SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DRIVING TRANSISTOR

• US 20120112045A1
• Filed: 10/27/2011
• Published: 05/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: TSUBUKU, Masashi, AKIMOTO, Kengo
• Granted Patent: US 9,087,744 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/214.1
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1368 in which the switching element is a three-electrode device G02F1/136277 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/30 in which the desired character or characters are formed by combining individual elements panels comprising a number of electrodes in a single cell controlling light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. electro-optical or magneto-optical cell, G02F1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/142 the light being detected by light detection means within each pixel
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3648 using an active matrix G09G3/367 - G09G3/3696 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1225 with semiconductor materials not belonging to the group IV of the periodic table, e.g. InGaZnO

Abstract

When a positive bias voltage is applied to a gate electrode of a transistor including an oxide semiconductor for longer than or equal to 10 msec, electric characteristics of the transistor, which have varied due to the light irradiation, can be brought to the state which is substantially the same as the state before the light irradiation. Note that a positive bias voltage is applied to the gate electrode of the transistor at an appropriate timing with reference to the amount of incident light received by the transistor. Accordingly, a display device in which a reduction in display quality is suppressed even when light irradiation is performed can be realized.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device comprising:

a transistor including an oxide semiconductor overlapping a gate electrode with a gate insulating layer interposed therebetween; and

a driving circuit configured to apply a positive voltage to the gate electrode for longer than or equal to 100 μ

sec.

2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the positive voltage is applied to the gate electrode without applying a voltage to a source electrode and a drain electrode.

3. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the positive voltage is applied to the gate electrode when the transistor is in an off-state.

4. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the positive voltage is applied to the gate electrode when the transistor is shielded from light.

5. A semiconductor device comprising:

a transistor including an oxide semiconductor overlapping a gate electrode with a gate insulating layer interposed therebetween;

an optical sensor; and

a driving circuit configured to apply a positive voltage to the gate electrode for longer than or equal to 100 μ

sec.

6. The semiconductor device according to claim 5, wherein the positive voltage is applied to the gate electrode without applying a voltage to a source electrode and a drain electrode.

7. The semiconductor device according to claim 5, wherein the positive voltage is applied to the gate electrode when the transistor is in an off-state.

8. The semiconductor device according to claim 5, wherein the positive voltage is applied to the gate electrode when the transistor is shielded from light.

9. The semiconductor device according to claim 5, wherein the positive voltage is applied to the gate electrode when the optical sensor detects turning off of light.

10. The semiconductor device according to claim 5, wherein the positive voltage is applied to the gate electrode when the optical sensor detects turning on of light.

11. The semiconductor device according to claim 5, wherein the positive voltage is applied to the gate electrode when the optical sensor detects turning off of light which includes an energy higher than or equal to a band gap of the oxide semiconductor.

12. The semiconductor device according to claim 5, wherein the positive voltage is applied to the gate electrode when the optical sensor detects turning on of light which includes an energy higher than or equal to a band gap of the oxide semiconductor.

13. A method for driving a transistor comprising the steps of:

irradiating with light a transistor which includes an oxide semiconductor overlapping a gate electrode with a gate insulating layer interposed therebetween, so that a threshold voltage is shifted to a negative direction; and

applying a positive voltage to the gate electrode for longer than or equal to 100 μ

sec, so that the threshold voltage is brought to a state substantially the same as a threshold voltage before the light irradiation.

14. The method for driving a transistor according to claim 13, wherein the positive voltage is applied to the gate electrode without applying a voltage to a source electrode and a drain electrode.

15. A method for driving a transistor comprising the steps of:

irradiating with light a transistor which includes an oxide semiconductor overlapping a gate electrode with a gate insulating layer interposed therebetween, so that a threshold voltage is shifted to a negative direction; and

applying a positive voltage to the gate electrode for longer than or equal to 100 μ

sec when the transistor is in an off-state, so that the threshold voltage is brought to a state substantially the same as a threshold voltage before the light irradiation.

16. The method for driving a transistor according to claim 15, wherein the positive voltage is applied to the gate electrode without applying a voltage to a source electrode and a drain electrode.

17. A method for driving a transistor comprising the steps of:

irradiating with light a transistor which includes an oxide semiconductor overlapping a gate electrode with a gate insulating layer interposed therebetween, so that a threshold voltage is shifted to a negative direction; and

applying a positive voltage to the gate electrode for longer than or equal to 100 μ

sec when the transistor is shielded from the light, so that the threshold voltage is brought to a state substantially the same as a threshold voltage before the light irradiation.

18. The method for driving a transistor according to claim 17, wherein the positive voltage is applied to the gate electrode without applying a voltage to a source electrode and a drain electrode.