Abstract: An active matrix substrate includes: a signal line provided in an image display region; and a terminal provided in a frame region and electrically connected to the signal line. The terminal includes: a metal layer; a first contact layer located closer to one side in a lamination direction than the metal layer, and electrically connected to the metal layer, a first interlayer insulating layer located closer to the one side in the lamination direction than the first contact layer; and a second contact layer located closer to the one side in the lamination direction than the first interlayer insulating layer, and electrically connected to the first contact layer through a first through-hole formed in the first interlayer insulating layer. The first contact layer is made of a transparent metal oxide or a semiconductor material doped with impurities.

Abstract: An active matrix substrate includes: a signal line provided in an image display region; and a terminal provided in a frame region and electrically connected to the signal line. The terminal includes: a metal layer; a first contact layer located closer to one side in a lamination direction than the metal layer, and electrically connected to the metal layer, a first interlayer insulating layer located closer to the one side in the lamination direction than the first contact layer; and a second contact layer located closer to the one side in the lamination direction than the first interlayer insulating layer, and electrically connected to the first contact layer through a first through-hole formed in the first interlayer insulating layer. The first contact layer is made of a transparent metal oxide or a semiconductor material doped with impurities.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a thin-film transistor substrate including a thin-film semiconductor includes: forming a metal film mainly comprising Cu above a substrate; forming a source electrode and a drain electrode by processing the metal film in a predetermined shape; irradiating the source electrode and the drain electrode with nitrogen plasma; exposing surfaces of a top and an end portion of the source electrode and the drain electrode with silane (SiH4) gas; and forming an insulating layer comprising an oxide on the source electrode and the drain electrode.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a thin-film transistor substrate including a thin-film semiconductor includes: forming a metal film mainly comprising Cu above a substrate; forming a source electrode and a drain electrode by processing the metal film in a predetermined shape; irradiating the source electrode and the drain electrode with nitrogen plasma; exposing surfaces of a top and an end portion of the source electrode and the drain electrode with silane (SiH4) gas; and forming an insulating layer comprising an oxide on the source electrode and the drain electrode.

Abstract: A method of thin film formation includes: preparing a substrate; forming a thin film above the substrate; and crystallizing the thin film by irradiating the thin film with a light beam, in which the crystallizing includes steps of: crystallizing the thin film in a first region into a first crystalline thin film by irradiating the first region while scanning a first light beam relative to the substrate, the first region including at least one of: edge portions of the substrate; and a region through which a cutting line passes when the substrate is cut; and subsequently crystallizing the thin film in a second region into a second crystalline thin film by irradiating at least the second region while scanning a second light beam relative to the substrate, and the thin film has a higher absorption ratio of the second light beam than that of the first crystalline thin film.

Abstract: A method for forming the crystalline thin film according to an implementation of the present invention includes: preparing a substrate; forming a non-crystalline thin film above the substrate; and crystallizing at least a predetermined region in the non-crystalline thin film, by irradiating the non-crystalline thin film with a laser beam having a predetermined wavelength and scanned relative to the substrate. In the preparing, a direction of a largest residual stress on the substrate is identified. In the crystallizing, the laser beam is scanned in the identified direction of the largest residual stress.

Abstract: A thin-film semiconductor device) having two thin-film transistors, wherein one of the thin-film transistors includes: a first gate electrode; a first gate insulating film; a first semiconductor film; an intrinsic semiconductor layer; a first contact layer of n-type in contact with and above a portion of the intrinsic semiconductor layer; a first source electrode; and a first drain electrode, and the other of the thin-film transistors includes: a second gate electrode; a second gate insulating film; a second semiconductor film; an intrinsic semiconductor layer; a second contact layer of p-type in contact with portions of sides of the semiconductor film and the intrinsic semiconductor layer; a second source electrode; and a second drain electrode.

Abstract: A laser annealing method for executing laser annealing by irradiating a semiconductor film formed on a surface of a substrate with a laser beam, the method including the steps of, generating a linearly polarized rectangular laser beam whose cross section perpendicular to an advancing direction is a rectangle with an electric field directed toward a long-side direction of the rectangle or an elliptically polarized rectangular laser beam having a major axis directed toward a long-side direction, causing the rectangular laser beam to be introduced to the surface of the substrate, and setting a wavelength of the rectangular laser beam to a length which is about a desired size of a crystal grain in a standing wave direction.

Abstract: A thin-film semiconductor device having two thin-film transistors, wherein each of the two thin-film transistors includes: a gate electrode; a gate insulating film; a semiconductor layer; a channel protection layer; an intrinsic semiconductor layer; a contact layer in contact with a portion of sides of the channel region; a source electrode on the contact layer; and a drain electrode opposite to the source electrode on the contact layer, wherein the contact layer of one of the two thin-film transistors has a conductivity type different from a conductivity type of the contact layer of the other of the two thin-film transistors.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a thin-film transistor includes: preparing a substrate; forming a gate electrode above the substrate; forming a gate insulating layer above the gate electrode; forming a semiconductor film above the gate insulating layer; forming, above the semiconductor film, a protective layer comprising an organic material; forming a source electrode and a drain electrode which are opposed to each other and each of which has at least a portion located above the protective layer; forming a semiconductor layer patterned, by performing dry etching on the semiconductor film; and performing, in a hydrogen atmosphere, plasma treatment on an altered layer which (i) is a surface layer of the protective layer exposed from the source electrode and the drain electrode and altered by the dry etching, and (ii) has at least a portion contacting a surface of the semiconductor layer.

Abstract: A method for forming the crystalline thin film according to an implementation of the present invention includes: preparing a substrate; forming a non-crystalline thin film above the substrate; and crystallizing at least a predetermined region in the non-crystalline thin film, by irradiating the non-crystalline thin film with a laser beam having a predetermined wavelength and scanned relative to the substrate. In the preparing, a direction of a largest residual stress on the substrate is identified. In the crystallizing, the laser beam is scanned in the identified direction of the largest residual stress.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a thin-film semiconductor device according to the present disclosure includes: preparing a glass substrate; forming, above the glass substrate, an undercoat layer including a nitride film; forming a barrier layer above the undercoat layer; forming a molybdenum metal layer above the barrier layer; forming a gate electrode from the molybdenum metal layer; forming a gate insulating film above the gate electrode; forming a non-crystalline silicon layer as a non-crystalline semiconductor layer above the gate insulating film; forming a polycrystalline semiconductor layer including a polysilicon layer by annealing the non-crystalline silicon layer using a continuous-wave (CW) laser, the non-crystalline silicon layer being crystallized by the annealing; and forming a source electrode and a drain electrode above the polysilicon layer. Part of the barrier layer changes into a layer including oxygen atoms as a major component by the annealing when forming the polysilicon layer.

Abstract: A method of thin film formation includes: preparing a substrate; forming a thin film above the substrate; and crystallizing the thin film by irradiating the thin film with a light beam, in which the crystallizing includes steps of: crystallizing the thin film in a first region into a first crystalline thin film by irradiating the first region while scanning a first light beam relative to the substrate, the first region including at least one of: edge portions of the substrate; and a region through which a cutting line passes when the substrate is cut; and subsequently crystallizing the thin film in a second region into a second crystalline thin film by irradiating at least the second region while scanning a second light beam relative to the substrate, and the thin film has a higher absorption ratio of the second light beam than that of the first crystalline thin film.

Abstract: A laser annealing method for executing laser annealing by irradiating a semiconductor film formed on a surface of a substrate with a laser beam, the method including the steps of, generating a linearly polarized rectangular laser beam whose cross section perpendicular to an advancing direction is a rectangle with an electric field directed toward a long-side direction of the rectangle or an elliptically polarized rectangular laser beam having a major axis directed toward a long-side direction, causing the rectangular laser beam to be introduced to the surface of the substrate, and setting a wavelength of the rectangular laser beam to a length which is about a desired size of a crystal grain in a standing wave direction.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a thin-film transistor includes: preparing a substrate; forming a gate electrode above the substrate; forming a gate insulating layer above the gate electrode; forming a semiconductor film above the gate insulating layer; forming, above the semiconductor film, a protective layer comprising an organic material; forming a source electrode and a drain electrode which are opposed to each other and each of which has at least a portion located above the protective layer; forming a semiconductor layer patterned, by performing dry etching on the semiconductor film; and performing, in a hydrogen atmosphere, plasma treatment on an altered layer which (i) is a surface layer of the protective layer exposed from the source electrode and the drain electrode and altered by the dry etching, and (ii) has at least a portion contacting a surface of the semiconductor layer.

Abstract: A thin-film semiconductor device having two thin-film transistors, wherein each of the two thin-film transistors includes: a gate electrode; a gate insulating film; a semiconductor layer; a channel protection layer; an intrinsic semiconductor layer; a contact layer in contact with a portion of sides of the channel region; a source electrode on the contact layer; and a drain electrode opposite to the source electrode on the contact layer, wherein the contact layer of one of the two thin-film transistors has a conductivity type different from a conductivity type of the contact layer of the other of the two thin-film transistors.

Abstract: A thin-film semiconductor device) having two thin-film transistors, wherein one of the thin-film transistors includes: a first gate electrode; a first gate insulating film; a first semiconductor film; an intrinsic semiconductor layer; a first contact layer of n-type in contact with and above a portion of the intrinsic semiconductor layer; a first source electrode; and a first drain electrode, and the other of the thin-film transistors includes: a second gate electrode; a second gate insulating film; a second semiconductor film; an intrinsic semiconductor layer; a second contact layer of p-type in contact with portions of sides of the semiconductor film and the intrinsic semiconductor layer; a second source electrode; and a second drain electrode.

Abstract: A laser annealing method for executing laser annealing by irradiating a semiconductor film formed on a surface of a substrate with a laser beam, the method including the steps of, generating a linearly polarized rectangular laser beam whose cross section perpendicular to an advancing direction is a rectangle with an electric field directed toward a long-side direction of the rectangle or an elliptically polarized rectangular laser beam having a major axis directed toward a long-side direction, causing the rectangular laser beam to be introduced to the surface of the substrate, and setting a wavelength of the rectangular laser beam to a length which is about a desired size of a crystal grain in a standing wave direction.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a thin-film semiconductor device for display according to the present disclosure includes: preparing a glass substrate; forming, above the glass substrate, an undercoat layer including a nitride film; forming a molybdenum metal layer above the undercoat layer; forming a gate electrode from the metal layer by an etching process; forming a gate insulating film above the gate electrode; forming a non-crystalline silicon layer as a non-crystalline semiconductor layer above the gate insulating film; forming a polycrystalline semiconductor layer which is a polysilicon layer by annealing the non-crystalline silicon layer at a temperature in a range from 700° C. to 1400° C.; forming a source electrode and a drain electrode above the polysilicon layer; and performing hydrogen plasma treatment at a stage after the metal layer is formed and before the polysilicon layer is formed, using a radio frequency power in a range from 0.098 W/cm2 to 0.262 W/cm2.

Abstract: A laser annealing method for executing laser annealing by irradiating a semiconductor film formed on a surface of a substrate with a laser beam, the method including the steps of, generating a linearly polarized rectangular laser beam whose cross section perpendicular to an advancing direction is a rectangle with an electric field directed toward a long-side direction of the rectangle or an elliptically polarized rectangular laser beam having a major axis directed toward a long-side direction, causing the rectangular laser beam to be introduced to the surface of the substrate, and setting a wavelength of the rectangular laser beam to a length which is about a desired size of a crystal grain in a standing wave direction.