Patents by Inventor Hironobu Shoji

Hironobu Shoji 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).

  • Publication number: 20080026543
    Abstract: A method of forming a semiconductor device is provided, including a step of forming a layer which absorbs light over one face of a first substrate, a step of providing a second substrate over the layer which absorbs light, a step of providing a mask to oppose the other face of the first substrate, and a step of transferring the part of the layer which absorbs light to the second substrate by irradiating the layer which absorbs light with a laser beam through the mask.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2007
    Publication date: January 31, 2008
    Inventors: Hidekazu Miyairi, Hironobu Shoji, Akihisa Shimomura, Eiji Higa, Tomoaki Moriwaka, Shunpei Yamazaki
  • Publication number: 20070262318
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a display device having a TFT that can be operated at high speed while using a small number of photomasks and improving the utilization efficiency of materials, where the threshold value is difficult to be varied. In the invention, a catalytic element is applied to an amorphous semiconductor film and the amorphous semiconductor film is heated to form a crystalline semiconductor film. After removing the catalytic element from the crystalline semiconductor film, a top-gate type thin film transistor with a planar structure is manufactured. Moreover, by using the droplet discharging method where an element of a display device is formed selectively, the process can be simplified, and loss of materials can be reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2007
    Publication date: November 15, 2007
    Inventors: Hironobu Shoji, Shinji Maekawa, Kensuke Yoshizumi, Tatsuya Honda, Yukie Suzuki, Ikuko Kawamata, Shunpei Yamazaki
  • Publication number: 20070254456
    Abstract: A technique for peeling an element manufactured through a process at relatively low temperature (lower than 500° C.) from a substrate and transferring the element to a flexible substrate (typically, a plastic film). With the use of an existing manufacturing device for a large glass substrate, a molybdenum film (Mo film) is formed over a glass substrate, an oxide film is formed over the molybdenum film, and an element is formed over the oxide film through a process at relatively low temperature (lower than 500° C.). Then, the element is peeled from the glass substrate and transferred to a flexible substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2007
    Publication date: November 1, 2007
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Junya MARUYAMA, Yasuhiro JINBO, Hironobu SHOJI
  • Publication number: 20070170154
    Abstract: When the laser light having the harmonic is used for crystallizing the semiconductor film, there is a problem that the energy conversion efficiency from the fundamental wave to the harmonic is low. And since the laser light converted into the harmonic has lower energy than the fundamental wave, it is difficult to enhance the throughput by enlarging the area of the beam spot. The present invention provides a laser irradiation apparatus emitting the fundamental wave simultaneously with the wavelength not longer than that of the fundamental wave, typically the harmonic converted from the fundamental wave, wherein the laser light emitted from one resonator having the fundamental wave and the wavelength not longer than that of the fundamental wave are irradiated without being separated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2007
    Publication date: July 26, 2007
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Akihisa Shimomura, Hironobu Shoji
  • Patent number: 7247527
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing a crystalline semiconductor film comprising the steps of crystallizing with the use of the metal element for promoting the crystallization to control the orientation and irradiating the laser once to form a crystalline semiconductor film having a small crystal grain arranged in a grid pattern at a regular interval. In the present invention made in view of the above object, a ridge forms a grid pattern on a surface of the crystalline semiconductor film in such a way that a crystalline semiconductor film is formed by adding the metal element for promoting the crystallization to the amorphous semiconductor film and the pulsed laser whose polarization direction is controlled is irradiated thereto. As the means for controlling the polarization direction, a half-wave plate or a mirror is used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2007
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Akihisa Shimomura, Masaki Koyama, Hironobu Shoji
  • Patent number: 7247529
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a display device having a TFT that can be operated at high speed while using a small number of photomasks and improving the utilization efficiency of materials, where the threshold value is difficult to be varied. In the invention, a catalytic element is applied to an amorphous semiconductor film and the amorphous semiconductor film is heated to form a crystalline semiconductor film. After removing the catalytic element from the crystalline semiconductor film, a top-gate type thin film transistor with a planar structure is manufactured. Moreover, by using the droplet discharging method where an element of a display device is formed selectively, the process can be simplified, and loss of materials can be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2007
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hironobu Shoji, Shinji Maekawa, Kensuke Yoshizumi, Tatsuya Honda, Yukie Suzuki, Ikuko Kawamata, Shunpei Yamazaki
  • Publication number: 20070099440
    Abstract: [Object]It is an object of the present invention to provide a laser irradiation apparatus being able to crystallize the semiconductor film homogeneously while suppressing the variation of the crystallinity in the semiconductor film and the unevenness of the state of the surface thereof. It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device using the laser irradiation apparatus which can suppress the variation of on-current, mobility, and threshold of TFT, and to further provide a semiconductor device manufactured with the manufacturing method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2006
    Publication date: May 3, 2007
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Osamu Nakamura, Hironobu Shoji
  • Publication number: 20070093002
    Abstract: In the present circumstances, a film formation method of using spin coating in a manufacturing process is heavily used. As increasing the substrate size in future, the film formation method of using spin coating becomes at a disadvantage in mass production since a mechanism for rotating a large substrate becomes large, and there is many loss of material solution or waste liquid. According to the present invention, in a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, a microscopic wiring pattern can be realized by delivering selectively photosensitive conductive material solution by droplet discharging, exposing selectively to laser light or the like, and developing. The present invention can reduce drastically costs since a patterning process can be shortened and an amount of material in a process of forming a conductive pattern can be reduced. Accordingly, the present invention can be applied to manufacture a large substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2005
    Publication date: April 26, 2007
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinji Maekawa, Shunpei Yamazaki, Hironobu Shoji
  • Patent number: 7208395
    Abstract: When the laser light having the harmonic is used for crystallizing the semiconductor film, there is a problem that the energy conversion efficiency from the fundamental wave to the harmonic is low. And since the laser light converted into the harmonic has lower energy than the fundamental wave, it is difficult to enhance the throughput by enlarging the area of the beam spot. The present invention provides a laser irradiation apparatus emitting the fundamental wave simultaneously with the wavelength not longer than that of the fundamental wave, typically the harmonic converted from the fundamental wave, wherein the laser light emitted from one resonator having the fundamental wave and the wavelength not longer than that of the fundamental wave are irradiated without being separated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2007
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Akihisa Shimomura, Hironobu Shoji
  • Patent number: 7160762
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a laser irradiation apparatus being able to crystallize the semiconductor film homogeneously while suppressing the variation of the crystallinity in the semiconductor film and the unevenness of the state of the surface thereof. It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device using the laser irradiation apparatus which can suppress the variation of on-current, mobility, and threshold of TFT, and to further provide a semiconductor device manufactured with the manufacturing method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2007
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Osamu Nakamura, Hironobu Shoji
  • Publication number: 20060237397
    Abstract: According to the present invention, oxygen and nitrogen are effectively prevented from mixing into the semiconductor film by doping Ar or the like in the semiconductor film in advance, and by irradiating the laser light in the atmosphere of Ar or the like. Therefore, the variation of the impurity concentration due to the fluctuation of the energy density can be suppressed and the variation of the mobility of the semiconductor film can be also suppressed. Moreover, in TFT formed with the semiconductor film, the variation of the on-current in addition to the mobility can be also suppressed. Furthermore, in the present invention, the first laser light converted into the harmonic easily absorbed in the semiconductor film is irradiated to melt the semiconductor film and to increase the absorption coefficient of the fundamental wave.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2006
    Publication date: October 26, 2006
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Osamu Nakamura, Hironobu Shoji, Koichiro Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20060189047
    Abstract: [Object] The invention provides a method of fabricating a semiconductor device having an inversely staggered TFT capable of high-speed operation, which has few variations of the threshold. In addition, the invention provides a method of fabricating a semiconductor device with high throughput where the cost reduction is achieved with few materials.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2005
    Publication date: August 24, 2006
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Shinji Maekawa, Tatsuya Honda, Hironobu Shoji, Osamu Nakamura, Yukie Suzuki, Ikuko Kawamata
  • Patent number: 7067403
    Abstract: According to the present invention, oxygen and nitrogen are effectively prevented from mixing into the semiconductor film by doping Ar or the like in the semiconductor film in advance, and by irradiating the laser light in the atmosphere of Ar or the like. Therefore, the variation of the impurity concentration due to the fluctuation of the energy density can be suppressed and the variation of the mobility of the semiconductor film can be also suppressed. Moreover, in TFT formed with the semiconductor film, the variation of the on-current in addition to the mobility can be also suppressed. Furthermore, in the present invention, the first laser light converted into the harmonic easily absorbed in the semiconductor film is irradiated to melt the semiconductor film and to increase the absorption coefficient of the fundamental wave.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2006
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Osamu Nakamura, Hironobu Shoji, Koichiro Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20060134918
    Abstract: The manufacturing method of a substrate having a conductive layer has the steps of: forming an inorganic insulating layer over a substrate; forming an organic resin layer with a desired shape over the inorganic insulating layer, forming a low wettability layer with respect to a composition containing conductive particles on a first exposed portion of the inorganic insulating layer; removing the organic resin layer; and coating a second exposed portion of the inorganic insulating layer with a composition containing conductive particles and baking, thereby forming a conductive layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2005
    Publication date: June 22, 2006
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Gen Fujii, Masafumi Morisue, Hironobu Shoji, Junya Maruyama, Kouji Dairiki, Tomoyuki Aoki
  • Publication number: 20060046336
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a display device having a TFT that can be operated at high speed while using a small number of photomasks and improving the utilization efficiency of materials, where the threshold value is difficult to be varied. In the invention, a catalytic element is applied to an amorphous semiconductor film and the amorphous semiconductor film is heated to form a crystalline semiconductor film. After removing the catalytic element from the crystalline semiconductor film, a top-gate type thin film transistor with a planar structure is manufactured. Moreover, by using the droplet discharging method where an element of a display device is formed selectively, the process can be simplified, and loss of materials can be reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2005
    Publication date: March 2, 2006
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hironobu Shoji, Shinji Maekawa, Kensuke Yoshizumi, Tatsuya Honda, Yukie Suzuki, Ikuko Kawamata, Shunpei Yamazaki
  • Publication number: 20060027804
    Abstract: A manufacturing method of a display device having TFTs capable of high-speed operation with few variations of threshold voltage is provided, in which materials are used with high efficiency and a small number of photomasks is required.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2005
    Publication date: February 9, 2006
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Hironobu Shoji, Shinji Maekawa, Osamu Nakamura, Tatsuya Honda, Gen Fujii, Yukie Suzuki, Ikuko Kawamata
  • Publication number: 20050277236
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to control the position in crystal lateral growth of a semiconductor film without making a system cumbersome and complicated. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention includes the step of forming a semiconductor film over an insulating substrate, forming a reflective film comprising an insulating film on the semiconductor film, exposing a portion of the semiconductor film by patterning of the reflective film, and crystallizing the exposed semiconductor film by irradiating the exposed semiconductor film with laser light while using the patterned reflective film as a mask. In the above-described method according to the present invention, the reflective film has a structure in which an insulating film that has a higher refractive index and an insulating film that has a lower refractive index are stacked alternately.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2005
    Publication date: December 15, 2005
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Akihisa Shimomura, Hironobu Shoji
  • Publication number: 20050164423
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a method for manufacturing a display device comprising the steps of forming a first film pattern using a photosensitive material over a substrate, forming a second film pattern in such a way that the first film pattern is exposed by being irradiated with a laser beam, modifying a surface of the second film pattern into a droplet-shedding surface, forming a source electrode and a drain electrode by discharging a conductive material to an outer edge of the droplet-shedding surface by a droplet-discharging method, and forming a semiconductor region, a gate-insulating film, and a gate electrode over the source electrode and the drain electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2005
    Publication date: July 28, 2005
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinji Maekawa, Shunpei Yamazaki, Hironobu Shoji
  • Publication number: 20050026401
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing a crystalline semiconductor film comprising the steps of crystallizing with the use of the metal element for promoting the crystallization to control the orientation and irradiating the laser once to form a crystalline semiconductor film having a small crystal grain arranged in a grid pattern at a regular interval. In the present invention made in view of the above object, a ridge forms a grid pattern on a surface of the crystalline semiconductor film in such a way that a crystalline semiconductor film is formed by adding the metal element for promoting the crystallization to the amorphous semiconductor film and the pulsed laser whose polarization direction is controlled is irradiated thereto. As the means for controlling the polarization direction, a half-wave plate or a mirror is used.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2004
    Publication date: February 3, 2005
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Akihisa Shimomura, Masaki Koyama, Hironobu Shoji
  • Publication number: 20050023531
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a crystallizing method that can control the orientation with the use of the metal element for promoting the crystallization, wherein the pulsed laser is irradiated once to the crystalline semiconductor film with the orientation aligned to form a crystalline semiconductor film having small crystal grains formed in a grid pattern at regular intervals in which the orientation is aligned in adjacent crystal grains. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing the crystalline semiconductor film. In view of the above object, the present invention provides a crystalline semiconductor film having the crystal grains formed in a grid pattern in which the orientation is aligned in adjacent crystal grains and also provides a thin film transistor having the crystalline semiconductor film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2004
    Publication date: February 3, 2005
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hironobu Shoji, Akihisa Shimomura, Masaki Koyama