Liquid-crystal display device

• US 4,776,673 A
• Filed: 09/26/1986
• Issued: 10/11/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TPO Hong Kong Holding Limited (InnoLux Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hosiden Electronics Co. Ltd. (Hosiden Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsushita, Yasuhiro, Ukai, Yasuhiro, Aoki, Shigeo
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, Stanley D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Duong, Tai V.
• Application Number:
  US06/911,694
• Time in Patent Office: 746 Days
• Field of Search: 350/334, 350/336, 350/339 F, 340/784, 357/4, 357/23.7
• US Class Current: 349/47
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1362 Active matrix addressed cells G02F1/134336, G02F1/134363 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1368 in which the switching element is a three-electrode device G02F1/136277 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/12 the substrate being other than a semiconductor body, e.g. an insulating body

Abstract

A liquid-crystal cell is formed with first and second transparent substrates opposing each other and a liquid crystal sealed therebetween. A plurality of display electrodes are formed in a matrix arrangement with rows and columns on the inner surface of said first transparent substrate. Gate bus lines are formed on the first transparent substrate along the respective rows of display electrodes. Source bus lines are formed on the first transparent substrate along the respective columns of display electrodes. Thin-film transistors are formed on the first transparent substrate at the intersections of the gate and source bus lines. The thin-film transistors each have a gate electrode connected to the associated gate bus line, a source electrode connected to the associated source bus line and the drain electrode connected to a corresponding display electrode. A common electrode is formed on the second transparent substrate such that it faces the display electrodes. The opposed sides of the source and drain electrodes of each thin-film transistor are constituted by tapered surfaces with the distance therebetween being progressively decreased as they approach the first transparent substrate. Ohmic contact layers are formed on these tapered surfaces. A semiconductor of each thin-film transistor is formed over the source and drain electrodes via the ohmic contact layers.

Claims

1. A liquid-crystal display device comprising:

a liquid-crystal cell including first and second substrates opposing each other and a liquid crystal sealed therebetween;

a plurality of transparent display electrodes formed on the inner surface of said first transparent substrate;

a plurality of thin-film transistors formed on said first transparent substrate and each having a drain electrode connected to one of said display electrodes;

transparent source bus lines formed on said first transparent substrate and each connected to transparent source electrodes of a certain number of said thin-film transistors, each said source bus line being formed integrally with the source electrode to which it is connected;

gate bus lines formed on said first transparent substrate and each connected to the gate electrodes of a certain number of said thin-film transistors; and

a transparent common electrode formed on the inner surface of said second transparent substrate;

the source and drain electrodes of each thin-film transistor having opposed sides constituted by tapered surfaces with the distance between said surfaces being progressively decreased as said tapered surfaces appproach said first transparent substrate;

ohmic contact layers formed over the entirety of said tapered surfaces; and

a semiconductor layer in each said thin-film transistor formed over said source and drain electrodes via said ohmic contact layers and extending between said source and drain electrodes.

2. The liquid-crystal display device according to claim 1 wherein said display electrodes are formed in a matrix arrangement with rows and columns, one of said gate bus lines being provided for each of said rows, one of said source bus lines being provided for each of said columns, and said thin-film transistors being provided at the intersections of said gate and source bus lines.

3. The liquid-crystal display device according to claim 2, wherein said common electrode consists of common electrode sections having substantially the same size and shape as and facing said respective display electrodes, adjacent ones of said common electrode sections being connected together by a connecting section.

4. The liquid-crystal display device according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said semiconductor layer consists of amorphous silicon and has a thickness of 500 angstroms or below.

5. The liquid-crystal display device according to claim 4, wherein said semiconductor layer has a thickness of approximately 100 angstroms.

6. The liquid-crystal display device according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the inclination angle of said tapered surfaces with respect to said first transparent substrate is substantially 45°

.

7. The liquid-crystal display device according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said ohmic contact layers are n⁺ -type semiconductor layers.

8. The liquid-crystal display device according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said ohmic contact layers are formed as a result of diffusion of an element in said source and drain electrodes into said semiconductor layer.

9. The liquid-crystal display device according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a light-blocking layer is formed on said first transparent substrate such as to face said semiconductor layer.

10. The liquid-crystal display device according to claim 2, which further comprises color filters formed on said second transparent substrate such as to face said respective display electrodes, said color filters consisting of three different color filters distributed substantially uniformly.

11. The liquid-crystal display device according to claim 10, which further comprises a black filter formed to fill the gap between adjacent ones of said color filters.