Semiconductor device comprising a plurality of sensors

• US 9,140,915 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2013
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kato, Kiyoshi, Saito, Toshihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Shankar, Vijay
• Application Number:
  US13/766,845
• Publication Number:
  US 20130148041A1
• Time in Patent Office: 950 Days
• Field of Search: 345 87-104, 345173-178, 178 1801- 1809, 178 2001- 2004
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13306 Circuit arrangements or driving methods for the control of single liquid crystal cells G02F1/132, G02F1/133382 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133305 Flexible substrates, e.g. plastics, organic film
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133345 Insulating layers G02F1/1335, G02F1/1337, G02F1/135, G02F1/136 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13439 characterised by their electrical, optical, physical properties; materials therefor; method of making
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13454 Drivers integrated on the active matrix substrate G02F1/136277 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/136213 Storage capacitors associated with the pixel electrode
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1368 in which the switching element is a three-electrode device G02F1/136277 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/123 pixel
• 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: G06F 3/0447 Position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/36 using liquid crystals
• 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 27/1218 with a particular composition or structure of the substrate
• 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 27/1288 employing particular masking sequences or specially adapted masks, e.g. half-tone mask
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/13 combined with thin-film or thick-film passive components
• 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 29/78645 : with multiple gate
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/12 : Active-matrix OLED [AMOLED] displays

Abstract

A variable capacitor is formed from a pair of electrodes and a dielectric interposed between the electrodes over a substrate, and an external input is detected by changing capacitance of the variable capacitor by a physical or electrical force. Specifically, a variable capacitor and a sense amplifier are provided over the same substrate, and the sense amplifier reads the change of capacitance of the variable capacitor and transmits a signal in accordance with the input to a control circuit.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device comprising:

a first substrate;

a plurality of sensors over the first substrate, each of the plurality of sensors comprising a first electrode;

a thin film transistor over the first substrate;

an insulating film over the thin film transistor;

a pixel electrode over the insulating film, the pixel electrode electrically connected to the thin film transistor;

a liquid crystal over the first electrode and the pixel electrode; and

a second substrate over the liquid crystal;

wherein the plurality of sensors are arranged in a grid,

wherein each of the plurality of sensors outputs a capacitance change, and

wherein each of the first electrode and the pixel electrode comprises ITO.

2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising a second electrode of each of the plurality of sensors, wherein the second substrate comprises the second electrode.

3. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the first substrate includes a plastic.

4. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising a second electrode of each of the plurality of sensors, wherein the capacitance change is changed by pushing one of the first and second electrodes.

5. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising a second electrode of each of the plurality of sensors, wherein the liquid crystal is interposed between the first and second electrodes.

6. A semiconductor device comprising:

a first substrate;

a plurality of sensors over the first substrate, each of the plurality of sensors comprising a first electrode;

a thin film transistor over the first substrate;

an insulating film over the thin film transistor;

a pixel electrode over the insulating film, the pixel electrode electrically connected to the thin film transistor;

a liquid crystal over the first electrode and the pixel electrode; and

a second substrate over the liquid crystal;

wherein the plurality of sensors are arranged in two-dimensions,

wherein each of the plurality of sensors outputs a capacitance change, and

wherein each of the first electrode and the pixel electrode comprises ITO.

7. The semiconductor device according to claim 6, further comprising a second electrode of each of the plurality of sensors, wherein the second substrate comprises the second electrode.

8. The semiconductor device according to claim 6, wherein the first substrate includes a plastic.

9. The semiconductor device according to claim 6, further comprising a second electrode of each of the plurality of sensors, wherein the capacitance change is changed by pushing one of the first and second electrodes.

10. The semiconductor device according to claim 6, further comprising a second electrode of each of the plurality of sensors, wherein the liquid crystal is interposed between the first and second electrodes.

11. A semiconductor device comprising:

a first substrate;

a plurality of sensors over the first substrate, each of the plurality of sensors comprising a first electrode;

a thin film transistor over the first substrate;

an insulating film over the thin film transistor;

a pixel electrode over the insulating film, the pixel electrode electrically connected to the thin film transistor;

a liquid crystal over the first electrode and the pixel electrode; and

a second substrate over the liquid crystal;

wherein each of the plurality of sensors outputs a capacitance change, and

wherein each of the first electrode and the pixel electrode comprises ITO.

12. The semiconductor device according to claim 11, further comprising a second electrode of each of the plurality of sensors, wherein the second substrate comprises the second electrode.

13. The semiconductor device according to claim 11, wherein the first substrate includes a plastic.

14. The semiconductor device according to claim 11, further comprising a second electrode of each of the plurality of sensors, wherein the capacitance change is changed by pushing one of the first and second electrodes.

15. The semiconductor device according to claim 11, further comprising a second electrode of each of the plurality of sensors, wherein the liquid crystal is interposed between the first and second electrodes.