Active matrix substrate having interleaved source and drain electrodes on circle semiconductor and display device including same

• US 8,077,266 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2004
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Okada, Yoshihiro, Nakamura, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hoan C
• Application Number:
  US10/935,117
• Publication Number:
  US 20050056847A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,652 Days
• Field of Search: 349 42- 47, 345/92, 257/59, 257/72
• US Class Current: 349/43
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1368 in which the switching element is a three-electrode device G02F1/136277 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/016 Thin-film circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/12 the substrate being other than a semiconductor body, e.g. an insulating body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/41733 for thin film transistors with insulated gate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/42384 for thin film field effect transistors, e.g. characterised by the thickness or the shape of the insulator or the dimensions, the shape or the lay-out of the conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/78696 characterised by the structure of the channel, e.g. multichannel, transverse or longitudinal shape, length or width, doping structure, or the overlap or alignment between the channel and the gate, the source or the drain, or the contacting structure of the channel H01L29/78612 takes precedence; transistors having a drain offset region or a lightly doped drain [LDD] H01L29/78621
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/12 Active-matrix OLED [AMOLED] displays

Abstract

An active matrix includes (i) a thin film transistor including a semiconductor layer formed above a gate electrode, a source electrode, and a drain electrode, the source electrode and the drain electrode formed to overlap with the semiconductor layer; and (ii) a pixel electrode connected to the drain electrode, a pixel electrode connected to the drain electrode, the drain electrode extended from the pixel electrode into a drain electrode formation region located to be kept within a semiconductor layer formation region, the drain electrode formation region sandwiched between two portions of the source electrode. With this arrangement, even when the semiconductor layers in the TFTs (thin film transistors) have unevenness in sizes, shapes, and/or formation positions thereof, it is possible to prevent occurrence of unevenness (changes) in gate-drain capacitances cgd among the TFTs. Thereby, it is possible to provide an active matrix substrate having a high display characteristic.

Claims

1. An active matrix substrate, comprising:

a scanning line on a substrate, the scanning line including a gate electrode;

a thin film transistor including (a) a semiconductor layer formed above the gate electrode, (b) a source electrode, and (c) a drain electrode, the source electrode and the drain electrode being surrounded by a sufficient margin of the semiconductor layer such that the source electrode and the drain electrode overlap with the semiconductor layer, wherein a circular shape for the semiconductor layer is obtained by etching a circular resist pattern being circular due to a shape of droplets of ink jet printing;

a signal line that is connected to the source electrode, and that crosses with the scanning line; and

a pixel electrode connected to the drain electrode,

wherein

the drain electrode extended from the pixel electrode into a drain electrode formation region located to be kept within a semiconductor layer formation region, the drain electrode formation region sandwiched between a plurality of portions of the source electrode,

the source electrode includes two acting parts having strip-like shapes protruding from the signal line, which is parallel to the gate line,

the drain electrode includes an acting part having a strip-like shape which protrudes from the pixel electrode, which is parallel to the gate line, and is sandwiched by the acting parts of the source electrode,

the gate electrode includes a part having a strip-like shape protruding from the gate line perpendicularly and overlapping with the acting parts of the source electrode and the acting part of the drain electrode,

wherein the sufficient margin of the semiconductor layer includes a portion of the semiconductor layer that extends from a region that overlaps with substantially the entire area of the source electrode that surrounds the drain electrode to beyond outer edges of the outer perimeter of said area of the source electrode,

wherein a Cgd region as a region consisting of portions of the drain electrode and the gate electrode that overlap each other is disposed in the central portion of the semiconductor layer having the circular shape, when viewed from the top.

2. The active matrix substrate as set forth in claim 1, wherein a width of the acting part of the source electrode is constant and a width of the acting part of the drain electrode is constant.

3. The active matrix substrate as set forth in claim 1, wherein an entire of the drain electrode is parallel to the scanning line.

4. The active matrix substrate as set forth in claim 1, wherein the drain electrode protrudes from a portion of the pixel electrode, the portion being opposite to the signal line.

5. The active matrix substrate as set forth in claim 1, wherein a distance between the pixel electrode and the scanning line is shorter than a distance between the drain electrode and the scanning line.

6. The active matrix substrate as set forth in claim 1, wherein the semiconductor layer does not overlap with the signal line.

7. The active matrix substrate as set forth in claim 1, wherein the semiconductor layer does not overlap with the pixel electrode.

8. The active matrix substrate as set forth in claim 1, wherein the semiconductor layer does not overlap with the scanning line.

9. The active matrix substrate as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the relationship LB<

LA is such that the front edge of the acting part of the drain electrode is set back from the pixel electrode,

and there is provided a space between the gate electrode and the signal line, the space being a margin of a position of forming the semiconductor layer by ink jet printing.

10. The active matrix substrate as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the gate electrode overlaps the whole acting parts of the source electrode.

11. The active matrix substrate as set forth in claim 10,

wherein a portion of the gate electrode, which is parallel to the signal line, overlaps the whole acting parts of the source electrode.

12. The active matrix substrate as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the front edge of the acting part of the drain electrode and an edge of the gate electrode facing the signal line are set back from an edge of the pixel electrode facing the signal line.

13. The active matrix substrate as set forth in claim 12,

wherein a portion of the gate electrode, which is parallel to the signal line, overlaps the whole acting part of the drain electrode.

14. The active matrix substrate as set forth in claim 1, wherein a change in a gate-drain capacitance due to deviation of a size of the semiconductor layer or due to shift of a formation position of the semiconductor layer is reduced.

15. The active matrix substrate as set forth in claim 1, wherein a change in a gate-drain capacitance due to deviation of a diameter of the circular semiconductor layer or due to shift of a center position of the circular semiconductor layer is reduced.

16. The active matrix substrate as set forth in claim 1, wherein the margin of the semiconductor layer overlaps with none of the signal line, the pixel electrode or the scanning line.

17. The active matrix substrate as set forth in claim 1, wherein the gate electrode overlaps the whole acting part of the drain electrode.

18. The active matrix substrate as set forth in claim 1, wherein

length LA is a length of the gap region in a direction parallel to the gate line, the gap region being between the signal line and a front edge of the acting part of the drain electrode, which acting part is parallel to the gate line,

length LB is a length between the signal line and the pixel electrode in a direction parallel to the gate line, and

LA is longer than LB.

19. A method of manufacturing an active matrix substrate, the method comprising steps of:

forming a scanning line on a substrate, the scanning line including a gate electrode;

forming a thin film transistor including

forming a circular shaped semiconductor layer above the gate electrode, wherein the shape of the semiconductor layer is obtained by etching a circular resist pattern being circular due to a shape of droplets of ink jet printing,

forming a source electrode and a drain electrode, wherein the semiconductor layer is formed with a sufficient margin to surround the source electrode and the drain electrode such that the source electrode and the drain electrode overlap with the semiconductor layer;

forming a signal line that is connected to the source electrode, and that crosses with the scanning line; and

forming a pixel electrode connected to the drain electrode,

wherein

the drain electrode extends from the pixel electrode into a drain electrode formation region located to be kept within a semiconductor layer formation region, the drain electrode formation region sandwiched between a plurality of portions of the source electrode,

the source electrode formed to include two acting parts having strip-like shapes protruding from the signal line, which is parallel to the gate line,

the drain electrode formed to include an acting part having a strip-like shape which protrudes from the pixel electrode, which is parallel to the gate line, and is sandwiched by the acting parts of the source electrode,

the gate electrode includes a part having a strip-like shape protruding from the gate line perpendicularly and overlapping with the acting parts of the source electrode and the acting part of the drain electrode,

wherein the sufficient margin of the semiconductor layer includes a portion of the semiconductor layer that extends from a region that overlaps with substantially the entire area of the source electrode that surrounds the drain electrode to beyond outer edges of the outer perimeter of said area of the source electrode,

wherein a Cgd region as a region consisting of portions of the drain electrode and the gate electrode that overlap each other is disposed in the central portion of the semiconductor layer having the circular shape, when viewed from the top.

20. The method of manufacturing an active matrix substrate as set forth in claim 19, wherein a width of the acting part of the source electrode is constant and a width of the acting part of the drain electrode is constant.

21. The method of manufacturing an active matrix substrate as set forth in claim 19, wherein an entire of the drain electrode is parallel to the scanning line.

22. The method of manufacturing an active matrix substrate as set forth in claim 19, wherein the drain electrode protrudes from a portion of the pixel electrode, the portion being opposite to the signal line.

23. The method of manufacturing an active matrix substrate as set forth in claim 19, wherein a distance between the pixel electrode and the scanning line is shorter than a distance between the drain electrode and the scanning line.

24. The method of manufacturing an active matrix substrate as set forth in claim 19, wherein the semiconductor layer does not overlap with the signal line.

25. The method of manufacturing an active matrix substrate as set forth in claim 19, wherein the semiconductor layer does not overlap with the pixel electrode.

26. The method of manufacturing an active matrix substrate as set forth in claim 19, wherein the semiconductor layer does not overlap with the scanning line.

27. The method of manufacturing an active matrix substrate as set forth in claim 19,

wherein the relationship LB<

LA is such that the front edge of the acting part of the drain electrode is set back from the pixel electrode,

and there is provided a space between the gate electrode and the signal line, the space being a margin of a position of forming the semiconductor layer by ink jet printing.

28. The method of manufacturing an active matrix substrate as set forth in claim 19,

wherein the gate electrode overlaps the whole acting parts of the source electrode.

29. The method of manufacturing an active matrix substrate as set forth in claim 28,

wherein a portion of the gate electrode, which is parallel to the signal line, overlaps the whole acting parts of the source electrode.

30. The method of manufacturing an active matrix substrate as set forth in claim 19,

wherein the front edge of the acting part of the drain electrode and an edge of the gate electrode facing the signal line are set back from an edge of the pixel electrode facing the signal line.

31. The method of manufacturing an active matrix substrate as set forth in claim 30,

wherein a portion of the gate electrode, which is parallel to the signal line, overlaps the whole acting part of the drain electrode.

32. The method of manufacturing an active matrix substrate as set forth in claim 19, wherein a change in a gate-drain capacitance due to deviation of a size of the semiconductor layer or due to shift of a formation position of the semiconductor layer is reduced.

33. The method of manufacturing an active matrix substrate as set forth in claim 19, wherein a change in a gate-drain capacitance due to deviation of a diameter of the circular semiconductor layer or due to shift of a center position of the circular semiconductor layer is reduced.

34. The method of manufacturing an active matrix substrate as set forth in claim 19, wherein the margin of the semiconductor layer overlaps with none of the signal line, the pixel electrode or the scanning line.

35. The method of manufacturing an active matrix substrate as set forth in claim 19, wherein the gate electrode overlaps the whole acting part of the drain electrode.

36. The method of manufacturing an active matrix substrate as set forth in claim 19, wherein

length LA is a length of the gap region in a direction parallel to the gate line, the gap region being between the signal line and a front edge of the acting part of the drain electrode, which acting part is parallel to the gate line,

length LB is a length between the signal line and the pixel electrode in a direction parallel to the gate line, and

LA is longer than LB.