Pixel circuit with a writing period and a driving period, and driving method thereof

• US 8,659,519 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2009
• Issued: 02/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Abe, Katsumi, Takahashi, Kenji, Hayashi, Ryo, Kumomi, Hideya
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Long D
• Application Number:
  US12/548,796
• Publication Number:
  US 20100053041A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,643 Days
• Field of Search: 345 76- 77
• US Class Current: 345/77
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0426 Layout of electrodes and connections
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0439 Pixel structures
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0814 used for selection purposes, e.g. logical AND for partial update
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0852 being a dynamic memory with more than one capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0251 Precharge or discharge of pixel before applying new pixel voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0262 The addressing of the pixel, in a display other than an active matrix LCD, involving the control of two or more scan electrodes or two or more data electrodes, e.g. pixel voltage dependent on signals of two data electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0223 Compensation for problems related to R-C delay and attenuation in electrodes of matrix panels, e.g. in gate electrodes or on-substrate video signal electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/325 the data current flowing through the driving transistor during a setting phase, e.g. by using a switch for connecting the driving transistor to the data driver

Abstract

A pixel circuit including at least a light emitting element, and a thin film transistor that supplies to the light emitting element a first current controlling a gray scale according to luminance-current characteristics of the light emitting element, wherein the thin film transistor has a back gate electrode, at least a driving period in which the thin film transistor supplies the first current to the light emitting element, and a writing period in which a second current is written to the thin film transistor before the driving period in order to pass the first current to the thin film transistor during the driving period are included, and by changing voltages which are applied to the back gate electrode in the driving period and the writing period, current capability to a gate voltage of the thin film transistor is made to differ.

Claims

1. A pixel circuit comprising:

a light-emitting element; and

a drive thin film transistor (TFT) that supplies to the light-emitting element a first current controlling a gray scale according to luminance-current characteristics of the light-emitting element,

wherein the drive TFT includes a semiconductor layer constituted by a channel region, a source region and a drain region, a gate electrode located at a top side or a bottom side of the semiconductor layer, and a back gate electrode disposed in an opposite side of the semiconductor layer to the gate electrode,

wherein the drive TFT operates in a writing period so that a voltage is written between the gate electrode and the source region of the drive TFT by a second current flowing in the drive TFT and in a driving period so that the first current is supplied to the light-emitting element according to the voltage between the gate electrode and the source region of the drive TFT, and

wherein different voltage levels are applied to the back gate electrode in the writing period and in the driving period so that a threshold voltage of the drive TFT in the driving period is higher than in the writing period, and thereby the second current is larger than the first current.

2. The pixel circuit according to claim 1, wherein a change in mobility of the drive TFT by variation of the voltage to be applied to the back gate electrode is 5% or less.

3. The pixel circuit according to claim 2, wherein a relationship between the voltage to be applied to the back gate electrode and the threshold voltage of the drive TFT is expressed by a linear relation.

4. The pixel circuit according to claim 1, wherein the second current is supplied from outside of the pixel circuit in the writing period.

5. The pixel circuit according to claim 1, wherein the voltage provided to the back gate electrode in the writing period controls the gray scale.

6. The pixel circuit according to claim 1,

wherein the pixel circuit is one of a plurality of pixel circuits arranged two-dimensionally, and

wherein the pixel circuit is incorporated in a light-emitting display device that includes a scanning unit for applying the voltage to back gate electrodes of plural pixel circuits arranged in a row direction for each row.

7. The pixel circuit according to claim 6, wherein the light-emitting device is incorporated in a camera that includes:

an image taking unit for taking an image of a subject; and

an image signal processing unit for processing a signal of an image taken in the image taking unit,

wherein an image signal subjected to signal processing in the image signal processing unit is displayed in the light-emitting display device.

8. A driving method of a pixel circuit that includes a light-emitting element and a drive thin film transistor (TFT) that supplies to the light-emitting element a first current controlling a gray scale according to luminance-current characteristics of the light-emitting element, wherein the drive TFT includes a semiconductor layer constituted by a channel region, a source region, and a drain region, a gate electrode located at a top side or a bottom side of the semiconductor layer, and a back gate electrode disposed in an opposite side of the semiconductor layer to the gate electrode, the method comprising:

writing a voltage between the gate electrode and the source region of the drive TFT by flowing a second current to the drive TFT during a writing period,

the drive TFT supplying the first current to the light-emitting element according to the voltage between the gate electrode and the source region of the drive TFT during a driving period, and

applying different voltage levels to the back gate electrode during the writing period and during the driving period so that a threshold voltage of the drive TFT in the driving period is higher than that in the writing period, and thereby the second current is larger than the first current.

9. The driving method of a pixel circuit according to claim 8, wherein the second current supplied from outside of the pixel circuit in the writing period controls the gray scale.

10. The driving method of a pixel circuit according to claim 8, wherein the voltage provided to the back gate electrode in the writing period controls the gray scale.

11. The driving method according to claim 8,

wherein the pixel circuit is one of a plurality of pixel circuits arranged two-dimensionally in a light-emitting display device, and

wherein the different voltage levels are provided to back gate electrodes of plural pixel circuits arranged in a row direction for each row.