Electroluminescence display device

• US 8,729,557 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2013
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Ono, Koji, Suzawa, Hideomi, Arao, Tatsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Parker, Kenneth
• Assistant Examiner(s): Diaz, Jose R
• Application Number:
  US14/027,871
• Publication Number:
  US 20140014996A1
• Time in Patent Office: 246 Days
• Field of Search: 257/59, 257/72, 257/344, 257/347, 257/408, 257/E29.137, 257/E29.278, 349/153, 349/155
• US Class Current: 257/72
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13624 having more than one switching element per pixel
• 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 27/127 with a particular formation, treatment or patterning of the active layer specially adapted to the circuit arrangement
• 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 29/4908 for thin film semiconductor, e.g. gate of TFT
• 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 29/78621 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 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: H01L 33/08 with a plurality of light emitting regions, e.g. laterally discontinuous light emitting layer or photoluminescent region integrated within the semiconductor body H01L27/15 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/62 Arrangements for conducting electric current to or from the semiconductor body, e.g. lead-frames, wire-bonds or solder balls

Abstract

Disclosed is an electroluminescence device having a substrate, a thin film transistor over the substrate, an insulating film over the thin film transistor, an electroluminescence element over the insulating film, a passivation film over the electroluminescence element, and a counter substrate over the passivation film. The electroluminescence element is configured to emit light through the counter substrate, and a space between the substrate and the counter substrate is filled with a filler. The electroluminescence device is featured by the tapered side surface of a gate electrode of the thin film transistor.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device comprising:

a first substrate;

a second substrate over the first substrate, the second substrate being smaller than the first substrate so that the first substrate has a first region which overlaps with the second substrate and a second region which does not overlap with the second substrate;

a pixel portion in the first region, the pixel portion comprising a plurality of pixels between the first substrate and the second substrate;

a wiring over the first substrate, the wiring extending from the first region to the second region;

a flexible printed circuit connected to the wiring in the second region, the flexible printed circuit being configured to transmit an electrical signal to the pixel portion; and

a sealant covering the flexible printed circuit, a part of the second region which does not overlap with the flexible printed circuit, and a side surface of the second substrate,

wherein the plurality of pixels each comprise;

a transistor; and

a light-emitting element over and electrically connected to the transistor, the light-emitting element comprising a white-emissive light-emitting layer which is configured to be coupled with a color filter so that the light-emitting element undergoes color display, and

where a space surrounded by the first substrate, the second substrate, and the sealant is filled with a filler to which a drying agent is mixed.

2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the transistor comprises a gate electrode having a tapered side surface.

3. The semiconductor device according to claim 1,

wherein the transistor further comprises a first terminal and a second terminal and is configured to allow current to flow therebetween, and

wherein the light-emitting element is configured to emit light when the current flows therethrough.

4. The semiconductor device according to claim 3,

wherein the plurality of pixels each further comprise a second wiring configured to supply the current to the light-emitting element through the transistor, and

wherein the second wiring is shared by at least two pixels which neighbor each other.

5. The semiconductor device according to claim 1,

wherein the light-emitting element further comprises:

a first electrode and a second electrode which sandwich the white-emissive light-emitting layer; and

a passivation film over and in contact with the second electrode, and

wherein the filler is in contact with the passivation film.

6. The semiconductor device according to claim 1,

wherein the first substrate is a plastic substrate.

7. The semiconductor device according to claim 1,

wherein the semiconductor device is selected from a portable information terminal, a video camera, a still-image camera, a computer, and a television.

8. A semiconductor device comprising:

a first substrate;

a second substrate over the first substrate, the second substrate being smaller than the first substrate so that the first substrate has a first region which overlaps with the second substrate and a second region which does not overlap with the second substrate;

a pixel portion in the first region, the pixel portion comprising a plurality of pixels between the first substrate and the second substrate;

a wiring over the first substrate, the wiring extending from the first region to the second region;

a flexible printed circuit connected to the wiring in the second region, the flexible printed circuit being configured to transmit an electrical signal to the pixel portion;

a first sealant sandwiched between the first substrate and the second substrate and located in the first region; and

a second sealant in contact with the first sealant and located in the second region, the second sealant covering the flexible printed circuit, a part of the second region which does not overlap with the flexible printed circuit, a side surface of the second substrate, and a side surface of the first sealant,

wherein the plurality of pixels each comprise;

a transistor; and

a light-emitting element over and electrically connected to the transistor, the light-emitting element comprising a white-emissive light-emitting layer which is configured to be coupled with a color filter so that the light-emitting element undergoes color display, and

where a space surrounded by the first substrate, the second substrate, and the first sealant is filled with a filler to which a drying agent is mixed.

9. The semiconductor device according to claim 8,

wherein the transistor comprises a gate electrode having a tapered side surface.

10. The semiconductor device according to claim 8,

wherein the transistor further comprises a first terminal and a second terminal and is configured to allow current to flow therebetween, and

wherein the light-emitting element is configured to emit light when the current flows therethrough.

11. The semiconductor device according to claim 10,

wherein the plurality of pixels each further comprise a second wiring configured to supply the current to the light-emitting element through the transistor, and

wherein the second wiring is shared by at least two pixels which neighbor each other.

12. The semiconductor device according to claim 8,

wherein the light-emitting element further comprises:

a first electrode and a second electrode which sandwich the white-emissive light-emitting layer; and

a passivation film over and in contact with the second electrode, and

wherein the filler is in contact with the passivation film.

13. The semiconductor device according to claim 8,

wherein the first substrate is a plastic substrate.

14. The semiconductor device according to claim 8,

wherein the semiconductor device is selected from a portable information terminal, a video camera, a still-image camera, a computer, and a television.

15. A semiconductor device comprising:

a first substrate;

a second substrate over the first substrate, the second substrate being smaller than the first substrate so that the first substrate has a first region which overlaps with the second substrate and a second region which does not overlap with the second substrate;

a pixel portion in the first region, the pixel portion comprising a plurality of pixels between the first substrate and the second substrate;

a wiring over the first substrate, the wiring extending from the first region to the second region;

a flexible printed circuit connected to the wiring in the second region, the flexible printed circuit being configured to transmit an electrical signal to the pixel portion; and

a sealant covering a side surface of the second substrate, at least a part of the flexible printed circuit, and a part of the second region which does not overlap with the flexible printed circuit,

wherein the plurality of pixels each comprise;

a current control element comprising a plurality of transistors connected in parallel; and

a light-emitting element over and electrically connected to the current control element,

wherein the light-emitting element comprises;

a transparent anode electrically connected to the current control element;

a white-emissive light-emitting layer over the transparent anode; and

a cathode over the white-emissive light-emitting layer, and

where a space surrounded by the first substrate, the second substrate, and the sealant is filled with a filler to which a drying agent is mixed.

16. The semiconductor device according to claim 15,

wherein the current control element comprises a gate electrode having a tapered side surface.

17. The semiconductor device according to claim 15,

wherein the current control element is configured to allow current to flow therein, and

wherein the light-emitting element is configured to emit light when the current flows therethrough.

18. The semiconductor device according to claim 17,

wherein the plurality of pixels each further comprise a second wiring configured to supply the current to the light-emitting element through the current control element, and

wherein the second wiring is shared by at least two pixels which neighbor each other.

19. The semiconductor device according to claim 15,

wherein the first substrate is a plastic substrate.

20. The semiconductor device according to claim 15,

wherein the white-emissive light-emitting layer is configured to be coupled with a color filter so that the light-emitting element undergoes color display.

21. The semiconductor device according to claim 15,

wherein the semiconductor device is selected from a portable information terminal, a video camera, a still-image camera, a computer, and a television.