical element. To generate laser beams having differing energy beam characteristics, the adjustable demagnification optical element is set to a first magnification during the irradiation of a portion of the amorphous film and then set to a different magnification during the irradiation of another portion of the amorphous film. Thus, laser beams having different energy beam characteristics can be generated and delivered to the amorphous film on the same optical path. Other modification to modify beam characteristics of a laser beam in a single optical path will be apparent to those of skill in the art.
In other exemplary embodiments, a plurality of laser sources and a plurality of optical paths, such as those described in detail above, can be employed. Each laser source generates a laser beam(s) that can be directed along a corresponding optical path so as to produce a laser beam(s) having specific beam characteristics. The laser beam(s) can then be directed via the optical path to a region of the thin film. For example, a laser beam(s) from the laser source can be directed along the first optical path so that a laser beam(s) having first beam characteristics is produced and delivered to certain portions of the film while a laser beam(s) from a second laser source can be directed along a second optical path so that a laser beam(s) having different beam characteristics is produced and delivered to certain other portions of the film. This is illustrated schematically in FIG. 10, in which two laser sources are shown as boxes 1010 a and 1010 b. The optical elements of optical pathways 1030 a and 1030 b may be variously arranged as is understood in the art and may include some or all of the optical elements, e.g., beam homogenizers, demagnification optics, mirrors, lenses, etc., that are described herein. Laser beam(s) generated by laser source 1010 a travel along optical pathway 1030 a (thereby producing laser beam(s) having certain energy beam characteristics) and are delivered to the “thin” region 1020 a of the thin film. Laser beam(s) generated by laser source 1010 b travel along optical pathway 1030 b (thereby producing laser beam(s) having certain energy beam characteristics) and are delivered to the “thick” region 1020 b of the thin film. In certain embodiments, the energy beam characteristics of the laser beam(s) that is delivered to the “thin” region 1020 a differs from the energy beam characteristics of the laser beam(s) that is delivered to the “thick” region 1020 b. In certain embodiments of the system depicted in FIG. 10, the processing of the “thin” region 1020 a of the thin film is processed either before or after the processing of the “thick” region 1020 b of the thin film. In certain other embodiments of the system depicted in FIG. 10, however, the processing of the “thin” region 1020 a of the thin film is performed concurrently with the processing of the “thick” region 1020 b of the thin film.
In some embodiments, a plurality of laser systems, which each use a plurality of optical pathways, can be employed. In such embodiments, each laser system can be made up of one or more laser sources. In such embodiments, different laser systems can be used to process different regions of the thin film. For example, laser beams generated by the laser source(s) of a first laser system and by the laser source(s) of a second laser system can be directed along two other different optical paths so as to process a “thick” region of the thin film. The laser beam(s) generated by the laser source(s) of the first laser system can be directed to the corresponding optical paths via a beam steerer or a beam splitter depending upon whether the generated laser beam(s) are to be split or not. The laser beams(s) of the second laser system can be processed and handled similarly. The laser beams that are directed to the “thin” region may have similar or different energy beam characteristics. Similarly, the laser beams that are directed to the “thick” region may have similar or different energy beam characteristics. An exemplary embodiment having two independent laser systems 1210 a and 1210 b with corresponding beam splitters 1230 a and 1230 b is depicted in FIG. 11. The laser beams 1220 a and 1220 b generated by laser systems 1210 a and 1210 b pass through beam splitters 1230 a and 1230 b, respectively. Beam splitter 1230 a directs a portion of laser beam 1220 a onto optical path 1240 a and directs the remaining portion of laser beam 1220 a onto optical path 1240 b so that both energy beams (which may have similar or different energy beam characteristics) can simultaneously irradiate different portions of the “thin” region 1250 of the thin film. Similarly, beam splitter 1230 b directs a portion of laser beam 1220 b onto optical path 1260 a and directs the remaining portion of laser beam 1220 b onto optical path 1260 b so that both energy beams (which may have similar or different energy beam characteristics) can simultaneously irradiate different portions of the “thick” region 1280 of the thin film.
Further detail is provided in co-pending patent application entitled “Systems And Methods For Inducing Crystallization of Thin Films Using Multiple Optical Paths” filed on even date herewith, and in co-pending patent application entitled “Systems And Methods For Processing Thin Films” filed on even date, the contents of which are incorporated by reference.
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