Thin film device provided with coating film, liquid crystal panel and electronic device, and method for making the thin film device

• US 20020179906A1
• Filed: 07/09/2002
• Published: 12/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Miyazawa, Wakao, Kanbe, Sadao, Shimoda, Tatsuya, Yudasaka, Ichio
• Granted Patent: US 7,067,337 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/57
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2323/051 Inorganic, e.g. glass or silicon oxide
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/136227 Through-hole connection of the pixel electrode to the active element through an insulation layer
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/12 the substrate being other than a semiconductor body, e.g. an insulating body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1285 using control of the annealing or irradiation parameters, e.g. using different scanning direction or intensity for different transistors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1292 using liquid deposition, e.g. printing
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/66757 Lateral single gate single channel transistors with non-inverted structure, i.e. the channel layer is formed before the gate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/66765 Lateral single gate single channel transistors with inverted structure, i.e. the channel layer is formed after the gate
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31663 As siloxane, silicone or silane

Abstract

Any one of an insulating film forming a TFT, a silicon film and a conductive film is formed by applying a solution and annealing it. In a spin coater (102), a coating solution containing a thin film component which is supplied from a solution storage section (105) is spin-coated onto a substrate. The substrate after coating the coating solution is annealed in an annealing section (103) to form a coating film on the substrate. Additional laser annealing improves one of film characteristics, i.e., crystallinity, density and adhesiveness. Application of the coating solution or a resist by an ink jet process increases utilization of the solution and permits forming a patterned coating film. Because a thin film device in accordance with the present invention is inexpensive and has a high throughput, TFT production by a production system having high utilization of the coating solution drastically reduces initial investment and production cost of a liquid crystal display device.

Claims

1. A method for making a thin film device, comprising:

preparing a head provided with a nozzle and a piezoelectric element; and

discharging a solution selectively onto a region on a substrate from the nozzle in the head while relatively changing positions of the substrate and the nozzle.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the head provided with a plurality of nozzles, and controlling the plurality of nozzles independently to discharge the solution.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising arranging the plurality of nozzles two-dimensionally and controlling the discharge of the solution so that the solution is applied onto the entire substrate as dots.

4. A method of forming a thin film transistor comprising:

forming a gate electrode above a substrate;

forming a gate insulator over said gate electrode;

forming a semiconducting layer on said insulator by discharging a composition for said semiconducting layer onto said insulator from a nozzle in a head provided with a piezoelectric element; and

forming source and drain contacts on said semiconducting layer.

5. A method of forming a thin film transistor comprising:

forming a gate electrode above a substrate;

forming a gate insulator over said gate electrode;

forming a higher semiconducting layer on said insulator by discharging a composition for said semiconducting layer onto said insulator from a nozzle in a head provided with a piezoelectric element; and

forming source and drain contacts on said semiconducting layer.

6. A method for fabricating an electronic device, comprising:

making a thin film device further comprising;

preparing a head provided with a nozzle and a piezoelectric element; and

discharging a solution selectively onto a region on a substrate from the nozzle in the head while relatively changing positions of the substrate and the nozzle; and

assembling the electronic device by using the thin film device.

7. A method for fabricating an electronic device, comprising:

forming a thin film transistor further comprising;

forming a gate electrode above a substrate;

forming a gate insulator over said gate electrode;

forming a semiconducting layer on said insulator by discharging a composition for said semiconducting layer onto said insulator from a nozzle in a head provided with a piezoelectric element; and

forming source and drain contacts on said semiconducting layer; and

a step of assembling the electronic device by using the thin film transistor.

8. A method for fabricating an electronic device, comprising:

a step of forming a thin film transistor further comprising;

forming a semiconducting layer above a substrate by discharging a solution for said semiconducting layer from a nozzle in a head provided with a piezoelectric element;

forming a gate insulator above the semiconducting layer;

forming a gate electrode above the gate insulator; and

forming source and drain contacts on said semiconducting layer; and

a step of assembling the electronic device by using the thin film transistor.