Patents by Inventor Setsuo Nakajima

Setsuo Nakajima 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: 20060207714
    Abstract: To provide a technique for manufacturing a high-performance display device by employing a plastic substrate. A peeling layer is formed on an element-forming substrate, and a semiconductor element and a luminous element are further formed thereon. Then, a fixed substrate (130) is bonded on the luminous element by using a first adhesive (129) The entire substrate in this state is exposed in a gas containing halogen fluoride to thereby remove the peeling layer and separate the element-forming substrate. Thereafter, a bonding substrate (132)that comprises a plastic substrate is bonded in place of the separated element-forming substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2006
    Publication date: September 21, 2006
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Setsuo Nakajima
  • Patent number: 7098088
    Abstract: There is provided a semiconductor device including a semiconductor circuit formed by semiconductor elements having an LDD structure which has high reproducibility, improves the stability of TFTs and provides high productivity and a method for manufacturing the same. In order to achieve the object, the design of a second mask is appropriately determined in accordance with requirements associated with the circuit configuration to make it possible to form a desired LDD region on both sides or one side of the channel formation region of a TFT.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2006
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Setsuo Nakajima, Hideaki Kuwabara
  • Publication number: 20060189076
    Abstract: In a thin film transistor, a metallic element promoting crystallization of an amorphous silicon film is effectively removed and the productivity is improved. By using a silicon film containing an element belonging to the group 15 such as phosphorus through contact holes reaching a source region and a drain region, a metallic element promoting crystallization of an amorphous silicon film can be effectively removed or decreased and the productivity can be improved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2006
    Publication date: August 24, 2006
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Setsuo Nakajima
  • Patent number: 7095090
    Abstract: A photoelectric conversion device taking the form of a thin film and having a substrate exhibiting poor thermal resistance. The device prevents thermal deformation which would normally be caused by local application of excessive heat to the substrate. The device has output terminals permitting the output from the device to be taken out. The output terminals are formed on the surface of the substrate opposite to the photoelectric conversion device. The device further includes electrical connector portions for electrically connecting the electrodes of the device with the output terminals. The present invention also provides a method of treating a substrate having poor thermal resistance with a plasma with a high throughput. The substrate is continuously supplied into a reaction chamber and treated with a plasma. This supply operation is carried out in such a way that the total length of the substrate existing in a plasma processing region formed by electrodes is longer than the length of the electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2006
    Assignees: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd., TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Setsuo Nakajima, Yasuyuki Arai, Hisato Shinohara, Masayoshi Abe
  • Publication number: 20060183276
    Abstract: After crystallization of a semiconductor film is performed by irradiating first laser light (energy density of 400 to 500 mJ/cm2) in an atmosphere containing oxygen, an oxide film formed by irradiating the first laser light is removed. It is next performed to irradiate second laser light under an atmosphere that does not contain oxygen (at a higher energy density than that of the first laser light irradiation), thus to increase the flatness of the semiconductor film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2006
    Publication date: August 17, 2006
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Setsuo Nakajima, Hidekazu Miyairi
  • Patent number: 7087504
    Abstract: A technique for manufacturing TFTs having little dispersion in their electrical characteristics is provided. Contamination of a semiconductor film is reduced by performing oxidation processing having an organic matter removing effect, forming a clean oxide film, after removing a natural oxide film formed on a semiconductor film surface. TFTs having little dispersion in their electrical characteristics can be obtained by using the semiconductor film thus obtained in active layers of the TFTs, and the electrical properties can be improved. In addition, deterioration in productivity and throughput can be reduced to a minimum by using a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of the present invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2006
    Assignees: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd., Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Setsuo Nakajima, Aiko Shiga, Naoki Makita, Takuya Matsuo
  • Publication number: 20060163580
    Abstract: To provide a technique required for purifying the interface between an active layer and an insulating film. On a substrate (101), a gate wiring (103) is formed and the surface thereof is covered with a gate oxide film (104). Then, a first insulating film (105a), a second insulating film (105b), a semiconductor film (106) and a protective film (107) are sequentially formed and layered without exposing them to the air. Further, the semiconductor film (106) is irradiated with laser light through the protective film (107). In this way, a TFT may be given good characteristics by completely purifying the interface of the semiconductor film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2002
    Publication date: July 27, 2006
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Setsuo Nakajima, Ritsuko Kawasaki
  • Patent number: 7060153
    Abstract: To provide a technique for manufacturing a high-performance display device by employing a plastic substrate. A peeling layer is formed on an element-forming substrate, and a semiconductor element and a luminous element are further formed thereon. Then, a fixed substrate (130) is bonded on the luminous element by using a first adhesive (129). The entire substrate in this state is exposed in a gas containing halogen fluoride to thereby remove the peeling layer and separate the element-forming substrate. Thereafter, a bonding substrate (132) that comprises a plastic substrate is bonded in place of the separated element-forming substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2006
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Setsuo Nakajima
  • Patent number: 7050138
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a driver circuit for use with a passive matrix or active matrix electrooptical display device such as a liquid crystal display. The driver circuit occupies less space than heretofore. A circuit (stick crystal) having a length substantially equal to the length of one side of the matrix of the display device is used as the driver circuit. The circuit is bonded to one substrate of the display device, and then the terminals of the circuit are connected with the terminals of the display device. Subsequently, the substrate of the driver circuit is removed. This makes the configuration of the circuit much simpler than the configuration of the circuit heretofore required by the TAB method or COG method, because conducting lines are not laid in a complex manner. The driver circuit can be formed on a large-area substrate such as a glass substrate. The display device can be formed on a lightweight material having a high shock resistance such as a plastic substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2006
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Yasuhiko Takemura, Setsuo Nakajima, Yasuyuki Arai
  • Publication number: 20060096539
    Abstract: In a plasma film forming apparatus, two first electrodes 51 connected to a power source 4 and two grounded second electrodes 52 are arranged in the order of the second electrode 52, the first electrode 51, the first electrode 51 and the second electrode 52. A first flow passage 50a formed between the central first electrodes 51 allows a raw material gas (first gas) for being formed into a film to pass therethrough. A plasma discharge space 50b of a second flow passage formed between the first and second electrodes 51, 52 on the both sides allows an excitable gas (second gas) to pass therethrough, which excitable gas is exited by plasma such that the raw material can be formed into a film, but that the excitable gas itself is merely excited but not formed into a film. Those gases are converged at a crossing part 20c between the first and second flow passages and blown off via a common blowoff passage 25a.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2005
    Publication date: May 11, 2006
    Applicant: Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinichi Kawasaki, Sumio Nakatake, Hiroya Kitahata, Setsuo Nakajima, Yuji Eguchi, Junichiro Anzai, Yoshinori Nakano
  • Patent number: 7037779
    Abstract: In a thin film transistor, a metallic element promoting crystallization of an amorphous silicon film is effectively removed and the productivity is improved. By using a silicon film containing an element belonging to the group 15 such as phosphorus through contact holes reaching a source region and a drain region, a metallic element promoting crystallization of an amorphous silicon film can be effectively removed or decreased and the productivity can be improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2006
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Setsuo Nakajima
  • Patent number: 7026197
    Abstract: There is disclosed a method of fabricating TFTs using a silicon film crystallized with the aid of nickel. The nickel is removed from the crystallized silicon film. The method starts with maintaining nickel in contact with the surface of an amorphous silicon film. Then, a heat treatment is performed to form a crystalline silicon film. At this time, nickel promotes the crystallization greatly, and nickel diffuses into the film. A mask is formed. A silicon film heavily doped with phosphorus is formed. Thereafter, a heat treatment is performed to move the nickel from the crystalline silicon film into the phosphorus-rich silicon film. This reduces the concentration of nickel in the crystalline silicon film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2006
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Setsuo Nakajima, Hisashi Ohtani
  • Patent number: 7015083
    Abstract: After crystallization of a semiconductor film is performed by irradiating first laser light (energy density of 400 to 500 mJ/cm2) in an atmosphere containing oxygen, an oxide film formed by irradiating the first laser light is removed. It is next performed to irradiate second laser light under an atmosphere that does not contain oxygen (at a higher energy density than that of the first laser light irradiation), thus to increase the flatness of the semiconductor film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2006
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Setsuo Nakajima, Hidekazu Miyairi
  • Publication number: 20060043486
    Abstract: A semiconductor device that uses a high reliability TFT structure is provided. The gate electrode of an n-channel type TFT is formed by a first gate electrode and a second gate electrode that covers the first gate electrode. LDD regions have portions that overlap the second gate electrode through a gate insulating film, and portions that do not overlap. As a result, the TFT can be prevented from degradation in an ON state, and it is possible to reduce the leak current in an OFF state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2005
    Publication date: March 2, 2006
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Hisashi Ohtani, Setsuo Nakajima
  • Publication number: 20060009015
    Abstract: A technique for manufacturing TFTs having little dispersion in their electrical characteristics is provided. Contamination of a semiconductor film is reduced by performing oxidation processing having an organic matter removing effect, forming a clean oxide film, after removing a natural oxide film formed on a semiconductor film surface. TFTs having little dispersion in their electrical characteristics can be obtained by using the semiconductor film thus obtained in active layers of the TFTs, and the electrical properties can be improved. In addition, deterioration in productivity and throughput can be reduced to a minimum by using a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of the present invention.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2005
    Publication date: January 12, 2006
    Applicants: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd., Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Setsuo Nakajima, Aiko Shiga, Naoki Makita, Takuya Matsuo
  • Patent number: 6977393
    Abstract: A semiconductor device that uses a high reliability TFT structure is provided. The gate electrode of an n-channel type TFT is formed by a first gate electrode and a second gate electrode that covers the first gate electrode. LDD regions have portions that overlap the second gate electrode through a gate insulating film, and portions that do not overlap. As a result, the TFT can be prevented from degradation in an ON state, and it is possible to reduce the leak current in an OFF state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2005
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Hisashi Ohtani, Setsuo Nakajima
  • Patent number: 6960787
    Abstract: There is provided a semiconductor device having TFTs whose thresholds can be controlled. There is provided a semiconductor device including a plurality of TFTs having a back gate electrode, a first gate insulation film, a semiconductor active layer a second gate insulation film and a gate electrode, which are formed on a substrate, wherein an arbitrary voltage is applied to the back gate electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2005
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Jun Koyama, Setsuo Nakajima, Naoya Sakamoto
  • Publication number: 20050233512
    Abstract: In a laser irradiation apparatus having low running costs as compared with a conventional apparatus and a laser beam irradiation method using the same, a crystalline semiconductor film having a crystal grain of a grain size equivalent to or larger than a conventional one is formed, and a TFT is manufactured by using the crystalline semiconductor film, so that the TFT enabling a high speed operation is realized. In a case where a laser beam of a short output time from a solid laser as a light source is irradiated to a semiconductor film, another laser beam is delayed from one laser beam, and the laser beams are synthesized to be irradiated to the semiconductor film, so that a cooling speed of the semiconductor film is made gentle, and it becomes possible to form the crystalline semiconductor film having the crystal grain of the grain size equivalent to or larger than that in a case where a laser beam having a long output time is irradiated to the semiconductor film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2005
    Publication date: October 20, 2005
    Inventors: Koichiro Tanaka, Setsuo Nakajima
  • Patent number: 6955956
    Abstract: In a laser irradiation apparatus having low running costs as compared with a conventional apparatus and a laser beam irradiation method using the same, a crystalline semiconductor film having a crystal grain of a grain size equivalent to or larger than a conventional one is formed, and a TFT is manufactured by using the crystalline semiconductor film, so that the TFT enabling a high speed operation is realized. In a case where a laser beam of a short output time from a solid laser as a light source is irradiated to a semiconductor film, another laser beam is delayed from one laser beam, and the laser beams are synthesized to be irradiated to the semiconductor film, so that a cooling speed of the semiconductor film is made gentle, and it becomes possible to form the crystalline semiconductor film having the crystal grain of the grain size equivalent to or larger than that in a case where a laser beam having a long output time is irradiated to the semiconductor film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2005
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koichiro Tanaka, Setsuo Nakajima
  • Publication number: 20050208215
    Abstract: An apparatus for forming an oxide film on the surface of a substrate S by a CVD method under the pressure conditions close to the atmospheric pressure, comprising: gas supply sources 3A, 3B for supplying process gases of two components, a raw gas (A) comprising a silicon-contained gas such as TMOS, MTMOS or the like, and a reactive gas (B) comprising an oxidizing gas such as O2, N2O or the like, and a discharge processing section 1. The process gas (A) is mixed, in the vicinity of the surface of a substrate without discharge processing, with the process gas (B) discharge processed in the discharge processing section 1, whereby in the CVD method under normal pressure, an oxide film which is excellent in membranous and coverage property is formed at a fast film forming speed. More preferably, a H2O gas discharge processed or not discharge processed is mixed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2003
    Publication date: September 22, 2005
    Inventors: Yuji Eguchi, Setsuo Nakajima, Takumi Ito, Shinichi Kawasaki