Semiconductor display device

• US 7,671,369 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2003
• Issued: 03/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Osame, Mitsuaki, Murakami, Satoshi, Hayakawa, Masahiko, Kato, Kiyoshi, Yamazaki, Shunpei
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickey; Thomas L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Erdem; Fazli
• Application Number:
  US10/400,427
• Publication Number:
  US 20030189210A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,531 Days
• Field of Search: 257/71, 257/72, 257/291, 257/347, 257/350, 257/357, 257/59, 257/292, 257/443, 257/290, 257/294, 257/386, 257/389, 257/640, 257/89, 257/40, 257/296, 257/E21.413, 257/E21.414, 257/E29.278, 257/E27.111, 257/E27.113, 257/E21.703, 349/38, 349/122, 349/139, 349/138, 349/41, 349/43, 438/149, 438/150, 438/155, 438/22, 438/24, 438/29, 438/151, 313/503, 313/504, 313/505, 339/30
• US Class Current: 257/59
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133357 Planarisation layers
• 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 27/1214 comprising a plurality of TFTs formed on a non-semiconducting substrate, e.g. driving circuits for AMLCDs
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/124 with a particular composition, shape or layout of the wiring layers specially adapted to the circuit arrangement, e.g. scanning lines in LCD pixel circuits wiring structures per se H01L23/52
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1244 for preventing breakage, peeling or short circuiting
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1248 with a particular composition or shape of the interlayer dielectric specially adapted to the circuit arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1255 integrated with passive devices, e.g. auxiliary capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/13 combined with thin-film or thick-film passive components
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/52 Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/84 Passivation; Containers; Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/844 Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/122 Pixel-defining structures or layers, e.g. banks
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/123 Connection of the pixel electrodes to the thin film transistors [TFT]
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/124 Insulating layers formed between TFT elements and OLED elements
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/131 Interconnections, e.g. wiring lines or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/873 Encapsulations

Abstract

It is an object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor display device having an interlayer insulating film which can obtain planarity of a surface while controlling film formation time, can control treatment time of heating treatment with an object of removing moisture, and can prevent moisture in the interlayer insulating film from being discharged to a film or an electrode adjacent to the interlayer insulating film. An inorganic insulating film containing nitrogen, which is less likely to transmit moisture compared with an organic resin, is formed so as to cover a TFT. Next, an organic resin film containing photosensitive acrylic resin is applied to the organic insulting film, and the organic resin film is partially exposed to light to be opened. Thereafter, an inorganic insulting film containing nitrogen, which is less likely to transmit moisture compared with an organic resin, is formed so as to cover the opened organic resin film. Then, in the opening part of the organic resin film, a gate insulating film and the two layer inorganic insulating film containing nitrogen are opened partially by etching to expose an active layer of the TFT.

Claims

1. A semiconductor display device comprising:

a pixel portion over a substrate; and

a semiconductor circuit generating a signal for displaying an image on the pixel portion over the substrate, the semiconductor circuit having a capacitor,

wherein each of the pixel portion and the semiconductor circuit comprises a thin film transistor, each thin film transistor having an active layer and a gate electrode adjacent to the active layer with a gate insulating film interposed therebetween;

wherein a first inorganic insulating film covers each thin film transistor,

wherein an organic resin film is formed in contact with the first inorganic insulating film,

wherein the organic resin film has a first opening part and a second opening part,

wherein a second inorganic insulating film covers the organic resin film,

wherein the first and second inorganic insulating films are in contact with each other in the first opening part and the second opening part,

wherein a contact hole is formed in each gate insulating film and the first and second inorganic insulating films in the first opening part such that each active layer is exposed,

wherein a wiring is formed on the second inorganic insulating film and is in contact with each active layer through each contact hole,

wherein the capacitor has a first electrode formed from the same conductive film as each gate electrode, a second electrode formed from the same conductive film as the wiring, and a part of the first and second inorganic insulating films which overlap the first electrode and the second electrode in the second opening part, and

wherein a curvature radius of a surface of the organic resin film becomes longer continuously as the organic resin film separates from the first and second opening parts.

2. A semiconductor display device according to claim 1, wherein the organic resin film is a positive photosensitive organic resin film.

3. A semiconductor display device according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor circuit is one of a booster circuit, a D/A conversion circuit of a capacity dividing type, a DRAM, an analog latch circuit, or a protective circuit.

4. A semiconductor display device according to claim 1, wherein the organic resin film is acrylic.

5. A semiconductor display device according to claim 1, wherein the organic resin film inclines at 30°

or more and 65°

or less with respect to the substrate on a tangent line thereof at the end of the first and second opening parts.

6. A semiconductor display device according to claim 1, wherein the first or second inorganic insulating film is silicon nitride, silicon oxide nitride, or aluminum oxide nitride.

7. A semiconductor display device comprising:

a pixel portion over a substrate; and

a semiconductor circuit generating a signal for displaying an image on the pixel portion over the substrate, the semiconductor circuit having a capacitor,

wherein each of the pixel portion and the semiconductor circuit comprises a thin film transistor, each thin film transistor having an active layer and a gate electrode adjacent to the active layer with a gate insulating film interposed therebetween,

wherein a first inorganic insulating film covers each thin film transistor,

wherein an organic resin film is formed in contact with the first inorganic insulating film,

wherein the organic resin film has a first opening part and a second opening part,

wherein a second inorganic insulating film covers the organic resin film,

wherein the first and second inorganic insulating films are in contact with each other in the first opening part and the second opening part,

wherein a contact hole is formed in each gate insulating film and the first and second inorganic insulating films in the first opening part such that each active layer is exposed,

wherein a wiring is formed on the second inorganic insulating film and is in contact with each active layer through each contact hole,

wherein the capacitor has a first electrode formed from the same conductive film as each gate electrode, a second electrode formed from the same conductive film as the wiring, and a part of the first and second inorganic insulating films which overlap the first electrode and the second electrode in the second opening part, and

wherein a sectional shape of a surface of the organic resin film at ends of the first and second opening parts draws a parabola having a principal axis within a surface parallel with the substrate.

8. A semiconductor display device according to claim 7, wherein the organic resin film is a positive photosensitive organic resin film.

9. A semiconductor display device according to claim 7, wherein the semiconductor circuit is one of a booster circuit, a D/A conversion circuit of a capacity dividing type, a DRAM, an analog latch circuit, and a protective circuit.

10. A semiconductor display device according to claim 7, wherein the organic resin film is acrylic.

11. A semiconductor display device according to claim 7, wherein the organic resin film inclines at 30°

or more and 65°

or less with respect to the substrate on a tangent line thereof at the end of the first and second opening parts.

12. A semiconductor display device according to claim 7, wherein the first or second inorganic insulating film is silicon nitride, silicon oxide nitride, or aluminum oxide nitride.

13. A semiconductor display device comprising:

a thin film transistor having an active layer and a gate electrode adjacent to the active layer with a gate insulating film interposed therebetween over a substrate;

a capacitor over the substrate; and

a light emitting element,

wherein a first inorganic insulating film covers the thin film transistor,

wherein a first organic resin film is formed in contact with the first inorganic insulating film,

wherein the first organic resin film has a first opening part and a second opening part,

wherein a second inorganic insulating film covers the organic resin film,

wherein the first and second inorganic insulating films are in contact with each other in the first opening part and the second opening part,

wherein a contact hole is formed in the gate insulating film and the first and second inorganic insulating films in the first opening part such that the active layer is exposed,

wherein a wiring is formed on the second inorganic insulating film,

wherein the wiring is in contact with the active layer through the contact hole,

wherein a pixel electrode is in contact with the wiring,

wherein a second organic resin film is formed on the second inorganic insulating film covering the wiring, the pixel electrode, and a second electrode,

wherein the second organic resin film has a third opening part,

wherein a third inorganic insulating film is formed on the second organic resin film,

wherein the third inorganic insulating film has a fourth opening part in the third opening part,

wherein an electroluminescence layer and an opposed electrode are laminated on the third inorganic insulating film so as to be in contact with the pixel electrode in the fourth opening part,

wherein a curvature radius of a surface of the first organic resin film becomes longer continuously, as the first organic resin films separates from the first and second opening parts, and a curvature radius of a surface of the second organic resin film becomes longer continuously, as the second organic resin film separates from the third opening part, and

wherein the capacitor has a first electrode formed from the same conductive film as the gate electrode, the second electrode formed from the same conductive film as the wiring, and a part of the first and second inorganic insulating films which overlap the first electrode and the second electrode in the second opening part.

14. A semiconductor display device according to claim 13, wherein the first organic resin film is a positive photosensitive organic resin film.

15. A semiconductor display device according to claim 13, wherein the first or second organic resin film is acrylic.

16. A semiconductor display device according to claim 13, wherein the first or second organic resin film inclines at 30°

or more and 65°

or less with respect to the substrate on a tangent line thereof at the end of the first, second, or third opening part.

17. A semiconductor display device according to claim 13, wherein the third inorganic insulating film is silicon nitride, silicon oxide nitride, or aluminum oxide nitride.

18. A semiconductor display device according to claim 13, wherein the first or second inorganic insulating film is silicon nitride, silicon oxide nitride, or aluminum oxide nitride.

19. A semiconductor display device comprising:

a thin film transistor having an active layer and a gate electrode adjacent to the active layer with a gate insulating film interposed therebetween over a substrate;

a capacitor over the substrate;

a light emitting element,

wherein a first inorganic insulating film covers the thin film transistor;

wherein a first organic resin film is formed in contact with the first inorganic insulating film,

wherein the first organic resin film has a first opening part and a second opening part;

a second inorganic insulating film covering the first organic resin film, wherein the first and second inorganic insulating films are in contact with each other in the first opening part and the second opening part;

a contact hole formed in the gate insulating film and the first and second inorganic insulating films in the first opening part such that the active layer is exposed;

a wiring formed on the second inorganic insulating film, the wiring being in contact with the active layer through the contact hole;

a pixel electrode being in contact with the wiring;

a second organic resin film formed on the second inorganic insulating film covering the wiring, the pixel electrode, and a second electrode, wherein the second organic resin film has a third opening part;

a third inorganic insulating film formed on the second organic resin film, the third inorganic insulating film having a fourth opening part in the third opening part; and

an electroluminescence layer and an opposed electrode laminated on the third inorganic insulating film so as to be in contact with the pixel electrode in the fourth opening part,

wherein a sectional shape of surfaces of the first and second organic resin films at ends of the first, second, and third opening parts draws a parabola having a principal axis within a surface parallel with the substrate, and

wherein the capacitor has a first electrode formed from the same conductive film as the gate electrode, the second electrode formed from the same conductive film as the wiring, and a part of the first and second inorganic insulating films which overlap the first electrode and the second electrode in the second opening part.

20. A semiconductor display device according to claim 19, wherein the first organic resin film is a positive photosensitive organic resin film.

21. A semiconductor display device according to claim 19, wherein the first or second organic resin film is acrylic.

22. A semiconductor display device according to claim 19, wherein the first or second organic resin film inclines at 30°

or more and 65°

or less with respect to the substrate on a tangent line thereof at the end of the first, second, or third opening part.

23. A semiconductor display device according to claim 19, wherein the third inorganic insulating film is silicon nitride, silicon oxide nitride, or aluminum oxide nitride.

24. A semiconductor display device according to claim 19, wherein the first or second inorganic insulating film is silicon nitride, silicon oxide nitride, or aluminum oxide nitride.

25. A semiconductor display device comprising:

a first conductive film and a second conductive film over a glass substrate;

a first insulating film over the first conductive film and the second conductive film;

a semiconductor film over the first conductive film with the first insulating film interposed between the semiconductor film and the first conductive film;

a second insulating film over the semiconductor film and the first insulating film, wherein the second insulating film has a first opening;

a third insulating film over the second insulating film,

wherein the third insulating film has at least a second opening and a third opening,

wherein the second opening is larger than the first opening,

wherein the second opening surrounds the first opening,

wherein a section of an edge portion of the second opening and a section of an edge portion of the third opening curve, and

wherein the third insulating film comprises resin; and

a third conductive film and a fourth conductive film over the third insulating film,

wherein the third conductive film is provided in the first opening and the second opening,

wherein the fourth conductive film is provided in the third opening, and provided over the second conductive film with the first insulating film and the second insulating film interposed between the fourth conductive film and the second conductive film, and

wherein the third conductive film is electrically connected to the semiconductor film and the fourth conductive film.

26. The semiconductor display device according to claim 25, wherein the third conductive film and the fourth conductive film are electrically connected through a pixel electrode.

27. The semiconductor display device according to claim 25 further comprising:

a fourth insulating film between the third insulating film, and the third conductive film and the fourth conductive film.

28. The semiconductor display device according to claim 25,

wherein the edge of the second opening has a first point and a second point,

wherein the first point is closer than the second point to the second insulating film,

wherein the edge of the third opening has a third point and a fourth point,

wherein the third point is closer than the fourth point to the second insulating film,

wherein a curvature center of the first point and a curvature center of the third point exist on an opposite side of the third insulating film, and

wherein a curvature center of the second point and a curvature center of the fourth point exist on the third insulating film side.

29. The semiconductor display device according to claim 25, wherein the third insulating film is a positive photosensitive resin.

30. The semiconductor display device according to claim 25, wherein the third insulating film is a negative photosensitive resin.

31. The semiconductor display device according to claim 25, wherein a surface of the third insulating film is planarized.

32. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor display device comprising:

forming a first conductive film over a glass substrate;

patterning the first conductive film into a second conductive film and a third conductive film;

forming a first insulating film over the second conductive film and the third conductive film;

forming a semiconductor film over the second conductive film with the first insulating film interposed between the semiconductor film and the second conductive film;

forming a second insulating film over the semiconductor film and the first insulating film;

forming a third insulating film over the second insulating film,

forming a first opening in the third insulating film;

forming a second opening in the second insulating film;

wherein the first opening is larger than the second opening,

wherein the first opening surrounds the second opening,

wherein the third insulating film has a third opening,

wherein the third opening is formed over the third conductive film so as to expose a part of the second insulating film, and

wherein a section of an edge portion of the first opening and a section of an edge portion of the third opening curve,

forming a fourth conductive film over the third insulating film; and

patterning the fourth conductive film so that the patterned fourth conductive film is provided in the first opening and the second opening, and in the third opening,

wherein the patterned fourth conductive film is electrically connected to the semiconductor film.

33. The method according to claim 32,

wherein the fourth conductive film is separated into a fifth conductive film and a sixth conductive film by patterning the fourth conductive film,

wherein the fifth conductive film is provided in the first opening and the second opening, and

wherein the sixth conductive film is provided in the third opening.

34. The method according to claim 33,

wherein the fifth conductive film and the sixth conductive film are connected by a pixel electrode.

35. The method according to claim 32 further comprising:

forming a fourth insulating film between the third insulating film and the fourth conductive film.

36. The method according to claim 32, wherein a surface of the third insulating film is planarized.

37. The method according to claim 32, wherein the first opening is formed before forming the second opening.

38. The method according to claim 32, further comprising:

forming a channel protection film over the semiconductor film and before forming the second insulating film.

39. A semiconductor display device comprising:

a thin film transistor,

wherein the thin film transistor comprises;

a gate electrode;

a gate insulating film over the gate electrode; and

a semiconductor film over the gate insulating film;

a first insulating film so as to cover the thin film transistor, wherein said first insulating film has a first opening;

a second insulating film over the first insulating film, wherein said second insulating film has at least a second opening and a third opening,

wherein the second opening is larger than the first opening,

wherein the second opening surrounds the first opening,

wherein the third opening exposes a portion of the first insulating film, and

wherein the second insulating film comprises resin, and

a capacitor,

wherein the capacitor comprises;

a first conductive film, wherein said first conductive film is same material as the gate electrode;

a third insulating film over the first conductive film, wherein said third insulating film is same material as the gate insulating film;

the first insulating film over the third insulating film; and

a second conductive film over the first insulating film and the second insulating film,

wherein the third opening is provided over the first conductive film,

wherein said second conductive film is provided in the third opening,

wherein said second conductive film is electrically connected to the semiconductor film of the thin film transistor through the first opening and the second opening, and

wherein a section of an edge portion of the second opening and a section of an edge portion of the third opening curve.

40. The semiconductor display device according to claim 39, wherein the first opening is provided over the semiconductor film.

41. The semiconductor display device according to claim 39 further comprising:

a fourth insulating film between the second insulating film and the second conductive film.

42. The semiconductor display device according to claim 39,

wherein the edge of the second opening has a first point and a second point,

wherein the first point is closer than the second point to the first insulating film,

wherein the edge of the third opening has a third point and a fourth point,

wherein the third point is closer than the fourth point to the first insulating film,

wherein a curvature center of the first point and a curvature center of the third point exist on an opposite side of the second insulating film, and

wherein a curvature center of the second point and a curvature center of the fourth point exist on the second insulating film side.

43. The semiconductor display device according to claim 39, wherein the second insulating film is a positive photosensitive resin.

44. The semiconductor display device according to claim 39, wherein the second insulating film is a negative photosensitive resin.

45. The semiconductor display device according to claim 39, wherein a surface of the second insulating film is planarized.