Patents Represented by Attorney Robinson Intellectual Property Law Office, P.C.
  • Patent number: 8174006
    Abstract: An object is to provide a higher-performance and higher-reliability memory device and a semiconductor device provided with the memory device at low cost and with high yield. A semiconductor device of the invention has a memory element including an insulating layer and an organic compound layer between first and second conductive layers. When melting, an organic compound of the organic compound layer aggregates due to surface tension of the organic compound. By applying a voltage to the first and second conductive layers, writing to the memory element is carried out.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shunpei Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 8173520
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a peeling method that causes no damage to a layer to be peeled and to allow not only a layer to be peeled with a small surface area but also a layer to be peeled with a large surface area to be peeled entirely. Further, it is also an object of the present invention to bond a layer to be peeled to various base materials to provide a lighter semiconductor device and a manufacturing method thereof. Particularly, it is an object to bond various elements typified by a TFT, (a thin film diode, a photoelectric conversion element comprising a PIN junction of silicon, or a silicon resistance element) to a flexible film to provide a lighter semiconductor device and a manufacturing method thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Toru Takayama, Junya Maruyama, Yumiko Ohno
  • Patent number: 8173496
    Abstract: A stack including at least an insulating layer, a first electrode, and a first impurity semiconductor layer is provided over a supporting substrate; a first semiconductor layer to which an impurity element imparting one conductivity type is added is formed over the first impurity semiconductor layer; a second semiconductor layer to which an impurity element imparting the one conductivity type is added is formed over the first semiconductor layer under a condition different from that of the first semiconductor layer; crystallinity of the first semiconductor layer and crystallinity of the second semiconductor layer are improved by a solid-phase growth method to form a second impurity semiconductor layer; an impurity element imparting the one conductivity type and an impurity element imparting a conductivity type different from the one conductivity type are added to the second impurity semiconductor layer; and a gate electrode layer is formed via a gate insulating layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sho Kato, Satoshi Toriumi, Fumito Isaka, Hideto Ohnuma
  • Patent number: 8173519
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes: forming a photocatalytic layer and an organic compound layer in contact with the photocatalytic layer over a substrate having a light transmitting property; forming an element forming layer over the substrate having the light transmitting property with the photocatalytic layer and the organic compound layer in contact with the photocatalytic layer interposed therebetween; and separating the element forming layer from the substrate having the light transmitting property after the photocatalytic layer is irradiated with light through the substrate having the light transmitting property.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masafumi Morisue, Yasuhiro Jinbo, Gen Fujii, Hajime Kimura
  • Patent number: 8174021
    Abstract: An object is to provide a semiconductor device provided with a thin film transistor having excellent electric characteristics using an oxide semiconductor layer. An In—Sn—O-based oxide semiconductor layer including SiOX is used for a channel formation region. In order to reduce contact resistance between the In—Sn—O-based oxide semiconductor layer including SiOX and a wiring layer formed from a metal material having low electric resistance, a source region or drain region is formed between a source electrode layer or drain electrode layer and the In—Sn—O-based oxide semiconductor layer including SiOX. The source region or drain region and a pixel region are formed using an In—Sn—O-based oxide semiconductor layer which does not include SiOX.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Oikawa, Hotaka Maruyama, Hiromichi Godo, Daisuke Kawae, Shunpei Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 8168512
    Abstract: To provide a thin semiconductor device having flexibility. A groove is formed in one surface of a substrate; an element layer including an element is formed, the element being disposed within the groove; the substrate is thinned from the other surface of the substrate until one surface of the element layer is exposed, to form a layer which is to be transposed, having the element; and the layer to be transposed is transposed onto the film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Takuya Tsurume
  • Patent number: 8169588
    Abstract: A flexible and highly reliable liquid crystal display device which is not easily damaged even if subjected to external pressure is provided. A method for manufacturing, with high yield, a flexible and highly reliable liquid crystal display device which is not easily damaged even if subjected to external pressure is also provided. A liquid crystal display device including a first structure body including a first fibrous body and a first organic resin, a second structure body including a second fibrous body and a second organic resin, a liquid crystal interposed between the first and second structure bodies, and a seal member for fixing the first and second structure bodies and for enclosing the liquid crystal. The first and second fibrous bodies are impregnated with the first and second organic resins, respectively, and the first structure body and the second structure body are in contact with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Oikawa, Shingo Eguchi, Mitsuo Mashiyama, Masatoshi Kataniwa, Hironobu Shoji, Masataka Nakada
  • Patent number: 8169192
    Abstract: To simplify charging of a battery in a power storage device which includes the battery. Further, to provide a wireless power storage device which can transmit and receive information without the task of replacing a battery for drive power supply, which becomes necessary when the battery depletes over time, being performed. An antenna circuit, a battery which is electrically connected to the antenna circuit via a rectifier circuit, and a load portion which is electrically connected to the battery are provided. The battery is charged when an electromagnetic wave received by the antenna circuit is input to the battery via the rectifier circuit, and discharged when electrical power which has been charged is supplied to the load portion. The battery is charged cumulatively, and the battery is discharged in pulses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Takeshi Osada
  • Patent number: 8168510
    Abstract: An object is that a region separated from a semiconductor substrate when a supporting substrate is larger than the semiconductor substrate does not easily move.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Tomoaki Moriwaka
  • Patent number: 8168481
    Abstract: The method of one embodiment of the present invention includes: a first step of irradiating a bond substrate with ions to form an embrittlement region in the bond substrate; a second step of bonding the bond substrate to a base substrate with an insulating layer therebetween; a third step of splitting the bond substrate at the embrittlement region to form a semiconductor layer over the base substrate with the insulating layer therebetween; and a fourth step of subjecting the bond substrate split at the embrittlement region to a first heat treatment in an argon atmosphere and then a second heat treatment in an atmosphere of a mixture of oxygen and nitrogen to form a reprocessed bond substrate. The reprocessed bond substrate is used again as a bond substrate in the first step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuya Hanaoka, Hideki Tsuya, Masaharu Nagai
  • Patent number: 8164099
    Abstract: A display device with improved reliability and a manufacturing method of the same with improved yield. A display device according to the invention comprises a display area including a first electrode, an insulating layer covering an edge of the first electrode, a layer containing an organic compound, which is formed on the first electrode, and a second electrode. The first electrode and the insulating layer are doped with an impurity element of one conductivity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Osamu Nakamura, Aki Yamamiti, Naoto Yamade
  • Patent number: 8165748
    Abstract: An on-vehicle device (200) includes a self-position detection unit (254), a position match judgment unit (255), an advance direction detection unit (256), and a direction match judgment unit (257). At the moment when a mobile body such as a vehicle having the on-vehicle device passes through an intended point of a data distribution side in an intended direction, a data reproduction unit (253) starts reproduction of content data associated with creation of the data distribution side acquired by a data acquisition unit (251). When there a plurality of content data intended to be simultaneously reproduced by the data distribution side, it is judged by a parallel reproduction judgment unit (252), and the data reproduction unit (253) reproduces the content data in parallel. The data is reproduced according to the intention of the data distribution side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kenwood
    Inventors: Souju Goto, Hideyuki Nagatomo
  • Patent number: 8164095
    Abstract: It is an object to provide a semiconductor device which has a large size and operates at high speed. A top gate transistor which includes a semiconductor layer of single-crystal and a bottom gate transistor which includes a semiconductor layer of amorphous silicon (microcrystalline silicon) are formed over the same substrate. Then, gate electrodes of each transistor are formed with the same layer, and source and drain electrodes are also formed with the same layer. Thus, manufacturing steps are reduced. In other words, two types of transistors can be manufactured by adding only a few steps to the manufacturing process of a bottom gate transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hajime Kimura
  • Patent number: 8164548
    Abstract: The variation of characteristics of transistors occurs. The present invention is a signal line drive circuit having a plurality of current source circuit corresponding to a plurality of wirings, a first and a second shift registers, a latch circuit, the foregoing plurality of current source circuits have capacity means and supplying means, respectively, characterized in that the foregoing capacity means converts a supplied current into a voltage according to a sampling pulse supplied from the foregoing first shift register, the foregoing supplying means supplies a current corresponding to the foregoing converted voltage according to a video signal, and the foregoing latch circuit operates according to a sampling pulse supplied from the foregoing second shift register.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hajime Kimura
  • Patent number: 8164557
    Abstract: In the case of conducting an overdriving with a liquid crystal display device, the circuit for comparing the previous and present gray-scale data, the circuit for converting the gray-scale data upon the comparison result, and the like complicate the structure of the liquid crystal display device. Further, since hold driving by which the voltage applied is kept throughout one frame period is conducted in a liquid crystal display device, it is not sufficient to decrease the rise time due to high applied voltage for a countermeasure against blur of moving images. In the present invention, in one frame period, a high voltage is applied to a liquid crystal element and a constant voltage is applied after the high voltage is applied. The absolute value of the high voltage is equal to or higher than the constant voltage, in other words, equal to or higher than a reference voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Daisuke Kubota, Takeshi Nishi
  • Patent number: 8163628
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a semiconductor substrate is provided, which includes a step of forming a buffer layer over a first semiconductor substrate, a step of forming a damaged region in the first semiconductor substrate by irradiating the first semiconductor substrate with ions, a step of bonding the first semiconductor substrate and a second semiconductor substrate with the buffer layer interposed between, a step of separating the first semiconductor substrate with a single crystal semiconductor layer left over the second semiconductor substrate by heating the first semiconductor substrate and the second semiconductor substrate, and a step of irradiating the single crystal semiconductor layer with a laser beam and heating the single crystal semiconductor layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shunpei Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 8158975
    Abstract: Electric characteristics and reliability of a thin film transistor are impaired by diffusion of an impurity element into a channel region. The present invention provides a thin film transistor in which aluminum atoms are unlikely to be diffused to an oxide semiconductor layer. A thin film transistor including an oxide semiconductor layer including indium, gallium, and zinc includes source or drain electrode layers in which first conductive layers including aluminum as a main component and second conductive layers including a high-melting-point metal material are stacked. An oxide semiconductor layer 113 is in contact with the second conductive layers and barrier layers including aluminum oxide as a main component, whereby diffusion of aluminum atoms to the oxide semiconductor layer is suppressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kengo Akimoto
  • Patent number: 8159135
    Abstract: Provided is an electrode for a high pressure discharge lamp, which prevents spring-back of an electrode coil, and which has high productivity and high accuracy in positioning the coil. The electrode for the high pressure discharge lamp includes: an electrode core bar (30); and a coil (35) mounted on the electrode core bar, and is configured as follows. The electrode core bar (30) includes: a small-diameter section (31) on a power supply side; and a large-diameter section (32) on a leading end side. The large-diameter section (32) has: a large-diameter portion (32a) on the small-diameter section side; a small-diameter portion (32b) having a smaller outer diameter than the large-diameter portion, the small-diameter portion forming a step (s) with the large-diameter portion therebetween; and a leading end portion (32c). The coil (35) covers a portion between the step (s) and the leading end portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Iwasaki Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshio Yoshizawa, Junpei Nishimura, Yoshiaki Kuroda
  • Patent number: 8159043
    Abstract: A semiconductor device such as an ID chip of the present invention includes an integrated circuit using a semiconductor element formed by using a thin semiconductor film, and an antenna connected to the integrated circuit. It is preferable that the antenna is formed integrally with the integrated circuit, since the mechanical strength of an ID chip can be enhanced. Note that the antenna used in the present invention also includes a conducting wire that is wound round circularly or spirally and fine particles of a soft magnetic material are arranged between the conducting wires. Specifically, an insulating layer in which fine particles of a soft magnetic material are arranged between the conducting wires. Specifically, an insulating layer in which fine particles of a soft magnetic material are included is arranged between the conducting wires.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Tatsuya Arao
  • Patent number: 8158991
    Abstract: Light-emitting elements in which an increase of driving voltage can be suppressed are provided. Light-emitting devices whose power consumption is reduced by including such light-emitting elements are also provided. In a light-emitting element having an EL layer between an anode and a cathode, a first layer in which carriers can be produced is formed between the cathode and the EL layer and in contact with the cathode, a second layer which transfers electrons produced in the first layer is formed in contact with the first layer, and a third layer which injects the electrons received from the second layer into the EL layer is formed in contact with the second layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiromi Nowatari, Satoshi Seo, Nobuharu Ohsawa, Tetsuo Tsutsui