Patents by Inventor Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd. 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).

  • Publication number: 20130207565
    Abstract: In an electrooptical device including an electrooptical modulating layer between a first substrate 101 and a second substrate 105, all edges 107 to 109 of the first substrate 101 and the second substrate 105, except an edge where IC chips 110 and 111 are attached, are trued up each other between the first substrate 101 and the second substrate 105. By this, it is possible to make the area of the first substrate 101 minimum.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2013
    Publication date: August 15, 2013
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
  • Publication number: 20130207101
    Abstract: A transistor including an oxide semiconductor and having favorable operation characteristics is provided. Further, by using the transistor, a semiconductor having improved operation characteristics can be provided. In planar view, one of a source electrode and a drain electrode of the transistor is surrounded by a ring-shaped gate electrode. Further, in planar view, one of the source electrode and the drain electrode of the transistor is surrounded by a channel formation region. Accordingly, the source electrode is not electrically connected to the drain electrode through a parasitic channel generated in an end portion of an island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2013
    Publication date: August 15, 2013
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
  • Publication number: 20130207125
    Abstract: A lightweight, thin, small size semiconductor device is provided. A pixel has a display portion, and a light receiving portion comprising a photodiode. A transistor is used with the semiconductor device for controlling the operation of the display portion and the light receiving portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: August 15, 2013
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
  • Publication number: 20130200372
    Abstract: The present invention provides a structure of the TFT in which a current-voltage characteristic can be improved. The present invention refers to a thin film transistor comprising a lamination layer wherein a first conductive film, a first insulating film and a second conductive film are sequentially laminated, a semiconductor film formed so as to be in contact with the side surface of the lamination layer, and a third conductive film covering the semiconductor film through a second insulating film. The first conductive film and the second conductive film are a source electrode and a drain electrode, and a region which is in contact with the first insulating film and the third conductive film is a channel forming region in semiconductor film, and the third conductive film is a gate electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Publication date: August 8, 2013
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
  • Publication number: 20130201165
    Abstract: A serial-parallel conversion circuit for converting a high-speed serial signal to a parallel signal is provided. Further, a display device with high image quality and fewer external connection terminals is provided. Furthermore, a method for driving a serial-parallel conversion circuit for converting a high-speed serial signal to a parallel signal is provided. A serial-parallel conversion circuit includes a plurality of units in each of which a sampling switch and an amplifier are connected to each other. In the serial-parallel conversion circuit, each sampling switch is configured to output part of a serial signal to its respective amplifier only through one transistor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2013
    Publication date: August 8, 2013
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
  • Publication number: 20130201752
    Abstract: An object is to provide a semiconductor device in which stored data can be retained even when power is not supplied, and there is no limitation on the number of write cycles. The semiconductor device includes a source line, a bit line, a first signal line, a second signal line, a word line, a memory cell connected between the source line and the bit line, a first driver circuit electrically connected to the bit line, a second driver circuit electrically connected to the first signal line, a third driver circuit electrically connected to the second signal line, and a fourth driver circuit electrically connected to the word line and the source line. The first transistor is formed using a semiconductor material other than an oxide semiconductor. The second transistor is formed using an oxide semiconductor material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2013
    Publication date: August 8, 2013
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
  • Publication number: 20130200344
    Abstract: An oxadiazole derivative represented by the following general formula (G1) is synthesized and applied to the light emitting element, Am; wherein Am is a substituent represented by a general formula (Am1), (Am2), or (Am3); each of ?, ?1, and ?2 represents an arylene group having 6 to 25 carbon atoms; each of Ar1 to Ar6 represents an aryl group having 6 to 25 carbon atoms; each of R1 to R3 represents hydrogen, an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, or an aryl group having 6 to 25 carbon atoms; and R4 represents an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms or an aryl group having 6 to 25 carbon atoms.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Publication date: August 8, 2013
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
  • Publication number: 20130200367
    Abstract: An object of one embodiment of the present invention is to provide a highly reliable semiconductor device by giving stable electric characteristics to a transistor including an oxide semiconductor film. The semiconductor device includes a gate electrode layer over a substrate, a gate insulating film over the gate electrode layer, an oxide semiconductor film over the gate insulating film, a drain electrode layer provided over the oxide semiconductor film to overlap with the gate electrode layer, and a source electrode layer provided to cover an outer edge portion of the oxide semiconductor film. The outer edge portion of the drain electrode layer is positioned on the inner side than the outer edge portion of the gate electrode layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2013
    Publication date: August 8, 2013
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
  • Publication number: 20130200370
    Abstract: A logic circuit includes a thin film transistor having a channel formation region formed using an oxide semiconductor, and a capacitor having terminals one of which is brought into a floating state by turning off the thin film transistor. The oxide semiconductor has a hydrogen concentration of 5×1019 (atoms/cm3) or less and thus substantially serves as an insulator in a state where an electric field is not generated. Therefore, off-state current of a thin film transistor can be reduced, leadind to suppressing the leakage of electric charge stored in a capacitor, through the thin film transistor. Accordingly, a malfunction of the logic circuit can be prevented. Further, the excessive amount of current which flows in the logic circuit can be reduced through the reduction of off-state current of the thin film transistor, resulting in low power consumption of the logic circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2013
    Publication date: August 8, 2013
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
  • Publication number: 20130200368
    Abstract: A semiconductor device with significantly low off-state current is provided. An oxide semiconductor material in which holes have a larger effective mass than electrons is used. A transistor is provided which includes a gate electrode layer, a gate insulating layer, an oxide semiconductor layer including a hole whose effective mass is 5 or more times, preferably 10 or more times, further preferably 20 or more times that of an electron in the oxide semiconductor layer, a source electrode layer in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer, and a drain electrode layer in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2013
    Publication date: August 8, 2013
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO. LTD.
  • Publication number: 20130200376
    Abstract: A transistor which is resistant to a short-channel effect is provided. A semiconductor which leads to the following is used in a junction portion between a source and a semiconductor layer and a junction portion between a drain and the semiconductor layer: a majority carrier density nsS of a source-side region satisfies a relation of Formula (1): n i ? ? Exp ? [ e ? ( ? s S - ? F ? ? 0 ) kT ] ? n s S ? n i ? ? Exp ? [ E g 2 ? ? kT ] ( 1 ) and a majority carrier density nsD of a drain-side region satisfies a relation of Formula (2): n i ? ? Exp ? [ e ? ( ? s D - ? F ? ? 0 ) kT ] ? n s D ? n i ? ? Exp ? [ E g 2 ? ? kT ] . ( 2 ) The use of the semiconductor suppresses a DIBL effect.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2013
    Publication date: August 8, 2013
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
  • Publication number: 20130203214
    Abstract: To improve productivity of a transistor that includes an oxide semiconductor and has good electrical characteristics. In a top-gate transistor including a gate insulating film and a gate electrode over an oxide semiconductor film, a metal film is formed over the oxide semiconductor film, oxygen is added to the metal film to form a metal oxide film, and the metal oxide film is used as a gate insulating film. After an oxide insulating film is formed over the oxide semiconductor film, a metal film may be formed over the oxide insulating film. Oxygen is added to the metal film to form a metal oxide film and added also to the oxide semiconductor film or the oxide insulating film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2013
    Publication date: August 8, 2013
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
  • Publication number: 20130200365
    Abstract: A semiconductor device in which release of oxygen from side surfaces of an oxide semiconductor film including c-axis aligned crystal parts can be prevented is provided. The semiconductor device includes a first oxide semiconductor film, a second oxide semiconductor film including c-axis aligned crystal parts, and an oxide film including c-axis aligned crystal parts. In the semiconductor device, the first oxide semiconductor film, the second oxide semiconductor film, and the oxide film are each formed using a IGZO film, where the second oxide semiconductor film has a higher indium content than the first oxide semiconductor film, the first oxide semiconductor film has a higher indium content than the oxide film, the oxide film has a higher gallium content than the first oxide semiconductor film, and the first oxide semiconductor film has a higher gallium content than the second oxide semiconductor film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2013
    Publication date: August 8, 2013
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
  • Publication number: 20130200375
    Abstract: Provided is a highly reliable semiconductor device which includes a transistor including an oxide semiconductor. The semiconductor device includes an oxide semiconductor layer; a gate insulating layer provided over the oxide semiconductor layer; a gate electrode layer overlapping with the oxide semiconductor layer with the gate insulating layer provided therebetween; an insulating layer being in contact with part of an upper surface of the oxide semiconductor layer, covering a side surface of the gate insulating layer and a side surface and an upper surface of the gate electrode layer, and having a lower oxygen-transmitting property than the gate insulating layer; a sidewall insulating layer provided on the side surface of the gate electrode layer with the insulating layer provided therebetween; a source electrode layer and a drain electrode layer which are electrically connected to the oxide semiconductor layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2013
    Publication date: August 8, 2013
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
  • Publication number: 20130200366
    Abstract: To provide a highly reliable semiconductor device in which a transistor including an oxide semiconductor film has stable electric characteristics. The semiconductor device includes a gate electrode layer over a substrate, a gate insulating film over the gate electrode layer, an oxide semiconductor film over the gate insulating film, a drain electrode layer which is over the oxide semiconductor film so as to overlap with the gate electrode layer, and a source electrode layer provided so as to cover part of an outer edge portion of the oxide semiconductor film. An outer edge portion of the drain electrode layer is on an inner side than an outer edge portion of the gate electrode layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2013
    Publication date: August 8, 2013
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
  • Publication number: 20130200369
    Abstract: The semiconductor device includes a source line, a bit line, a first signal line, a second signal line, a word line, memory cells connected in parallel between the source line and the bit line, a first driver circuit electrically connected to the source line and the bit line, a second driver circuit electrically connected to the first signal line, a third driver circuit electrically connected to the second signal line, and a fourth driver circuit electrically connected to the word line. The memory cell includes a first transistor including a first gate electrode, a first source electrode, and a first drain electrode, a second transistor including a second gate electrode, a second source electrode, and a second drain electrode, and a capacitor. The second transistor includes an oxide semiconductor material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Publication date: August 8, 2013
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
  • Publication number: 20130193473
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to reduce the thickness of a lighting device using an electroluminescent material. Another object of the present invention is to simplify the structure of a lighting device using an electroluminescent material to reduce cost. A light-emitting element having a stacked structure of a first electrode layer, an EL layer, and a second electrode layer is provided over a substrate having an opening in its center, and a first connecting portion and a second connecting portion for supplying electric power to the light-emitting element are provided in the center of the substrate (in the vicinity of the opening provided in the substrate).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2013
    Publication date: August 1, 2013
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
  • Publication number: 20130193858
    Abstract: A counter 102 counts the accumulated lighting time or the accumulated lighting time and the intensity of lighting of each pixel by a first image signal 101A and stores them in a volatile memory 103 or a nonvolatile memory 104. A correction circuit 105 corrects the first image signal based on the correction data stored previously in a correction data storage section 106 in accordance with the degree of the degradation of each spontaneous light emitting element by the use of the accumulated lighting time or the accumulated lighting time and the intensity of lighting, and produces a second mage signal 101B. By the second image signal 101B, a display unit 107 can provide a uniform screen having no variation in luminance even if the light emitting elements in a part of the pixels are degraded.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Publication date: August 1, 2013
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
  • Publication number: 20130193435
    Abstract: An object is to reduce leakage current and parasitic capacitance of a transistor used for an LSI, a CPU, or a memory. A semiconductor integrated circuit included in an LSI, a CPU, or a memory is manufactured using the transistor which is formed using an oxide semiconductor which is an intrinsic or substantially intrinsic semiconductor obtained by removal of impurities which serve as electron donors (donors) from the oxide semiconductor and has larger energy gap than a silicon semiconductor, and is formed over a semiconductor substrate. With the transistor which is formed over the semiconductor substrate and includes the highly purified oxide semiconductor layer with sufficiently reduced hydrogen concentration, a semiconductor device whose power consumption due to leakage current is low can be realized.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Publication date: August 1, 2013
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
  • Publication number: 20130193432
    Abstract: To provide a highly reliable semiconductor device by giving stable electrical characteristics to a transistor including an oxide semiconductor film. A gate electrode layer is formed over a substrate, a gate insulating film is formed over the gate electrode layer, an oxide semiconductor film is formed over the gate insulating film, a conductive film is formed over the oxide semiconductor film, so that a region in vicinity of an interface with the oxide semiconductor film in contact with the conductive film is made amorphous, heat treatment is performed, the conductive film is then processed to form a source electrode layer and a drain electrode layer, and a part of the amorphous region in the oxide semiconductor film which is exposed by formation of the source electrode layer and the drain electrode layer is removed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2013
    Publication date: August 1, 2013
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.