Touch sensor, touch panel, and manufacturing method of touch panel

• US 9,780,121 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2015
• Issued: 10/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Watanabe, Kazunori, Miyake, Hiroyuki, Yamazaki, Shunpei
• Primary Examiner(s): Dulka, John P
• Application Number:
  US14/639,336
• Publication Number:
  US 20150255518A1
• Time in Patent Office: 943 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04102 Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• 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

Abstract

To provide a touch sensor including a transistor and a capacitor in which the transistor and the capacitor are electrically connected to each other, the capacitor includes a pair of electrodes and a dielectric layer, the dielectric layer is located between the pair of electrodes, and one of the pair of electrodes includes an oxide conductor layer. To provide a touch panel including the touch sensor, a light-blocking layer, and a display element in which the touch sensor is located more on the display surface side of the touch panel than on the display element side, the light-blocking layer is located more on the display surface side than on the touch sensor side, the display element includes a portion overlapping with the capacitor, and the light-blocking layer includes a portion overlapping with the transistor.

Claims

1. A touch sensor comprising:

a circuit comprising;

a transistor, a channel formation region of the transistor comprising an oxide semiconductor layer; and

a capacitor comprising a pair of electrodes, one of the pair of electrodes comprising an oxide conductor layer,

wherein one of a source and a drain of the transistor is electrically connected to one of the pair of electrodes of the capacitor,

wherein the circuit is configured to output a signal based on a change in a capacitance of the capacitor,

wherein the oxide semiconductor layer is provided separately from the oxide conductor layer,

wherein an insulating film is provided over the oxide semiconductor layer and the oxide conductor layer, and

wherein the insulating film is not in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer and is in contact with the oxide conductor layer.

2. The touch sensor according to claim 1, wherein the oxide semiconductor layer and the oxide conductor layer exist in the same layer.

3. The touch sensor according to claim 1, wherein each of the oxide semiconductor layer and the oxide conductor layer comprises indium and gallium.

4. The touch sensor according to claim 1, wherein a resistivity of the oxide semiconductor layer is higher than a resistivity of the oxide conductor layer.

5. The touch sensor according to claim 1, wherein the touch sensor has flexibility.

6. The touch sensor according to claim 1,

wherein an conductive film functioning as the other of the pair of electrodes of the capacitor is provided over the insulating film, and

wherein an edge of the conductive film is located outside an edge of the oxide conductor layer.

7. The touch sensor according to claim 1,

wherein the transistor further comprises:

a gate insulating film over the oxide semiconductor layer; and

a gate electrode over the gate insulating film,

wherein the oxide semiconductor layer further comprises a pair of impurity regions with the channel formation region provided therebetween, and

wherein an nitride film is provided over and in contact with the pair of impurity regions.

8. The touch sensor according to claim 1, further comprising a driver circuit comprising a second transistor, the second transistor comprising:

a first gate electrode;

an oxide semiconductor layer over the first gate electrode; and

a second gate electrode over the oxide semiconductor layer,

wherein a first conductive film functioning as the second gate electrode and a second conductive film functioning as the other of the pair of electrodes of the capacitor are provided over and in contact with the same insulating film.

9. The touch sensor according to claim 1, wherein the insulating film comprises a silicon nitride film.

10. The touch sensor according to claim 1, wherein a hydrogen concentration of the insulating film is 1×

10²² atoms/cm³ or higher.

11. A touch sensor comprising:

a circuit comprising;

a first transistor, a second transistor, and a third transistor, a channel formation region of at least one of the first transistor, the second transistor, and the third transistor comprising an oxide semiconductor layer; and

a capacitor comprising a pair of electrodes, one of the pair of electrodes comprising an oxide conductor layer,

wherein one of a source and a drain of the first transistor is electrically connected to a gate of the second transistor and one of the pair of electrodes of the capacitor,

wherein one of a source and a drain of the second transistor is electrically connected to one of a source and a drain of the third transistor,

wherein the circuit is configured to output a signal based on a change in a capacitance of the capacitor, and

wherein the oxide semiconductor layer is provided separately from the oxide conductor layer.

12. The touch sensor according to claim 11, wherein the oxide semiconductor layer and the oxide conductor layer exist in the same layer.

13. The touch sensor according to claim 11, wherein each of the oxide semiconductor layer and the oxide conductor layer comprises indium and gallium.

14. The touch sensor according to claim 11, wherein a resistivity of the oxide semiconductor layer is higher than a resistivity of the oxide conductor layer.

15. The touch sensor according to claim 11, wherein the touch sensor has flexibility.

16. The touch sensor according to claim 11,

wherein a gate of the first transistor is electrically connected to a first wiring,

wherein the other of the source and the drain of the first transistor is electrically connected to a second wiring,

wherein the other of the source and the drain of the second transistor is electrically connected to a third wiring,

wherein a gate of the third transistor is electrically connected to a fourth wiring, and

wherein the other of the source and the drain of the third transistor is electrically connected to a fifth wiring.

17. The touch sensor according to claim 11, wherein the other of the pair of electrodes of the capacitor is electrically connected to a sixth wiring.

18. A touch panel comprising:

a touch sensor comprising a circuit, the circuit comprising;

a transistor, a channel formation region of the transistor comprising an oxide semiconductor layer; and

a capacitor comprising a pair of electrodes, one of the pair of electrodes comprising an oxide conductor layer; and

a display element,

wherein one of a source and a drain of the transistor is electrically connected to one of the pair of electrodes of the capacitor,

wherein the circuit is configured to output a signal based on a change in a capacitance of the capacitor,

wherein the oxide semiconductor layer is provided separately from the oxide conductor layer, and

wherein the capacitor and the display element overlap with each other.

19. The touch panel according to claim 18, wherein the oxide semiconductor layer and the oxide conductor layer exist in the same layer.

20. The touch panel according to claim 18, wherein each of the oxide semiconductor layer and the oxide conductor layer comprises indium and gallium.

21. The touch panel according to claim 18, wherein a resistivity of the oxide semiconductor layer is higher than a resistivity of the oxide conductor layer.

22. The touch panel according to claim 18, wherein the touch panel has flexibility.

23. The touch panel according to claim 18, further comprising a light-blocking layer between the touch sensor and the display element,

wherein the transistor and the light-blocking layer overlap with each other.

24. The touch panel according to claim 18, further comprising a first light-blocking layer and a second light-blocking layer,

wherein the touch sensor is provided between the first light-blocking layer and the second light-blocking layer, and

wherein the transistor, the first light-blocking layer and the second light-blocking layer overlap with each other.

25. The touch panel according to claim 18,

wherein the display element comprises:

a first electrode and a second electrode; and

a layer including a light-emitting organic compound, between the first electrode and the second electrode,

wherein an insulating film is provided to cover an end portion of the first electrode, and

wherein the transistor and the insulating film overlap with each other.

26. A sensor comprising:

a circuit comprising;

a transistor, a channel formation region of the transistor comprising a first layer which comprises an oxide semiconductor; and

a capacitor comprising a pair of electrodes, one of the pair of electrodes comprising a second layer which comprises an oxide conductor,

wherein one of a source and a drain of the transistor is electrically connected to one of the pair of electrodes of the capacitor,

wherein the circuit is configured to output a signal based on a change in a capacitance of the capacitor,

wherein an insulating film is provided over the first layer and the second layer, and

wherein the insulating film is not in contact with the first layer and is in contact with the second layer.

27. The sensor according to claim 26, wherein the first layer and the second layer exist in the same layer.

28. The sensor according to claim 26, wherein each of the first layer and the second layer comprises indium and gallium.

29. The sensor according to claim 26, wherein a resistivity of the first layer is higher than a resistivity of the second layer.

30. The sensor according to claim 26, wherein the sensor has flexibility.

31. The sensor according to claim 26, wherein the first layer is provided separately from the second layer.

32. The sensor according to claim 26, wherein the first layer is formed using a same layer as the second layer.

33. The sensor according to claim 26, wherein the insulating film comprises a silicon nitride film.

34. The sensor according to claim 26, wherein a hydrogen concentration of the insulating film is 1×

10²² atoms/cm³ or higher.