Abstract: An electronic device having a long life and high quality pixel unit, said electronic device comprising a plurality of active elements, an insulator layer which covers the plurality of active elements, and a pixel region having placed thereon a plurality of pixel electrodes and being formed on the insulator layer, wherein, the insulator layer comprises a groove portion having an opening which is superposed on the interstice between the neighboring pixel electrodes, and said groove portion comprises an insulating light absorber buried therein.

Abstract: A method of fabricating silicon TFTs (thin-film transistors) is disclosed. The method comprises a crystallization step by laser irradiation effected after the completion of the device structure. First, amorphous silicon TFTs are fabricated. In each of the TFTs, the channel formation region, the source and drain regions are exposed to laser radiation illuminated from above or below the substrate. Then, the laser radiation is illuminated to crystallize and activate the channel formation region, and source and drain regions. After the completion of the device structure, various electrical characteristics of the TFTs are controlled. Also, the amorphous TFTs can be changed into polysilicon TFTs.

Abstract: A process for laser processing an article, which comprises: heating the intended article to be doped with an impurity to a temperature not higher than the melting point thereof, said article being made from a material selected from a semiconductor, a metal, an insulator, and a combination thereof; and irradiating a laser beam to the article in a reactive gas atmosphere containing said impurity, thereby allowing the impurity to physically or chemically diffuse into, combine with, or intrude into said article.

Abstract: A method for forming a semiconductor device is disclosed. The method comprises the step of irradiating a laser light to a surface of a semiconductor through a mask provided on said surface in an atmosphere comprising an impurity of one conductivity type to diffuse said impurity into a region of said semiconductor.

Abstract: A process for fabricating thin film transistors is disclosed, which comprises a two-step laser annealing process as follows: crystallizing the channel portion by irradiating the channel portion with an irradiation beam; and modifying the electric properties of the source and the drain by irradiating the source and the drain with an irradiation beam in a step independent to the first step of crystallizing the channel portion.

Abstract: There is provided a method for eliminating influence of nickel element from a crystal silicon film obtained by utilizing nickel. A mask made of a silicon oxide film is formed on an amorphous silicon film. Then, the nickel element is held selectively on the surface of the amorphous silicon film by utilizing the mask. Next, a heat treatment is implemented to grow crystal. This crystal growth occurs with the diffusion of the nickel element. Next, phosphorus is doped to a region by using the mask. Then, another heat treatment is implemented to remove the nickel element from the pattern under the mask through the course reverse to the previous course in diffusing the nickel element in growing crystal. Then, the silicon film is patterned by utilizing the mask again to form a pattern. Thus, the pattern of the active layer which has high crystallinity and from which the influence of the nickel element is removed may be obtained without increasing masks in particular (i.e. without complicating the process).

Abstract: A semiconductor device is disclosed. The semiconductor device has a crystalline silicon film as an active layer region. The crystalline silicon film has needle-like or columnar crystals oriented parallel to the substrate and having a crystal growth direction of (111) axis. A method for preparing the semiconductor device comprises steps of adding a catalytic element to an amorphous silicon film; and heating the amorphous silicon film containing the catalytic element at a low temperature to crystallize the silicon film.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a display part divided into blocks, a gate driver which sequentially drives scan lines arranged in the display part one by one, and a data driver which supplies, via common signal lines, display signals to pixels connected to one of the scan lines driven by the gate driver and located in one of the blocks which are sequentially selected in accordance with a block control signal.

Abstract: A linear laser light which has an energy and is to be scanned is irradiated to a semiconductor device formed on a substrate, and then the substrate is rotated to irradiate to the semiconductor device a linear laser light which has a higher energy than that of the irradiated linear laser light and is to be scanned. Also, in a semiconductor device having an analog circuit region and a remaining circuit region wherein the analog circuit region is smaller than the remaining circuit region, a linear laser light having an irradiation area is irradiated to the analog circuit region without moving the irradiation area so as not to overlap the laser lights by scanning. On the other hand, the linear laser light to be scanned is irradiated to the remaining circuit region.

Abstract: In the fabrication of a CMOS-TFT, non-selectively doping (for both of p- and n-type TFTS) and selectively doping (only for the n-type TFT) with p-type impurities (B: boron) are successively performed at very low concentrations to control the threshold voltages (Vthp and Vthn). More specifically, the Id-Vg characteristics of the p- and n-type TFTs are initially negatively shifted. In this state, non-selectively doping is performed positively to shift the p- and n-type TFTs first to adjust the Vthp to a specified value. Selectively doping is then performed/positively to shift only the n-type TFT to adjust the Vthn to a specified value. The threshold voltages of the p- and n-type TFTs constructing the CMOS-TFT can be independently and efficiently (with minimum photolithography) controlled with high accuracy.

Abstract: Method of fabricating TFTs starts with forming a nickel film selectively on a bottom layer which is formed on a substrate. An amorphous silicon film is formed on the nickel film and heated to crystallize it. The crystallized film is irradiated with infrared light to anneal it. Thus, a crystalline silicon film having excellent crystallinity is obtained. TFTs are built, using this crystalline silicon film.

Abstract: In producing a semiconductor device such as a thin film transistor (TFT), a silicon semiconductor film is formed on a substrate having an insulating surface, such as a glass substrate, and then a silicon nitride film is formed on the silicon semiconductor film. After that, a hydrogen ion, fluorine ion, or chlorine ion is introduced into the silicon semiconductor film through the silicon nitride film, and then the silicon semiconductor film into which an ion is introduced is heated in an atmosphere containing hydrogen, fluorine, chlorine or these mixture, to neutralize dangling bonds in the silicon semiconductor film and reduce levels in the silicon semiconductor film.

Abstract: An insulated gate semiconductor device comprising an insulator substrate having provided thereon a source and a drain region; a channel region being incorporated between said source and said drain regions, said channel region comprising a polycrystalline, a single crystal, or a semi-amorphous semiconductor material; and a region provided under said channel region, said region comprising an amorphous material containing the same material as that of the channel region as the principal component, or said region comprising a material having a band gap larger than said channel region. A process for fabricating the device is also disclosed.

Abstract: A method of forming an oxide film and a method of manufacturing an electronic device utilizing the oxide film is disclosed. A silicon oxide film is formed on a substrate by sputtering. Therefore, the film formation is carried out at a low temperature. The sputtering atmosphere comprises an oxidizing gas and an inert gas such as argon. In order to prevent fixed electric charges from being generated in the film and to obtain an oxide film of good properties, the proportion of argon is adjusted to 20% or less. Alternatively, a gas including halogen elements such as fluorine is added to the above sputtering atmosphere at a proportion less than 20%. Hereupon, alkali ions and dangling bonds of silicon in the oxide film are neutralized by the halogen elements, whereby a fine oxide film is obtained.

Abstract: In a cleaning method and a cleaning apparatus of a silicon substrate, after wet cleaning or etching of the substrate having a silicon surface is carried out, and during or after a pure water rinse of the substrate, an oxide film with a thickness of 10 to 30 Å is formed on the silicon surface by rinsing the substrate by pure water added with an oxidizer, and then the substrate is dried. Since drying is carried out after the oxide film is formed on the silicon surface, the occurrence of a water mark can be prevented.

Abstract: A gate-insulated thin film transistor is disclosed. One improvement is that the thin film transistor is formed on a substrate through a blocking layer in between so that it is possible to prevent the transistor from being contaminated with impurities such as alkali ions which exist in the substrate. Also, a halogen is added to either or both of the blocking lay r and a gate insulator of the transistor in order that impurities such as alkaline ions, dangling bonds and the like can b neutralized, therefore, the reliability of the device is improved.

Abstract: In an annealing process of illuminating a semiconductor thin film with laser light, in the case where the laser illumination is performed at an energy level that is lower than an output energy range that allows a laser apparatus to operate most stably, the laser output is fixed somewhere in the above output energy range and the illumination energy is changed by inserting or removing a light attenuation filter into or from the laser illumination optical path. As a result, the time required for the laser processing can be shortened.

Abstract: A display panel drive circuit and a display panel are provided which are simple in structure but free from initial failure leading to impossibility to perform scanning. The display panel drive circuit of the present invention is structured such that thin film transistors constituting a signal input circuit connected to a circuit outside the display panel are formed in a structure having a dielectric breakdown strength higher than those of thin film transistors constituting other circuits. Specifically, countermeasures are taken by transistor formation in multi-gate structure, gate width broadening, resistance insertion between an input terminal and a transistor or the like. In the present invention, the circuit to which signals are externally inputted or thin film transistors of the same circuit is structured to withstand high voltage, thereby preventing the transistors from being deteriorated by high voltage and occurrence of initial failure while being simple in structure.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus containing an image sensor, which comprises a liquid crystal display part comprising an active matrix circuit, a peripheral driver circuit for driving the active matrix circuit, and a sensor part, integrated on one substrate, wherein the sensor part is sealed and protected with a sealing part and a counter substrate.

Abstract: A method for forming a semiconductor device is disclosed. The method comprises the step of irradiating a laser light to a surface of a semiconductor through a mask provided on said surface in an atmosphere comprising an impurity of one conductivity type to diffuse said impurity into a region of said semiconductor.