Electro-optical device, method of manufacturing the same, and electronic apparatus

• US 20050052592A1
• Filed: 07/23/2004
• Published: 03/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 138 East LCD Advancements Limited (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Fukuhara, Keiji
• Granted Patent: US 7,215,388 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/100
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133345 Insulating layers G02F1/1335, G02F1/1337, G02F1/135, G02F1/136 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1362 Active matrix addressed cells G02F1/134336, G02F1/134363 take precedence

Abstract

To provide an electro-optical device capable of reducing the likelihood of preventing moisture from permeating into a laminated structure formed on a substrate, in particular, thin film transistors that constitute the laminated structure and of performing a stable operation, and/or electro-optical device includes data lines, scanning lines, thin film transistors including semiconductor layers, and pixel electrodes to which image signals are supplied by the data lines through the thin film transistors, on a substrate. The electro-optical device may include an interlayer insulating film arranged between the data lines and the pixel electrodes, and a passivation film arranged on the surface of the interlayer insulating film.

Claims

1. An electro-optical device, comprising:

a substrate;

data lines extending above the substrate;

scanning lines extending in a direction intersecting the data lines;

thin film transistors including semiconductor layers and gate electrodes to which scanning signals are supplied by the scanning lines;

pixel electrodes to which image signals are supplied by the data lines through the thin film transistors;

a plurality of interlayer insulating films arranged between the data lines, the thin film transistors, and the pixel electrodes; and

a passivation film arranged on a surface of at least one interlayer insulating film among the plurality of interlayer insulating films.

2. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, the passivation film including a material which is in a stable state in reaction to water.

3. The electro-optical device according to claim 2, the passivation film including a boron silicate glass (BSG) oxide film.

4. The electro-optical device according to claim 2, the passivation film including a phosphorus silicate glass (PSG) oxide film.

5. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, the thickness of the passivation film being no less than 10 nm and no more than 100 nm.

6. The electro-optical device according to claim 3, the amount of boron (B) in the BSG oxide film is no less than 1 percent by weight and no more than 7 percent by weight.

7. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first interlayer insulating film serving as the interlayer insulating film on which the pixel electrodes are laminated,

the passivation film being arranged on the surface of the first interlayer insulating film.

8. The electro-optical device according to claim 7, a planarization process being performed on the surface of the first interlayer insulating film.

9. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, further comprising:

storage capacitors electrically connected to the thin film transistors and to the pixel electrodes, and capacitor wiring lines to supply fixed electric potential to the storage capacitors,

the plurality of interlayer insulating films including a second interlayer insulating film on which the capacitor wiring lines are laminated, under the first interlayer insulating film, and a third interlayer insulating film on which the data lines are laminated, under the second interlayer insulating film, and

the passivation film being arranged on two or more surfaces of a surface of the first interlayer insulating film, a surface of the second interlayer insulating film, and a surface of the third interlayer insulating film.

10. The electro-optical device according to claim 9,

a planarization process being performed on the surface of the first interlayer insulating film and on the surface of the second interlayer insulating film, and

the passivation film being arranged on the surface of the first interlayer insulating film and on the surface of the second interlayer insulating film.

11. The electro-optical device according to claim 9,

the plurality of interlayer insulating films including a fourth interlayer insulating film on which the storage capacitors are laminated, under the third interlayer insulating film, and under which the thin film transistors are positioned, and further including contact holes to electrically connect the pixel electrodes to the thin film transistors through the third interlayer insulating film and the fourth interlayer insulating film, and

the passivation film not being arranged on a surface of the fourth interlayer insulating film.

18. An electronic apparatus, comprising:

the electro-optical device according to claim 1.

12. A method of manufacturing an electro-optical device, comprising:

extending data lines above a substrate;

extending scanning lines in a direction intersecting the data lines;

forming thin film transistors including semiconductor layers and gate electrodes to which scanning signals are supplied by the scanning lines;

forming pixel electrodes to which image signals are supplied by the data lines through the thin film transistors;

forming a plurality of interlayer insulating films arranged between the data lines, the thin film transistors, and the pixel electrodes; and

forming a passivation film on one or more interlayer insulating films among the plurality of interlayer insulating films.

13. The method of manufacturing the electro-optical device according to claim 12, further including forming the passivation film by a normal pressure chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method.

14. The method of manufacturing the electro-optical device according to claim 12, further including forming the interlayer insulating films on which the passivation film is formed by a plasma CVD method.

15. The method of manufacturing the electro-optical device according to claim 12, further comprising:

patterning predetermined components on the interlayer insulating films,

the forming the passivation film being performed after patterning the predetermined components.

16. The method of manufacturing the electro-optical device according to claim 15, the predetermined components including the pixel electrodes.

17. The method of manufacturing the electro-optical device according to claim 12, the interlayer insulating films having a multi-layered structure.