1017 results about "Hydrogen concentration" patented technology

In a logic circuit where clock gating is performed, the standby power is reduced or malfunction is suppressed. The logic circuit includes a transistor which is in an off state where a potential difference exists between a source terminal and a drain terminal over a period during which a clock signal is not supplied. A channel formation region of the transistor is formed using an oxide semiconductor in which the hydrogen concentration is reduced. Specifically, the hydrogen concentration of the oxide semiconductor is 5×1019 (atoms / cm3) or lower. Thus, leakage current of the transistor can be reduced. As a result, in the logic circuit, reduction in standby power and suppression of malfunction can be achieved.

A non-volatile memory device on a semiconductor substrate may include a bottom oxide layer over the substrate, a middle layer of silicon nitride over the bottom oxide layer, and a top oxide layer over the middle layer. The bottom oxide layer may have a hydrogen concentration of up to 5E19 cm−3 and an interface trap density of up to 5E11 cm−2 eV−1. The three-layer structure may be a charge-trapping structure for the memory device, and the memory device may further include a gate over the structure and source and drain regions in the substrate.

A silicon carbide semiconductor device having a MOS structure includes: a substrate; a channel area in the substrate; a first impurity area; a second impurity area; a gate insulating film on the channel area; and a gate on the gate insulating film. The channel area provides an electric current path. The channel area and the gate insulating film have an interface therebetween. The interface includes a dangling bond, which is terminated by a hydrogen atom or a hydroxyl. The interface has a hydrogen concentration equal to or larger than 2.6×1020 cm−3.

An object is to reduce leakage current and parasitic capacitance of a transistor used for an LSI, a CPU, or a memory. A semiconductor integrated circuit such as an LSI, a CPU, or a memory is manufactured using a thin film transistor in which a channel formation region is formed using an oxide semiconductor which becomes an intrinsic or substantially intrinsic semiconductor by removing impurities which serve as electron donors (donors) from the oxide semiconductor and has larger energy gap than that of a silicon semiconductor. With use of a thin film transistor using a highly purified oxide semiconductor layer with sufficiently reduced hydrogen concentration, a semiconductor device with low power consumption due to leakage current can be realized.

An object is to reduce leakage current and parasitic capacitance of a transistor used for an LSI, a CPU, or a memory. A semiconductor integrated circuit such as an LSI, a CPU, or a memory is manufactured using a thin film transistor in which a channel formation region is formed using an oxide semiconductor which becomes an intrinsic or substantially intrinsic semiconductor by removing impurities which serve as electron donors (donors) from the oxide semiconductor and has larger energy gap than that of a silicon semiconductor. With use of a thin film transistor using a highly purified oxide semiconductor layer with sufficiently reduced hydrogen concentration, a semiconductor device with low power consumption due to leakage current can be realized.

A logic circuit includes a thin film transistor having a channel formation region formed using an oxide semiconductor, and a capacitor having terminals one of which is brought into a floating state by turning off the thin film transistor. The oxide semiconductor has a hydrogen concentration of 5×1019 (atoms / cm3) or less and thus substantially serves as an insulator in a state where an electric field is not generated. Therefore, off-state current of a thin film transistor can be reduced, leading to suppressing the leakage of electric charge stored in a capacitor, through the thin film transistor. Accordingly, a malfunction of the logic circuit can be prevented. Further, the excessive amount of current which flows in the logic circuit can be reduced through the reduction of off-state current of the thin film transistor, resulting in low power consumption of the logic circuit.

In a logic circuit where clock gating is performed, the standby power is reduced or malfunction is suppressed. The logic circuit includes a transistor which is in an off state where a potential difference exists between a source terminal and a drain terminal over a period during which a clock signal is not supplied. A channel formation region of the transistor is formed using an oxide semiconductor in which the hydrogen concentration is reduced. Specifically, the hydrogen concentration of the oxide semiconductor is 5x1019 (atoms / cm3) or lower. Thus, leakage current of the transistor can be reduced. As a result, in the logic circuit, reduction in standby power and suppression of malfunction can be achieved.

A first oxide insulating film is formed over a substrate. After a first oxide semiconductor film is formed over the first oxide insulating film, heat treatment is performed, so that hydrogen contained in the first oxide semiconductor film is released and part of oxygen contained in the first oxide insulating film is diffused into the first oxide semiconductor film. Thus, a second oxide semiconductor film with reduced hydrogen concentration and reduced oxygen defect is formed. Then, the second oxide semiconductor film is selectively etched to form a third oxide semiconductor film, and a second oxide insulating film is formed. The second oxide insulating film is selectively etched and a protective film covering an end portion of the third oxide semiconductor film is formed. Then, a pair of electrodes, a gate insulating film, and a gate electrode are formed over the third oxide semiconductor film and the protective film.

A silicon oxynitride film is manufactured using SiH4, N2O and H2 by plasma CVD, and it is applied to the gate insulating film (1004 in FIG. 1A) of a TFT. The characteristics of the silicon oxynitride film are controlled chiefly by changing the flow rates of N2O and H2. A hydrogen concentration and a nitrogen concentration in the film can be increased by the increase of the flow rate of H2. Besides, the hydrogen concentration and the nitrogen concentration in the film can be decreased to heighten an oxygen concentration by the increase of the flow rate of N2O. The gate insulating film ensures the stability and reliability of the characteristics of the TFT, such as the threshold voltage (Vth) and sub-threshold constant (S value) thereof.

An object is to reduce leakage current and parasitic capacitance of a transistor used for an LSI, a CPU, or a memory. A semiconductor integrated circuit included in an LSI, a CPU, or a memory is manufactured using the transistor which is formed using an oxide semiconductor which is an intrinsic or substantially intrinsic semiconductor obtained by removal of impurities which serve as electron donors (donors) from the oxide semiconductor and has larger energy gap than a silicon semiconductor, and is formed over a semiconductor substrate. With the transistor which is formed over the semiconductor substrate and includes the highly purified oxide semiconductor layer with sufficiently reduced hydrogen concentration, a semiconductor device whose power consumption due to leakage current is low can be realized.

A process for the plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition of silicon nitride films from nitrogen, argon, xenon, helium or ammonia and an aminosilane, preferably of the formula: (t-C4H9NH)2SiH2 that provides improved properties, particularly etch resistance and low hydrogen concentrations as well as stress control, of the resulting film for use in the semiconductor industry.

A non-linear element (such as a diode) which includes an oxide semiconductor and has a favorable rectification property is provided. In a transistor including an oxide semiconductor in which the hydrogen concentration is 5×1019 / cm3 or lower, a work function φms of a source electrode in contact with the oxide semiconductor, a work function φmd of a drain electrode in contact with the oxide semiconductor, and electron affinity χ of the oxide semiconductor satisfy φms≦χ<φmd, and an area of contact between the drain electrode and the oxide semiconductor is larger than an area of contact between the source electrode and the oxide semiconductor. By electrically connecting a gate electrode and the drain electrode in the transistor, a non-linear element having a favorable rectification property can be achieved.

A system comprises a processing chamber for maintaining a hydrogen plasma at low pressure. The processing chamber has a long, wide, thin geometry to favor deposition of thin-film silicon on sheet substrates over the chamber walls. The sheet substrates are moved through between ends. A pair of opposing radio frequency electrodes above and below the workpieces are electrically driven hard to generate a flat, pancaked plasma cloud in the middle spaces of the processing chamber. A collinear series of gas injector jets pointed slightly up on a silane-jet manifold introduce 100% silane gas at high velocity from the side in order to roll the plasma cloud in a coaxial vortex. A second such silane-jet manifold is placed on the opposite side and pointed slightly down to further help roll the plasma and maintain a narrow band of silane concentration. A silane-concentration monitor observes the relative amplitudes of the spectral signatures of the silane and the hydrogen constituents in the roll-vortex plasma and outputs a process control feedback signal that is used to keep the silane in hydrogen concentration at about 6-7%.

A semiconductor layer consisting of Ga1-xInx NyAs1-y and / or GaNyAs1-y and formed by incorporating nitrogen into a group III-V mixed crystal semiconductor is provided on a GaAs substrate. The hydrogen concentration in the semiconductor is kept at 5x1018 atoms / cm3 or below.

A controller in a fuel cell system performs various operating parameter checks at a predefined schedule, including one or more of a stack current check; a stack voltage check; a cell voltage check; a purge cell check; an oxygen concentration check; a hydrogen concentration check; a stack temperature check; an ambient air temperature check; a fuel pressure check; and an airflow rate check; a hydrogen sensor heater check; a battery voltage check; a microcontroller self-check; and / or toggling a watchdog. The frequency of the checks are set relative to achieve an efficient control of the fuel cell system by selectively distributing the load on the microcontroller.

The invention discloses a full-automatic high-pressure container gas circular charging and discharging fatigue test system which not only can realize the full-automatic control of the high-pressure gas circular charging and discharging fatigue test but also can carry out the on-line automatic detection to the fatigue condition of the high-pressure container. The automatic control of the circular charging and discharging is realized through the dynamic response signals of a temperature sensor arranged inside the tested container, the dynamic response signals of each pressure sensor on the high-pressure pipelines and switching of solenoid valves controlled by the control strategy. The gas medium in the circular charging and discharging process can be recycled after the pressurizing by a pressure-releasing receiving tank and a gas compressor so as to avoid the gas waste and environment contamination. The dynamic fatigue states of the high-pressure container in the circular charging and discharging process are acquired through the changing of response signals of a hydrogen sensor arranged in a sealed bin of the tested container and the response signals of a strain sensor stuck to the surface of the tested container; and when the released hydrogen concentration reaches the set value or the strain of the container material exceeds the set value in the charging and discharging process, the fatigue test system is closed automatically.

A logic circuit includes a thin film transistor having a channel formation region formed using an oxide semiconductor, and a capacitor having terminals one of which is brought into a floating state by turning off the thin film transistor. The oxide semiconductor has a hydrogen concentration of 5×1019 (atoms / cm3) or less and thus substantially serves as an insulator in a state where an electric field is not generated. Therefore, off-state current of a thin film transistor can be reduced, leading to suppressing the leakage of electric charge stored in a capacitor, through the thin film transistor. Accordingly, a malfunction of the logic circuit can be prevented. Further, the excessive amount of current which flows in the logic circuit can be reduced through the reduction of off-state current of the thin film transistor, resulting in low power consumption of the logic circuit.

An object is to reduce leakage current and parasitic capacitance of a transistor used for an LSI, a CPU, or a memory. A semiconductor integrated circuit included in an LSI, a CPU, or a memory is manufactured using the transistor which is formed using an oxide semiconductor which is an intrinsic or substantially intrinsic semiconductor obtained by removal of impurities which serve as electron donors (donors) from the oxide semiconductor and has larger energy gap than a silicon semiconductor, and is formed over a semiconductor substrate. With the transistor which is formed over the semiconductor substrate and includes the highly purified oxide semiconductor layer with sufficiently reduced hydrogen concentration, a semiconductor device whose power consumption due to leakage current is low can be realized.

A thin film of an amorphous silicon-based material on a substrate. The thin film has the property of any one of a carrier concentration of 1013 to 1018 cm−3 in a depletion zone next to the substrate, an electron mobility of 5 to 30 cm2V−1s−1, a dangling bond concentration of 1012 to 1019 cm−3, no solvent-related defects, or a residual hydrogen concentration of 0 to 25 atomic %. The thin film may be used to fabricate many devices such as solar cells, light-emitting diodes, transistors, photothyristors, and integrated monolithic devices on a single chip.

A photovoltaic device capable of improving output characteristics is provided. This photovoltaic device comprises a crystalline semiconductor member, a substantially intrinsic first amorphous semiconductor layer formed on the front surface of the crystalline semiconductor member and a first conductivity type second amorphous semiconductor layer formed on the front surface of the first amorphous semiconductor layer, and has a hydrogen concentration peak in the first amorphous semiconductor layer. Thus, the quantity of hydrogen atoms in the first amorphous semiconductor layer is so increased that the hydrogen atoms increased in quantity can be bonded to dangling bonds of silicon atoms forming defects in the first amorphous semiconductor layer for inactivating the dangling bonds.

In exhaust purification apparatus and method for an internal combustion engine having an exhaust gas purification catalyst disposed in an exhaust passage of the engine, a poisoning release control of the exhaust gas purification catalyst is executed when a predetermined condition is established, the poisoning release control including a normal mode and an exhaust gas composition mode before the normal mode, and a manipulation parameter (for example, an ignition timing) of the engine related to an exhaust gas composition is manipulated in such a manner that a hydrogen concentration in the exhaust gas in the exhaust gas composition mode is higher than that in the normal mode.

A front surface element structure is formed on the front surface side of an n−-type semiconductor substrate. Then defects are formed throughout an n−-type semiconductor substrate to adjust a carrier lifetime. Hydrogen ions are ion-implanted from a rear surface side of the n−-type semiconductor substrate, and a hydrogen implanted region having a hydrogen concentration higher than a hydrogen concentration of a bulk substrate is formed in the surface layer of a rear surface side of the n−-type semiconductor substrate.

The invention discloses a two-dimensional transition metal disulfides (TMDs) monocrystalline, and a preparation method and applications thereof. According to the preparation method, in an inert atmosphere, assist control of the concentration of S or Se in a system is realized with common metal which is capable of reacting with sulfur family elementary substance (S, Se) and hydrogen so as to control sulfuration degree or selenylation degree of a transition metal layer, and controllable growth of TMDs monocrystalline is realized via chemical vapor deposition; deposition temperature is controlled to be 750 to 850 DEG C, and deposition time is controlled to be 5 to 15min so as to complete TMDs monocrystalline preparation; wherein, strict control on high-quality two-dimensional transition metal disulfides monocrystalline is realized via optimization of preparation parameters such as substrate sputtering treatment method, sulfur family elementary substance powder using amount, absorbed S / Se metal area and kinds, hydrogen concentration, growth temperature, and growth time.

A method for absorbing hydrogen from an enclosed environment comprising providing a vessel; providing a hydrogen storage composition in communication with a vessel, the hydrogen storage composition further comprising a matrix defining a pore size which permits the passage of hydrogen gas while blocking the passage of gaseous poisons; placing a material within the vessel, the material evolving hydrogen gas; sealing the vessel; and absorbing the hydrogen gas released into the vessel by the hydrogen storage composition. A container for absorbing evolved hydrogen gas comprising: a vessel having an interior and adapted for receiving materials which release hydrogen gas; a hydrogen absorbing composition in communication with the interior, the composition defining a matrix surrounding a hydrogen absorber, the matrix permitting the passage of hydrogen gas while excluding gaseous poisons; wherein, when the vessel is sealed, hydrogen gas, which is released into the vessel interior, is absorbed by the hydrogen absorbing composition.

A degradation diagnosis method for simply performing degradation diagnosis of a gas sensor such as a hydrogen sensor. The hydrogen sensor has a reference detector member and common detector member, with each detector member respectively constituted of a detector element and temperature compensating element that form a pair. Power is normally supplied to the common detector member, which performs concentration detection of the hydrogen gas. When performing degradation diagnosis of this common detector member, concentration detection is performed simultaneously by each detector member for the gas of the prescribed hydrogen concentration by supplying power to both the common detector member and reference detector member and comparing the output value of the common detector member and the output value of the reference detector member.

The present invention provides a method of hot pressing using hot rolled and cold rolled steel sheet or Al-based plated steel sheet or Zn-based plated steel sheet enabling a strength of at least 1200 MPa to be obtained after high temperature forming and with extremely little possibility of hydrogen embrittlement and such hot pressed parts, that is, a method of hot pressing a high strength automobile parts comprising using steel sheet containing as steel compositions by wt % C:0.05 to 0.5% or steel sheet plated mainly with Al or Zn to produce automobile members by hot pressing during which making the heating temperature before pressing Ac3 or more to 1100° C. or less, making the hydrogen concentration in the heating atmosphere 6 vol % or less, and making the dew point 10° C. or less and such hot pressed parts.

In a transistor including an oxide semiconductor, hydrogen in the oxide semiconductor leads to degradation of electric characteristics of the transistor. Thus, an object is to provide a semiconductor device having good electrical characteristics. An insulating layer in contact with an oxide semiconductor layer where a channel region is formed is formed by a plasma CVD method using a silicon halide. The insulating layer thus formed has a hydrogen concentration less than 6×1020 atoms / cm3 and a halogen concentration greater than or equal to 1×1020 atoms / cm3; accordingly, hydrogen diffusion into the oxide semiconductor layer can be prevented and hydrogen in the oxide semiconductor layer is inactivated or released from the oxide semiconductor layer by the halogen, whereby a semiconductor device having good electrical characteristics can be provided.

A signal processing apparatus which has an input for receiving a signal conveying a response from first and second optical components to an optical excitation. The first and second optical components are in an optical sensor which is intended to be placed in a sensing zone. The sensing zone contains hydrogen susceptible to migrate into the optical sensor. The signal processing apparatus has a processing entity for processing the response from the first and second optical components to derive information on hydrogen concentration in the optical sensor.

A SiC semiconductor device having a MOS structure includes: a SiC substrate; a channel region providing a current path; first and second impurity regions on upstream and downstream sides of the current path, respectively; and a gate on the channel region through the gate insulating film. The channel region for flowing current between the first and second impurity regions is controlled by a voltage applied to the gate. An interface between the channel region and the gate insulating film has a hydrogen concentration equal to or greater than 4.7×1020 cm−3. The interface provides a channel surface having a (000-1)-orientation surface.