Patents by Inventor Fumiaki Funada

Fumiaki Funada 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: 6211535
    Abstract: Method of forming an active layer for TFTs without plasma-damaging the side surfaces of the active layer. The method is started with forming a crystalline silicon film on a glass substrate. A resist mask is placed on the silicon film. The silicon film is etched with an etchant gas consisting mainly of a halogen fluoride gas, thus forming the active layer. During this process, the etchant gas is not changed into a plasma to prevent the side surfaces of the active layer from being plasma-damaged. ClF3 can be used as the halogen fluoride gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2001
    Assignees: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd., Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Yamamoto, Hideomi Suzawa, Katunobu Awane, Fumiaki Funada, Shunpei Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 6050827
    Abstract: A thin film transistor where source and drain electrodes are film laminates including at least two layers. A first layer film of the laminate, which is formed to a thickness of 10 to 700 .ANG. is in ohmic contact with underlying semiconductor film. A second layer film, formed on the first layer film has a thickness of more than about 2000 .ANG. and is a material having a sufficient adhesion strength even when formed at a temperature which is less than the temperature corresponding to the materials vapor pressure. Further, the materials used for the source and drain electrodes can be formed into thin films by ordinary sputtering or vacuum deposition techniques, low in cost, and readily available.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 1993
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2000
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaishi
    Inventors: Sadatoshi Takechi, Tadanori Hishida, Fumiaki Funada
  • Patent number: 5815226
    Abstract: An active matrix liquid crystal display having a high aperture ratio is provided. Retaining capacitors are created between a black matrix and pixel electrodes via a dielectric layer made from an organic resinous material or inorganic material. Those regions of the black matrix which cover TFTs are fully utilized. Therefore, wider area can be used to display an image than heretofore. In the present invention, the difference in relative dielectric constant between different dielectric layers is employed. Therefore, retaining capacitors can be created without the need to take account of parasitic capacitance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 29, 1998
    Assignees: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd., Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Jun Koyama, Naoaki Yamaguchi, Katunobu Awane, Fumiaki Funada, Yoshitaka Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 5715022
    Abstract: An image display apparatus is disclosed which includes: an optical system including a light source and at least one projection lens; a display means for forming a display image, the display means including a non-luminescent display panel and a microlens array disposed on the light-incidence side of the display panel; and at least one projection lens for projecting the display image; wherein the display panel and the microlens array are combined with each other by means of an adhesive made of a transparent material. In cases where the microlens array is provided with color filters which are arranged so as to correspond to the microlenses of this array, the image display apparatus can provide a bright display of color images with an improved contrast. Moreover, when the display panel and the microlens array are combined with each other by means of an adhesive containing spacers, the image display apparatus has a high thermal reliability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 1994
    Date of Patent: February 3, 1998
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiaki Takamatsu, Shinichi Ogawa, Masao Yoshikawa, Hiroshi Hamada, Noriko Watanabe, Fumiaki Funada
  • Patent number: 5696388
    Abstract: In an active matrix type liquid-crystal display device, in a peripheral circuit portion, there is arranged a TFT having a high mobility and capable of allowing a large amount of on-state current to flow. In a pixel portion, there is arranged a TFT having a small off-state current. These TFTs having different characteristics are constituted by using crystalline silicon film whose crystal has grown in a direction parallel with a substrate. That is, an angle formed between a crystal growing direction and a carrier moving direction are made different from each other, thereby to control a resistance imposed on the carriers when moving to determine the characteristics of the TFT. For example, when the crystal growing direction coincides with the carrier moving direction, high mobility can be given to the carriers. Further, when the crystal growing direction is arranged perpendicular to the carrier moving direction, the off-state current can be lowered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 9, 1997
    Assignees: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd., Sharp Corporation
    Inventors: Fumiaki Funada, Tatsuo Morita, Hirohisa Tanaka, Hongyong Zhang, Toru Takayama
  • Patent number: 5680186
    Abstract: Disclosed is a liquid crystal display device which comprises first and second transparent substrates disposed one above the other, and a liquid crystal layer disposed therebetween and having pixels. The second transparent substrate includes a microlens array therein, which has microlenses for converging light on the respective pixels. The microlenses are so positioned that their focal points are located in the vicinity of the inner surface of the second transparent substrate, which is the surface on the side provided with the liquid crystal layer. Since the microlens array is included in one of the two transparent substrates, the focal length of each microlens can be made shorter, resulting in an improved effective aperture ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 21, 1997
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Noriko Watanabe, Hiroshi Hamada, Fumiaki Funada
  • Patent number: 5614426
    Abstract: In an active matrix type liquid-crystal display device, in a peripheral circuit portion, there is arranged a TFT having a high mobility and capable of allowing a large amount of on-state current to flow. In a pixel portion, there is arranged a TFT having a small off-state current. These TFTs having different characteristics are constituted by using crystalline silicon film whose crystal has grown in a direction parallel with a substrate. That is, an angle formed between a crystal growing direction and a carrier moving direction are made different from each other, thereby to control a resistance imposed on the carriers when moving to determine the characteristics of the TFT. For example, when the crystal growing direction coincides with the carrier moving direction, high mobility can be given to the carriers. Further, when the crystal growing direction is arranged perpendicular to the carrier moving direction, the off-state current can be lowered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 25, 1997
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Fumiaki Funada, Tatsuo Morita, Hirohisa Tanaka, Hongyong Zhang, Toru Takayama
  • Patent number: 5554251
    Abstract: A light source device emits light for positional alignment and light for adhesion toward the optical devices. A position detecting device receives the light for positional alignment from the optical devices and optically detects a positional displacement of the optical devices. A positional alignment mechanism moves the optical devices with respect to each other in accordance with a detecting result of the position detecting device, thereby positionally aligning the optical devices. After the optical devices are positionally aligned, the light for adhesion is radiated to a photo-curing adhesive resin interposed between the optical devices, thereby adhering the optical devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 10, 1996
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Noriko Watanabe, Hiroshi Nakanishi, Kazuhiro Shibata, Hiroshi Hamada, Fumiaki Funada
  • Patent number: 5507975
    Abstract: A ferroelectric liquid crystal device having a pair of substrates each provided with voltage applying means, an orientation control layer formed on at least one of the substrates, and a layer of ferroelectric liquid crystal composition disposed between the pair of substrates, the ferroelectric liquid crystal composition comprising at least one compound (a) having an optically active group of the formula (I): ##STR1## at least one compound (b) which is reverse to the compound (a) in the direction of a helical pitch induced in a nematic phase and at least one liquid crystal compound (c) exhibiting a smectic C phase, the liquid crystal composition exhibiting at least a smectic C phase, smectic A phase and nematic phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 16, 1996
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Mitsuhiro Koden, Tomoaki Kuratate, Fumiaki Funada, Kazuhiko Sakaguchi, Yutaka Shiomi, Tohru Kitamura
  • Patent number: 5506705
    Abstract: The goggle type display apparatus of this invention comprises a first image generating unit for providing an image for the left eye and a second image generating unit for providing an image for the right eye, each of the first image generating unit and the second image generating unit comprising: a polarization beam splitter for polarizing light emitted from a light source; and a reflection type display device including a substrate, a switching circuit formed on the substrate, a display medium for modulating the light polarized by the polarization beam splitter to provide the light with image information, and an electrode layer electrically connected to the switching circuit for applying a voltage to the display medium, the electrode layer reflecting the light incident thereto after passing through the display medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 9, 1996
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Yamamoto, Yutaka Ishii, Fumiaki Funada
  • Patent number: 5477352
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device comprising: a first substrate having a signal electrode and a scanning electrode insulated from each other through an insulating layer, said first substrate being further provided with a switching transistor and a pixel electrode both in association with an intersection of said signal electrode and said scanning electrode; a liquid crystal layer containing a liquid crystal material of a positive dielectric anisotropy dispersed or impregnated in a transparent fluoro-type polymer of a fluoroalkyl acrylate or metacrylate or its copolymer with an alkyl acrylate or metacrylate; and a second substrate having a counter electrode to be placed at least opposite to said pixel electrode, said first and second substrate being disposed as opposed to each other so as to sandwich said liquid crystal layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 19, 1995
    Assignee: Sharp Kaushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Hirai, Shuichi Kozaki, Fumiaki Funada
  • Patent number: 5431850
    Abstract: The invention relates to a nematic liquid-crystal composition for active matrix displays with high voltage holding ratio and extremely good low temperature stability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 11, 1995
    Assignees: Merck Patent Gensellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Sharp Corporation
    Inventors: Masako Nakamura, Kei Sasaki, Shuichi Kohzaki, Fumiaki Funada, Hiroshi Numata, Hideo Ichinose, Herbert Plach, Eike Poetsch
  • Patent number: 5381187
    Abstract: An image display apparatus is disclosed which includes: an optical system including a light source and at least one projection lens; a display means for forming a display image, the display means including a non-luminescent display panel and a microlens array disposed on the light-incidence side of the display panel; and at least one projection lens for projecting the display image; wherein the display panel and the microlens array are combined with each other by means of an adhesive made of a transparent material. In cases where the microlens array is provided with color filters which are arranged so as to correspond to the microlenses of this array, the image display apparatus can provide a bright display of color images with an improved contrast. Moreover, when the display panel and the microlens array are combined with each other by means of an adhesive containing spacers, the image display apparatus has a high thermal reliability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 1992
    Date of Patent: January 10, 1995
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiaki Takamatsu, Shinichi Ogawa, Masao Yoshikawa, Hiroshi Hamada, Noriko Watanabe, Fumiaki Funada
  • Patent number: 5374373
    Abstract: A ferroelectric liquid crystal device having a pair of substrates each provided with voltage application means, an orientation control layer formed on at least one of the substrates, and a layer of ferroelectric liquid crystal composition formed between the pair of substrates, the device being characterized in that the ferroelectric liquid crystal composition comprises at least one compound (a) having an optically active group of the formula (I): ##STR1## and at least one compound (b) which is reverse to the compound (a) in the direction of a helical pitch induced in a nematic phase, the liquid crystal composition exhibiting at least a smectic C phase, smectic A phase and nematic phase at least 20 .mu.m in helical pitch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 20, 1994
    Assignees: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha, Daiso Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mitsuhiro Koden, Tomoaki Kuratate, Fumiaki Funada, Kazuhiko Sakaguchi, Yoshikazu Takehira, Yutaka Shiomi, Tohru Kitamura
  • Patent number: 5359440
    Abstract: An image display apparatus includes a display panel unit having a plurality of pixels, and a flat-plate microlens array of a refraction index distribution type. The microlens array is constituted by forming a plurality of microlenses for converging illuminating light onto the respective ones of the pixels, in a substrate by a diffusion process. In the diffusion process, diffusion fronts of the neighboring microlenses of the flat-plate microlens array are fused into each other so as to form one continuous curved surface within the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 1993
    Date of Patent: October 25, 1994
    Assignees: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha, Nippon Sheet Glass Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Hamada, Fumiaki Funada, Kenjiro Hamanaka, Kouji Tanaka
  • Patent number: 5337186
    Abstract: A projection-type image display device includes a transmissive image display panel having a matrix of pixels arranged at different pitches in different directions perpendicular to each other, and a planar microlens array for converging light emitted by a light source onto the transmissive image display panel. The planar microlens array comprises a substrate and a matrix of microlenses disposed on the substrate for converging the light onto the pixels, respectively, each of the microlenses being of an oblong shape. Each of the microlenses may have a longitudinal axis inclined with respect to an axis of the matrix of pixels to cover the pixel aperture of one of the pixels. The oblong shape of each of the microlenses may be composed of a pair of spaced identical semicircles and a rectangle interconnecting the identical semicircles and having sides of the same length as the diameter of the semicircles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 9, 1994
    Assignees: Nippon Sheet Glass, Inc., Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masahiro Oikawa, Hiroyuki Nemoto, Kenjiro Hamanaka, Takashi Kishimoto, Fumiaki Funada, Hiroshi Hamada, Takashi Shibatani
  • Patent number: 5330679
    Abstract: The invention relates to a nematic liquid-crystal composition for active matrix displays with high voltage holding ratio and extremely good low temperature stability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 1992
    Date of Patent: July 19, 1994
    Assignees: Merck Patent Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Sharp Corporation
    Inventors: Kei Sasaki, Masako Okada, Shuichi Kohzaki, Fumiaki Funada, Bernhard Rieger, Hiroshi Numata, Reinhard Hittich, Herbert Plach, Thomas Geelhaar, Eike Poetsch, Volker Reiffenrath
  • Patent number: 5308543
    Abstract: The invention relates to a nematic liquid-crystal composition for active matrix displays with high voltage holding ratio and extremely good low temperature stability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 1992
    Date of Patent: May 3, 1994
    Assignees: Merck Patent Gesellschaft mit besrankter Haftung, Sharp Corporation
    Inventors: Kei Sasaki, Masako Okada, Shuichi Kohzaki, Fumiaki Funada, Bernhard Rieger, Hiroshi Numata, Reinhard Hittich, Herbert Plach, Thomas Geelhaar, Eike Poetsch, Volker Reiffenrath
  • Patent number: 5286408
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a polymer dispersion-type liquid crystal display device having a high holding rate, a superior display quality and a high reliability; the liquid crystal display device according to the present invention composed of (i) a display electrode substrate, (ii) a counter electrode substrate and (iii) a liquid crystal layer interposed between said display electrode substrate and said counter electrode substrate, in which liquid crystals having a positive anisotropy in dielectric constant are dispersed in a transparent polymer; the transparent polymer is a photo cation polymerization setting-type transparent polymer and the liquid crystals are fluorine-containing aryl compounds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 1991
    Date of Patent: February 15, 1994
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shohei Naemura, Eike Poetsch, Ulrich Finkienzeller, Toshiyuki Hirai, Shuichi Kouzaki, Fumiaki Funada
  • Patent number: 5279763
    Abstract: A nematic liquid-crystal composition for active matrix displays has a high voltage holding ratio and extremely good low temperature stability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 18, 1994
    Assignees: Merck Patent Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Sharp Corporation
    Inventors: Kei Sasaki, Masako Okada, Shuichi Kohzaki, Fumiaki Funada, Hiroshi Numata, Shohei Naemura, Bernhard Rieger, Herbert Plach