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: 8426293
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to decrease a unit cost of an IC chip and to achieve the mass-production of IC chips. According to the present invention, a substrate having no limitation in size, such as a glass substrate, is used instead of a silicon substrate. This achieves the mass-production and the decrease of the unit cost of the IC chip. Further, a thin IC chip is provided by grinding and polishing the substrate such as the glass substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takuya Tsurume, Koji Dairiki, Naoto Kusumoto
  • Patent number: 8415664
    Abstract: Techniques are provided for obtaining a photoelectric conversion device having a favorable spectral sensitivity characteristic and reduced variation in output current without a contamination substance mixed into a photoelectric conversion layer or a transistor, and for obtaining a highly reliable semiconductor device including a photoelectric conversion device. A semiconductor device may include, over an insulating surface, a first electrode; a second electrode; a color filter between the first electrode and the second electrode; an overcoat layer covering the color filter; and a photoelectric conversion layer over the overcoat layer, where one end portion of the photoelectric conversion layer is in contact with the first electrode, and where an end portion of the color filter lies inside the other end portion of the photoelectric conversion layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsuya Arao, Daiki Yamada, Hidekazu Takahashi, Naoto Kusumoto, Kazuo Nishi, Yuusuke Sugawara, Hironobu Takahashi
  • Patent number: 8361845
    Abstract: An object is to provide a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device which suppresses an influence on a semiconductor element due to entry of an impurity element, moisture, or the like from outside even in the case of thinning or removing a substrate after forming a semiconductor element over the substrate. A feature is to form an insulating film functioning as a protective film on at least one side of the substrate by performing surface treatment on the substrate, to form a semiconductor element such as a thin film transistor over the insulating film, and to thin the substrate. As the surface treatment, addition of an impurity element or plasma treatment is performed on the substrate. As a means for thinning the substrate, the substrate can be partially removed by performing grinding treatment, polishing treatment, or the like on the other side of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koji Dairiki, Naoto Kusumoto, Takuya Tsurume
  • Publication number: 20120273036
    Abstract: To provide a photoelectric conversion device with less metal contamination and surface detects, and a manufacturing method thereof. The photoelectric conversion device is formed in the following manner: a surface of the single crystal silicon substrate is soaked in an alkaline solution to perform etching so that unevenness including a plurality of minute projections each having a substantially square pyramidal shape and a depression formed between the adjacent projections are formed; then, the single crystal silicon substrate having the unevenness is soaked in a mixed acid solution to perform etching so that at a cross section including a vertex of the projection and dividing each of a surface of the projection and a surface facing the aforementioned surface into two equal parts, the vertex of the projection forms an obtuse angle, and a bottom of the depression has a curved surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2012
    Publication date: November 1, 2012
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ryosuke MOTOYOSHI, Takashi Hirose, Naoto Kusumoto
  • Publication number: 20120256286
    Abstract: A photoelectric conversion device includes: a first substrate of which end portions are cut off so as to slope or with a groove shape; a photodiode and an amplifier circuit over the first substrate; a first electrode electrically connected to the photodiode and provided over one end portion of the first substrate; a second electrode electrically connected to the amplifier circuit and provided over an another end portion of the first substrate; and a second substrate having third and fourth electrodes thereon. The first and second electrodes are attached to the third and fourth electrodes, respectively, with a conductive material provided not only at the surfaces of the first, second, third, and fourth electrodes facing each other but also at the side surfaces of the first and second electrodes to increase the adhesiveness between a photoelectric conversion device and a member on which the photoelectric conversion device is mounted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2012
    Publication date: October 11, 2012
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Naoto KUSUMOTO, Kazuo NISHI, Yuusuke SUGAWARA
  • Patent number: 8278663
    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: January 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Dozen, Tomoyuki Aoki, Hidekazu Takahashi, Daiki Yamada, Kaori Ogita, Naoto Kusumoto
  • Patent number: 8258512
    Abstract: An object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor device manufactured in short time by performing the step of forming the thin film transistor and the step of forming the photoelectric conversion layer in parallel, and to provide a manufacturing process thereof. According to the present invention, a semiconductor device is manufactured in such a way that a thin film transistor is formed over a first substrate, a photoelectric conversion element is formed over a second substrate, and the thin film transistor and the photoelectric conversion element are connected electrically by sandwiching a conductive layer between the first and second substrates opposed to each other so that the thin film transistor and the photoelectric conversion element are located between the first and second substrates. Thus, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device which suppresses the increase in the number of steps and which increases the throughput can be provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuo Nishi, Junya Maruyama, Naoto Kusumoto, Yuusuke Sugawara
  • Patent number: 8242592
    Abstract: An antenna used for an ID chip or the like is disclosed with planarized antenna unevenness and an IC chip having such the antenna with a flat surface is disclosed. Manufacturing an integrated circuit mounted with an antenna is facilitated. A laminated body formed by stacking a conductive film 11, a resin film 13, an integrated circuit 12, and a resin film 14 are rolled so that the resin film 14 is outside. Then, the laminated body is integrated in a roll form by softening the resin films 13, 14 by applying heat. By slicing the rolled laminated body along with the direction in which the rolled conductive film 31 appears in the cross section, an IC chip with antenna formed by the rolled conductive film 11 is formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoto Kusumoto, Takuya Tsurume
  • Patent number: 8242585
    Abstract: The present invention provides a semiconductor device formed over an insulating substrate, typically a semiconductor device having a structure in which mounting strength to a wiring board can be increased in an optical sensor, a solar battery, or a circuit using a TFT, and which can make it mount on a wiring board with high density, and further a method for manufacturing the same. According to the present invention, in a semiconductor device, a semiconductor element is formed on an insulating substrate, a concave portion is formed on a side face of the semiconductor device, and a conductive film electrically connected to the semiconductor element is formed in the concave portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuo Nishi, Hiroki Adachi, Junya Maruyama, Naoto Kusumoto, Yuusuke Sugawara, Tomoyuki Aoki, Eiji Sugiyama, Hironobu Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20120164761
    Abstract: An object is to provide a method for manufacturing a lighting device, in which a problem of a short circuit between an upper electrode and a lower electrode of a light-emitting element is solved without reducing a light-emitting property of a normal portion of the light-emitting element to the utmost. In a light-emitting element including an upper electrode, an electroluminescent layer, and a lower electrode, a short-circuited portion that is undesirably formed between the upper electrode and the lower electrode is irradiated with a laser beam, whereby a region where the short-circuited portion is removed is formed, and then the region is filled with an insulating resin having a light-transmitting property. Thus, the problem of the short circuit between the upper electrode and the lower electrode is solved and yield of a lighting device is improved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2011
    Publication date: June 28, 2012
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shunpei YAMAZAKI, Yasuyuki ARAI, Naoto KUSUMOTO
  • Patent number: 8207591
    Abstract: A photoelectric conversion device includes a first electrode; and, over the first electrode, photoelectric conversion layer that includes a first semiconductor layer having one conductivity, a second semiconductor layer over the first semiconductor layer, and a third semiconductor layer having a conductivity opposite to the one conductivity of the second semiconductor layer. An insulating layer is over the third semiconductor layer, and a second electrode is over the insulating layer and is electrically connected to the third semiconductor layer through the insulating layer. The third semiconductor layer and a part of the second semiconductor layer are removed in a region of the photoelectric conversion layer that does not overlap the insulating layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuusuke Sugawara, Kazuo Nishi, Tatsuya Arao, Daiki Yamada, Hidekazu Takahashi, Naoto Kusumoto
  • Patent number: 8207589
    Abstract: A photoelectric conversion device includes: a first substrate of which end portions are cut off so as to slope or with a groove shape; a photodiode and an amplifier circuit over the first substrate; a first electrode electrically connected to the photodiode and provided over one end portion of the first substrate; a second electrode electrically connected to the amplifier circuit and provided over an another end portion of the first substrate; and a second substrate having third and fourth electrodes thereon. The first and second electrodes are attached to the third and fourth electrodes, respectively, with a conductive material provided not only at the surfaces of the first, second, third, and fourth electrodes facing each other but also at the side surfaces of the first and second electrodes to increase the adhesiveness between a photoelectric conversion device and a member on which the photoelectric conversion device is mounted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoto Kusumoto, Kazuo Nishi, Yuusuke Sugawara
  • Publication number: 20120132271
    Abstract: In a method for manufacturing a photoelectric conversion device, a method for forming an embedded electrode is provided, which is suitable for a groove with a high aspect ratio. A first groove and a second groove intersecting with the first groove are formed in a crystalline silicon substrate, an i-type first silicon semiconductor layer, a second silicon semiconductor layer with one conductivity type, and a light-transmitting conductive film are sequentially formed on the surface of the crystalline silicon substrate and on the grooves, a conductive resin is injected into the first groove, and the second groove is filled with the conductive resin by a capillary action to form a grid electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2011
    Publication date: May 31, 2012
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takashi Hirose, Naoto Kusumoto
  • Publication number: 20120086006
    Abstract: Techniques are provided for obtaining a photoelectric conversion device having a favorable spectral sensitivity characteristic and reduced variation in output current without a contamination substance mixed into a photoelectric conversion layer or a transistor, and for obtaining a highly reliable semiconductor device including a photoelectric conversion device. A semiconductor device may include, over an insulating surface, a first electrode; a second electrode; a color filter between the first electrode and the second electrode; an overcoat layer covering the color filter; and a photoelectric conversion layer over the overcoat layer, where one end portion of the photoelectric conversion layer is in contact with the first electrode, and where an end portion of the color filter lies inside the other end portion of the photoelectric conversion layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2011
    Publication date: April 12, 2012
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tatsuya Arao, Daiki Yamada, Hidekazu Takahashi, Naoto Kusumoto, Kazuo Nishi, Yuusuke Sugawara, Hironobu Takahashi
  • Patent number: 8153511
    Abstract: It is an object to improve a yield of a step of cutting off a substrate. A substrate is cut off by using an ablation process. An ablation process uses a phenomenon in which a molecular bond in a portion irradiated with a laser beam, that is, a portion which absorbs the laser beam is cut off, photodegraded, and evaporated. In other words, a substrate is irradiated with a laser beam, a molecular bond in a portion of the substrate is cut off, photodegraded, and evaporated; accordingly, a groove is formed in the substrate. A method for cutting the substrate has steps of selectively emitting a laser beam and forming a groove in the substrate, and selectively emitting a laser beam to the groove and cutting off the substrate. Methods for manufacturing a groove in a substrate and cutting off a substrate are used for manufacturing a semiconductor device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Daiki Yamada, Naoto Kusumoto
  • Publication number: 20120080810
    Abstract: The present invention provides a thin and bendable semiconductor device utilizing an advantage of a flexible substrate used in the semiconductor device, and a method of manufacturing the semiconductor device. The semiconductor device has at least one surface covered by an insulating layer which serves as a substrate for protection. In the semiconductor device, the insulating layer is formed over a conductive layer serving as an antenna such that the value in the thickness ratio of the insulating layer in a portion not covering the conductive layer to the conductive layer is at least 1.2, and the value in the thickness ratio of the insulating layer formed over the conductive layer to the conductive layer is at least 0.2. Further, not the conductive layer but the insulating layer is exposed in the side face of the semiconductor device, and the insulating layer covers a TFT and the conductive layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2011
    Publication date: April 5, 2012
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshitaka DOZEN, Tomoyuki AOKI, Hidekazu TAKAHASHI, Daiki YAMADA, Eiji SUGIYAMA, Kaori OGITA, Naoto KUSUMOTO
  • Patent number: 8138004
    Abstract: A manufacturing method of a photoelectric conversion device includes the following steps: forming a first electrode over a substrate; and, over the first electrode, forming a photoelectric conversion layer that includes a first conductive layer having one conductivity, a second semiconductor layer, and a third semiconductor layer having a conductivity opposite to the one conductivity of the second semiconductor layer over the first electrode. The manufacturing method further includes the step of removing a part of the second semiconductor layer and a part of the third semiconductor layer in a region of the photoelectric conversion layer so that the third semiconductor layer does not overlap the first electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuusuke Sugawara, Kazuo Nishi, Tatsuya Arao, Daiki Yamada, Hidekazu Takahashi, Naoto Kusumoto
  • Patent number: 8137050
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a device which can pick up a chip from an adhesive film while preventing damage to the chip. In addition, a device which can pick up a chip over an adhesive film with a high yield is provided. A pickup device includes: a frame for holding a film to which a chip is attached, which is fixed to a support; a pressing jig which presses a surface of the film, to which a chip is not attached, while rotated or moved; a holding jig which holds the chip simultaneously with or after the pressing jig pressing the film; and a moving unit which moves the holding jig.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Daiki Yamada, Naoto Kusumoto
  • Patent number: 8088654
    Abstract: To provide a semiconductor device which is higher functional and reliable and a technique capable of manufacturing the semiconductor device with a high yield at low cost without complexing the apparatus or process. At least one of a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer is formed containing one kind or plural kinds of indium, tin, lead, bismuth, calcium, manganese, or zinc; or oxidation treatment is performed at least one of interfaces between an organic compound layer and the first conductive layer and between the organic compound layer and the second conductive layer. The first conductive layer, the organic compound layer, and the second conductive layer which are formed over a first substrate with a peeling layer interposed therebetween can be peeled from the first substrate with the peeling layer, and transposed to a second substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoto Kusumoto, Nobuharu Ohsawa, Mikio Yukawa, Yoshitaka Dozen
  • Publication number: 20110308588
    Abstract: A photoelectric conversion device having a high electric generating capacity at low illuminance, in which a semiconductor layer is appropriately separated and short circuit of a side surface portion of a cell is prevented. The photoelectric conversion device includes an isolation groove formed between one first electrode and the other first electrode that is adjacent to the one first electrode; a stack including a first semiconductor layer having one conductivity type over the first electrode, a second semiconductor layer formed using an intrinsic semiconductor, and a third semiconductor layer having a conductivity type opposite to the one conductivity type; and a connection electrode connecting one first electrode and a second electrode that is in contact with a third semiconductor layer included in a stack formed over the other first electrode that is adjacent to the one first electrode. A side surface portion of the second semiconductor layer is not crystallized.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2011
    Publication date: December 22, 2011
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuo NISHI, Takashi HIROSE, Naoto KUSUMOTO