Thin film transistor, liquid crystal display panel, and manufacturing method of thin film transistor

• US 20010043292A1
• Filed: 02/02/2001
• Published: 11/22/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Tsujimura, Takatoshi, Miwa, Kohichi
• Granted Patent: US 6,576,925 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/43
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1368 in which the switching element is a three-electrode device G02F1/136277 takes precedence

Abstract

The present invention relates to minimizing a leakage current in a floating island region formed in a thin film transistor, and to maintaining a large ON-current required for an operation of the TFT. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a thin film transistor includes: a gate electrode 18 disposed above an insulating substrate and formed in a predetermined pattern; an a-Si film 16 formed in accordance with the pattern of the gate electrode 18; a source electrode 14 formed via the a-Si film 16; and a drain electrode 15 disposed at a predetermined interval from the source electrode 14. The a-Si film 16 includes a floating island region 22 above which or beneath which the gate electrode 18 is not disposed; and the source electrode 14 and the drain electrode 15 are configured in a manner that a channel length of an OFF-current in the floating island region 22, L_OFF, is longer than the channel length of an ON-current formed by the source electrode 14 and the drain electrode 15 located above or beneath the gate electrode 18, L_ON.

Claims

1. A thin film transistor, comprising:

a gate electrode disposed on or above an insulating substrate and formed in a predetermined pattern;

a semiconductor layer formed in accordance with the pattern of said gate electrode;

a pixel electrode formed via said semiconductor layer; and

a signal electrode formed via said semiconductor layer and disposed at a predetermined interval from said pixel electrode,

said semiconductor layer including a floating island region above or beneath which said gate electrode is not located,

said pixel electrode and said signal electrode being configured in a manner that an off-current channel length formed by said pixel electrode and said signal electrode in said floating island region is longer than an on-current channel length formed by said pixel and signal electrodes above or beneath said gate electrode.

2. The thin film transistor according to

claim 1

, wherein said signal electrode is disposed at the location to prevent cross-talk that flows from the adjacent signal line to said pixel electrode via said semiconductor layer.

3. A thin film transistor, comprising:

a source electrode and a drain electrode disposed above an insulating substrate at a predetermined interval;

a semiconductor layer disposed in relation to said source and drain electrodes;

a gate insulator film overlapping said semiconductor layer; and

a gate electrode overlapping said gate insulator film,

said semiconductor layer including a floating island region above or beneath which said gate electrode is not located, and

said source electrode and said drain electrode being configured in a manner that the length of the channel formed in said floating island region by said source electrode and said drain electrode is 18 μ

m or more.

4. The thin film transistor according to

claim 3

, wherein said source electrode and drain electrode are configured in a manner that the length of the channel located above or beneath said gate electrode is 4 μ

m or less.

5. A thin film transistor, comprising:

a gate electrode disposed on or above an insulating substrate and formed in a predetermined pattern;

a semiconductor layer formed in a pattern substantially identical to the pattern of said gate electrode;

a source electrode formed via said semiconductor layer; and

a drain electrode formed via said semiconductor layer and disposed at a predetermined interval from said source electrode,

said source electrode and said drain electrode being configured in a manner that the off-current that flows between said source electrode and said drain electrode when the voltage by said gate electrode is off is less than 1×

10<sup>−

12</sup> A, and the on-current that flows between said source electrode and said drain electrode when the voltage by said gate electrode is 20 V or more is 1×

10<sup>−

6</sup> A or more.

6. The thin film transistor according to

claim 5

, wherein said semiconductor layer comprises a floating island region around said gate electrode and not located above or beneath said gate electrode

and said source electrode and said drain electrode being configured in a manner that the off-current that flows in said floating island region is less than 1×

10<sup>−

12</sup> A.

7. The thin film transistor according to

claim 6

, wherein said source electrode and said drain electrode are configured in a manner that said off-current is less than 1×

10<sup>−

12</sup> A and said on-current is 1×

10<sup>−

6</sup> A or more based on said location of said source and drain electrodes in said floating island region, and said source and drain electrodes disposed above or beneath said gate electrode.

8. A liquid crystal display panel comprising gate lines and signal lines arranged in a matrix shape, and thin film transistors arranged on the intersections of said gate lines and signal lines, and operating liquid crystals by applying a voltage to the display electrode,

said thin film transistor comprising a gate electrode connected to said gate lines and formed integrally with said gate lines, a drain electrode connected to said signal lines, a source electrode connected to said display electrode disposed at a predetermined interval from said drain electrode, and a semiconductor layer formed between said source and drain electrodes and said gate electrode,

said semiconductor layer having a region around said gate electrode and not located above or beneath said gate electrode, and patterned across the region of said thin film transistor and along said gate lines,

said drain electrode being configured in a manner to impede the current flowing from the adjacent signal lines into said source electrode via said semiconductor layer, and configured in a manner that the length of the channel formed between said drain electrode and said source electrode is longer in the region not above or beneath said gate electrode than in the region above or beneath said gate electrode.

9. The liquid crystal display panel according to

claim 8

, wherein said drain electrode is configured in a manner that said channel length in the region not above or beneath said gate electrode is 18 μ

m or more.

10. The liquid crystal display panel according to

claim 8

, wherein said drain electrode is configured in a manner that said channel length in the region above or beneath said gate electrode is 4 μ

m or less.

11. The liquid crystal display panel according to

claim 8

, wherein said drain electrode is configured in a manner that the region of said thin transistor is separated from said gate lines.

12. A method for manufacturing a thin film transistor comprising,

a light-shield film deposition step of depositing a light-shield film on a substrate;

an insulating film formation step of forming an insulating film that covers said light-shield film on said insulating substrate;

a pixel and signal electrodes formation step of forming a pixel electrode and a signal electrode on said insulating film;

a semiconductor layer and insulating film formation step of sequentially forming a semiconductor layer and a gate insulator film on said pixel electrode and said signal electrode;

a gate electrode deposition step of depositing a metal film for the gate lines and gate electrode on said gate insulator film;

a gate electrode patterning step of providing a resist mask on the metal film for the gate lines and gate electrode, and for patterning the gate lines and the gate electrode using said resist mask;

a semiconductor layer patterning step of patterning said semiconductor layer and said gate insulator film using said resist mask, and forming a floating island region above which said gate electrode is not disposed around said gate electrode; and

a step of removing said resist mask;

said pixel and signal electrodes formation step comprising the formation of said signal electrode in the location separating the regions of said gate lines and said gate electrode patterned by said gate electrode patterning step, and the formation of said pixel electrode and said signal electrode in a manner that the distance between said pixel electrode and said signal electrode is long in said floating island region, and short in the region above which said gate electrode is disposed.

13. The method for manufacturing a thin film transistor according to

claim 12

, wherein said gate electrode patterning step is a step of patterning said gate electrode by over-etching said metal film for the gate electrode in relation to said resist mask.