Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Toshiaki Fukuyama

Toshiyuki Yoshimizu

Masahiro Kishida

Yoshihisa Ishimoto

Yohsuke Fujikawa

Takeshi Seike

Masakazu Matoba

Ryotatsu Otsuka

Kenji Wada

Masahiro Nakano

The disclosure is directed to a method for purifying metals, which can very efficiently and inexpensively eliminate impurity elements included in various metallic or semiconductor materials, or more specifically included in metallurgical grade silicon.

Method of purifying metal

The invention provides a method for purifying silicon which comprises a step of blowing a treating gas generated by reacting carbon with an oxidized gas into a molten silicon, as well as silicon produced by the method. Carbon can be held in a container, the oxidized gas can be passed through the container, and the oxidized gas can contain at least one of water vapor and hydrogen.

Method for purifying silicon and silicon

The liquid crystal display apparatus of this invention includes a pair of substrates facing each other and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the pair of substrates. At least one of the pair of substrates having on a surface thereof: pixel electrodes arranged in rows and columns; a plurality of signal lines; and a plurality of nonlinear switching elements for connecting each of the plurality of signal lines to a corresponding column of pixel electrodes. Each switching element has a lower electrode, an insulating film formed on the lower electrode, and an upper electrode formed on the insulating electrode, the lower electrode being a branch of the corresponding signal line, wherein the lower electrode has a first portion with a width larger than a width of a second portion overlapping the insulating film and the upper electrode, the first portion being located farther from the corresponding signal line than the second portion.

Liquid crystal display with non-linear switching elements having

The liquid crystal display device of the invention includes a pair of substrates and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the pair of substrates. A plurality of pixel electrodes is arranged in matrix on the surface facing the liquid crystal layer of at least one of the pair of substrates. A plurality of signal lines and a plurality of two-terminal nonlinear elements are formed. An individual one of the two-terminal nonlinear elements is connected to one of the pixel electrodes associated with the individual two-terminal nonlinear element and one of the signal lines associated with the individual two-terminal nonlinear element. The two-terminal nonlinear element includes: a lower electrode connected to the associated signal line, an insulator formed so as to cover the lower electrode, and an upper electrode connected to the associated pixel electrode. The insulator includes a first insulating film exhibiting non-linearity, a second insulating film formed so as to cover etching edges of the lower electrode, and a slit electrically connecting the upper electrode to the first insulating film. The size of the two-terminal nonlinear element is determined by an opening width of the slit of the second insulating film and a line width of the upper electrode.

LCD device having a switching element with reduced size and capacitance

A reflective type liquid crystal display apparatus includes: a first transmissive substrate; a second substrate disposed to face the first substrate; a liquid crystal layer interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, the liquid crystal layer including a plurality of pixels; a plurality of reflective pixel electrodes, provided on the second substrate, for applying driving voltages to the pixels; a plurality of driving devices, provided on the second substrate, for driving the reflective pixel electrodes, respectively; and a plurality of protective devices disposed in the vicinity of the driving devices on the second substrate. The driving devices and the protective devices are disposed below the reflective pixel electrodes. Each of the driving devices and the protective devices includes an insulator, electric breakdown in each of the protective devices occurs prior to electric breakdown in a corresponding one of the driving devices, thereby reducing the potential difference of static electricity applied to the corresponding one of the driving devices.

Reflective type liquid crystal display apparatus having ESD protecting

A two-terminal nonlinear device according to the present invention includes a lower electrode of a thin Ta film doped with nitrogen which is formed on a substrate, an anodized oxide film formed by anodizing a surface of the lower electrode, and an upper electrode of a metal thin film which is formed on the anodized oxide film, wherein the thin Ta film includes a structure in which first portions and second portions are alternately deposited, the first portions containing a different amount of nitrogen from that contained in the second portions.

Method of making two-terminal nonlinear device and liquid crystal

An active matrix substrate according to the present invention comprises an insulating substrate; a pixel electrode formed on the insulating substrate; a signal line for supplying a signal charge to the pixel electrode; a two-terminal nonlinear device including a lower electrode formed on the insulating substrate, an insulator covering the lower electrode, and an upper electrode formed on the insulator, the device changing a current which flows through the insulator in accordance with a voltage applied to the lower electrode and the upper electrode; and an island portion for connecting the upper electrode to the pixel electrode, the island portion making ohmic contact with each of the upper electrode and the pixel electrode.

Active matrix substrate having island electrodes for making ohmic

The invention increases the aperture ratio of a reflective type liquid crystal display device and raises the display quality. First conductor layers are formed in a band on a surface of a substrate, and insulator layers are formed on the surface thereof. Second conductor layers are formed on the insulator layers. The first conductor layers, insulator layers, and second conductor layers are so-called MIM elements and the first conductor layers are also signal wirings. The second conductor layers are also reflectors and pixel electrodes. Such substrate is disposed on substrate on which band-shaped counter electrodes are formed through a liquid crystal layer containing dichroic pigment or a high molecular resin layer dispersing liquid crystal.

Growing community of inventors

Nara, Japan

Toshiaki Fukuyama