Seiko Instruments Inc

Seiko Instruments & Electronics Ltd.

Kabushiki Kaisha Daini Seikosha

Tsuneo Yamazaki

Hiroaki Takasu

Kunihiro Takahashi

Yoshikazu Kojima

Tadao Iwaki

Tomoyuki Yoshino

Hitoshi Niwa

Nobuyoshi Matsuyama

Atsushi Sakurai

Ryuichi Takano

Masaaki Kamiya

Hiroshi Suzuki

Kenichi Kondo

Masaaki Taguchi

Shigeru Senbonmatsu

Satoru Yabe

Katsuki Matsushita

Kunio Nakajima

Masafumi Shimbo

Mizuaki Suzuki

Shunichi Motte

Light valve device

A highly integrated light valve is formed with a composite substrate formed of a quartz substrate and a monocrystalline silicon thin film layer bonded to the quartz substrate, in which an X driving circuit and a Y driving circuit are integrated utilizing very large scale integration processing. Driving electrodes are arranged in a matrix format on the composite substrate for providing signals output from the X driving circuit and the Y driving circuit to respective transistors and display pixel electrodes arranged at each intersection of the driving electrodes in the matrix. A control circuit for supplying timing signals to the X driving circuit and the Y driving circuit and a display data generating circuit for generating display data in order to display an image are also integrated on the composite substrate. A light source element driving circuit for driving a light source element is provided thereon for projecting a displayed image. A liquid crystal layer is sealed in a gap between the composite substrate and a second, opposed substrate with a sealing agent. The sealing agent is, for example, a resin which is stiffened by ultraviolet radiation and is supplied along a predetermined seal region. The present invention provides an improved structure for a light valve device having a high reliability, compact size, high pixel density and high resolution.

A dense display may be provided with an internal defect detection circuit to enhance production yield. A plurality of pixels, each including thin film transistors and liquid crystal cells driven by driving electrodes, are arranged in a matrix form and scanned by a plurality of control signal lines and a plurality of image signal lines. A control signal line driving circuit is formed of shift registers having one bit per signal line, and sample-and-hold circuits. An inspection circuit is provided with plural switching elements, each having a first terminal connected to a respective image signal line, a second terminal connected to an inspection output line and a third terminal receptive of an inspection control input signal for controlling an electrical connection between the first and second terminals. In accordance with this configuration, inspection of individual signal lines may be achieved and the inspection control input signal may be internally or externally generated. Moreover, similar detection circuitry may be used to detect defects in the control signal lines and, in this manner, defects may be located to the individual pixel level.

Display device having defect inspection circuit

To provide a semiconductor substrate and a light-valve semiconductor substrate capable of preventing the threshold value of a MOS transistor on a single-crystal silicon device forming layer from increasing and forming a MOS integrated circuit with a high reliability even for a long-time operation. A semiconductor substrate and a light-valve semiconductor substrate comprising a single-crystal silicon thin-film device forming layer,formed above an insulating substrate,through an adhesive layer,and an insulating layer,formed on the single-crystal silicon thin-film device forming layer, wherein a heat conductive layers,and,made of a material with a high heat conductivity are arranged between the single-crystal silicon thin-film device forming layer and the adhesive layer and on the insulating layer.

Semiconductor device

A semiconductor substrate is utilized to integrally form a drive circuit and a pixel array to produce a transparent semiconductor device for a light valve. The semiconductor device for a light valve is constructed of a semiconductor substrate composed of a bulk single crystal silicon having an opaque thick portion and a thin transparent portion. A pixel array is formed in the transparent portion. A drive circuit is formed in a top face of the opaque portion. A transparent support substrate is laminated to the top face of the semiconductor substrate for reinforcement. A bulk portion of the semiconductor substrate is removed from a back face thereof by selective etching to provide the transparent portion.

Method of forming a semiconductor device for a light valve

A light valve has a composite substrate comprised of an electrically insulating substrate and a semiconductor single crystal thin film formed over the electrically insulating substrate. A pixel array comprising semiconductor switch elements is formed in the semiconductor single crystal thin film. A peripheral circuit having circuit elements is formed in the semiconductor single crystal thin film so that a small-sized, high speed light valve is obtained. X- driver and Y-driver circuits are formed in the semiconductor single crystal thin film and controlled by a control circuit, such as a video signal processing circuit, which receives and processes video signals inputted directly from an external source. The peripheral circuit can be a DRAM sense amplifier for sensing charges stored in each pixel of the pixel array to detect defects in the pixel array. The peripheral circuit can be a photosensor circuit for detecting an intensity of incident light to monitor the performance of a light source of the light valve. The peripheral circuit can be a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of a liquid crystal layer of the light valve, and may be comprised of Darlington connected NPN transistors formed in the semiconductor single crystal thin film. The peripheral circuit can also be a solar cell for converting incident light into electrical energy to supply power to at least one of the pixel array, X-driver and Y-driver circuits and the peripheral circuit.

A process for manufacturing a light valve device comprises forming a transparent insulating thin film layer on a surface of a semiconductor substrate, and forming a single crystal semiconductor thin film on a surface of the transparent insulating thin film layer. A portion of the single crystal semiconductor thin film is then removed and at least one pixel electrode is formed on the transparent insulating thin film layer at a region where the single crystal semiconductor thin film has been removed. A driving unit is then formed in the single crystal semiconductor thin film. Thereafter, a carrier substrate is laminated using an adhesive on the surface of the semiconductor substrate at a region corresponding to the pixel electrode and the driving unit. The semiconductor substrate is then removed to expose a surface of the transparent insulating thin film layer and through-holes and a metal film are formed on the exposed surface thereof. Thereafter, the metal film is removed to form a light shielding layer for covering at least a portion of a region of the transparent insulating thin film layer occupied by the driving unit and to form an electrode pad for connection to the driving unit through the through-holes. A substrate is then arranged opposite to the transparent insulating thin film to define a gap therebetween, and an electrooptical material is disposed in the gap.

Process for manufacturing light valve device using semiconductive

A semiconductor substrate is provided which has a semiconductor on insulator structure but in which can be formed a thin film integrated circuit having electrical characteristics and microstructure equal to or of greater density than a silicon integrated circuit formed using a bulk single crystal silicon wafer. The semiconductor substrate has a structure which is formed of a sequentially layered single crystal silicon thin film sandwiched between a thermally oxidized silicon film and a silicon oxide or silicon nitride film, an element smoothing layer, a fluoro-epoxy series resin adhesive layer, and a supporting substrate. The single crystal silicon thin film can have integrated circuit devices formed in a sub-micron geometry similar to that of a bulk single crystal silicon. A transparent glass or a bulk single crystal silicon wafer can be used as a supporting substrate. Therefore the semiconductor thin film can integrate a highly fine, dense and compact semiconductor integrated circuit or semiconductor optical element. The semiconductor thin film element has a transparent optical detection region or optical modulation region with 100 million pixels or more.

Semiconductor thin film formed on a supporting substrate

A process for forming a light valve device comprises forming a semiconductor single crystal film to form a composite substrate by polishing a semiconductor single crystal substrate after an electric insulating substrate has been bonded thereto; forming a group of pixel electrodes for defining a pixel region and a group of switch elements for selectively energizing the pixel electrodes by integrating a pixel array portion over the composite substrate; forming a liquid crystal aligning means for the pixel region; superposing an opposed substrate over the composite substrate with a gap therebetween; and filling the gap with liquid crystal material.

Light valve device making

A semiconductor substrate is utilized to integrally form a drive circuit and a pixel array to produce a transparent semiconductor device for a light valve comprising a pixel array region and a drive circuit region on a major face of the semiconductor substrate. A stopper film is formed on the major face of the semiconductor substrate at the pixel array region, and a pixel array is formed over the silicon oxide stopper film. A drive circuit is formed on the drive circuit region, and silicon oxide posts are embedded in the major face of the semiconductor substrate at the drive circuit region. A thickness of the semiconductor substrate is then selectively removed from a back face opposite to the major face thereof to reach the stopper film. After the selective removing step, the portion of the semiconductor substrate under the pixel region is completely removed while a portion of the semiconductor substrate under the drive circuit region remains.

Method of producing a semiconductor device for a light valve

A process for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprises forming an SOI substrate by depositing an insulating film of silicon dioxide on a surface of a temporary silicon substrate, thermally bonding a semiconductor substrate of single crystal silicon on a surface of the insulating film, and polishing the semiconductor substrate to form a single crystal semiconductor thin film. A semiconductor integrated circuit is then formed in the single crystal semiconductor thin film. Thereafter, a support substrate is fixedly adhered in face-to-face relation to a surface of the semiconductor integrated circuit opposite to the temporary substrate. The temporary substrate is then removed to expose a surface of the insulating film. The exposed surface of the insulating film is then subjected to a treatment including at least forming an electrode.

Method of making light valve device using semiconductive composite

A semiconductor device has an integrated circuit formed in a monosilicon layer provided on an electrically insulative material. The monosilicon layer has an integrated circuit formed thereon, and a passivation film covers the integrated circuit. A support member is fixed to the electrically insulative material through an adhesive layer to support the monosilicon layer. The integrated circuit comprises an MIS transistor having a source region, drain region, and channel region formed in the monosilicon layer. The semiconductor device is suitable for use in a high speed, high capacity liquid crystal light valve having a structure where a pixel switching element group and a peripheral driver circuit are formed integrally on a common substrate.

Semiconductor device with monosilicon layer

Herein disclosed are a semiconductor device having a double-side wiring structure, in which a single crystal semiconductor thin film formed integrally with transistor elements is laminated on an insulating thin film and is formed with through holes and in which the insulating thin film is formed on its back with electrodes and a shielding film, and a light valve device using the semiconductor device. Over the single crystal semiconductor thin film, there are formed switching elements of transistors, pixel electrodes connected electrically with the switching elements, and drive circuits for scanning and driving the switching elements. Also disclosed is a miniature highly dense light valve device. In this light valve device, an electrooptical substance is arranged between a multi-layer substrate, which is formed with electrodes and a shielding film at the opposed side of the insulating film to the side formed with the grouped elements through the insulating film, and a transparent opposite substrate, so that the optical transparency of the electrooptical substance is controlled by the switching elements.

Light valve device using semiconductive composite substrate

A semiconductor on insulator substrate has improved electrostatic performance without sacrificing the performance of commonly integrated high-speed integrated circuitry. The semiconductor on insulator substrate includes a single crystal semiconductor thin film having an integrated circuit region and an electrostatic protection region. The thickness of the single crystal semiconductor thin film is greater in the electrostatic protection region than in the integrated circuit region to thereby allow high-speed operation of devices formed in the integrated circuit region. Such a substrate has particular application as a driving substrate for a light valve. In such a device, the integrated circuit region includes thin film switching transistors for selectively applying a voltage to the liquid crystal layer and thin film driving transistors for driving the thin film switching transistors. The electrostatic protection region includes an electrostatic protection device electrically connected to the integrated circuit region, and the electrostatic protection device is effective to protect the driving transistors from exposure to an excess of electrostatic charge.

Insulator substrate for a light valve device having an electrostatic

A semiconductor device having a double-side wiring structure, in which a single crystal semiconductor thin film is formed integrally with transistor elements and is laminated on an insulating thin film. The single crystal semiconductor thin film is formed with through-holes and the insulating thin film is formed on its back side with electrodes and a shielding film. A light valve device using the semiconductor device is also disclosed. Over the single crystal semiconductor thin film, there are formed switching elements of transistors, pixel electrodes connected electrically with the switching elements, and drive circuits for scanning and driving the switching elements. Also disclosed is a miniature highly dense light valve device. In this light valve device, an electrooptical substance is arranged between a multi-layer substrate. The multi-layer substrate is formed with electrodes and a shielding film at the opposed side of the insulating film to the side formed with the grouped elements through the insulating film. A transparent opposite substrate is also formed so that the optical transparency of the electrooptical substance is controlled by the switching elements.

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Tokyo, Japan

Tsuneo Yamazaki