Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a volatile organic memory in which data can be written other than during manufacturing and falsification by rewriting can be prevented, and to provide a semiconductor device including such an organic memory. It is a feature of the invention that a semiconductor device includes a plurality of bit lines extending in a first direction; a plurality of word lines extending in a second direction different from the first direction; a memory cell array including a plurality of memory cells each provided at one of intersections of the bit lines and the word lines; and memory elements provided in the memory cells, wherein the memory elements include bit lines, an organic compound layer, and the word lines, and the organic compound layer includes a layer in which an inorganic compound and an organic compound are mixed.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 13, 2009
Date of Patent:
October 23, 2012
Assignee:
Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
Abstract: A vehicle (12) starts from the front of a home (11a) and moves to a destination (11b). An area (area—1) with the home (11a) at the center is an area where the position of the home (11a) is estimated to be easily specified, and a road (13a) to be searched is a road required for searching a moving route of the vehicle (12). An in-vehicle device (200) does not transmit position information or the like acquired in the area (area—1) in response to a request of position information from a road side device (100). The in-vehicle device (200) transmits the position information or the like on the vehicle (12) acquired after the vehicle (12) moves out of the area (area—1) to the road side device (100). The position information on the vehicle is transmitted to the road side device by protecting personal information.
Abstract: In an active matrix display device, electric characteristics of thin film transistors included in a circuit are important, and performance of the display device depends on the electric characteristics. Thus, by using an oxide semiconductor film including In, Ga, and Zn for an inverted staggered thin film transistor, variation in electric characteristics of the thin film transistor can be reduced. Three layers of a gate insulating film, an oxide semiconductor layer and a channel protective layer are successively formed by a sputtering method without being exposed to air. Further, in the oxide semiconductor layer, the thickness of a region overlapping with the channel protective film is larger than that of a region in contact with a conductive film.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 29, 2009
Date of Patent:
October 23, 2012
Assignee:
Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
Abstract: There is provided a method of removing trap levels and defects, which are caused by stress, from a single crystal silicon thin film formed by an SOI technique. First, a single crystal silicon film is formed by using a typical bonding SOI technique such as Smart-Cut or ELTRAN. Next, the single crystal silicon thin film is patterned to form an island-like silicon layer, and then, a thermal oxidation treatment is carried out in an oxidizing atmosphere containing a halogen element, so that an island-like silicon layer in which the trap levels and the defects are removed is obtained.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
October 30, 2007
Date of Patent:
October 16, 2012
Assignee:
Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
Abstract: To provide a semiconductor device which can detect low illuminance. A photoelectric conversion element, a diode-connected first transistor, and a second transistor are included. A gate of the first transistor is electrically connected to a gate of the second transistor. One of a source and a drain of the first transistor is electrically connected to one of a source and a drain of the second transistor through the photoelectric conversion element. The other of the source and the drain of the first transistor is electrically connected to the other of the source and the drain of the second transistor. By using transistors which have different threshold voltages for the first transistor and the second transistor, a semiconductor device which can perform detecting of low illuminance can be obtained.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 9, 2011
Date of Patent:
October 16, 2012
Assignee:
Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a technique in which a high-performance and highly reliable semiconductor device can be manufactured at low cost with high yield. A memory device according to the present invention has a first conductive layer including a plurality of insulators, an organic compound layer over the first conductive layer including the insulators, and a second conductive layer over the organic compound layer.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
April 25, 2006
Date of Patent:
October 16, 2012
Assignee:
Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to reduce the cost of a wireless chip, further, to reduce the cost of a wireless chip by enabling the mass production of a wireless chip, and furthermore, to provide a downsized and lightweight wireless chip. A wireless chip in which a thin film integrated circuit peeled from a glass substrate or a quartz substrate is formed between a first base material and a second base material is provided according to the invention. As compared with a wireless chip formed from a silicon substrate, the wireless chip according to the invention realizes downsizing, thinness, and lightweight. The thin film integrated circuit included in the wireless chip according to the invention at least has an n-type thin film transistor having an LDD (Lightly Doped Drain) structure, a p-type thin film transistor having a single drain structure, and a conductive layer functioning as an antenna.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
August 10, 2005
Date of Patent:
October 16, 2012
Assignee:
Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
Abstract: A semiconductor device, which can improve the effect of a hydrogenation treatment in case of using a GOLD structure, and a method of manufacturing thereof is provided. A gate insulating film is formed on a semiconductor layer, and a source region, a drain region, and LDD regions are formed in the semiconductor layer. A main gate is formed on the gate insulating film. A sub-gate is formed on the main gate and the gate insulating film so as to cover a part of the main gate and either the LDD regions adjacent to the source region or the drain region. An interlayer insulating film containing hydrogen is formed on the sub-gate, main gate, and gate insulating film. Subsequently, a heat treatment for hydrogenation is performed to terminate a crystal defect of the semiconductor layer with hydrogen.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
January 5, 2011
Date of Patent:
October 16, 2012
Assignee:
Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
Abstract: An object of an embodiment of the disclosed invention is to provide a method suitable for reprocessing a semiconductor substrate which is reused to manufacture an SOI substrate.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
September 30, 2010
Date of Patent:
October 16, 2012
Assignee:
Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
Abstract: A single crystal semiconductor substrate including an embrittlement layer is attached to a base substrate with an insulating layer interposed therebetween, and the single crystal semiconductor layer is separated at the embrittlement layer by heat treatment; accordingly, a single crystal semiconductor layer is fixed over the base substrate. The single crystal semiconductor layer is irradiated with a laser beam so that the single crystal semiconductor layer is partially melted and then is re-single crystallized, whereby crystal defects are removed. In addition, an island-shaped single crystal semiconductor layer for forming an n-channel transistor is channel-doped using a photomask and then is etched back using the photomask so that the island-shaped single crystal semiconductor layer for forming an n-channel transistor is thinner than the island-shaped single crystal semiconductor layer for forming a p-channel transistor.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
March 23, 2011
Date of Patent:
October 16, 2012
Assignee:
Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
Abstract: An utterance type road traffic information providing device (system) provided with a roadside apparatus (100) set on a road where a vehicle travels, at a parking lot or a place adjacent to the parking lot for transmitting alarm information by wireless communication, an utterance type vehicle-mounted device (200) mounted on a vehicle for receiving the alarm information from the roadside apparatus by wireless communication and outputting the alarm information, a administration server (300) that exchanges various information with the roadside apparatus (100). The utterance type vehicle-mounted device (200) is comprised of a predetermined operation unit and a control unit. The control unit cancels a part or all of the utterance voice output of the alarm information supplied from the roadside apparatus (100) in accordance with a predetermined operation of the operation unit. An output of the same alarm information or alarm information irrelevant to its own vehicle is prevented.
Abstract: It is an object to provide a logic circuit which can be operated even when unipolar transistors are used. A logic circuit includes a source follower circuit and a logic circuit an input portion of which is connected to an output portion of the source follower circuit and all transistors are unipolar transistors. A potential of a wiring for supplying a low potential connected to the source follower circuit is lower than a potential of a wiring for supplying a low potential connected to the logic circuit which includes unipolar transistors. In this manner, a logic circuit which can be operated even with unipolar depletion transistors can be provided.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
September 30, 2010
Date of Patent:
October 16, 2012
Assignee:
Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
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
Abstract: A step of forming a through hole in a semiconductor substrate, or a step of polishing the semiconductor substrate from its back surface requires a very long time and causes decrease of productivity. In addition, when semiconductor substrates are stacked, a semiconductor integrated circuit which is formed of the stack is thick and has poor mechanical flexibility. A release layer is formed over each of a plurality of substrates, layers each having a semiconductor element and an opening for forming a through wiring are formed over each of the release layers. Then, layers each having the semiconductor element are peeled off from the substrates, and then overlapped and stacked, a conductive layer is formed in the opening, and the through wiring is formed; thus, a semiconductor integrated circuit is formed.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 17, 2011
Date of Patent:
October 16, 2012
Assignee:
Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
Abstract: An object of the present invention is to realize a light emitting device having low power consumption and high stability, in addition to improve extraction efficiency of light generated in a light emitting element. At least an interlayer insulating film (including a planarizing film), an anode, and a bank covering an edge portion of the anode contain chemically and physically stable silicon oxide, or are made of a material containing silicon oxide as its main component in order to accomplish a light emitting device having high stability. Generation of heat in a light emitting panel can be suppressed in addition to increase in efficiency (luminance/current) of a light emitting panel according to the structure of the present invention. Consequently, synergistic effect on reliability of a light emitting device is obtained.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
October 15, 2010
Date of Patent:
October 9, 2012
Assignee:
Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
Abstract: The present invention provides a semiconductor device having an integrated circuit formed by a low cost glass substrate, which can respond to the increase of an amount of information, and which offers high performance at high speed.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
June 29, 2004
Date of Patent:
October 9, 2012
Assignee:
Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
Abstract: A manufacturing method of a semiconductor device in which a space between semiconductor films transferred to a plurality of places can be made small. Transfer of a semiconductor film from a bond substrate to a base substrate is carried out a plurality of times. In the case where a semiconductor film transferred first and a semiconductor film transferred later are provided adjacently, the latter transfer is carried out using a bond substrate with its end portion partially removed. The width in a perpendicular direction to the bond substrate used for the later transfer, of the region of the bond substrate corresponding to the removed end portion is larger than the thickness of the semiconductor film which is transferred first.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
June 24, 2008
Date of Patent:
October 9, 2012
Assignee:
Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
Abstract: The inventors found out that in the case of performing a low gray scale display in which a very small amount of current is supplied to a light emitting element, variations in threshold voltages of driving transistors become notable since the gate-source voltage is low. In view of this, the invention provides a display device in which variations in the threshold voltages of the driving transistors are reduced even in the low gray scale display, and a driving method thereof. According to the invention, a gate-source voltage of the driving transistor is set higher in the low gray scale display than that in the high gray scale display. As one mode to achieve this, different power source lines are provided for the low gray scale display and the high gray scale display and their potentials are set to be different.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
August 17, 2007
Date of Patent:
October 9, 2012
Assignee:
Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
Abstract: The adverse effect of noise a constant voltage receives in a semiconductor device capable of data communication through wireless communication is suppressed. Further, communication is performed normally with a constant voltage with less noise even in the case where the amount of received power is large. The semiconductor device includes an input circuit for generating a DC voltage from an AC signal, a circuit for generating a constant voltage lower than the DC voltage, a circuit portion supplied with the constant voltage, a filter, and a feedback circuit for changing impedance with the constant voltage input from the circuit for generating a constant voltage, wherein the filter is electrically connected between the input circuit and the circuit for generating a constant voltage.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
September 3, 2009
Date of Patent:
October 9, 2012
Assignee:
Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
Abstract: A semiconductor device capable of stabilizing power supply by suppressing power consumption as much as possible. The semiconductor device of the invention includes a central processing unit having a plurality of units and a control circuit, and an antenna. The control circuit includes a means for outputting, based on a power supply signal including data on power supply from an antenna (through an antenna) or a load signal obtained by an event signal supplied from each of the units, one or more of a first control signal for stopping power supply to one or more of the units, a second control signal for varying a power supply potential supplied to one or more of the units, and a third control signal for stopping supplying a clock signal to one or more of the units.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
February 3, 2010
Date of Patent:
October 9, 2012
Assignee:
Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.