Active-matrix substrate and liquid-crystal display device

• US 9,570,469 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2013
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2012
• 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: Uchida, Seiichi
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANG, CHARLES S
• Application Number:
  US14/438,687
• Publication Number:
  US 20150255491A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,215 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133345 Insulating layers G02F1/1335, G02F1/1337, G02F1/135, G02F1/136 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/136227 Through-hole connection of the pixel electrode to the active element through an insulation layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/136277 formed on a semiconductor substrate, e.g. of silicon
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/136286 Wiring, e.g. gate line, drain line
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1368 in which the switching element is a three-electrode device G02F1/136277 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1225 with semiconductor materials not belonging to the group IV of the periodic table, e.g. InGaZnO
• 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 27/1255 integrated with passive devices, e.g. auxiliary capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/24 including, apart from doping materials or other impurities, only semiconductor materials not provided for in groups H01L29/16, H01L29/18, H01L29/20, H01L29/22 including organic materials H10K99/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/41733 for thin film transistors with insulated gate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7869 having a semiconductor body comprising an oxide semiconductor material, e.g. zinc oxide, copper aluminium oxide, cadmium stannate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/78693 the semiconducting oxide being amorphous

Abstract

An active matrix substrate (100) includes: a gate electrode (12) formed on a substrate; an oxide semiconductor layer (16); a source electrode (14); a drain electrode (15A); a drain connecting portion (15B) as an extended portion of the drain electrode (15A); a first transparent conductive layer (22, 24); and a second transparent conductive layer (26), wherein: the drain connecting portion (15B) is arranged close to the drain electrode (15A); and the drain electrode (15A) extends from a connecting portion thereof for connection with the oxide semiconductor layer (16), across an edge of the gate electrode (12), and to the drain connecting portion (15B), where a width of the drain electrode (15A) is smaller than a width of the drain connecting portion (15B).

Claims

1. An active matrix substrate comprising:

a substrate;

a gate electrode on the substrate;

a gate insulating layer on the gate electrode;

an oxide semiconductor layer on the gate insulating layer, at least a portion of the oxide semiconductor layer overlapping with the gate electrode with the gate insulating layer interposed therebetween;

a source electrode and a drain electrode electrically connected to the oxide semiconductor layer, the source electrode and the drain electrode arranged to oppose each other with a gap therebetween;

a gate line connected to the gate electrode and extending in a first direction;

a source line connected to the source electrode and extending in a second direction crossing the first direction;

a drain connecting portion as an extended portion of the drain electrode;

a first insulating layer on the source electrode, the drain electrode, and the drain connecting portion;

a first transparent conductive layer on the first insulating layer, the first transparent conductive layer not overlapping the oxide semiconductor layer and the drain connecting portion;

a second insulating layer on the first transparent conductive layer; and

a second transparent conductive layer on the second insulating layer, the second transparent conductive layer electrically connected to the drain connecting portion through a contact hole in the first and the second insulating layers, and electrically insulated from the first transparent conductive layer, wherein

the drain connecting portion is larger than the contact hole, and is adjacent to the drain electrode,

the drain electrode extends from a connecting portion thereof for connection with the oxide semiconductor layer, across an edge of the gate electrode, and to the drain connecting portion, where a width of the drain electrode is smaller than a width of the drain connecting portion,

when viewed in a direction normal to the substrate, the source line includes a first edge extending across the oxide semiconductor layer in the second direction, the source electrode is a portion of the source line, and

the second transparent conductive layer covers an entirety of the drain connecting portion and includes and edge extending across the drain electrode in the second direction.

2. The active matrix substrate of claim 1, wherein a storage capacitor is defined by the first transparent conductive layer, the second insulating layer, and the second transparent conductive layer, and the drain connecting portion does not form a storage capacitor.

3. The active matrix substrate of claim 2, wherein:

the second transparent conductive layer includes a plurality of pixel electrodes; and

the first transparent conductive layer is provided so as to oppose the plurality of pixel electrodes, and includes a plurality of openings therein corresponding to areas including the oxide semiconductor layer and the drain connecting portion.

4. The active matrix substrate of claim 1, wherein a width of an end portion of the drain electrode that opposes the source electrode is equal to a width of a portion of the drain electrode that extends across the edge of the gate electrode.

5. The active matrix substrate of claim 1, wherein:

a linear edge is provided along an end portion of the drain electrode that opposes the source electrode, and a linear edge opposing the linear edge of the drain electrode and extending in a direction parallel to the linear edge of the drain electrode is formed along a portion of the source electrode that opposes the drain electrode; and

a length of the edge along the end portion of the drain electrode is different from a length of the edge of the source electrode.

6. The active matrix substrate of claim 5, wherein:

the oxide semiconductor layer has a planar shape of an island pattern; and

the source electrode extends linearly across the oxide semiconductor layer, and the linear edge of the source electrode is provided over an area where the source electrode extends linearly across the oxide semiconductor layer.

7. The active matrix substrate of claim 1, wherein a connecting portion between the source electrode and the oxide semiconductor layer, a connecting portion between the drain electrode and the oxide semiconductor layer, and the drain connecting portion are aligned together.

8. The active matrix substrate of claim 7, further comprising:

a gate line connected to the gate electrode; and

a source line connected to the source electrode and extending across the gate line,

wherein the connecting portion between the source electrode and the oxide semiconductor layer, the connecting portion between the drain electrode and the oxide semiconductor layer, and the drain connecting portion are aligned together along the source line.

9. The active matrix substrate of claim 1, wherein a width of the drain connecting portion is 10 μ

m or more and 15 μ

m or less, and a width of the drain electrode is 1 μ

m or more and 6 μ

m or less.

10. The active matrix substrate of claim 1, wherein the oxide semiconductor layer is formed by an In—

Ga—

Zn—

O-based oxide semiconductor.

11. The active matrix substrate of claim 10, wherein the In—

Ga—

Zn—

O-based oxide semiconductor is crystalline.

12. A direct viewing-type liquid crystal display device comprising:

an active matrix substrate of claim 1;

a counter substrate arranged so as to oppose the active matrix substrate; and

a liquid crystal layer held between the active matrix substrate and the counter substrate,

wherein the second transparent conductive layer includes a pixel electrode, and the liquid crystal display device is driven in a vertical electric field mode.

13. The active matrix substrate of claim 1, wherein,

when viewed in the direction normal to the substrate, the gate line includes a second edge extending in the first direction,

the gate electrode is a protrusion extending from the second edge in the second direction, and

the first edge of the source line extends across the gate electrode in the second direction.