ELECTRO-OPTICAL DEVICE AND ELECTRONIC APPARATUS

• US 20080068525A1
• Filed: 06/05/2007
• Published: 03/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: ISHII, Tatsuya
• Granted Patent: US 7,619,699 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/44
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/136209 Light shielding layers, e.g. black matrix, incorporated in the active matrix substrate, e.g. structurally associated with the switching element
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/40 Arrangements for improving the aperture ratio

Abstract

An electro-optical device includes light-shielding portions interposed between pixel electrodes and transistors. Each light-shielding portion includes an overlapping portion that overlaps and is wider than the corresponding transistor. A contact hole that connects each pixel electrode with the corresponding transistor overlaps the overlapping portion of the light-shielding portion.

Claims

1. An electro-optical device comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of data lines and a plurality of scanning lines provided on the substrate and crossing each other;

a plurality of pixel electrodes provided on the substrate individually at a plurality of pixels, the plurality of pixels being defined in association with intersections of the plurality of data lines and the plurality of scanning lines and constituting a display region on the substrate;

a plurality of transistors that controls switching of the plurality of pixel electrodes, the plurality of transistors being provided on the substrate in non-aperture regions separating individual aperture regions of the plurality of pixels, each of the plurality of transistors being formed along a first direction in the display region; and

a plurality of light-blocking portions provided on the substrate, the plurality of light-blocking portions being formed in a layer below the plurality of pixel electrodes via an inter-layer insulating film and above the plurality of transistors so as to define the non-aperture regions at least partially, each of the plurality of light-blocking portions having an overlapping portion, the overlapping portion including a portion that overlaps an associated one of the plurality of transistors along the first direction when viewed in plan on the substrate and being wider than the associated one of the plurality of transistors along a second direction crossing the first direction;

wherein the plurality of pixel electrodes are electrically connected to the plurality of transistors individually via a plurality of contact holes formed through the inter-layer insulating film, each of the plurality of contact holes being located so as to overlap the overlapping portion of an associated one of the plurality of light-blocking portions when viewed in plan on the substrate.

2. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of light-blocking portions is formed of a light-blocking conductive material, is electrically connected to an associated one of the plurality of transistors, and is electrically connected to an associated one of the plurality of pixel electrodes via an associated one of the plurality of contact holes.

3. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein the overlapping portion has a wider portion having a larger width along the second direction than another portion of the overlapping portion, and each of the plurality of contact holes is located so as to overlap the wider portion of the overlapping portion of an associated one of the plurality of light-blocking portions when viewed in plan on the substrate.

4. The electro-optical device according to claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of transistors includes a semiconductor layer having a channel region, a data-line-side source-drain region electrically connected to an associated one of the plurality of data lines, a pixel-electrode-side source-drain region electrically connected to an associated one of the plurality of pixel electrodes, a first junction region formed between the channel region and the data-line-side source-drain region, and a second junction region formed between the channel region and the pixel-electrode-side source-drain region, and the wider portion overlaps at least the second junction region when viewed in plan on the substrate.

5. The electro-optical device according to claim 4, wherein the second junction region is a lightly doped drain region.

6. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of light-blocking portions is a capacitor having a lower capacitor electrode and an upper capacitor electrode stacked in that order from a lower side on the substrate, one electrode of the lower capacitor electrode and the upper capacitor electrode being electrically connected to an associated one of the plurality of pixel electrodes, and the overlapping portion is formed as a portion of the one electrode.

7. The electro-optical device according to claim 6, wherein the one electrode is the lower capacitor electrode.

8. The electro-optical device according to claim 6, wherein each of the upper capacitor electrode and the lower capacitor electrode is formed of a metallic film.

9. An electronic apparatus comprising the electro-optical device according to claim 1.