Abstract: A number of minuscule LDD thin film transistors with high precision are arranged on a substrate for use in a liquid crystal display apparatus or other similar devices. The gate electrode is used as a mask at the time of injecting impurities into the semiconductor layer. To realize an LDD structure, the impurities are injected in two installments. The size of the gate electrode is changed in accordance with the length of the LDD regions between the first and second injections. The size of the gate electrode is changed by means of metal oxidation or dry etching. For precision dry etching of the gate electrode, various ideas are put into forming the photo resist.

Abstract: An organic EL display panel includes a substrate, pixel electrodes, a common electrode, signal lines, power supply lines, thin-film transistors, scan lines, organic EL elements and storage capacitors. To obtain a full color image by light emissions of the organic EL elements, red, green and blue emitters are patterned correspondently with the pixel electrodes and arranged in this order along the gate line direction. The emitters are patterned such that each pair of the red, green and blue emitters which are adjacent to each other along the gate line direction overlap each other to define a light-emitting layer overlap region, where colors of light components which exit the organic EL elements and pass through the emitters are mixed, between the adjacent organic EL elements arranged along the gate line direction. At least one of the thin-film transistor and the storage capacitor is arranged in the light-emitting layer overlap region.

Abstract: A unit pixel (10) includes a plurality of current controlling elements (Tr2a–Tr2d) having controlling terminal and connected to a single EL element (11), and switching elements (Tr1a–Tr1d) provided to the respective current controlling elements in order to switch between application and cutoff of a digital image signal with respect to the controlling terminals in accordance with the condition of a scanning signal. Each of the current controlling elements is controlled by a voltage of the digital image signal so as to take an OFF state for cutting off a supply of a driving current to the EL element or an ON state for supplying the EL element with a driving current corresponding to the voltage of the digital image signal, and a value of the current flowing in the EL element is the sum value of currents supplied from the respective current controlling elements in the ON state.

Abstract: In a large-sized substrate for use in liquid crystal display devices, microcracks in a gate insulating film are prevented from being generated, whereby warpage of the substrate is suppressed. In order to solve the problems, in thin film transistors arrayed on a glass substrate, the gate insulating film is made thicker only in the portion that is directly under a gate line layer.

Abstract: A semiconductor device provided with a thin-film transistor comprising a polycrystalline semiconductor thin film (2) formed on an insulating substrate (100). The semiconductor device comprises a channel region (80), a source region (91), and a drain region (92), each disposed on both sides of the channel region (80) in the semiconductor thin film (100). The channel region (90) comprises both a first conductive impurity and a second conductive impurity, the conductive type of the second conductive impurity being opposite the conductive type of the first conductive impurity, and is structured by layering a first layer in which the first conductive impurity and the second conductive impurity are canceled and a second layer in which either of the first conductive impurity or the second conductive impurity is dominant, wherein a gate electrode (4) is formed so as to face the first layer (2a) via an insulating film (3).

Abstract: An organic EL display panel includes a substrate, pixel electrodes, a common electrode, signal lines, power supply lines, thin-film transistors, scan lines, organic EL elements and storage capacitors. To obtain a full color image by light emissions of the organic EL elements, red, green and blue emitters are patterned correspondently with the pixel electrodes and arranged in this order along the gate line direction. The emitters are patterned such that each pair of the red, green and blue emitters which are adjacent to each other along the gate line direction overlap each other to define a light-emitting layer overlap region, where colors of light components which exit the organic EL elements and pass through the emitters are mixed, between the adjacent organic EL elements arranged along the gate line direction. At least one of the thin-film transistor and the storage capacitor is arranged in the light-emitting layer overlap region.

Abstract: A number of minuscule LDD thin film transistors with high precision are arranged on a substrate for use in a liquid crystal display apparatus or other similar devices. The gate electrode is used as a mask at the time of injecting impurities into the semiconductor layer. To realize an LDD structure, the impurities are injected in two installments. The size of the gate electrode is changed in accordance with the length of the LDD regions between the first and second injections. The size of the gate electrode is changed by means of metal oxidation or dry etching. For precision dry etching of the gate electrode, various ideas are put into forming the photo resist.

Abstract: In a polycrystalline silicon thin film transistor, a semiconductor device having a high field effect mobility is achieved by increasing a grain size of a silicon thin film. First, an insulation layer having a two-layer structure is formed on a transparent insulated substrate 201. In the insulation layer, a lower insulation layer 202, which is in contact with the transparent insulating substrate 201, is made to have a higher thermal conductivity than an upper insulation layer 203. Thereafter, the upper insulation layer 203is patterned so that a plurality of stripes are formed thereon. Subsequently, an amorphous silicon thin film 204 is formed on the patterned insulation layer, and the insulation layer is irradiated with a laser light scanning in a direction parallel to the stripe pattern on the upper insulation layer 203. Thus, the amorphous silicon thin film 203 is formed into a polycrystalline silicon thin film 210.

Abstract: A unit pixel (10) includes a plurality of current controlling elements (Tr2a-Tr2d) having controlling terminal and connected to a single EL element (11), and switching elements (Tr1a-Tr1d) provided to the respective current controlling elements in order to switch between application and cutoff of a digital image signal with respect to the controlling terminals in accordance with the condition of a scanning signal. Each of the current controlling elements is controlled by a voltage of the digital image signal so as to take an OFF state for cutting off a supply of a driving current to the EL element or an ON state for supplying the EL element with a driving current corresponding to the voltage of the digital image signal, and a value of the current flowing in the EL element is the sum value of currents supplied from the respective current controlling elements in the ON state.

Abstract: In a polycrystalline silicon thin film transistor, a semiconductor device having a high field effect mobility is achieved by increasing a grain size of a silicon thin film. First, an insulation layer having a two-layer structure is formed on a transparent insulated substrate 201. In the insulation layer, a lower insulation layer 202, which is in contact with the transparent insulating substrate 201, is made to have a higher thermal conductivity than an upper insulation layer 203. Thereafter, the upper insulation layer 203 is patterned so that a plurality of stripes are formed thereon. Subsequently, an amorphous silicon thin film 204 is formed on the patterned insulation layer, and the insulation layer is irradiated with a laser light scanning in a direction parallel to the stripe pattern on the upper insulation layer 203. Thus, the amorphous silicon thin film 203 is formed into a polycrystalline silicon thin film 210.

Abstract: In a polycrystalline silicon thin film transistor, a semiconductor device having a high field effect mobility is achieved by increasing a grain size of a silicon thin film. First, an insulation layer having a two-layer structure is formed on a transparent insulated substrate 201. In the insulation layer, a lower insulation layer 202, which is in contact with the transparent insulating substrate 201, is made to have a higher thermal conductivity than an upper insulation layer 203. Thereafter, the upper insulation layer 203. is patterned so that a plurality of stripes are formed thereon. Subsequently, an amorphous silicon thin film 204 is formed on the patterned insulation layer, and the insulation layer is irradiated with a laser light scanning in a direction parallel to the stripe pattern on the upper insulation layer 203. Thus, the amorphous silicon thin film 203 is formed into a polycrystalline silicon thin film 210.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is, by eliminating a driver IC from the components of an liquid crystal display, to achieve a cost reduction, to eliminate a manufacturing step of mounting the driver IC onto an array substrate, and to reduce a thickness of the liquid crystal display. A driver circuit for an active matrix liquid crystal display comprises a resistive dividing type digital-to-analog converter circuit (DAC). An analog output voltage from the DAC is amplified by a signal amplifier element, and a liquid crystal element is driven by the amplified analog output voltage. The driver circuit is characterized in that a resistance element R is formed in an n+ layer of p-Si on an array substrate of the liquid crystal display, and a switching element Tr and a signal amplifier element are also formed on the array substrate.

Abstract: A thin film semiconductor device includes: a substrate having an insulating surface; a semiconductor layer containing silicon and germanium formed on the substrate; a gate insulating film formed on the semiconductor layer; and a gate electrode formed on the gate insulating film, wherein the gate insulating film includes a thermal oxide film formed by thermally oxidizing a surface of the semiconductor layer.

Abstract: A thin film semiconductor device includes: a substrate having an insulating surface; a semiconductor layer containing silicon and germanium formed on the substrate; a gate insulating film formed on the semiconductor layer; and a gate electrode formed on the gate insulating film, wherein the gate insulating film includes a thermal oxide film formed by thermally oxidizing a surface of the semiconductor layer.

Abstract: A method for forming a polycrystalline semiconductor thin film according to the present invention includes the steps of: forming a semiconductor thin film partially containing microcrystals serving as crystal nuclei for polycrystallization on an insulating substrate; and polycrystallizing the semiconductor thin film by laser annealing.

Abstract: A method for fabricating an active matrix substrate for forming constituent elements such as a semiconductor layer, a passivation layer, an electrode material and other elements, uses a photoresist exposed from the reverse side of the substrate, using the gate electrode pattern made of opaque material on a transparent substrate as the mask. This method contributes to lowering the cost and improving the performance of semiconductor devices.

Abstract: An active matrix substrate includes a transparent substrate, pairs each having an n-type thin-film transistor and a p-type thin-film transistor formed on the transparent substrate, gate bus lines and source bus lines connected to the n-type and p-type transistors for controlling the n-type and p-type transistors, and pixel-corresponding electrodes controlled by the transistor pairs respectively. Drains of an n-type transistor and a p-type transistor in each of the pairs are connected to each other via a related pixel corresponding electrode. First pulses are applied to gates of the n-type transistors. Second pulses are applied to gates of the p-type transistors. There is provided a difference in phase between the first pulses and the second pulses.

Abstract: A spatial light modulator and a neural network circuit are disclosed. The modulator is used in pattern recognition and has an arrangement in which a photoconductive layer held between conductive electrodes is connected in series to a liquid crystal cell including a liquid crystal layer held between two opposite electrodes. Setting the rate between the area of the photoconductive layer and the area of at least one of the opposite electrodes between which the liquid crystal layer is disposed, provides a highly efficient reflective and transmissive spatial light modulator of a simple structure. Both reflective and transmissive spatial light modulating elements are applied to a neurocomputer or the like.