Abstract: The apparatus for processing a substrate includes a substrate carrier for carrying a substrate, a chemical-applying unit for applying chemical to the substrate, and a gas-applying unit for applying gas atmosphere to the substrate.

Abstract: A layer-stacked wiring made up of a microcrystalline silicon thin film and a metal thin film is provided which is capable of suppressing an excessive silicide formation reaction between the microcrystalline silicon thin film and metal thin film, thereby preventing peeling of the thin film. In a polycrystalline silicon TFT (Thin Film Transistor) using the layer-stacked wiring, the microcrystalline silicon thin film is so configured that its crystal grains each having a length of the microcrystalline silicon thin film in a direction of a film thickness being 60% or more of a film thickness of the microcrystalline silicon thin film amount to 15% or less of total number of crystal grains or that its crystal grains each having a length of the microcrystalline silicon thin film in a direction of a film thickness being 50% or less of a film thickness of the microcrystalline silicon thin film amount to 85% or more of the total number of crystal grains making up the microcrystalline silicon thin film.

Abstract: A display unit includes a display panel having a display screen on which images are displayed, and (b) a touch panel covering the display screen therewith and detecting a touch thereto made by a user. The touch panel detects the touch in accordance with touch-panel drive signals input thereto. The display panel displays images in accordance with display-drive signals input thereto. The touch panel is switched between a first condition in which the touch-panel drive signals are input into the touch panel and a second condition in which the touch panel is electrically open.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display panel of the type having reflection electrodes tends to have an image-forming plane undesirably yellowed due to the wavelength dependency of transparency observed in an orientation layer on the reflection electrodes; aluminum-neodymium alloy, which has neodymium content between 5 weight % to 10 weight %, is deposited on an inter-layered insulating layer at the substrate temperature equal to or less than 170 degrees in centigrade for the reflection electrodes so that the surface morphology is represented by average pitches equal to or less than 1 micron; even though the orientation layer has the wavelength dependency of transparency, the reflection electrodes make the optical path in the orientation layer equalized so that the image-forming plane is not yellowed.

Abstract: Off-leak current of a TFT, required for a drive circuit configured with a TFT of a single conductivity type, is realized with simple manufacturing steps. The impurity concentration of a source region and a drain region of a TFT is set between 2*1018 cm?3 and 2*1019 cm?3, whereby off-leak current of the TFT can be sufficiently reduced even in a single gate structure.

Abstract: An active matrix LCD device includes a TFT panel, a counter panel and liquid crystal interposed therebetween. The TFT panel includes a plurality of scanning lines and a plurality of common lines formed in one layer and extending in a row direction, and a plurality of signal lines extending in a column direction. A coupling line for coupling the common lines together is disposed outside the pixel array of the TFT panel, such as in a TCP mounted on the TFT panel and mounting thereon a driver IC for driving the scanning lines.

Abstract: Disclosed are an exposure mask capable of improving uniformity of a resist film thickness of a half film thickness part and reducing a display defect to increase a manufacturing yield, a method of manufacturing a TFT substrate using the exposure mask and a liquid crystal display comprising the TFT substrate manufactured by the method and having no display defect. The exposure mask includes a light-shielding pattern on a transparent substrate in which a gray-tone area is provided to at least a part of the light-shielding pattern, the gray-tone area having an oblong light-shielding pattern having a width of a submarginal resolution of an exposure apparatus and sandwiched between oblong slit-type transmissive patterns having a width of the submarginal resolution, and a light-shielding rate of the gray-tone area is gradually reduced toward a center of the oblong light-shielding pattern from longitudinal ends thereof.

Abstract: Disclosed is a shift register which includes first transistor connected between a first clock signal terminal and an output terminal, a second transistor with a gate connected to an input terminal and a source connected to a gate of the first transistor, a third transistor with a gate connected to a second clock signal terminal, an inverter with an input connected to the input terminal, a fourth transistor cascode connected to the third transistor with a gate connected to an output of the inverter, a fifth transistor connected between the gate of the first transistor and a power supply terminal, a sixth transistor connected between the fourth transistor and the power supply terminal with a gate connected to the input terminal, and a seventh transistor connected between the output terminal and the power supply terminal, the fifth and seventh transistors having gates connected in common to a connection node of the fourth and the sixth transistors.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a liquid crystal panel, in which a first seal for surrounding a display area is formed on one of a pair of substrates opposite to each other; a second seal for forming a reduced-pressure area is formed outside the display area; a liquid crystal material is dropped in a reduced-pressure state; thereafter, the other substrate is adhered thereto; and the first and second seals are hardened while pushing the substrates from the outsides thereof in an atmospheric pressure state, thus sealing the liquid crystal material. A dropped area of the liquid crystal material is defined satisfy: 2.5b?a?5b where “a” is an interval between an internal peripheral portion of the first seal and an external peripheral portion, and “b” is an interval between an external peripheral portion of the first seal and an internal peripheral portion of the second seal.

Abstract: A reflection type liquid crystal display device having excellent display capability even if the number of the photolithography process is reduced and a process for producing the device. A process includes the steps of (a) forming a source/drain wiring by using a first mask; (b) forming a thin film transistor region and gate wiring by using a second mask; (c) forming an opening for a transistor, in a passivation film by using a third mask; (d) forming a rough surface of the interlayer insulating film and to form an opening for the transistor by using a fourth mask by halftone exposure, and (e) forming a reflective metal which extend through the respective openings for the transistor in the passivation film and the interlayer insulating film so that it is electrically connected to the source wiring by using a fifth mask.

Abstract: A layer-stacked wiring made up of a microcrystalline silicon thin film and a metal thin film is provided which is capable of suppressing an excessive silicide formation reaction between the microcrystalline silicon thin film and metal thin film, thereby preventing peeling of the thin film. In a polycrystalline silicon TFT (Thin Film Transistor) using the layer-stacked wiring, the microcrystalline silicon thin film is so configured that its crystal grains each having a length of the microcrystalline silicon thin film in a direction of a film thickness being 60% or more of a film thickness of the microcrystalline silicon thin film amount to 15% or less of total number of crystal grains or that its crystal grains each having a length of the microcrystalline silicon thin film in a direction of a film thickness being 50% or less of a film thickness of the microcrystalline silicon thin film amount to 85% or more of the total number of crystal grains making up the microcrystalline silicon thin film.

Abstract: An in-plane switching mode active matrix type liquid crystal display device includes a first substrate, a second substrate located opposing the first substrate, and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the first and second substrates. The first substrate includes a thin film transistor, a pixel electrode each associated to a pixel to be driven, a common electrode to which a reference voltage is applied, data lines, a scanning line, and common electrode lines. Molecular axes of liquid crystal are rotated in a plane parallel with the first substrate by an electric field substantially parallel with a plane of the first substrate to thereby display certain images. The common electrode is composed of transparent material and are formed on a layer located closer to the liquid crystal layer than the data lines. The common electrode entirely overlaps the data lines except an area where the data lines are located in the vicinity of the scanning line.

Abstract: A method for forming a thin-film transistor on an insulating substrate includes the steps of: forming a non-single-crystal semiconductor thin film on the insulating substrate; forming a gate insulating film on the non-single-crystal semiconductor thin film; forming a gate electrode including a lower gate electrode and an upper gate electrode on the gate insulating film, the lower gate electrode having a portion that is not covered by the upper gate electrode; forming a source-drain region and an LDD (lightly doped drain) region in the non-single-crystal thin film semiconductor film concurrently by introducing an impurity into the non-single-crystal semiconductor thin film through the gate electrode and the gate insulating film; and etching away an exposed portion of the lower gate electrode by using the upper gate electrode as a mask.

Abstract: Disclosed is a test method an apparatus in which an area for test and an area for analysis are specified based on the design information of the display device having a non-rectangular display area. To carry out testing, parasitic capacitances are found using the design information, and operations for weighting are performed on test data or threshold values based on which a decision on pass/fail is to be made (FIG. 4).

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device using a liquid crystal dispensation alignment method which includes steps of: removing inorganic ions and the like by performing a vacuum drying process on substrates after cleaning alignment layers on which a rubbing process has been performed; and removing foreign objects by performing any one of a process for sucking up foreign objects by use of a nozzle having a specialized shape and a process for blasting a gas to which ultrasonic waves have been applied against the foreign objects, before liquid crystal is dispensed. In addition, a temperature at which sealing material is cured completely is lowered in order to inhibit activation (migration) of organic matters and to thereby reduce visible defects such as alignment bright defects.

Abstract: A backlight for a color liquid crystal display apparatus includes a first light-guide plate; a first incidence part for receiving light of a first primary color in a first area on a first lateral surface of the first light-guide plate; a second incidence part for receiving light of a second primary color light in a second area on a second lateral surface that is opposite to the first lateral surface of the first light-guide plate; and a third incidence part for receiving light of a third primary color in a third area on a rear surface of the first light-guide plate. The number of superposition steps is thereby reduced, light-guide plates can easily be superposed onto an LCD panel with high accuracy, and a lightweight and inexpensive backlight for a color liquid crystal display apparatus can be obtained.

Abstract: A display device includes: a pair of substrates disposed opposite each other; a conductive seal for sealing the gap of the outer peripheral part between the pair of substrates; an electric optical element disposed in an area defined by the substrates and the seal; a display area, formed on one substrate, having a plurality of pixels for controlling the electric optical element; and a driver circuit for controlling the pixels. The driver circuit is so configured that a circuit element affected by stray capacitance formed between the conductive seal and the driver circuit is disposed apart from the conductive seal.

Abstract: A device is disclosed for generating pattern data for unevenness that is randomly arranged on the surface of the reflective substrate of a reflective liquid crystal display device. The number of coordinates, a basic pitch, a movable range, and a dot diameter are entered from a data entry unit. An array generation unit regularly arranges base coordinates in two dimensions in accordance with the basic pitch. Coordinate displacement unit randomly displaces within the movable range at a portion of the basic coordinates to generate a multiplicity of displaced coordinates. Pattern generation unit arranges dot patterns with the dot diameter entered at each of the displaced coordinates generated to generate pattern data.

Abstract: A backlight module with a detachable light source unit includes a light guide plate and a light source unit housed in a module case. The light source unit can slide along a lengthwise direction of one end face of the light guide plate. The light source unit is equipped with a U-shaped cover member for holding a plurality of point light sources such as LEDs along a lengthwise direction. The backlight module further includes a coupling member to change a positional relationship between the light guide plate and the light source unit such that a distance between an emitting surface of the LED and an incident plane of the light guide plate during a process of exchanging the light source unit is larger than that between the emitting surface and the incident plane at a time of home position of the light source unit in the module case.

Abstract: There is provided an image display device capable of obtaining a renewed screen giving normal feelings by simple LUT (Look Up Table) adjustment even at a time of displaying with multiple gray levels. A screen of the electronic paper section making up the display device is renewed by driving for a period of time corresponding to a plurality of frames according to input gray level data of a renewed screen. The renewed screen is displayed with a coarse gray level during a first displaying period in a renewing period corresponding to a plurality of frames at an output voltage specified by a high-order bit of its gray level data and, thereafter, is displayed with a fine gray level during a second displaying period in the renewing period at an output voltage specified by a low-order bit of its gray level data.