Patents by Inventor Naoto Kusumoto

Naoto Kusumoto 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: 7687380
    Abstract: In order to promote an effect of laser annealing in respect of a semiconductor film, moisture is intentionally included in an atmosphere in irradiating laser beam to these miconductor film by which a temperature holding layer comprising water vapor is formed on the surface of these miconductor film in irradiating the laser beam and the laser annealing operation can be performed effectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2010
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoto Kusumoto, Shunpei Yamazaki, Koichiro Tanaka
  • Patent number: 7679091
    Abstract: A semiconductor device, particularly, a photoelectric conversion element having a semiconductor layer is demonstrated. The photoelectric conversion element of the present invention comprises, over a substrate, a photoelectric conversion layer and first and second electrodes which are electrically connected to the photoelectric conversion layer. The photoelectric conversion element further comprises a wiring board over which a third and fourth electrodes are provided. The characteristic point of the present invention is that a bonding layer, which readily forms an alloy with a conductive material, is formed over the first and second electrodes. This bonding layer improves the bonding strength between the first and third electrodes and the second and fourth electrode, which contributes to the prevention of the connection defect between the substrate and the wiring board and consequentially to high reliability of the photoelectric conversion element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2010
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoto Kusumoto, Kazuo Nishi, Yuusuke Sugawara
  • Patent number: 7667310
    Abstract: Paper embedded with a semiconductor device capable of communicating wirelessly is realized, whose unevenness of a portion including the semiconductor device does not stand out and the paper is thin with a thickness of less than or equal to 130 ?m. A semiconductor device is provided with a circuit portion and an antenna, and the circuit portion includes a thin film transistor. The circuit portion and the antenna are separated from a substrate used during manufacturing, and are interposed between a flexible base and a sealing layer and protected. The semiconductor device can be bent, and the thickness of the semiconductor device itself is less than or equal to 30 ?m. The semiconductor device is embedded in a paper in a papermaking process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2010
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Dozen, Tomoyuki Aoki, Hidekazu Takahashi, Daiki Yamada, Kaori Ogita, Naoto Kusumoto
  • Publication number: 20090314535
    Abstract: A printed board is provided, which includes at least a first connecting electrode and a second connecting electrode. A solder is provided over the first connecting electrode and the second connecting electrode, and a chip component is provided over the solder. The chip component includes a first terminal electrode and a second terminal electrode. The first connecting electrode is overlapped with the first terminal electrode and is electrically connected to the first terminal electrode through the solder. The second connecting electrode is overlapped with the second terminal electrode and is electrically connected to the second terminal electrode through the solder. Two corner portions of each of the first connecting electrode and the second connecting electrode are overlapped with two corner portions of each of the first terminal electrode and the second terminal electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 11, 2009
    Publication date: December 24, 2009
    Inventor: Naoto Kusumoto
  • Patent number: 7635014
    Abstract: The substrate is placed over a pressure detection film, the element group is placed selectively over the substrate so that a conductive film functioning as an antenna formed over the substrate and a conductive film functioning as a bump formed over the element group overlap each other, the substrate and the element group are pressure-bonded to each other by applying pressure to the substrate and the element group so that the conductive film formed over the substrate and the conductive film functioning as a bump formed over the element group are electrically connected to each other, a value and distribution of pressure applied to the element group at the time of the pressure bonding are detected by the pressure detection film, and the pressure applied at the time of the pressure bonding is controlled, based on the detected pressure value and pressure distribution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2009
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hidekazu Takahashi, Naoto Kusumoto
  • Patent number: 7615423
    Abstract: An amorphous semiconductor film is etched so that a width of a narrowest portion thereof is 100 ?m or less, thereby forming island semiconductor regions. By irradiating an intense light such as a laser into the island semiconductor regions, photo-annealing is performed to crystallize it. Then, of end portions (peripheral portions) of the island semiconductor regions, at least a portion used to form a channel of a thin film transistor (TFT), or a portion that a gate electrode crosses is etched, so that a region that the distortion is accumulated is removed. By using such semiconductor regions, a TFT is produced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2009
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoto Kusumoto, Shunpei Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 7594479
    Abstract: In a film formation chamber, a gas flow to be introduced is rectified in a direction away from the film formation surface of the substrate on which the film is to be formed, so as to exhaust the fine particles generated in the discharge space and the fragmental particles generated by exfoliation of the film from the wall of the vacuum chamber and the discharge electrode, thereby preventing the particles from adhering the film formation surface of the substrate. The fine particles and fragmental particles are sucked and exhausted from a plurality of apertures provided on the entire surface of the discharge electrode to establish a steady state in which the amount of a film deposited on the discharge electrode and the amount of an exfoliating film to be exhausted are equal to each other, thereby allowing continuous film formation without cleaning the discharge electrode over a long period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2009
    Assignees: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd., TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Masato Yonezawa, Naoto Kusumoto, Hisato Shinohara
  • Patent number: 7569440
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprises the steps of: forming an amorphous silicon film on a substrate having an insulating surface; processing said amorphous silicon film by plasma of a gas that mainly contains hydrogen or helium; and giving an energy to said amorphous silicon film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2009
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Satoshi Teramoto, Naoto Kusumoto, Hideto Ohnuma
  • Publication number: 20090186468
    Abstract: In crystallizing an amorphous silicon film by illuminating it with linear pulse laser beams having a normal-distribution type beam profile or a similar beam profile, the linear pulse laser beams are applied in an overlapped manner. There can be obtained effects similar to those as obtained by a method in which the laser illumination power is gradually increased and then decreased in a step-like manner in plural scans.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2009
    Publication date: July 23, 2009
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Naoto Kusumoto, Koichiro Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20090159998
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, which is flexible and superiority in physical strength. As a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, an element layer including a plurality of integrated circuits is formed over one surface of a substrate; a hole having curvature is formed in part of one surface side of the substrate; the substrate is thinned (for example, the other surface of the substrate is ground and polished); and the substrate is cut off so that a cross section of the substrate has curvature corresponding to a portion where the hole is formed; whereby a laminated body including an integrated circuit is formed. Further, a thickness of the substrate, which is polished, is 2 ?m or more and 50 ?m or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2009
    Publication date: June 25, 2009
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takuya TSURUME, Naoto KUSUMOTO
  • Publication number: 20090121119
    Abstract: The present invention provides a photoelectric conversion device capable of detecting light from weak light to strong light and relates to a photoelectric conversion device having a photodiode having a photoelectric conversion layer; an amplifier circuit including a transistor; and a switch, where the photodiode and the amplifier circuit are electrically connected to each other by the switch when intensity of entering light is lower than predetermined intensity so that a photoelectric current is amplified by the amplifier circuit to be outputted, and the photodiode and part or all of the amplifier circuits are electrically disconnected by the switch so that a photoelectric current is reduced in an amplification factor to be outputted. According to such a photoelectric conversion device, light from weak light to strong light can be detected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 8, 2009
    Publication date: May 14, 2009
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuo Nishi, Tatsuya Arao, Atsushi Hirose, Yuusuke Sugawara, Naoto Kusumoto, Daiki Yamada, Hidekazu Takahashi
  • Patent number: 7528057
    Abstract: A laser-annealing method includes the steps of a first step of cleaning a non-monocrystal silicon film formed on a substrate, and a second step of laser-annealing the non-monocrystal silicon film in an atmosphere containing oxygen therein, wherein the first and second steps are conducted continuously without being exposed to the air. Also, a laser-annealing device includes a cleaning chamber, and a laser irradiation chamber, wherein a substrate to be processed is transported between the cleaning chamber and the laser irradiation chamber without being exposed to the air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2009
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoto Kusumoto, Toru Takayama, Masato Yonezawa
  • Patent number: 7517774
    Abstract: In crystallizing an amorphous silicon film by illuminating it with linear pulse laser beams having a normal-distribution type beam profile or a similar beam profile, the linear pulse laser beams are applied in an overlapped manner. There can be obtained effects similar to those as obtained by a method in which the laser illumination power is gradually increased and then decreased in a step-like manner in plural scans.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoto Kusumoto, Koichiro Tanaka
  • Patent number: 7510950
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, which is flexible and superiority in physical strength. As a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, an element layer including a plurality of integrated circuits is formed over one surface of a substrate; a hole having curvature is formed in part of one surface side of the substrate; the substrate is thinned (for example, the other surface of the substrate is ground and polished); and the substrate is cut off so that a cross section of the substrate has curvature corresponding to a portion where the hole is formed; whereby a laminated body including an integrated circuit is formed. Further, a thickness of the substrate, which is polished, is 2 ?m or more and 50 ?m or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2009
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takuya Tsurume, Naoto Kusumoto
  • Patent number: 7510901
    Abstract: With a conventional cylindrical can method, a region used as a film formation ground electrode is a portion of the cylindrical can, and an apparatus becomes larger in size in proportion to the surface area of the electrode. A conveyor device and a film formation apparatus having the conveyor device are provided, which have a unit for continuously conveying a flexible substrate from one end to the other end, and which are characterized in that a plurality of cylindrical rollers are provided between the one end and the other end along an arc with a radius R, the cylindrical rollers being arranged such that their center axes run parallel to each other, and that a mechanism for conveying the flexible substrate while the substrate is in contact with each of the plurality of cylindrical rollers is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2009
    Assignees: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd., TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Masato Yonezawa, Naoto Kusumoto, Hisato Shinohara
  • Patent number: 7507991
    Abstract: A semiconductor device having a pair of impurity doped second semiconductor layers, formed on a first semiconductor layer having a channel formation region therein, an outer edge of the first semiconductor film being at least partly coextensive with an outer edge of the impurity doped second semiconductor layers. The semiconductor device further includes source and drain electrodes formed on the pair of impurity doped second semiconductor layers, wherein the pair of impurity doped second semiconductor layers extend beyond inner sides edges of the source and drain electrodes so that a stepped portion is formed from an upper surface of the source and drain electrodes to a surface of the first semiconductor film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2009
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hongyong Zhang, Naoto Kusumoto
  • Publication number: 20090057680
    Abstract: To provide a thin film integrated circuit at low cost and with thin thickness, which is applicable to mass production unlike the conventional glass substrate or the single crystalline silicon substrate, and a structure and a process of a thin film integrated circuit device or an IC chip having the thin film integrated circuit. A manufacturing method of a semiconductor device includes the steps of forming a first insulating film over one surface of a silicon substrate, forming a layer having at least two thin film integrated circuits over the first insulating film, forming a resin layer so as to cover the layer having the thin film integrated circuit, forming a film so as to cover the resin layer, grinding a backside of one surface of the silicon substrate which is formed with the layer having the thin film integrated circuit, and polishing the ground surface of the silicon substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2008
    Publication date: March 5, 2009
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoto Kusumoto, Takuya Tsurume
  • Patent number: 7485838
    Abstract: The present invention provides a photoelectric conversion device capable of detecting light from weak light to strong light and relates to a photoelectric conversion device having a photodiode having a photoelectric conversion layer; an amplifier circuit including a transistor; and a switch, where the photodiode and the amplifier circuit are electrically connected to each other by the switch when intensity of entering light is lower than predetermined intensity so that a photoelectric current is amplified by the amplifier circuit to be outputted, and the photodiode and part or all of the amplifier circuits are electrically disconnected by the switch so that a photoelectric current is reduced in an amplification factor to be outputted. According to such a photoelectric conversion device, light from weak light to strong light can be detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2009
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuo Nishi, Tatsuya Arao, Atsushi Hirose, Yuusuke Sugawara, Naoto Kusumoto, Daiki Yamada, Hidekazu Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20080308851
    Abstract: A semiconductor device, particularly, a photoelectric conversion element having a semiconductor layer is demonstrated. The photoelectric conversion element of the present invention comprises, over a substrate, a photoelectric conversion layer and first and second electrodes which are electrically connected to the photoelectric conversion layer. The photoelectric conversion element further comprises a wiring board over which a third and fourth electrodes are provided. The characteristic point of the present invention is that a bonding layer, which readily forms an alloy with a conductive material, is formed over the first and second electrodes. This bonding layer improves the bonding strength between the first and third electrodes and the second and fourth electrode, which contributes to the prevention of the connection defect between the substrate and the wiring board and consequentially to high reliability of the photoelectric conversion element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2008
    Publication date: December 18, 2008
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoto Kusumoto, Kazuo Nishi, Yuusuke Sugawara
  • Patent number: 7465596
    Abstract: To provide a semiconductor device including a thinned substrate with high yield. After forming a protective layer in a predetermined portion (at least a portion covering a side surface of a substrate) of the substrate, grinding and polishing of the substrate are performed. In other words, an element layer including a plurality of integrated circuits is formed over one surface of the substrate, the protective layer is formed in contact with at least the side surface of the substrate, and the substrate is thinned (for example, the other surface of the substrate is ground and polished), the protective layer is removed, and the polished substrate and the element layer is divided so as to form stack bodies including a layer provided with at least one of the plurality of integrated circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2008
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takuya Tsurume, Naoto Kusumoto