Patents by Inventor Shunpei Yamazaki

Shunpei Yamazaki 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: 20140175432
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a transistor including an insulating film, an oxide semiconductor film, a gate electrode overlapping with the oxide semiconductor film, and a pair of electrodes in contact with the oxide semiconductor film; a capacitor including a first light-transmitting conductive film over the insulating film, a dielectric film over the first light-transmitting conductive film, and a second light-transmitting conductive film over the dielectric film; an oxide insulating film over the pair of electrodes of the transistor; and a nitride insulating film over the oxide insulating film. The dielectric film is the nitride insulating film, the oxide insulating film has a first opening over one of the pair of electrodes, the nitride insulating film has a second opening over the one of the pair of electrodes, and the second opening is on an inner side than the first opening.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2013
    Publication date: June 26, 2014
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei YAMAZAKI, Hiroyuki MIYAKE, Hideaki SHISHIDO, Masahiro KATAYAMA, Kenichi OKAZAKI
  • Publication number: 20140175435
    Abstract: A semiconductor device having a reduced amount of oxygen vacancy in a channel formation region of an oxide semiconductor is provided. Further, a semiconductor device which includes an oxide semiconductor and has improved electric characteristics is provided. Furthermore, a methods for manufacturing the semiconductor device is provided. An oxide semiconductor film is formed; a conductive film is formed over the oxide semiconductor film at the same time as forming a low-resistance region between the oxide semiconductor film and the conductive film; the conductive film is processed to form a source electrode and a drain electrode; and oxygen is added to the low-resistance region between the source electrode and the drain electrode, so that a channel formation region having a higher resistance than the low-resistance region is formed and a first low-resistance region and a second low-resistance region between which the channel formation region is positioned are formed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2013
    Publication date: June 26, 2014
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Hideomi Suzawa, Tetsuhiro Tanaka, Hirokazu Watanabe, Yuhei Sato, Yasumasa Yamane, Daisuke Matsubayashi
  • Publication number: 20140175433
    Abstract: A semiconductor device in which the aperture ratio and which includes a capacitor with increased charge capacity is provided. A semiconductor device in which the number of masks used in a manufacturing process is reduced and the manufacturing costs are reduced is also provided. An impurity is contained in a light-transmitting semiconductor film so that the semiconductor film functions as one of a pair of electrodes in a capacitor. The other pair of electrodes is formed using a light-transmitting conductive film such as a pixel electrode. Further, a scan line and a capacitor line are provided on the same surface and in parallel to each other. An opening reaching the capacitor line and an opening reaching a conductive film which can be formed in the formation of a source electrode or a drain electrode of the transistor can be formed concurrently in an insulating film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2013
    Publication date: June 26, 2014
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei YAMAZAKI, Hiroyuki MIYAKE
  • Publication number: 20140175444
    Abstract: A p channel TFT of a driving circuit has a single drain structure and its n channel TFT, a GOLD structure or an LDD structure. A pixel TFT has the LDD structure. A pixel electrode disposed in a pixel portion is connected to the pixel TFT through a hole bored in at least a protective insulation film formed of an inorganic insulating material and formed above a gate electrode of the pixel TFT, and in an interlayer insulating film disposed on the insulation film in close contact therewith. These process steps use 6 to 8 photo-masks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2014
    Publication date: June 26, 2014
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Yasuyuki Arai, Jun Koyama
  • Publication number: 20140177345
    Abstract: To provide a semiconductor device that has a novel structure and achieves a higher degree of convenience, the semiconductor device is configured to include a memory cell that stores binary data or multilevel data, and a reading circuit that reads the data stored in the memory cell and transfers the data to the outside. The reading circuit includes a first reading circuit for reading binary data and a second reading circuit for reading multilevel data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2013
    Publication date: June 26, 2014
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Jun Koyama
  • Publication number: 20140175436
    Abstract: To provide a novel resistor. To provide a display device having a novel structure that can improve its reliability. To provide a display device having a novel structure that can reduce electrostatic discharge damages. The resistor includes a semiconductor layer and an insulating layer formed over the semiconductor layer, and the semiconductor layer is an oxide represented by an In-M-Zn oxide that contains at least indium (In), zinc (Zn), and M (M is a metal such as Al, Ga, Ge, Y, Zr, Sn, La, Ce, or Hf) and the insulating layer contains at least hydrogen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2013
    Publication date: June 26, 2014
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Shunpei Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 8760931
    Abstract: It is an object to provide a semiconductor device in which power consumption can be reduced. It is another object to provide a highly reliable semiconductor device using a programming cell, such as a programmable logic device (PLD). In accordance with a change in a configuration of connections between basic blocks, power supply voltage furnishing to the basic blocks is changed. That is, when the structure of connections between the basic blocks is such that a basic block does not contribute to a circuit, the supply of the power supply voltage to this basic block is stopped. Further, the supply of the power supply voltage to the basic blocks is controlled using a programming cell formed using a field effect transistor whose channel formation region is formed using an oxide semiconductor, the field effect transistor having extremely low off-state current or extremely low leakage current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Takemura, Shunpei Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 8759131
    Abstract: Techniques are provided for manufacturing a light-emitting device having high internal quantum efficiency, consuming less power, having high luminance, and having high reliability. The techniques include forming a conductive light-transmitting oxide layer comprising a conductive light-transmitting oxide material and silicon oxide, forming a barrier layer in which density of the silicon oxide is higher than that in the conductive light-transmitting oxide layer over the conductive light-transmitting oxide layer, forming an anode having the conductive light-transmitting oxide layer and the barrier layer, heating the anode under a vacuum atmosphere, forming an electroluminescent layer over the heated anode, and forming a cathode over the electroluminescent layer. According to the techniques, the barrier layer is formed between the electroluminescent layer and the conductive light-transmitting oxide layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Kengo Akimoto, Junichiro Sakata, Yoshiharu Hirakata, Norihito Sone
  • Patent number: 8760442
    Abstract: An object is to provide a display device in which deterioration in display quality due to a change in voltage applied is reduced and a lower visible efficiency in changing display is prevented. The display device has a display controller configured to make the display portion perform display by switching a first still image display period including a writing period in which a first image signal is written and a holding period in which the first image signal is held, and a second still image display period including a writing period in which a second image signal is written and a holding period in which the second image signal is held. The display controller is configured to make a length of the writing period of the first still image display period and a length of the writing period of the second still image display period different from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Jun Koyama
  • Patent number: 8760376
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device that displays an image by inputting n (n is a natural number) bit digital signals has n memory circuits in each pixel. The n memory circuits store n bit digital signals, which are converted into corresponding analog signals by a D/A converter provided in each pixel so that the analog signals are inputted to a liquid crystal element. Therefore, when a still image is to be displayed, the stored digital signals are repeatedly used once the digital signals are written in the memory circuits. During the still image is displayed, a source signal line driving circuit and other circuits can stop their driving. Power consumption of the liquid crystal display device thus can be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jun Koyama, Shunpei Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 8760375
    Abstract: In a conventional display device comprising a sub-display, the display device is increased in thickness and in the number of components as the number of displays is increased. In the present invention, a dual emission display device is used so that either surface of a display is used as a main display or a sub-display. Accordingly, the display device can be reduced in thickness and in the number of components. Further, mechanical reliability can be enhanced when the invention is applied to a tablet PC, a video camera and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Jun Koyama
  • Publication number: 20140170809
    Abstract: An embodiment of the disclosed invention is a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, which includes the steps of: forming a first insulating film; performing oxygen doping treatment on the first insulating film to supply oxygen to the first insulating film; forming a source electrode, a drain electrode, and an oxide semiconductor film electrically connected to the source electrode and the drain electrode, over the first insulating film; performing heat treatment on the oxide semiconductor film to remove a hydrogen atom in the oxide semiconductor film; forming a second insulating film over the oxide semiconductor film; and forming a gate electrode in a region overlapping with the oxide semiconductor film, over the second insulating film. The manufacturing method allows the formation of a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor, which has stable electrical characteristics and high reliability.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2014
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shunpei Yamazaki
  • Publication number: 20140167041
    Abstract: An objet of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor device with a new structure. Disclosed is a semiconductor device including a first transistor which includes a channel formation region on a substrate containing a semiconductor material, impurity regions formed with the channel formation region interposed therebetween, a first gate insulating layer over the channel formation region, a first gate electrode over the first gate insulating layer, and a first source electrode and a first drain electrode which are electrically connected to the impurity region; and a second transistor which includes a second gate electrode over the substrate containing a semiconductor material, a second gate insulating layer over the second gate electrode, an oxide semiconductor layer over the second gate insulating layer, and a second source electrode and a second drain electrode which are electrically connected to the oxide semiconductor layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2014
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei YAMAZAKI, Jun KOYAMA, Keitaro IMAI
  • Publication number: 20140167039
    Abstract: An object is to provide a semiconductor device using an oxide semiconductor having stable electric characteristics and high reliability. A transistor including the oxide semiconductor film in which a top surface portion of the oxide semiconductor film is provided with a metal oxide film containing a constituent similar to that of the oxide semiconductor film and functioning as a channel protective film is provided. In addition, the oxide semiconductor film used for an active layer of the transistor is an oxide semiconductor film highly purified to be electrically i-type (intrinsic) by heat treatment in which impurities such as hydrogen, moisture, a hydroxyl group, or a hydride are removed from the oxide semiconductor and oxygen which is a major constituent of the oxide semiconductor and is reduced concurrently with a step of removing impurities is supplied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2014
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shunpei Yamazaki
  • Publication number: 20140167037
    Abstract: An object is to provide a memory device which does not need a complex manufacturing process and whose power consumption can be suppressed, and a semiconductor device including the memory device. A solution is to provide a capacitor which holds data and a switching element which controls storing and releasing charge in the capacitor in a memory element. In the memory element, a phase-inversion element such as an inverter or a clocked inverter includes the phase of an input signal is inverted and the signal is output. For the switching element, a transistor including an oxide semiconductor in a channel formation region is used. In the case where application of a power supply voltage to the phase-inversion element is stopped, the data is stored in the capacitor, so that the data is held in the capacitor even when the application of the power supply voltage to the phase-inversion element is stopped.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 30, 2013
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jun Koyama, Shunpei Yamazaki
  • Publication number: 20140169072
    Abstract: An object is to provide a semiconductor device having a novel structure. A first wiring; a second wiring; a third wiring, a fourth wiring; 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 are included. The first transistor is provided over a substrate including a semiconductor material and a second transistor includes an oxide semiconductor layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2014
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Jun Koyama, Kiyoshi Kato
  • Publication number: 20140169100
    Abstract: Disclosed is a semiconductor device functioning as a multivalued memory device including: memory cells connected in series; a driver circuit selecting a memory cell and driving a second signal line and a word line; a driver circuit selecting any of writing potentials and outputting it to a first signal line; a reading circuit comparing a potential of a bit line and a reference potential; and a potential generating circuit generating the writing potential and the reference potential. One of the memory cells includes: a first transistor connected to the bit line and a source line; a second transistor connected to the first and second signal line; and a third transistor connected to the word line, bit line, and source line. The second transistor includes an oxide semiconductor layer. A gate electrode of the first transistor is connected to one of source and drain electrodes of the second transistor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2014
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratoy Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Jun Koyama, Kiyoshi Kato
  • Publication number: 20140173300
    Abstract: The versatility of a power feeding device is improved. A power storage system includes a power storage device and a power feeding device. The power storage device includes data for identifying the power storage device. The power storage device includes a power storage unit, a switch that controls whether power from the power feeding device is supplied to the power storage unit, and a control circuit having a function of controlling a conduction state of the switch in accordance with a control signal input from the power feeding device. The power feeding device includes a signal generation circuit having a function of identifying the power storage device by the data input from the power storage device, generating the control signal corresponding to the identified power storage device, and outputting the generated control signal to the power storage device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2013
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shunpei YAMAZAKI, Jun Koyama
  • Publication number: 20140167025
    Abstract: A hole transporting region made of a hole transporting material, an electron transporting region made of an electron transporting material, and a mixed region (light emitting region) in which both the hole transporting material and the electron transporting material are mixed and which is doped with a triplet light emitting material for red color are provided in an organic compound film, whereby interfaces between respective layers which exist in a conventional lamination structure are eliminated, and respective functions of hole transportation, electron transportation, and light emission are exhibited. In accordance with the above-mentioned method, the organic light emitting element for red color can be obtained in which power consumption is low and a life thereof is long. Thus, the display device and the electric device are manufactured by using the organic light emitting element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2014
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoshi Seo, Shunpei Yamazaki
  • Publication number: 20140168196
    Abstract: A light emitting device that achieves long life, and which is capable of performing high duty drive, by suppressing initial light emitting element deterioration is provided. Reverse bias application to an EL element (109) is performed one row at a time by forming a reverse bias electric power source line (112) and a reverse bias TFT (108). Reverse bias application can therefore be performed in synchronous with operations for write-in of an image signal, light emission, erasure, and the like. Reverse bias application therefore becomes possible while maintaining a duty equivalent to that of a conventional driving method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2014
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mitsuaki Osame, Aya Anzai, Yoshifumi Tanada, Keisuke Miyagawa, Satoshi Seo, Shunpei Yamazaki