Abstract: A dry etching method performing dry etching of a material containing zinc forms and patterns a resist on the material to be etched, and etches the material using an etching gas which is a mixed gas of methane gas and an inert gas. A dry etching method that dry etches a material containing zinc etches the material using an etching gas that consists only of methane gas, an inert gas, and hydrogen gas alone. Another dry etching method that dry etches a material containing zinc introduces an etching gas that contains methane gas, an inert gas, and hydrogen gas into a dry etching device, in which the flow rate of the hydrogen gas is set such that it is equal to or greater than the value at which the amount of dissociated hydrogen becomes saturated, and etches the material using the etching gas.

Abstract: A thin-film EL display panel which has excellent packageability, high reliability and stable performance characteristics, and which can prevent nonuniformity of brightness and color from occurring and a fabrication method thereof are provided. In the above thin-film EL display panel, two thin-film EL elements 1 and 2 formed by sequentially laminating first electrodes 12 and 22, first insulating layers, luminescent layers, second insulating layers and second electrodes 16 and 26 respectively on glass substrates 11 and 21 are laminated into position and connecting terminal portions 12a, 22a, 16a and 26a for connecting the first electrodes 12 and 22 and second electrodes 16 and 26 are formed on the edge portions of the substrates 11 and 21 of the thin-film EL elements 1 and 2.

Abstract: An electroluminescent display in which a dielectric breakdown of a luminescent element is suppressed has luminescent elements disposed between first and second substrates, where the first and second substrates are deformed into a convex shape to improve breakdown characteristics.

Abstract: A process for producing an electroluminescence element provided with a luminescent layer sandwiched between two electrodes on an insulating substrate, the luminescent layer being composed of a host material with a luminescent center element added. The process comprises a step of forming the aforesaid luminescent layer as a film onto the insulating substrate by either sputtering or evaporation, by use of a source material composed of a compound of an element of Group II and an element of Group VI, to which a halide of a rare earth element is added as the luminescent center element. The atmosphere at the time of the film formation contains either a halogen gas or halide gas.

Abstract: A scan driver IC for an EL element in an EL display device supplies, in a positive field, a positive polarity scan voltage and an offset voltage which is higher than ground to scan side driver ICs from voltage supply circuits, and the scan side driver ICs set voltage of scan electrodes to be the offset voltage in the positive field, together with outputting the positive polarity scan voltage to the scan electrodes during electroluminescence timing. Consequently, a voltage of Vr-Vm is applied to the scan side driver ICs, and so the breakdown voltage can be lowered by an amount corresponding to the offset voltage Vm. Circuits for providing such voltages, for providing alternating current drive voltages, and for reducing power consumption of the drive circuits are also disclosed.

Abstract: An electroluminescent device comprises an insulating substrate having thereon a pair of electrodes comprising a transparent first electrode and a transparent second electrode, with a stack of transparent first insulating layer, a luminescent layer, and a second transparent layer interposed therebetween; provided that a light reflecting plane is formed on the outside of one of the electrode pairs with a transparent insulating substance interposed between, the electrode being disposed opposed to the light outcoupling direction.

Abstract: A thin-film electroluminescent device includes dielectric layers having improved dielectric characteristics. The device is fabricated by forming a first transparent electrode layer of ITO, a first dielectric layer, a luminescent layer, a second dielectric layer, and a second transparent electrode layer of ITO in this order on an insulating substrate. Each of the two dielectric layers is a film constituted by TaSnON. That is, the film includes tantalum, tin, oxygen, and nitrogen.

Abstract: Disclosed is an electroluminescent (EL) device having a CaGa.sub.2 S.sub.4 :Ce luminescent layer. The ratio of the X-ray diffraction peak intensity I.sub.2 for the (200) reflection of CaS to the X-ray diffraction peak intensity I.sub.1 for the (400) reflection of CaGa.sub.2 S.sub.4 as appearing in the X-ray diffraction spectrum for the luminescent layer, I.sub.2 /I.sub.1, is 0.1 or less. The amount of the impurity CaS in the luminescent layer is reduced. The EL device produces blue emission with high purity.

Abstract: An electroluminescence element including at least an insulating substrate, a first electrode, a first insulating layer, a luminescent layer having at least one side constructed and arranged to allow light to pass out of the electroluminescence element, a second insulating layer and a second electrode in this order in a stack, with the components on the at least one side of the luminescent layer being optically transparent. The luminescent layer includes a base material formed from a II-VI compound semiconductor, at least one rare earth element, and at least one halogen element substituted for a VI group element at a lattice site of the VI group element of the II-VI compound semiconductor and located in the vicinity of the at least one rare earth element.

Abstract: A transparent thin-film EL display apparatus has a transparent thin-film EL element formed on a glass substrate. A rear substrate consisting of photochromic glass and the glass substrate on which the EL element is formed are disposed facing each other with the EL element located in between. A light-transmitting insulation material is inserted in a space between the two substrates and hermetically sealed. When the display on the EL element becomes hard to see due to light entering from the rear of the display apparatus, the photochromic glass reacts in response to the light and darkens the rear of the EL element, thereby blocking the light.

Abstract: In an electroluminescent device wherein a first electrode, a first insulating layer, a luminescent layer, a second insulating layer, and a second electrode are laminated in that order on a transparent electrode, the luminescent layer is made of ZnS as a host material and Tb, O, F, and Cl as additives Cl/Tb and Cl/F atomic ratios in the luminescent layer are each between 0.002 and 0.2 inclusively, and Cl concentration in the luminescent layer is between 0.002 at % and 0.2 at % inclusively. By adding a predetermined amount of Cl as mentioned above, the luminescent efficiency and luminescent brightness of the electroluminescent device can be improved.

Abstract: A thin-film electroluminescence element is formed by laminating, in order, on a glass substrate which is an insulating substrate, a first transparent electrode including optically transparent ZnO, a first insulating layer including optically transparent strontium titanate, a luminescent layer including CaGa.sub.2.9 S.sub.4.2 to which Ce is added as a luminescent center, a second insulating layer including optically transparent strontium titanate and a second transparent electrode including optically transparent ZnO. The optical spectrum of the luminescent layer deviates towards a short wavelength side due to the crystal structure changing and the ligand field surrounding the Ce changing slightly due to the existence of excess Ga in the luminescent layer. Also, because calcium thiogallate is used, high light intensity can be maintained.

Abstract: An electroluminescent device has a luminescent layer including an alkaline earth thiogallate doped with a luminescent center for producing blue light. An insulating layer disposed next to the luminescent layer includes a buffer area contacting the luminescent layer. The buffer area is made from a material which has an amorphous state at a temperature sufficient for crystallization of the alkaline earth thiogallate. Thus, when the device is manufactured, the luminescent layer can be formed in an amorphous state on the insulating layer and heat treated. Since the buffer layer remains in an amorphous state, the formation of alkaline earth sulfides which might degrade the color purity of emitted light at the interface of the crystalline luminescent layer and the amorphous buffer layer can be prevented.

Abstract: An electroluminescent device improved in brightness includes sequentially stacked layers having an optically transparent material on at least the viewing side of the structure and has a luminescent layer based on a Group II-III-VI compound host material with an element acting as a luminescent center added therein, wherein a Group II element having an ion radius differing from that of the Group II element constituting the compound host material is further added in the luminescent layer.

Abstract: A thin film electroluminescent display is capable of effectively preventing dielectric breakdown between both electrodes. A first transparent electrode layer, a first dielectric layer, a luminescent layer, a second dielectric layer, and a second transparent electrode layer are laminated in that order on a first glass substrate to form a first light-emitting element. A second light-emitting element is fabricated in substantially the same way. A voltage is applied between the first and second electrode layers to cause the luminescent layers between both electrode layers to emit. As a result, desired characters are displayed. Those corners of the first and second electrodes disposed opposite to each other which are located within the planes of the electrode layers have round portions. The radius of circle of these round portions is in excess of a given value. This prevents concentration of the electric field on the corners of the electrodes.

Abstract: A process for fabricating a blue-emitting SrS:Ce based electroluminescent device, which improves in brightness and blue color purity of the electroluminescent device, is disclosed. The blue-emitting luminescent layer of the device is formed as follows: a luminescent layer based on strontium sulfide (SrS) with cerium (Ce) doped at a concentration in a range of 0.01% by atomic or higher but less than 0.3% by atomic is deposited; and then heat treatment is applied thereto at a temperature in a range of 400.degree. C. or higher but 550.degree. C. or lower before forming any other layer thereon.

Abstract: An electroluminescent display in which a dielectric breakdown of a luminescent element is suppressed has luminescent elements disposed between first and second substrates, where the first and second substrates are deformed into a convex shape to improve breakdown characteristics.

Abstract: An electroluminescent device comprising the sequential lamination of a first electrode, first insulating layer, phosphor layer, second insulating layer and second electrode while using an optically transparent material at least on the side on which light leaves the device; wherein, in addition to the phosphor layer being composed of calcium thiogallate (CaGa.sub.2 S.sub.4) doped with a luminescent center element, the host of the phosphor layer is strongly oriented to the (400) surface.

Abstract: An electroluminescence element comprises the luminescent layer having a luminescence spectrum in which, in addition to the original emission peaks of the rare earth element, one or more emission peaks exist within a 10 nm wavelength range around each of some original emission peak. The luminescent layer is of a compound semiconductor doped with a rare earth element, deposited by organic metal chemical vapor deposition in which source gases for the rare earth element and elements constituting the compound semiconductor, not containing any halogen element, are supplied to the vicinity of the insulating substrate, separately from halogen or hydrogen halide gas which is also supplied to the vicinity of the insulating substrate.

Abstract: A thin-film EL display device of red luminescent color having high luminous intensity and high reliability is disclosed. The thin-film EL display device has a first transparent electrode, a first transparent insulating layer, a light-emitting layer of zinc sulfide (ZnS) with the addition of manganese (Mn), a red-light transmitting filter of amorphous silicon (a-Si), a second transparent insulating layer, and a second transparent electrode (second electrode), which are successively deposited one on top of another on a glass substrate. The EL display device produces red light from orange light emission from the light-emitting layer. High temperature resistance of the filter permits the insertion of the filter to a desired position during the fabrication process for the thin-film EL display device.