Display device

• US 20040080263A1
• Filed: 05/14/2003
• Published: 04/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kimura, Hajime, Takayama, Toru, Murakami, Satoshi, Yamazaki, Shunpei
• Granted Patent: US 7,256,421 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 313/499
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133305 Flexible substrates, e.g. plastics, organic film
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/136277 formed on a semiconductor substrate, e.g. of silicon
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1368 in which the switching element is a three-electrode device G02F1/136277 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 33/04 Sealing arrangements , e.g. against humidity
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2102/3026 Top emission
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/84 Passivation; Containers; Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/12 Active-matrix OLED [AMOLED] displays
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/1216 the pixel elements being capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/124 Insulating layers formed between TFT elements and OLED elements
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/87 Passivation; Containers; Encapsulations

Abstract

A structure for preventing deteriorations of a light-emitting device and retaining sufficient capacitor elements'"'"' (condenser) required by each pixel is provided. A first passivation film, a second metal layer, a flattening film, a barrier film, and a third metal layer are stacked in this order over a transistor. A side face of a first opening provided with the flattening film is covered by the barrier film, a second opening is formed inside the first opening, and a third metal layer is connected to a semiconductor via the first opening and the second opening. A capacitor element that is formed of a lamination of a semiconductor of a transistor, a gate insulating film, a gate electrode, the first passivation film, and the second metal layer is provided.

Claims

1. A display device comprising a semiconductor, a gate insulating film over the semiconductor, a first metal layer over the gate insulating film, a first passivation film provided over the semiconductor, a second metal layer over the first passivation film, a flattening film over the second metal layer, a barrier film over the flattening film, and the third metal layer over the barrier film,

wherein a side face of a first opening provided with the flattening film is covered by the barrier film;

a second opening provided with a lamination having the gate insulating film, the first passivation film, the barrier film is formed inside the first opening; and

the third metal layer is connected to the semiconductor via the first opening and the second opening, the display device comprising;

a first capacitor element composed of the semiconductor, the gate insulating film, and the first metal layer; and

a second capacitor element comprising the first metal layer, the first passivation film, and the second metal layer.

7. A display device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first metal layer is formed by stacking a tantalum nitride film and a tungsten film.

8. A display device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the second metal layer is formed of an aluminum film or a thin copper film.

9. A display device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the third metal layer is formed by stacking a titanium film, a titanium nitride film, and an aluminum film.

10. A display device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the barrier film is formed of a silicon nitride film having an etching rate of at most 9 nm/min.

11. A display device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the barrier film is formed of a silicon nitride film having hydrogen concentration of at most 1×

10²¹ cm<sup>−

3</sup>.

12. A display device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the barrier film is formed of a silicon nitride film having an etching rate of at most 9 nm/min and hydrogen concentration of at most 1×

10²¹ cm<sup>−

3</sup>.

13. A display device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the barrier film is formed of a silicon nitride film having hydrogen concentration of at most 1×

10²¹ cm<sup>−

3</sup> and oxygen concentration ranging from 5×

10¹⁸ to 5×

10²¹ cm<sup>−

3</sup>.

14. A display device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the barrier film is formed of a silicon nitride film having an etching rate of at most 9 nm/min, hydrogen concentration of at most 1×

10²¹ cm<sup>−

3</sup>, and oxygen concentration ranging from 5×

10¹⁸ to 5×

10²¹ cm<sup>−

3</sup>.

15. A display device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the silicon nitride film is controlled back pressure thereof at most 1×

10<sup>−

3</sup> Pa by a turbo-molecular pump or a cryopump, and formed by sputtering silicon single crystal target using N₂ gas or mixed gas of N₂ gas and rare gas.

16. An electric appliance is installed a display device according to any one of claims 1 to 15 in a display portion of the electric appliance.

2. A display device comprising a semiconductor, a gate insulating film over the semiconductor, a first metal layer over the gate insulating film, a first passivation film provided over the semiconductor, a second metal layer over the first passivation film, a flattening film over the second metal layer, a barrier film over the flattening film, and the third metal layer over the barrier film,

wherein a side face of a first opening provided with the flattening film is covered by the barrier film;

a second opening provided with a lamination having the gate insulating film, the first passivation film, the barrier film is formed inside the first opening; and

the third metal layer is connected to the semiconductor via the first opening and the second opening, the display device comprising;

a first capacitor element comprising the semiconductor, the gate insulating film, and the first metal layer;

a second capacitor element comprising the first metal layer, the first passivation film, and the second metal layer; and

a third capacitor element composed of the second metal layer, the barrier film, and the third metal layer.

3. A display device comprising a semiconductor, a gate insulating film over the semiconductor, a first metal layer over the gate insulating film, a first passivation film provided over the upper portion of the semiconductor, a second metal layer over the first passivation film, a flattening film over the second metal layer, a barrier film over the flattening film, and the third metal layer over the barrier film,

wherein a side face of a first opening provided with the flattening film is covered by the barrier film;

a second opening provided with a lamination having the gate insulating film, the first passivation film, the barrier film is formed inside the first opening; and

the third metal layer is connected to the semiconductor via the first opening and the second opening, the display device comprising;

a first capacitor element comprising the semiconductor, the first gate insulating film, and the first metal layer; and

a second capacitor element comprising the first metal layer, the first passivation film, the barrier film, and the third metal layer.

4. A display device comprising a semiconductor, a gate insulating film over the semiconductor, a first metal layer over the gate insulating film, a first passivation film provided over the semiconductor, a second metal layer over the first passivation film, a flattening film over the second metal layer, a barrier film over the flattening film, and the third metal layer over the barrier film,

wherein a side face of a first opening provided with the flattening film is covered by the barrier film;

a second opening provided with a lamination having the gate insulating film, the first passivation film, the barrier film is formed inside the first opening; and

the third metal layer is connected to the semiconductor via the first opening and the second opening, the display device comprising;

a capacitor element comprising the semiconductor, the gate insulating film, the first passivation film, the barrier film, and the third metal layer.

5. A display device comprising a semiconductor, a gate insulating film over the semiconductor, a first metal layer over the gate insulating film, a first passivation film provided over the semiconductor, a second metal layer over the first passivation film, a flattening film over the second metal layer, a barrier film over the flattening film, and the third metal layer over the barrier film,

wherein a side face of a first opening provided with the flattening film is covered by the barrier film;

a second opening provided with a lamination having the gate insulating film, the first passivation film, the barrier film is formed inside the first opening; and

the third metal layer is connected to the semiconductor via the first opening and the second opening, the display device comprising;

a capacitor element comprising the semiconductor, the gate insulating film, the first passivation film, and the second metal layer.

6. A display device comprising a semiconductor, a gate insulating film over the semiconductor, a first metal layer over the gate insulating film, a first passivation film provided over the semiconductor, a second metal layer over the first passivation film, a flattening film over the second metal layer, a barrier film over the flattening film, and the third metal layer over the barrier film,

wherein a side face of a first opening provided with the flattening film is covered by the barrier film;

a second opening provided with a lamination having the gate insulating film, the first passivation film, the barrier film is formed inside the first opening; and

the third metal layer is connected to the semiconductor via the first opening and the second opening, the display device comprising;

a capacitor element comprising the first metal layer, the first passivation film, and the second metal layer.