Patents Assigned to Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co. Ltd., a Japan corporation
  • Publication number: 20040156982
    Abstract: The present invention provides a technique for performing film-forming of a cathode comprising a metallic with a good adhesion, as well as a light-emitting device producing a good image to be displayed. An EL element is fabricated to have a structure in which an electron transport layer comprising a low molecular weight film is provided on a luminescent layer (104) comprising a polymer film and a cathode (106) comprising a metallic film is provided on the resultant electron transport layer. With such structure, occurrence of delamination or a dark spot derived from inferior adhesion of the cathode (106) can be prevented to obtain the light-emitting device producing a good image quality.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2004
    Publication date: August 12, 2004
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd., a Japan corporation
    Inventors: Junya Maruyama, Hisao Ikeda
  • Publication number: 20040141140
    Abstract: There is provided a configuration of an active matrix type liquid crystal display integrated with a peripheral driving circuit in which the surface area of regions excluding pixels is minimized. Further, the reliability of an apparatus having such a configuration is improved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 8, 2004
    Publication date: July 22, 2004
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd., a Japan corporation
    Inventors: Hongyong Zhang, Shunpei Yamazaki, Satoshi Teramoto, Yoshiharu Hirakata
  • Publication number: 20040139915
    Abstract: In a parallel flat plate type plasma CVD apparatus, plasma damage of constituent parts in a reaction chamber due to irregularity of dry cleaning in the reaction chamber is reduced and the cost is lowered. In the parallel flat plate type plasma CVD apparatus in which high frequency voltages of pulse waves having mutually inverted waveforms are applied to an upper electrode and a lower electrode, and the inversion interval of the pulse wave can be arbitrarily changed, the interior of the reaction chamber is dry cleaned.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 8, 2004
    Publication date: July 22, 2004
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd., a Japan corporation
    Inventor: Mitsuhiro Ichijo
  • Publication number: 20040140465
    Abstract: There is provided a technique for obtaining a light emitting device in which no copy-in is caused in the case of a method of manufacturing a light emitting device having a glossy cathode. When an uneven portion is formed on the surface of a cathode which is in contact with an organic layer in a pixel portion, incident light is reflected in all directions. Further, since an insulating film having a high light absorption property is formed in a driver circuit portion, the copy-in becomes invisible to the observer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2004
    Publication date: July 22, 2004
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd., a Japan Corporation
    Inventor: Hajime Kimura
  • Publication number: 20040141139
    Abstract: An active matrix liquid crystal display having improved reliability. Pixel regions and a peripheral driver circuit are integrally packed on the display. TFTs forming the peripheral driver circuit are located inside a sealing material layer on the side of a liquid crystal material, thus protecting the peripheral driver circuit from external moisture and contaminants. This enhances the long-term reliability of the peripheral driver circuit. Pixel TFTs are arranged in pixel regions. The leads going from the TFTs forming the peripheral driver circuit to the pixel TFTs are shortened. This results in a reduction in the resistance. As a result, the display characteristics are improved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2004
    Publication date: July 22, 2004
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd., a Japan corporation
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Jun Koyama, Yuji Kawasaki, Toshimitsu Konuma, Satoshi Teramoto, Yoshiharu Hirakata
  • Publication number: 20040135152
    Abstract: In a liquid crystal display device, gate lines and common lines are first concurrently formed, and after an interlayer film is formed, a pixel electrode, common electrodes, and source lines are formed at the same time. By this, a electrode pattern can be made simple and manufacturing steps are simplified. Further, wiring lines and electrode disposed in the layer closest to a liquid crystal layer are made the pixel electrode, common electrodes and source lines, and the shapes thereof are made simple.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2003
    Publication date: July 15, 2004
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd, a Japan Corporation
    Inventors: Hongyong Zhang, Yoshiharu Hirakata, Kenji Otsuka, Shunpei Yamazaki, Hideaki Kuwabara
  • Publication number: 20040135216
    Abstract: In the fabrication of semiconductor devices such as active matrix displays, the need to pattern resist masks in photolithography increases the number of steps in the fabrication process and the time required to complete them and consequently represents a substantial cost. This invention provides a method for forming an impurity region in a semiconductor layer 303 by doping an impurity element into the semiconductor layer self-aligningly using as a mask the upper layer (a second conducting film 306) of a gate electrode formed in two layers. The impurity element is doped into the semiconductor layer through the lower layer of the gate electrode (a first conducting film 305), and through a gate insulating film 304. By this means, an LDD region 313 of a GOLD structure is formed in the semiconductor layer 303.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2003
    Publication date: July 15, 2004
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co. Ltd., a Japan Corporation
    Inventors: Hideomi Suzawa, Koji Ono, Toru Takayama
  • Publication number: 20040135174
    Abstract: A practical operational amplifier circuit is formed using thin film transistors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 7, 2004
    Publication date: July 15, 2004
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd, a Japan corporation
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Jun Koyama, Hisashi Ohtani
  • Publication number: 20040135181
    Abstract: There is provided an electronic device in which the deterioration of the device is prevented and an aperture ratio is improved without using a black mask and without increasing the number of masks. In the electronic device, a first electrode (113) is disposed on another layer different from the layer on which a gate wiring (145) is disposed as a gate electrode, and a semiconductor layer of a pixel switching TFT is superimposed on the gate wiring (145) so as to be shielded from a light. Thus, the deterioration of the TFT is suppressed, and a high aperture ratio is realized.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2003
    Publication date: July 15, 2004
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd. a Japan corporation
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Jun Koyama, Kazutaka Inukai
  • Publication number: 20040125305
    Abstract: An electric field that is parallel with a TFT substrate is formed by a pair of electrodes formed on the TFT substrate. Liquid crystal molecules in a light modulating layer are caused to respond electro-optically to the electric field. The light modulating layer is constituted of a liquid crystal material, an optically active substance, and a dichroic dye. The spiral pitch p [&mgr;m] of the light modulating layer, the cell thickness d [&mgr;m], the twist angle n of liquid crystal molecules, and the interelectrode interval L [&mgr;m] are set in ranges of 1≦p≦15, 1≦d≦10, n≦300°, and L<25.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2003
    Publication date: July 1, 2004
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory, Co., Ltd., a Japan Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Nishi, Rumo Satake, Yoshiharu Hirakata
  • Publication number: 20040124419
    Abstract: Protrusions called ridges are formed on the surface of a crystalline semiconductor film formed by a laser crystallization method or the like. A heat absorbing layer are formed below a semiconductor film. When the semiconductor film is crystallized by laser, a temperature difference is produced between a semiconductor film 1010 positioned above a heat absorbing layer 1011 and a semiconductor film 1013 of the other region to produce a difference in thermal expansion at the boundary of the outside end 1015 of the heat absorbing layer. This difference produces a strain to form a surface wave. The surface wave starting at the outer periphery of the heat absorbing layer is formed in the vicinity of the heat absorbing layer. When the semiconductor layer is solidified after it is melted, the protrusions of the surface wave remain as protrusions after the semiconductor film is solidified.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2003
    Publication date: July 1, 2004
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd., a Japan corporation
    Inventors: Setsuo Nakajima, Ritsuko Kawasaki
  • Publication number: 20040127069
    Abstract: In forming various types of insulating films in manufacture of a semiconductor device, carbon is gasified into CHx, COH etc. during film formation by adding active hydrogen and nitrogen oxide to reduce the carbon content during the film formation, and the effect of blocking impurities such as alkali metals is improved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2003
    Publication date: July 1, 2004
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd. a Japan corporation
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Mitsunori Sakama, Takeshi Fukada
  • Publication number: 20040113150
    Abstract: In order to eliminate the disconnection of a pixel electrode caused by a change in shape of an interlayer insulating film at the ends of metal wiring, a resin film is formed at the ends of the metal wiring. Because of the resin film at the ends of the metal wiring, the step difference of the ends of the metal wiring is alleviated, and even if the interlayer insulating film is changed in shape, the ends of the metal wiring is prevented from peeling, whereby the disconnection of the pixel electrode can be prevented. Furthermore, the resin film flattens the surface of the interlayer insulating film, and prevents an alignment defect of liquid crystal molecules and a non-uniform electric field, thereby suppressing a minute defect of a light-emitting device caused by the roughness of the surface of the pixel electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2003
    Publication date: June 17, 2004
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory, Co., Ltd., a Japan corporation
    Inventors: Masayuki Sakakura, Satoshi Murakami, Hirokazu Yamagata
  • Publication number: 20040113548
    Abstract: The concentration of oxygen, which causes problems such as decreases in brightness and dark spots through degradation of electrode materials, is lowered in an organic light emitting element having a layer made from an organic compound between a cathode and an anode, and in a light emitting device structured using the organic light emitting element. The average concentration of impurities contained in a layer made from an organic compound used in order to form an organic light emitting element having layers such as a hole injecting layer, a hole transporting layer, a light emitting layer, an electron transporting layer, and an electron injecting layer, is reduced to 5×1019/cm2 or less, preferably equal to or less than 1×1019/cm2, by removing the impurities with the present invention. Formation apparatuses are structured as stated in the specification in order to reduce the impurities in the organic compounds forming the organic light emitting elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2003
    Publication date: June 17, 2004
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co. Ltd., a Japan corporation
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Yasuyuki Arai
  • Publication number: 20040108576
    Abstract: The TFT has a channel-forming region formed of a crystalline semiconductor film obtained by heat-treating and crystallizing an amorphous semiconductor film containing silicon as a main component and germanium in an amount of not smaller than 0.1 atomic % but not larger than 10 atomic % while adding a metal element thereto, wherein not smaller than 20% of the lattice plane {101} has an angle of not larger than 10 degrees with respect to the surface of the semiconductor film, not larger than 3% of the lattice plane {001} has an angle of not larger than 10 degrees with respect to the surface of the semiconductor film, and not larger than 5% of the lattice plane {111} has an angle of not larger than 10 degrees with respect to the surface of the semiconductor film as detected by the electron backscatter diffraction pattern method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2003
    Publication date: June 10, 2004
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory, Co., Ltd., a Japan corporation
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Toru Mitsuki, Kenji Kasahara, Taketomi Asami, Tamae Takano, Takeshi Shichi, Chiho Kokubo, Yasuyuki Arai
  • Publication number: 20040104435
    Abstract: There is disclosed a method of fabricating TFTs having reduced interconnect resistance by having improved contacts to source/drain regions. A silicide layer is formed in intimate contact with the source/drain regions. The remaining metallization layer is selectively etched to form a contact pad or conductive interconnects.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2003
    Publication date: June 3, 2004
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd., a Japan corporation
    Inventors: Hisashi Ohtani, Etsuko Fujimoto
  • Publication number: 20040100202
    Abstract: It is a problem to provide a light-emitting device capable of obtaining a constant brightness without being affected by deterioration in an organic light-emitting layer or temperature change, and of making desired color display. The lowering in OLED brightness due to deterioration is reduced by causing the OLED to emit light while keeping constant the current flowing through the OLED instead of causing the OLED to emit light while keeping constant the OLED drive voltage. Namely, OLED brightness is controlled not by voltage but by current thereby preventing against the change in OLED brightness due to deterioration of OLED. Specifically, the drain current Id of a transistor for supplying a current to the OLED is controlled in a signal line drive circuit thereby keeping constant the drain current Id without relying upon the value of a load resistance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2003
    Publication date: May 27, 2004
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd., a Japan corporation
    Inventor: Jun Koyama
  • Publication number: 20040084675
    Abstract: A wiring line to which a high-frequency signal is applied is electrically connected in parallel to an auxiliary wiring line via a plurality of contact holes. The contact holes are formed through an interlayer insulating film and arranged in vertical direction to the wiring line. Since the auxiliary wiring line is formed in the same layer as an electrode that constitutes a TFT, the electric resistance of the wiring line can be reduced effectively and waveform rounding of an applied high-frequency signal can be reduced without increasing the number of manufacturing steps.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2003
    Publication date: May 6, 2004
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd., a Japan corporation
    Inventors: Jun Koyama, Hisashi Ohtani, Yasushi Ogata, Shunpei Yamazaki
  • Publication number: 20040084699
    Abstract: For forming a gate electrode, a conductive film with low resistance including Al or a material containing Al as its main component and a conductive film with low contact resistance for preventing diffusion of Al into a semiconductor layer are laminated, and the gate electrode is fabricated by using an apparatus which is capable of performing etching treatment at high speed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2003
    Publication date: May 6, 2004
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd. a Japan corporation
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Hideomi Suzawa, Koji Ono, Yoshihiro Kusuyama
  • Publication number: 20040087069
    Abstract: In crystallizing an amorphous silicon film by illuminating it with linear pulse laser beams having a normal-distribution type beam profile or a similar beam profile, the linear pulse laser beams are applied in an overlapped manner. There can be obtained effects similar to those as obtained by a method in which the laser illumination power is gradually increased and then decreased in a step-like manner in plural scans.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2003
    Publication date: May 6, 2004
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd. a Japan Corporation
    Inventors: Naoto Kusumoto, Koichiro Tanaka