Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.

Other

Sony Corporation

Sanyo Electric., Ltd.

Yushi Jinno

Kyoko Hirai

Kiyoshi Yoneda

Tsutomu Yamada

Yoshihiro Morimoto

Shiro Nakanishi

Masahiro Minegishi

Ken Wakita

Ryuji Nishikawa

Takashi Ogawa

Ryouzou Nagata

The invention prevents a photocurrent due to external light and a variation in characteristics of transistors or a failure by a short circuit due to the influence of a back channel. A light shield film made of a nonconductive material is formed on an insulation substrate. A back gate insulation film is formed covering the light shield film. An active layer is formed on this back gate insulation film. A gate insulation film is formed covering the active layer, and a gate electrode is formed on the gate insulation film. The light shield film is disposed covering the active layer with the back gate insulation film interposed therebetween, having a function of shielding the active layer from external light entering through the insulation substrate.

Organic electroluminescent display device

An organic EL element of one pixel is selectively irradiated with laser light. With the laser irradiation, the functionality of the organic layer of the organic EL element is selectively degraded and the light emission capability is removed without damaging the cathode.

Light attenuation in defective pixel in organic EL panel

An array test is performed during the process of panel formation, such as at a stage where a driving TFT which supplies a drive current for an organic EL element is completed and an anode of the organic EL element has been formed on the TFT. Then, with regard to a defective pixel, a line connecting the driving TFT and the anode is disconnected using a laser. After the line has been thus disconnected, a planarization insulating film is formed, and this film fills the holes caused by the laser irradiation. It is thus possible to suppress deterioration of pixels and also effectively darken a defective pixel using laser.

Display panel and manufacturing method of display panel

In a fabrication process of a semiconductor device for use in a TFT liquid crystal display system, before the start of crystallizing amorphous silicon (a-Si), dehydrogenation annealing is carried out to not only decrease the density of hydrogen in the p-Si film () to 5&#xd7;10atoms/cmat most but also to prevent crystallization of the a-Si film () being obstructed due to possible excessive hydrogen remaining in the film. With the p-Si film () covered with an interlayer insulation film () in the form of a plasma nitride film, annealing is then carried out in nitrogen atmosphere at a temperature of 350&#xb0; C. to 400&#xb0; C. for one to three hours, more preferably 400&#xb0; C. for two hours. The result is that hydrogen atoms in the p-Si film () efficiently terminate dangling bonds of the film and hence do not become excessive, thus improving the electrical characteristics of the semiconductor device.

Semiconductor device and method of manufacturing the same comprising thin film containing low concentration of hydrogen

A thin film transistor which can be used in an LCD display panel includes an insulator substrate, a gate electrode located on the insulator substrate, an insulator film provided on the insulator substrate and the gate electrode, and a polycrystalline silicon film located on the insulator film. A channel is defined in a first portion of the polycrystalline silicon film over the gate electrode, and a drain and a source are defined in second and third portions of the polycrystalline silicon film over the insulator substrate. Grain sizes of the drain and source are equal to or greater than a grain size of the channel.

Thin film transistor and method of fabricating the same

Transistor capacitance Cdtr inevitably generated between the gate and the drain of a second TFT is increased. Accordingly, an operation test of a first TFT and the second TFT can be conducted by turning on the first TFT to charge the transistor capacitance Cdtr and detecting the stored charges.

Transistor circuit

A UV laser beam is selectively irradiated on an active layer (semiconductor layer) of a second TFT in a pixel, so as to degrade crystallinity of the active layer and thereby execute electrical disconnection. According to this method, dimming out of pixels can be performed without generating undesirable influences in other components. By directing the laser beam to a portion of the active layer located beneath the gate electrode, the laser beam can be reflected by the gate electrode, allowing execution of a more efficient laser irradiation.

Dim-out method for organic EL panel

An electric shielding wire made of Cr is provided near the edge of a substrate, in which the electric shielding wire is a lower electric layer for an TFT element. Because countermeasures against static electricity are taken at an early manufacturing stage of the substrate, the elements formed on the substrate are protected against damage due to static electricity generated in subsequent stages. The electricity shielding wire is ultimately used as a pedestal for a wire. With this arrangement, characteristics of various elements of a driver-integrated LCD are protected against deterioration due to static electricity generated in a manufacturing process.

Display apparatus having an electric shielding wire and method for manufacturing the same

When a first transistor for switching Tr is ON by a gate signal, a voltage signal in accordance with a data voltage signal input to the source terminal of the first transistor Tr is held in a storage capacitor. A second transistor Tr controls an amount of current supplied to an emissive element from a power source line PVdd in accordance with the voltage signal, and a charge is accumulated in an additional capacitor C in accordance with the amount of current thus controlled. Defect inspection corresponding to the actual display state can be performed by examining the charge accumulated in the additional capacitor C

Active matrix display device and inspection method therefor

In a fabrication process of a semiconductor device for use in a TFT liquid crystal display system, before the start of crystallizing amorphous silicon (a-Si), dehydrogenation annealing is carried out to not only decrease the density of hydrogen in the p-Si film ( ) to 5&times;10 atoms/cm at most but also to prevent crystallization of the a-Si film ( ) being obstructed due to possible excessive hydrogen remaining in the film. With the p-Si film ( ) covered with an interlayer insulation film ( ) in the form of a plasma nitride film, annealing is then carried out in nitrogen atmosphere at a temperature of 350&deg; C. to 400&deg; C. for one to three hours, more preferably 400&deg; C. for two hours. The result is that hydrogen atoms in the p-Si film ( ) efficiently terminate dangling bonds of the film and hence do not become excessive, thus improving the electrical characteristics of the semiconductor device.

Semiconductor device having a semiconductor thin film containing low concentration of unbound hydrogen atoms and method of manufacturing the same

A sealing material is formed to cover a drain driver comprising a horizontal shift register and a sampling portion and its edge lines are linear on the horizontal shift register. Operation characteristics of TFT elements just below the sealing material are changed and are different from those of TFT elements of the area not below the sealing material. However, operation characteristics do not differ between phases of the shift register, and adverse effects for display can be prevented.

Display device

In a thin film transistor (TFT), a gate electrode, a gate insulating film, a poly silicon film having a channel, a stopper insulating film on the channel, an interlayer insulating film, a source electrode and a drain electrode, a planarizating film, and a transparent electrode are formed on an insulating substrate in that order. In this TFT, either of the source electrode and the drain electrode or the transparent electrode is formed on the interlayer insulating film or the planarizating film spreading over the channel. This will restrain the occurrence of a back channel resulting from polarization in the planarizating film or the interlayer insulating film in the TFT caused by water or impurity ions, or variation of a threshold voltage of the TFT when a back channel occurs. As a result, TFTs and liquid crystal displays which have few defects and can perform display having uniform brightness all over can be provided.

Thin film transistor

Thin film transistor suitable for use in an active matrix type display and method of fabricating the same

Gate lines and drain lines are arranged to cross each other on an inner surface of a substrate and display pixels are formed at individual intersections of these lines. For actuation of these elements, a drain driver, a gate driver, and a precharge driver are formed on the periphery of the substrate. Aluminum lines extend to respective circuits along the edge of the substrate from connecting terminals formed on the edge of the substrate. A sealing material is applied along the periphery of the substrate and an injection hole for liquid crystal is formed on one edge of the substrate. The drain driver is disposed on the edge opposite to the edge on which the injection hole is formed at a location as far from the injection hole as possible. Thus, the drain driver is distanced from the liquid crystal injection hole to prevent the failure of the display apparatus due to the fluctuation of a threshold value.

Display apparatus with a built-in driver

There is provided a semiconductor device in which a semiconductor layer and a gate electrode are formed with a gate insulating layer between then and in which a region of the semiconductor layer opposite to the gate electrode is used as a channel region. On the semiconductor layer, an insulating protection film and an amorphous semiconductor layer are successively formed. The protection film covers at least the channel region of the amorphous semiconductor layer, and annealing is applied to the amorphous semiconductor layer, thereby converting the amorphous semiconductor layer into the polycrystal semiconductor layer. A portion to be the channel region of the amorphous semiconductor layer is covered by the protection film. Therefore, even when exposed to the atmosphere due to annealing, surface contamination can be prevented and a semiconductor device having satisfactory characteristics can be obtained. A thickness d of the protection film is set to be nearly '.lambda./4 n' for a wavelength .lambda. of laser beam and a refractive index n of materials for the protection film. If there is unevenness of the thickness of the amorphous semiconductor layer to be formed, the protection film will be formed, with its thickness being optimum for a region which the amorphous semiconductor layer is formed thickest. On the other hand, if there is unevenness of the thickness of a gate insulating layer, the protection film will be formed, with its thickness being optimum for a region which the gate insulating layer is formed thinnest.

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Gifu, Japan

Yushi Jinno