Patents by Inventor Mai Akiba

Mai Akiba has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8895983
    Abstract: By controlling the luminance of light emitting element not by means of a voltage to be impressed to the TFT but by means of controlling a current that flows to the TFT in a signal line drive circuit, the current that flows to the light emitting element is held to a desired value without depending on the characteristics of the TFT. Further, a voltage of inverted bias is impressed to the light emitting element every predetermined period. Since a multiplier effect is given by the two configurations described above, it is possible to prevent the luminance from deteriorating due to a deterioration of the organic luminescent layer, and further, it is possible to maintain the current that flows to the light emitting element to a desired value without depending on the characteristics of the TFT.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Mai Akiba, Jun Koyama
  • Patent number: 8803140
    Abstract: The present invention has an object of providing a light-emitting device including an OLED formed on a plastic substrate, which prevents degradation due to penetration of moisture or oxygen. On a plastic substrate, a plurality of films for preventing oxygen or moisture from penetrating into an organic light-emitting layer in the OLED (“barrier films”) and a film having a smaller stress than the barrier films (“stress relaxing film”), the film being interposed between the barrier films, are provided. Owing to a laminate structure, if a crack occurs in one of the barrier films, the other barrier film(s) can prevent moisture or oxygen from penetrating into the organic light emitting layer. The stress relaxing film, which has a smaller stress than the barrier films, is interposed between the barrier films, making it possible to reduce stress of the entire sealing film. Therefore, a crack due to stress hardly occurs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Toru Takayama, Mai Akiba
  • Patent number: 8696808
    Abstract: Each region, which should be left on a substrate after patterning, of a semiconductor film is grasped in accordance with a mask. Then, each region to be scanned with laser light is determined so that at least the region to be obtained through the patterning is crystallized, and a beam spot is made to hit the region to be scanned, thereby partially crystallizing the semiconductor film. Each portion with low output energy of the beam spot is shielded by a slit. In the present invention, the laser light is not scanned and irradiated onto the entire surface of the semiconductor film but is scanned such that at least each indispensable portion is crystallized to a minimum. With the construction described above, it becomes possible to save time taken to irradiate the laser light onto each portion to be removed through the patterning after the crystallization of the semiconductor film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Hisashi Ohtani, Masaaki Hiroki, Koichiro Tanaka, Aiko Shiga, Satoshi Murakami, Mai Akiba
  • Publication number: 20140077199
    Abstract: The present invention has an object of providing a light-emitting device including an OLED formed on a plastic substrate, which prevents degradation due to penetration of moisture or oxygen. On a plastic substrate, a plurality of films for preventing oxygen or moisture from penetrating into an organic light-emitting layer in the OLED (“barrier films”) and a film having a smaller stress than the barrier films (“stress relaxing film”), the film being interposed between the barrier films, are provided. Owing to a laminate structure, if a crack occurs in one of the barrier films, the other barrier film(s) can prevent moisture or oxygen from penetrating into the organic light emitting layer. The stress relaxing film, which has a smaller stress than the barrier films, is interposed between the barrier films, making it possible to reduce stress of the entire sealing film. Therefore, a crack due to stress hardly occurs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2013
    Publication date: March 20, 2014
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shunpei YAMAZAKI, Toru Takayama, Mai Akiba
  • Patent number: 8674493
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a highly sophisticated functional IC card that can ensure security by preventing forgery such as changing a picture of a face, and display other images as well as the picture of a face. An IC card comprising a display device and a plurality of thin film integrated circuits; wherein driving of the display device is controlled by the plurality of thin film integrated circuits; a semiconductor element used for the plurality of thin film integrated circuits and the display device is formed by using a polycrystalline semiconductor film; the plurality of thin film integrated circuits are laminated; the display device and the plurality of thin film integrated circuits are equipped for the same printed wiring board; and the IC card has a thickness of from 0.05 mm to 1 mm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toru Takayama, Junya Maruyama, Yuugo Goto, Yumiko Ohno, Mai Akiba
  • Publication number: 20130341625
    Abstract: By controlling the luminance of light emitting element not by means of a voltage to be impressed to the TFT but by means of controlling a current that flows to the TFT in a signal line drive circuit, the current that flows to the light emitting element is held to a desired value without depending on the characteristics of the TFT. Further, a voltage of inverted bias is impressed to the light emitting element every predetermined period. Since a multiplier effect is given by the two configurations described above, it is possible to prevent the luminance from deteriorating due to a deterioration of the organic luminescent layer, and further, it is possible to maintain the current that flows to the light emitting element to a desired value without depending on the characteristics of the TFT.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2013
    Publication date: December 26, 2013
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Mai Akiba, Jun Koyama
  • Patent number: 8575740
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is providing a semiconductor device that is capable of improving the reliability of a semiconductor element and enhancing the mechanical strength without suppressing the scale of a circuit. The semiconductor device includes an integrated circuit sandwiched between first and second sealing films, an antenna electrically connected to the integrated circuit, the first sealing film sandwiched between a substrate and the integrated circuit, which includes a plurality of first insulating films and at least one second insulating film sandwiched therebetween, the second sealing film including a plurality of third insulating films and at least one fourth insulating film sandwiched therebetween. The second insulating film has lower stress than the first insulting film and the fourth insulating film has lower stress than the third insulating film. The first and third insulating films are inorganic insulating films.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Arai, Yuko Tachimura, Yohei Kanno, Mai Akiba
  • Patent number: 8569958
    Abstract: To provide a light emitting device without nonuniformity of luminance, a correcting circuit for correcting a video signal supplied to each pixel to a light emitting device. The correcting circuit is stored with data of a dispersion of a characteristic of a driving TFT among pixels and data of a change over time of luminance of a light emitting element. Further, by correcting a video signal inputted to the light emitting device in conformity with a characteristic of the driving TFT of each pixel and a degree of a deterioration of the light emitting element based on the over-described two data, nonuniformity of luminance caused by a deterioration of an electroluminescent layer and nonuniformity of luminance caused by dispersion of a characteristic of the driving TFT are restrained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Hajime Kimura, Mai Akiba, Aya Anzai, Yu Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 8519392
    Abstract: By controlling the luminance of light emitting element not by means of a voltage to be impressed to the TFT but by means of controlling a current that flows to the TFT in a signal line drive circuit, the current that flows to the light emitting element is held to a desired value without depending on the characteristics of the TFT. Further, a voltage of inverted bias is impressed to the light emitting element every predetermined period. Since a multiplier effect is given by the two configurations described above, it is possible to prevent the luminance from deteriorating due to a deterioration of the organic luminescent layer, and further, it is possible to maintain the current that flows to the light emitting element to a desired value without depending on the characteristics of the TFT.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Mai Akiba, Jun Koyama
  • Patent number: 8415660
    Abstract: The present invention has an object of providing a light-emitting device including an OLED formed on a plastic substrate, which prevents degradation due to penetration of moisture or oxygen. On a plastic substrate, a plurality of films for preventing oxygen or moisture from penetrating into an organic light-emitting layer in the OLED (“barrier films”) and a film having a smaller stress than the barrier films (“stress relaxing film”), the film being interposed between the barrier films, are provided. Owing to a laminate structure, if a crack occurs in one of the barrier films, the other barrier film(s) can prevent moisture or oxygen from penetrating into the organic light emitting layer. The stress relaxing film, which has a smaller stress than the barrier films, is interposed between the barrier films, making it possible to reduce stress of the entire sealing film. Therefore, a crack due to stress hardly occurs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Toru Takayama, Mai Akiba
  • Publication number: 20130015441
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a highly sophisticated functional IC card that can ensure security by preventing forgery such as changing a picture of a face, and display other images as well as the picture of a face. An IC card comprising a display device and a plurality of thin film integrated circuits; wherein driving of the display device is controlled by the plurality of thin film integrated circuits; a semiconductor element used for the plurality of thin film integrated circuits and the display device is formed by using a polycrystalline semiconductor film; the plurality of thin film integrated circuits are laminated; the display device and the plurality of thin film integrated circuits are equipped for the same printed wiring board; and the IC card has a thickness of from 0.05 mm to 1 mm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Publication date: January 17, 2013
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Toru TAKAYAMA, Junya MARUYAMA, Yuugo GOTO, Yumiko OHNO, Mai AKIBA
  • Publication number: 20130009289
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is providing a semiconductor device that is capable of improving the reliability of a semiconductor element and enhancing the mechanical strength without suppressing the scale of a circuit. The semiconductor device includes an integrated circuit sandwiched between first and second sealing films, an antenna electrically connected to the integrated circuit, the first sealing film sandwiched between a substrate and the integrated circuit, which includes a plurality of first insulating films and at least one second insulating film sandwiched therebetween, the second sealing film including a plurality of third insulating films and at least one fourth insulating film sandwiched therebetween. The second insulating film has lower stress than the first insulting film and the fourth insulating film has lower stress than the third insulating film. The first and third insulating films are inorganic insulating films.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Publication date: January 10, 2013
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yasuyuki ARAI, Yuko TACHIMURA, Yohei KANNO, Mai AKIBA
  • Publication number: 20120299987
    Abstract: To provide a light emitting device without nonuniformity of luminance, a correcting circuit for correcting a video signal supplied to each pixel to a light emitting device. The correcting circuit is stored with data of a dispersion of a characteristic of a driving TFT among pixels and data of a change over time of luminance of a light emitting element. Further, by correcting a video signal inputted to the light emitting device in conformity with a characteristic of the driving TFT of each pixel and a degree of a deterioration of the light emitting element based on the over-described two data, nonuniformity of luminance caused by a deterioration of an electroluminescent layer and nonuniformity of luminance caused by dispersion of a characteristic of the driving TFT are restrained.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2012
    Publication date: November 29, 2012
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Hajime Kimura, Mai Akiba, Aya Anzai, Yu Yamazaki
  • Publication number: 20120299705
    Abstract: One feature of the present invention is a product management system that includes a package body for packing a product attached with an ID tag, and a reader/writer. The ID tag includes a thin film integrated circuit portion and an antenna, the package body includes a resonance circuit portion having an antenna coil and a capacitor, and the resonance circuit portion can communicate with the reader/writer and the ID tag. Accordingly, the stability of communication between an ID tag attached to a product and an R/W can be secured, and management of products can be conducted simply and efficiently, even if a product is packed by a package body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2012
    Publication date: November 29, 2012
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yasuyuki ARAI, Mai AKIBA, Yuko TACHIMURA, Yohei KANNO
  • Publication number: 20120286273
    Abstract: By controlling the luminance of light emitting element not by means of a voltage to be impressed to the TFT but by means of controlling a current that flows to the TFT in a signal line drive circuit, the current that flows to the light emitting element is held to a desired value without depending on the characteristics of the TFT. Further, a voltage of inverted bias is impressed to the light emitting element every predetermined period. Since a multiplier effect is given by the two configurations described above, it is possible to prevent the luminance from deteriorating due to a deterioration of the organic luminescent layer, and further, it is possible to maintain the current that flows to the light emitting element to a desired value without depending on the characteristics of the TFT.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2012
    Publication date: November 15, 2012
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Mai Akiba, Jun Koyama
  • Patent number: 8305213
    Abstract: Since the chip formed from a silicon wafer is thick, the chip is protruded from the surface or the chip is so large that it can be seen through the eyes, which affects the design of a business card or the like. Hence, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new integrated circuit which has a structure by which the design is not affected. In view of the above problems, it is a feature of the invention to equip a film-like article with a thin film integrated circuit. It is another feature of the invention that the IDF chip has a semiconductor film of 0.2 mm or less, as an active region. Therefore, the IDF chip can be made thinner as compared with a chip formed from a silicon wafer. In addition, such an integrated circuit can have light transmitting characteristic unlike a chip formed from a silicon wafer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Arai, Mai Akiba, Yohei Kanno, Yuko Tachimura
  • Patent number: 8289164
    Abstract: A semiconductor device typified by a wireless tag, which has improved mechanical strength, can be formed by a more simple process at a low cost and prevent radio waves from being shielded, and a manufacturing method of the semiconductor device. According to the invention, a wireless tag includes a thin film integrated circuit formed of an isolated TFT having a thin film semiconductor film. The wireless tag may be attached directly to an object, or attached to a flexible support such as plastic and paper before being attached to an object. The wireless tag of the invention may include an antenna as well as the thin film integrated circuit. The antenna allows to communicate signals between a reader/writer and the thin film integrated circuit, and to supply a power source voltage from the reader/writer to the thin film integrated circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Jun Koyama, Mai Akiba
  • Publication number: 20120243786
    Abstract: An image processing method to obtain a high sense of depth or high stereoscopic effect for an image and a display device utilizing the method are provided. Image data of an image is separated into image data of a plurality of objects and a background. A feature amount is obtained from the image data of each object, so that the objects are identified. The relative distance between viewer's eye and any of the objects is determined by the data of the sizes of the objects in the image and the sizes of the objects stored in the database. The image data of each object is processed so that an object with a shorter relative distance is enlarged. The image data of each object after image processing is combined with the image data of the background, so that a sense of depth or stereoscopic effect of an image is increased.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2012
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jun Koyama, Mai Akiba
  • Patent number: 8268702
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a highly sophisticated functional IC card that can ensure security by preventing forgery such as changing a picture of a face, and display other images as well as the picture of a face. An IC card comprising a display device and a plurality of thin film integrated circuits; wherein driving of the display device is controlled by the plurality of thin film integrated circuits; a semiconductor element used for the plurality of thin film integrated circuits and the display device is formed by using a polycrystalline semiconductor film; the plurality of thin film integrated circuits are laminated; the display device and the plurality of thin film integrated circuits are equipped for the same printed wiring board; and the IC card has a thickness of from 0.05 mm to 1 mm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toru Takayama, Junya Maruyama, Yuugo Goto, Yumiko Ohno, Mai Akiba
  • Patent number: 8242699
    Abstract: To provide a light emitting device without nonuniformity of luminance, a correcting circuit for correcting a video signal supplied to each pixel to a light emitting device. The correcting circuit is stored with data of a dispersion of a characteristic of a driving TFT among pixels and data of a change over time of luminance of a light emitting element. Further, by correcting a video signal inputted to the light emitting device in conformity with a characteristic of the driving TFT of each pixel and a degree of a deterioration of the light emitting element based on the over-described two data, nonuniformity of luminance caused by a deterioration of an electroluminescent layer and nonuniformity of luminance caused by dispersion of a characteristic of the driving TFT are restrained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Hajime Kimura, Mai Akiba, Aya Anzai, Yu Yamazaki