Semiconductor device and method of fabricating the same

• US 7,808,009 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2008
• Issued: 10/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Goto, Yuugo, Hirakata, Yoshiharu, Yamazaki, Shunpei, Kobayashi, Yuko
• Primary Examiner(s): LOUIE, WAI SING
• Application Number:
  US12/100,873
• Publication Number:
  US 20090040445A1
• Time in Patent Office: 908 Days
• Field of Search: 257/72, 257/83, 257/257, 257/290
• US Class Current: 257/83
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13306 Circuit arrangements or driving methods for the control of single liquid crystal cells G02F1/132, G02F1/133382 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133302 Rigid substrates, e.g. inorganic substrates
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133345 Insulating layers G02F1/1335, G02F1/1337, G02F1/135, G02F1/136 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133512 Light shielding layers, e.g. black matrix G02F1/136209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13394 spacers regularly patterned on the cell subtrate, e.g. walls, pillars G02F1/133377 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1341 Filling or closing of cells
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134309 characterised by their geometrical arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13454 Drivers integrated on the active matrix substrate G02F1/136277 takes 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 2029/7863 with an LDD consisting of more than one lightly doped zone or having a non-homogeneous dopant distribution, e.g. graded LDD
• 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 27/1222 with a particular composition, shape or crystalline structure of the active layer
• 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 27/1288 employing particular masking sequences or specially adapted masks, e.g. half-tone mask
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/167 further characterised by the doping material H01L29/1604 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/78621 with LDD structure or an extension or an offset region or characterised by the doping profile
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/78627 with a significant overlap between the lightly doped drain and the gate electrode, e.g. GOLDD
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/78669 with inverted-type structure, e.g. with bottom gate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 : Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 : Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 438/924 : To facilitate selective etching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 438/98 : Utilizing process equivalents or options

Abstract

There is provided a high quality liquid crystal panel having a thickness with high accuracy, which is designed, without using a particulate spacer, within a free range in accordance with characteristics of a used liquid crystal and a driving method, and is also provided a method of fabricating the same. The shape of a spacer for keeping a substrate interval constant is made such that it is a columnar shape, a radius R of curvature is 2 μm or less, a height H is 0.5 μm to 10 μm, a diameter is 20 μm or less, and an angle α is 65° to 115°. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the lowering of an opening rate and the lowering of light leakage due to orientation disturbance.

Claims

1. An active matrix liquid crystal display device comprising:

a liquid crystal panel including;

a first substrate;

a thin film transistor formed over the first substrate;

a pixel electrode formed over the first substrate and electrically connected to the thin film transistor;

a second substrate opposed to the first substrate;

a liquid crystal disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate;

a columnar spacer disposed between the pixel electrode and the second substrate, the columnar spacer comprising a resin;

an LED backlight adjacent to the liquid crystal panel; and

a touch panel adjacent to the liquid crystal panel,

wherein the columnar spacer is overlapped with the thin film transistor at least partly.

2. The active matrix liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal panel is located between the LED backlight and the touch panel.

3. The active matrix liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the touch panel includes an optical detecting element.

4. The active matrix liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the touch panel includes a pressure sensitive type detecting element.

5. The active matrix liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the touch panel includes a capacitive type detecting element.

6. The active matrix liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the resin is a photosensitive resin.

7. The active matrix liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the columnar spacer is formed on the first substrate by patterning.

8. The active matrix liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the columnar spacer is formed on the second substrate by patterning.

9. An active matrix liquid crystal display device comprising:

a liquid crystal panel including;

a first substrate;

a thin film transistor formed over the first substrate, the thin film transistor comprising a semiconductor layer;

a pixel electrode formed over the first substrate and electrically connected to the thin film transistor;

a second substrate opposed to the first substrate;

a liquid crystal disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate;

a columnar spacer disposed between the pixel electrode and the second substrate, the columnar spacer comprising a resin;

an LED backlight adjacent to the liquid crystal panel; and

a touch panel adjacent to the liquid crystal panel,

wherein the columnar spacer is overlapped with the semiconductor layer at least partly.

10. The active matrix liquid crystal display device according to claim 9, wherein the liquid crystal panel is located between the LED backlight and the touch panel.

11. The active matrix liquid crystal display device according to claim 9, wherein the touch panel includes an optical detecting element.

12. The active matrix liquid crystal display device according to claim 9, wherein the touch panel includes a pressure sensitive type detecting element.

13. The active matrix liquid crystal display device according to claim 9, wherein the touch panel includes a capacitive type detecting element.

14. The active matrix liquid crystal display device according to claim 9, wherein the resin is a photosensitive resin.

15. The active matrix liquid crystal display device according to claim 9, wherein the columnar spacer is formed on the first substrate by patterning.

16. The active matrix liquid crystal display device according to claim 9, wherein the columnar spacer is formed on the second substrate by patterning.

17. An active matrix liquid crystal display device comprising:

a liquid crystal panel including;

a first substrate;

a thin film transistor formed over the first substrate;

a pixel electrode formed over the first substrate and electrically connected to the thin film transistor;

a storage capacitor electrically connected to the pixel electrode, the storage capacitor including an electrode;

a second substrate opposed to the first substrate;

a liquid crystal disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate;

a columnar spacer disposed between the pixel electrode and the second substrate, the columnar spacer comprising a resin;

an LED backlight adjacent to the liquid crystal panel; and

a touch panel adjacent to the liquid crystal panel,

wherein the columnar spacer is overlapped with the electrode of the storage capacitor at least partly.

18. The active matrix liquid crystal display device according to claim 17, wherein the liquid crystal panel is located between the LED backlight and the touch panel.

19. The active matrix liquid crystal display device according to claim 17, wherein the touch panel includes an optical detecting element.

20. The active matrix liquid crystal display device according to claim 17, wherein the touch panel includes a pressure sensitive type detecting element.

21. The active matrix liquid crystal display device according to claim 17, wherein the touch panel includes a capacitive type detecting element.

22. The active matrix liquid crystal display device according to claim 17, wherein the resin is a photosensitive resin.

23. The active matrix liquid crystal display device according to claim 17, wherein the columnar spacer is formed on the first substrate by patterning.

24. The active matrix liquid crystal display device according to claim 17, wherein the columnar spacer is formed on the second substrate by patterning.