Masashi Oota

Origin of major donor states in In–Ga–Zn oxide

To clarify the origin of the major donor states in indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO), we report measurement results and an analysis of several physical properties of IGZO thin films. Specifically, the concentration of H atoms and O vacancies (VO), carrier concentration, and conductivity are investigated by hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, secondary ion mass spectroscopy, thermal desorption spectroscopy, and Hall effect measurements. The results of these experiments suggest that the origin of major donor states is H occupancy of VO sites. Furthermore, we use first-principles calculations to investigate the influence of the coexistence of VO and H in crystalline InGaO3(ZnO)m (m = 1). The results indicate that when H is trapped in VO, a stable complex is created that serves as a shallow-level donor.

Investigation of defects in In–Ga–Zn oxide thin film using electron spin resonance signals

In–Ga–Zn oxide (IGZO) is a next-generation semiconductor material seen as an alternative to silicon. Despite the importance of the controllability of characteristics and the reliability of devices, defects in IGZO have not been fully understood. We investigated defects in IGZO thin films using electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy. In as-sputtered IGZO thin films, we observed an ESR signal which had a g-value of g = 2.010, and the signal was found to disappear under thermal treatment. Annealing in a reductive atmosphere, such as N2 atmosphere, generated an ESR signal with g = 1.932 in IGZO thin films. The temperature dependence of the latter signal suggests that the signal is induced by delocalized unpaired electrons (i.e., conduction electrons). In fact, a comparison between the conductivity and ESR signal intensity revealed that the signals intensity is related to the number of conduction electrons in the IGZO thin film. The signals intensity did not increase with oxygen vacancy alone but also wi...