Thin film device provided with coating film, liquid crystal panel and electronic device, and method for making the thin film device

• US 7,067,337 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2002
• Issued: 06/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Kanbe, Sadao, Shimoda, Tatsuya, Yudasaka, Ichio, Miyazawa, Wakao
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAUDHARI, CHANDRA P
• Application Number:
  US10/190,723
• Publication Number:
  US 20020179906A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,449 Days
• Field of Search: 438/21, 438/149, 438/151, 438/789, 438/790
• US Class Current: 438/21
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2323/051 Inorganic, e.g. glass or silicon oxide
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/136227 Through-hole connection of the pixel electrode to the active element through an insulation layer
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/12 the substrate being other than a semiconductor body, e.g. an insulating body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1285 using control of the annealing or irradiation parameters, e.g. using different scanning direction or intensity for different transistors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1292 using liquid deposition, e.g. printing
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/66757 Lateral single gate single channel transistors with non-inverted structure, i.e. the channel layer is formed before the gate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/66765 Lateral single gate single channel transistors with inverted structure, i.e. the channel layer is formed after the gate
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31663 As siloxane, silicone or silane

Abstract

Any one of an insulating film forming a TFT, a silicon film and a conductive film is formed by applying a solution and annealing it. In a spin coater (102), a coating solution containing a thin film component which is supplied from a solution storage section (105) is spin-coated onto a substrate. The substrate after coating the coating solution is annealed in an annealing section (103) to form a coating film on the substrate. Additional laser annealing improves one of film characteristics, i.e., crystallinity, density and adhesiveness. Application of the coating solution or a resist by an ink jet process increases utilization of the solution and permits forming a patterned coating film. Because a thin film device in accordance with the present invention is inexpensive and has a high throughput, TFT production by a production system having high utilization of the coating solution drastically reduces initial investment and production cost of a liquid crystal display device.

Claims

1. A method of forming a transistor, comprising:

forming a gate electrode above a substrate;

forming a gate insulator over said gate electrode; and

forming a semiconducting layer on said gate insulator by discharging a solution onto said gate insulator from a nozzle in a head, the solution including a solvent and a substance for the semiconducting layer, the substance being dissolved in the solvent,

the forming of at least one of the gate electrode and the gate insulator being performed by discharging a liquid material from the nozzle in the head.

2. A method of fabricating an electronic device, comprising:

assembling the electronic device by using the transistor that is formed by the method according to claim 1.

3. A method of forming a transistor, comprising:

forming a semiconductor layer above a substrate by discharging a solution for said semiconducting layer from a nozzle in a head, the solution including a solvent and a substance of the semiconducting layer, the substance being dissolved in the solvent;

forming a gate insulator above the semiconducting layer; and

forming a gate electrode above the gate insulator,

the forming of at least one of the gate insulator and the gate electrode being performed by discharging a liquid material from a nozzle in a head.

4. A method of fabricating an electronic device, comprising:

assembling the electronic device by using the transistor that is formed by the method according to claim 3.

5. A method of making a device, the method comprising:

forming a first film to form a first pattern above a substrate by discharging a solution from a nozzle in a head toward the substrate, a first component being dissolved in the solution; and

forming a second film to form a second pattern above the first pattern by discharging a liquid material from a nozzle in a head toward the first pattern, a second component being included in the liquid material,

wherein the first pattern is different from the second pattern and the first component is different from the second component.

6. A method of making a device, comprising:

forming a first film, the forming of the first film including discharging of a solution from a nozzle toward a substrate, a first component for the first film being dissolved in the solution; and

forming a second film, the forming of the second film including discharging of a liquid material from a nozzle toward the first film,

a second component for the second film being included in the liquid material.

8. The method of making a device according to claim 6, the first film having a different pattern from the second film.

9. The method of making a device according to claim 6, the solution and the liquid material being different from each other.

7. A method of making a device, comprising:

forming a first film, the forming of the first film including discharging of a liquid material from a nozzle toward a substrate, a first component of the first film being included in the liquid material; and

forming a second film, the forming of the second film including discharging of a solution from a nozzle toward the first film, a second component of the second film being dissolved in the solution.

10. The method of making a device according to claim 7, the solution and the liquid material being different from each other.

11. The method of making a device according to claim 7, at least one of the first and the second film being a semiconductor film.

12. The method of making a device according to claim 7, at least one of the first and the second film being a conductive film.

13. A method of making a transistor, comprising:

forming a gate electrode on a substrate;

forming an insulator layer on the gate electrode, at least one of the gate electrode and the insulator layer being formed by discharging a first liquid material from a nozzle of a head; and

forming a semiconductor layer, the forming of the semiconductor layer including discharge of a second liquid material to the insulator layer, the forming of the semiconductor layer including evaporation of a solvent included in the second liquid material after the discharge, the second liquid material including a silane, and the second liquid material being discharged from a nozzle of a head.

14. A method of fabricating an electronic device, comprising:

assembling the electronic device by using the method according to claim 13.

15. A method of making a transistor, comprising:

forming a semiconductor layer on a substrate, the forming of the semiconductor layer including discharge of a first liquid material on the substrate, the forming of the semiconductor layer including evaporation of a solvent from the first liquid material after the discharge, the first liquid material including a silane, and the first liquid material being discharged from a nozzle of a first head;

forming an insulator layer on the semiconductor layer; and

forming a gate electrode on the insulator layer, at least one of the insulator layer and the gate electrode being formed by discharging a second liquid material from a nozzle of a second head.

16. A method of fabricating an electronic device, comprising:

assembling the electronic device by using the method according to claim 15.