JP2005159143A - Methods of manufacturing wiring, thin-film transistor, and display device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To form a pattern, such as wiring in a self-alignment manner, when a pattern is formed by a liquid drop discharge method, and further to achieve higher adhesion of the pattern. <P>SOLUTION: According to a roughened surface and a first pattern provided on that surface, a second pattern is formed in a self-aligned manner. The surface of the first pattern has higher flatness, as compared to the roughened surface so that it can be considered as a flat surface. Therefore, the second pattern can be formed in a self-aligned, manner according to the roughened surface and the flat surface. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a wiring, a method for manufacturing a thin film transistor, and a method for manufacturing a display device using a method for ejecting a composition in which a target material is mixed.

Droplet ejection techniques represented by the piezo method and thermal jet method are attracting attention. Although this droplet discharge technique has been used for printing of characters and images, attempts to apply it to pattern formation in the semiconductor field have begun. As such a droplet discharge technique, the ink-jet method improves the film pattern formation method, achieves a thick film, satisfies the demand for thinning, and causes problems such as disconnection and short-circuiting when a conductive film is used. There has been proposed a method of forming a non-film pattern (see Patent Document 1).

On the other hand, in the semiconductor field, in order to improve the adhesion between the substrate surface and the gate insulating film and the gate insulating film, there is one in which the surface of the substrate is subjected to a roughening treatment (see Patent Document 2).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-136991 JP-A-7-273332

When a wiring or the like is formed by the above droplet discharge method, high patterning accuracy is required as the thin film transistor (also referred to as TFT) is miniaturized. Therefore, the necessity for forming TFTs in a self-aligning manner is increased. Moreover, although the said literature achieves the pattern thickening and the request | requirement of thinning is examined, adhesiveness is also a matter which should also be examined.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to form a pattern in a self-aligned manner when forming a pattern by a droplet discharge method, and to further improve the adhesion of the pattern.

In view of the above problems, the present invention self-aligns the second pattern by a method capable of selectively forming a pattern by using the roughened surface and the first pattern provided on the surface. It is characterized by forming. The surface on the first pattern has higher flatness than the roughened surface and can be regarded as a flat surface. Therefore, the second pattern can be formed in a self-aligned manner by the roughened surface and the flat surface.

Furthermore, at this time, the roughened surface has higher wettability with respect to the liquid droplets and exhibits lyophilicity than the flat surface on the gate electrode. As a result, the second pattern is preferentially formed on the roughened surface and is not easily formed on a flat surface. Use of this characteristic is preferable because it is easy to form the second pattern in a self-aligning manner.

Further, by forming a pattern on such a roughened surface using a method capable of selectively forming a pattern, the adhesion of the pattern can be improved.

The roughened surface is a surface having a concavo-convex shape formed on the surface, and the height difference of the concavo-convex is 50 nm to 300 nm, preferably 100 nm or less. The height difference of the unevenness can be set by the thickness of the coating film formed on the uneven shape.

The pattern means a wiring such as a gate wiring (including a gate electrode), a source wiring (including a source electrode), a drain wiring (including a drain electrode), a functional thin film such as a semiconductor film or a gate insulating film, or a patterning. And masks used in the above.

For example, when a wiring is formed as a pattern, a surface roughening process is performed on the wiring formation surface. As a result, the adhesion of the wiring can be improved. After that, when the functional thin film is formed, the functional thin film can be formed so as to pass the concave / convex shape of the surface of the surface to be formed, depending on the height difference of the concave / convex. Therefore, an uneven shape is also formed on the surface of the functional thin film, and the adhesion of the second wiring formed on the functional thin film can be improved. In other words, when the surface to be formed is roughened, the adhesion of the wiring can be improved not only by the surface to be formed but also by a functional thin film formed by concavo-convex shapes on the surface of the surface to be formed. Can do.

As a method for forming the unevenness, there are a dry etching method, a frost processing method, and a sandblasting method. In the dry etching method, a fluorine-based gas may be used. For example, a mixed gas of CHF ₃ and O ₂ can be used. The frost processing method is a method in which a glass substrate or the like is immersed in hydrofluoric acid (HF), and unevenness on the order of microns is formed due to uneven reaction. The uneven shape can be controlled by the concentration of hydrofluoric acid, temperature, or an additive such as a reaction moderator. The sand blasting method is a method in which very fine sand is sprayed on a glass surface to cut it. The concavo-convex shape can be controlled by the pressure, the size of the sand particles to be sprayed, or the spraying time.

As a method for selectively forming a pattern, a droplet discharge method for selectively discharging a droplet (also referred to as a dot) of a composition in which a material such as a conductive film or an insulating film is mixed can be used. The droplet discharge method is also called an ink jet method depending on the method.

At this time, the composition may be ejected in the form of dots or in the form of columns in which dots are connected. Moreover, that a composition is discharged in dot shape or column shape is only described as dripping or jetting. That is, since a plurality of dots are ejected continuously, they may not be recognized as dots but may be ejected linearly, but they are collectively referred to as dripping or ejection.

As the conductor, gold (Au), silver (Ag), copper (Cu), platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), tungsten (W), nickel (Ni), tantalum (Ta), bismuth (Bi), Lead (Pb), indium (In), tin (Sn), zinc (Zn), titanium (Ti), or aluminum (Al), alloys made of these, dispersible nanoparticles, or silver halide fine particles Can be used. In particular, low resistance silver or copper may be used.

Moreover, as a transparent conductive film, indium tin oxide (ITO), IZO (indium zinc oxide) in which 2 to 20% zinc oxide (ZnO) is mixed with indium oxide, and 2 to 20% oxidation in indium oxide. ITSO mixed with silicon (SiO ₂ ), organic indium, organic tin, or the like can also be used.

In order to efficiently disperse a material such as a conductor in the composition, the surface of the conductor to be fine particles may be coated with an organic substance or a conductor. The substance covering the surface may have a laminated structure. The substance covering the surface is preferably conductive, but may be removed by heat treatment or the like even if it has insulating properties. In particular, when copper is used, the surface of the copper fine particles is preferably covered with a conductive material or the like in order to prevent copper from diffusing into the semiconductor film or the like.

The present invention is characterized in that the second pattern is formed in a self-aligned manner by a droplet discharge method using a roughened surface and a flat surface on a selectively formed pattern. Therefore, as a pattern formed by a droplet discharge method, for example, when forming a source electrode and a drain electrode, self-aligned by a roughened surface and a flat surface on a selectively formed gate electrode. A source electrode and a drain electrode can be formed. At this time, the adhesiveness of the gate electrode is improved by the rough surface of the roughened surface. In addition, since the uneven surface of the roughened substrate is transferred and the formation surface of the source electrode and the drain electrode has an uneven shape, the adhesion between the source electrode and the drain electrode is also improved. That is, the present invention is characterized in that the surface on which the pattern is formed has an uneven shape.

Further, in the pattern forming process, it is not necessary to form the pattern other than the pattern desired to be formed in a self-aligned manner by the droplet discharge method. For example, when a source electrode and a drain electrode are formed as a pattern formed by a droplet discharge method, the gate electrode is not necessarily formed by a droplet discharge method.

  In addition, the present invention is characterized by a display device in which a light-emitting element in which a medium containing an organic substance that emits light called electroluminescence or a mixture of an organic substance and an inorganic substance is interposed between electrodes and a TFT are connected. . In addition, the invention is characterized by a display device in which a liquid crystal element having a liquid crystal layer interposed between electrodes and a TFT are connected. The TFT of such a display device can be formed using the droplet discharge method of the present invention.

As described above, the present invention is characterized in that the pattern is formed in a self-aligned manner and the adhesion of the pattern is enhanced by the roughened substrate, and the structure of the thin film transistor is not limited. That is, it may be a thin film transistor having either a crystalline semiconductor film or an amorphous semiconductor film, a so-called bottom gate type in which a gate electrode is provided below the semiconductor film, and a so-called gate electrode provided above the semiconductor film. A thin film transistor having any structure of a top gate type may be used.

As described above, the second pattern can be formed in a self-aligned manner by using the roughened surface and the flat surface on the first pattern formed on the surface.
As a result, a pattern can be formed with high patterning accuracy, and the thin film transistor can be dealt with.

Further, the roughened surface can improve the adhesion of the pattern formed on the surface. Furthermore, the functional thin film formed on the roughened surface can be formed by changing the shape. As a result, even if the pattern is not formed in contact with the roughened surface, the adhesion can be improved.

In addition, when a pattern such as a wiring or a mask is formed by a droplet discharge method, the utilization efficiency of the material is improved, and the cost and the amount of waste liquid can be reduced. In particular, when a pattern is formed by a droplet discharge method, the process can be simplified as compared with a photolithography process. As a result, it is possible to reduce capital investment cost, cost reduction, and manufacturing time.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that in all the drawings for describing the embodiments, the same portions or portions having similar functions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repetitive description thereof is omitted.

A TFT has three terminals, a gate, a source, and a drain. However, the source terminal (source electrode) and the drain terminal (drain electrode) cannot be clearly distinguished because of the structure of the transistor. Therefore, when describing connection between elements, one of a source electrode and a drain electrode is referred to as a first electrode, and the other is referred to as a second electrode.

(Embodiment 1)
In this embodiment, an example of a method for manufacturing a thin film transistor will be described.

First, as shown in FIG. 1A, a substrate 100 having an insulating surface and a roughened surface is prepared. A roughened substrate is a substrate having an uneven surface formed on the surface. At this time, the height difference of the unevenness depends on the thickness of the film formed on the roughened substrate, but is 50 nm to 300 nm, preferably 100 nm or less. Such an uneven shape of the substrate can be formed by a dry etching method, a frost processing method, or a sand blasting method.

As the substrate, for example, a glass substrate such as barium borosilicate glass or alumino borosilicate glass, a quartz substrate, a stainless steel substrate, a bulk semiconductor film, or the like can be used. In addition, substrates made of plastics typified by polyethylene-terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyethersulfone (PES), and flexible synthetic resins such as acrylic are generally Although the heat resistant temperature tends to be lower than that of the substrate, it can be used as long as it can withstand the processing temperature in the manufacturing process. In particular, when a thin film transistor including an amorphous semiconductor film that does not require a heating step for crystallizing a semiconductor film is formed, a substrate made of a synthetic resin having flexibility is easily used.

A base film may be formed on the substrate as necessary. The base film is formed to prevent alkali metal such as Na or alkaline earth metal contained in the substrate from diffusing into the semiconductor film and adversely affecting the characteristics of the semiconductor element. Therefore, the base film is formed using an insulator such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon nitride oxide, titanium oxide (TiOx), or titanium nitride that can suppress diffusion of alkali metal or alkaline earth metal into the semiconductor film. be able to. In particular, as the material of the base film, a material having high adhesion to the pattern formed on the base film may be selected. For example, when the gate electrode is formed using Ag, it is preferable to form a base film made of titanium oxide. Note that the base film may have a single-layer structure or a stacked structure.

The base film is not necessarily provided as long as impurities can be prevented from diffusing into the semiconductor film. Therefore, in the case where a semiconductor film is formed over a gate electrode through a gate insulating film as in this embodiment mode described below, it is not necessary to provide a base film. This is because the gate insulating film can function to prevent diffusion of impurities into the semiconductor film.

In view of the substrate material, it may be preferable to provide a base film. In the case of using a substrate containing an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal, such as a glass substrate, a stainless steel substrate, or a plastic substrate, it is effective to provide a base film from the viewpoint of preventing impurity diffusion. On the other hand, in the case where diffusion of impurities does not cause any problem such as a quartz substrate, it is not always necessary to provide a base film.

When the base film is formed in this way, the surface roughening treatment may be performed on the base film. That is, the surface roughening process may be performed on the formation surface of the gate electrode.

After that, as illustrated in FIG. 1B, a droplet in which a conductor is mixed in a solvent is dropped on the substrate by a droplet discharge method, so that a conductive film functioning as the gate electrode 103 is formed. The conductive film may have either a single layer structure or a stacked structure. In the case of a laminated structure, for example, a droplet containing Ag may be dropped as a lower conductive film by a droplet discharge method, and Cu may be formed as a lower conductive film by a droplet discharge method or a sputtering method. By forming a low resistance material such as Cu, wiring resistance can be reduced, and heat generation and signal delay associated with wiring resistance can be prevented.

Alternatively, a plating method may be used as a means for forming a gate electrode having a stacked structure. For example, the second conductive film may be formed around the first conductive film formed by a droplet discharge method by an electroplating method or an electroless plating method. Specifically, Cu can be formed around Ag formed by a droplet discharge method by performing an electroplating process. Alternatively, Cu may be formed around Ag formed by a droplet discharge method by performing an electroless plating process that does not require a current to flow. As a result, wiring resistance can be reduced, and heat generation and signal delay associated with wiring resistance can be prevented. In particular, when the first conductive film is formed to be fine, it is preferable because the wiring resistance can be reduced by the second conductive film. When a highly diffusible conductor such as Cu is formed, a barrier film may be formed so as to cover Cu in order to prevent diffusion.

In the present embodiment, a droplet in which Ag ₂ O fine particles are dispersed in a tetradecane solvent is dropped. Such Ag ₂ O is an insulator, but is reduced by firing to become Ag which is a conductor. Further, as a result of roughening the substrate, the adhesion area between the substrate and the gate electrode is increased, and the adhesion can be improved.

Thereafter, when it is necessary to remove the solvent in the droplets, heat treatment is performed for baking or drying. Specifically, heating may be performed at a predetermined temperature, for example, 200 ° C. to 300 ° C., and heat treatment is preferably performed in an atmosphere containing oxygen. At this time, the heating temperature is set so that the gate electrode surface is not uneven. In particular, in the case where droplets containing silver (Ag) are used as in this embodiment, heat treatment is preferably performed in an atmosphere containing oxygen and nitrogen. For example, the oxygen composition ratio is set to 10 to 25%. Then, since organic substances, such as thermosetting resins, such as an adhesive agent contained in the solvent of the droplets are decomposed, silver (Ag) that does not contain organic substances can be obtained. As a result, the flatness of the gate electrode surface can be improved and the specific resistance value can be lowered. At this time, a highly flat region (flat region) 10 on the surface of the gate electrode and a region (uneven region) 11 where unevenness is formed by the roughening process are formed.

In addition to silver (Ag), the gate electrode can be formed of an element selected from tantalum, tungsten, titanium, molybdenum, aluminum, and copper, or an alloy material or a compound material containing the element as a main component. The conductive film can be formed by a sputtering method or a plasma CVD method in addition to the droplet discharge method. As a conductive film formed by a sputtering method or a plasma CVD method, a semiconductor film typified by a polycrystalline silicon film doped with an impurity element such as phosphorus, or an AgPdCu alloy can be used.

As shown in FIG. 1C, an insulating film functioning as the gate insulating film 104 is formed so as to cover the gate electrode. At this time, the gate insulating film provided in the concavo-convex region other than on the gate electrode is formed to reflect the concavo-convex shape of the substrate, and thus has a shape reflecting the concavo-convex shape.

  As the insulating film, an insulator made of an inorganic material such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, or silicon nitride oxide can be used. Further, an insulator made of an organic material such as polysilazane or polyvinyl alcohol may be used. In the case of using an insulator made of an inorganic material, it can be formed by a plasma CVD method or a sputtering method. An insulator made of an organic material can be formed by a spin coating method, a dip method, or a droplet discharge method. Such an insulating film can have a stacked structure or a single layer structure.

  In particular, when silver (Ag) is used as a gate electrode as in this embodiment mode, a silicon nitride film is preferably used as the gate insulating film. This is because when an insulating film containing oxygen is used, it reacts with silver (Ag), silver oxide is formed, and the gate electrode surface may be roughened.

A semiconductor film 105 is formed over the gate insulating film. At this time, the semiconductor film provided in the uneven region other than on the gate electrode has a shape reflecting the uneven shape of the substrate. The semiconductor film can be formed by a plasma CVD method, a sputtering method, a droplet discharge method, or the like. The film thickness of the semiconductor film is 25 to 200 nm (preferably 30 to 60 nm). Further, not only silicon but also silicon germanium can be used as a material for the semiconductor film. When silicon germanium is used, the concentration of germanium is preferably about 0.01 to 4.5 atomic%.

The semiconductor film can be an amorphous semiconductor, a semi-amorphous semiconductor in which an amorphous state and a crystalline state are mixed (also referred to as SAS), and crystal grains of 0.5 nm to 20 nm can be observed in the amorphous semiconductor. It may have any state selected from a microcrystalline semiconductor and a crystalline semiconductor. In particular, a microcrystalline state in which grains of 0.5 nm to 20 nm can be observed is called a so-called microcrystal (μc).

The SAS is a semiconductor having an intermediate structure between an amorphous structure and a crystal structure (including single crystal and polycrystal) and having a third state that is stable in terms of free energy. It also contains a crystalline region with short-range order and lattice distortion. A crystal region of 0.5 to 20 nm can be observed in at least a part of the film, and when silicon is the main component, the Raman spectrum shifts to a lower wave number side than 520 cm ^−1. ing. In X-ray diffraction, diffraction peaks of (111) and (220) that are derived from the silicon crystal lattice are observed. As a neutralizing agent for dangling bonds, SAS contains at least 1 atomic% or more of hydrogen or halogen.

SAS can be obtained by glow discharge decomposition of a silicide gas. A typical silicide gas is SiH ₄ , and in addition, Si ₂ H ₆ , SiH ₂ Cl ₂ , SiHCl ₃ , SiCl ₄ , SiF _{4 and the} like can be used. The formation of the SAS can be facilitated by diluting the silicide gas with one or more kinds of rare gas elements selected from hydrogen, hydrogen and helium, argon, krypton, and neon. At this time, it is preferable to dilute the silicide gas so that the dilution rate is in the range of 10 to 1000 times. Further, the SAS can be formed by using Si ₂ H ₆ and GeF ₄ and diluting with helium gas. The reaction generation of the coating by glow discharge decomposition is preferably performed under reduced pressure, and the pressure may be in the range of about 0.1 Pa to 133 Pa. The power for forming the glow discharge may be high frequency power of 1 MHz to 120 MHz, preferably 13 MHz to 60 MHz. The substrate heating temperature is preferably 300 ° C. or less, and a substrate heating temperature of 100 to 250 ° C. is recommended.

The crystalline semiconductor film can be formed by crystallizing an amorphous semiconductor film by heating or laser irradiation. Alternatively, a crystalline semiconductor film may be directly formed. In this case, a crystalline semiconductor film is directly formed using heat or plasma using a fluorine-based gas such as GeF ₄ or F ₂ and a silane-based gas such as SiH ₄ or Si ₂ H _6. Can do.

In this embodiment, as the semiconductor film 105, an amorphous semiconductor film containing silicon as a main component (also referred to as amorphous silicon film or amorphous silicon) is formed by a plasma CVD method.

  Next, a semiconductor film having one conductivity type is formed. At this time, the semiconductor film having one conductivity type provided in the uneven region other than on the gate electrode has a shape reflecting the uneven shape of the substrate. Note that formation of a semiconductor film having one conductivity type is preferable because contact resistance between the semiconductor film and the electrode is reduced, but the semiconductor film may be provided as necessary. A semiconductor film having one conductivity type can be formed by a plasma CVD method, a sputtering method, a droplet discharge method, or the like. In this embodiment mode, an N-type semiconductor film 106 is formed by a plasma CVD method.

In the case where the semiconductor film 105 and the N-type semiconductor film 106 are formed by a plasma CVD method, the semiconductor film, the N-type semiconductor film, and the gate insulating film can be continuously formed. Specifically, it can be continuously formed without opening to the atmosphere by changing the supply of the source gas into the processing chamber of the plasma CVD apparatus. As a result, it is possible to prevent impurities from adhering to the interfaces of the semiconductor film, the N-type semiconductor film, and the gate insulating film.

As shown in FIG. 1D, the semiconductor film 105 and the N-type semiconductor film 106 are patterned into a desired shape using a mask 107. Therefore, a mask 107 is formed at a desired location, and patterning is performed by dry etching or wet etching using the mask. The mask can be formed by a droplet discharge method or a photolithography method. Note that it is preferable to form a mask using a droplet discharge method because the material utilization efficiency is improved and the cost and the amount of waste liquid can be reduced. Further, when a mask is formed by a droplet discharge method, the photolithography process can be simplified. That is, photomask formation, exposure, and the like are not required, a reduction in equipment investment cost can be achieved, and manufacturing time can be reduced.

Inorganic materials (silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, etc.) and photosensitive or non-photosensitive organic materials (polyimide, acrylic, polyamide, polyimide amide, polyvinyl alcohol, resist or benzocyclobutene) are used as mask materials. Can do. For example, in the case where a mask is formed using polyimide by a droplet discharge method, heat treatment may be performed at 150 to 300 ° C. in order to perform baking after discharging polyimide to a desired portion by a droplet discharge method.

After the patterning, plasma treatment is performed to remove the mask. Note that the mask can be functioned as an insulating film without being removed.

As shown in FIG. 1E, a conductive film functioning as the source and drain electrodes 108 is formed. At this time, the surface of the gate insulating film and the n-type semiconductor film formed in the uneven region has an uneven shape. When the contact angle of the droplet on the flat surface is smaller than 90 °, the contact angle of the surface having the uneven shape is smaller than that of the flat surface on the gate electrode. That is, a surface having an uneven shape has higher wettability to liquid droplets and exhibits lyophilicity than a flat surface on the gate electrode. As a result, the source electrode and the drain electrode are preferentially formed on a surface having a concavo-convex shape, and are hardly formed on a flat region. By utilizing this characteristic, the source electrode and the drain electrode can be formed in a self-aligning manner. At this time, the gate electrode formed in the flat region does not overlap with the source electrode and the drain electrode formed preferentially on the surface having the uneven shape.

As the conductive film, a film made of gold, silver, copper, aluminum, titanium, molybdenum, tungsten, or silicon or an alloy film using these elements can be used. Further, the conductive film can be formed using any one of a droplet discharge method, a CVD method, and a sputtering method. The conductive film may have either a single layer structure or a stacked structure. For the stacked structure, the description of the gate electrode can be referred to.

In this embodiment mode, a droplet including silver (Ag) is formed by a droplet discharge method. Specifically, a source electrode and a drain electrode may be formed in a manner similar to that of the gate electrode illustrated in FIG.

Thereafter, when it is necessary to remove the solvent of the droplets, heat treatment is performed for baking or drying.

By forming the source electrode and the drain electrode in such a self-alignment manner, it is possible to prevent the misalignment of the source electrode and the drain electrode that occurs as the gate length is reduced.

Further, a liquid repellent treatment may be performed to improve the liquid repellency on the flat surface of the gate electrode. As the liquid repellent treatment, there is a method of applying a fluorine-based silane coupling agent or the like. Further, as a liquid repellent treatment, a plasma treatment using a CHF ₃ , O ₂ mixed gas or the like may be performed.

After that, as shown in FIG. 1F, the N-type semiconductor film 106 is etched using the source electrode and the drain electrode as masks. This is because the N-type semiconductor film prevents the source electrode and the drain electrode from being short-circuited. At this time, the semiconductor film 105 may be slightly etched.

As described above, the thin film transistor provided with the source electrode and the drain electrode is completed. The thin film transistor in this embodiment is a so-called bottom gate thin film transistor in which a gate electrode is provided below a semiconductor film. More specifically, it is a so-called channel etch type in which the semiconductor film is slightly etched. A substrate provided with a plurality of such thin film transistors is referred to as a TFT substrate.

The thin film transistor in this embodiment includes a gate insulating film, a semiconductor film, and an n-type semiconductor film having an uneven shape that follows the unevenness of a roughened substrate. In addition, the thin film transistor in this embodiment has a structure in which a gate electrode does not overlap with a source electrode and a drain electrode.

The thin film transistor described in this embodiment is characterized in that a source electrode and a drain electrode are formed in a self-aligning manner by a droplet discharge method. Therefore, pattern formation of gate electrodes and masks other than the source electrode and the drain electrode may not be formed by a droplet discharge method. On the other hand, patterns other than those shown in this embodiment mode may be formed by a droplet discharge method.

As described above, the source electrode and the drain electrode can be formed in a self-aligned manner due to the uneven shape of the roughened substrate. Further, the adhesion of the gate electrode formed over the substrate can be improved by using the roughened substrate.

In addition, when a pattern such as a wiring or a mask is formed by a droplet discharge method, the utilization efficiency of the material is improved, and the cost and the amount of waste liquid can be reduced. In particular, when a pattern is formed by a droplet discharge method, the process can be simplified as compared with a photolithography process. As a result, it is possible to reduce capital investment cost, cost reduction, and manufacturing time.

(Embodiment 2)
In this embodiment, an example in which a thin film transistor is manufactured by a method different from that in the above embodiment will be described. Specifically, a structure in which an insulating film is provided over a semiconductor film serving as a channel formation region is different, and other structures are the same as those in the above embodiment mode, and thus description thereof is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 2A, a gate electrode 130, a gate insulating film 104, and a semiconductor film 105 are sequentially formed over a substrate 100 whose surface is roughened, as in the above embodiment mode. For the specific formation method, the above embodiment mode may be referred to. At this time, a highly flat region (flat region) 10 on the surface of the gate electrode and a region (uneven region) 11 where unevenness is formed by the roughening process are formed. The gate insulating film and the semiconductor film provided in the uneven region other than on the gate electrode have a shape reflecting the uneven shape of the substrate.

After that, an insulating film 110 that functions as a protective film is formed over the semiconductor film that serves as a channel formation region. As the insulating film, an insulating film such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, or silicon nitride oxide can be used. The insulating film can be formed by a droplet discharge method, a plasma CVD method, a sputtering method, or the like. In the case of forming an insulating film by a plasma CVD method, a semiconductor film, an insulating film, and a gate insulating film can be continuously formed. When an insulating film is formed on the entire surface by plasma CVD or the like, it is patterned into a desired shape by a photolithography process. As a photolithography process, for example, a mask material such as a resist is applied, a gate electrode is used as a mask, exposure is performed from the back surface, a mask having a desired shape is formed, and an insulating film is patterned using the mask. it can.

Further, in the case where an insulating film is formed by a droplet discharge method, it is preferable because the use efficiency of materials is improved, and the cost and the amount of waste liquid can be reduced. Further, when an insulating film is formed by a droplet discharge method, the photolithography process can be omitted. As a result, a photomask becomes unnecessary, and it is possible to achieve a reduction in capital investment cost and a reduction in cost. Furthermore, since the photolithography process can be omitted, the manufacturing time can be shortened. Therefore, in this embodiment mode, the insulating film 110 is formed by dropping polyimide, polyvinyl alcohol, or the like by a droplet discharge method.

As shown in FIG. 2B, a semiconductor film having one conductivity type is formed. At this time, the semiconductor film having one conductivity type provided in the uneven region other than on the gate electrode has a shape reflecting the uneven shape of the substrate. As in the above embodiment, an n-type semiconductor film 106 is formed. In particular, when an N-type semiconductor film is formed by a plasma CVD method, a semiconductor film, an N-type semiconductor film, an insulating film functioning as a protective film, and a gate insulating film can be formed successively.

As shown in FIG. 2C, the semiconductor film 105 and the N-type semiconductor film 106 are patterned into a desired shape using a mask 107. A mask is formed as in the above embodiment. For the specific formation method, the above embodiment mode may be referred to.

As shown in FIG. 2D, a conductive film functioning as the source and drain electrodes 108 is formed. At this time, the surface of the gate insulating film and the n-type semiconductor film formed in the uneven region has an uneven shape. When the contact angle of the droplet on the flat surface is smaller than 90 °, the contact angle of the surface having the uneven shape is smaller than that of the flat surface on the gate electrode. That is, a surface having an uneven shape has higher wettability to liquid droplets and exhibits lyophilicity than a flat surface on the gate electrode. As a result, the source electrode and the drain electrode are preferentially formed on a surface having a concavo-convex shape, and are hardly formed on a flat region. By utilizing this characteristic, the source electrode and the drain electrode can be formed in a self-aligning manner. At this time, the gate electrode formed in the flat region does not overlap with the source electrode and the drain electrode formed preferentially on the surface having the uneven shape.

As described above, the thin film transistor provided with the source electrode and the drain electrode is completed. The thin film transistor in this embodiment is a so-called bottom gate thin film transistor in which a gate electrode is provided below a semiconductor film. More specifically, it is a so-called channel protection type in which a protective film is provided over a semiconductor film. A substrate provided with a plurality of such thin film transistors is referred to as a TFT substrate.

The thin film transistor in this embodiment includes a gate insulating film, a semiconductor film, and an n-type semiconductor film having an uneven shape that follows the unevenness of a roughened substrate. In addition, the thin film transistor in this embodiment has a structure in which a gate electrode does not overlap with a source electrode and a drain electrode.

The thin film transistor described in this embodiment is characterized in that a source electrode and a drain electrode are formed in a self-aligning manner by a droplet discharge method. Therefore, pattern formation of gate electrodes and masks other than the source electrode and the drain electrode may not be formed by a droplet discharge method. On the other hand, patterns other than those shown in this embodiment mode may be formed by a droplet discharge method.

As described above, the source electrode and the drain electrode can be formed in a self-aligned manner due to the uneven shape of the roughened substrate. Further, the adhesion of the gate electrode formed over the substrate can be improved by using the roughened substrate.

In addition, when a pattern such as a wiring or a mask is formed by a droplet discharge method, the utilization efficiency of the material is improved, and the cost and the amount of waste liquid can be reduced. In particular, when a pattern is formed by a droplet discharge method, the process can be simplified as compared with a photolithography process. As a result, it is possible to reduce capital investment cost, cost reduction, and manufacturing time.

(Embodiment 3)
In this embodiment, an example in which a thin film transistor is manufactured by a method different from that in the above embodiment will be described. Specifically, a structure in which a gate electrode, a source electrode, and a drain electrode are provided below the semiconductor film is different, and the description of other structures is omitted because it is the same as that in the above embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 3A, a gate electrode 130 and a gate insulating film 104 are formed over a substrate 100 whose surface is roughened as in the above embodiment. For the specific formation method, the above embodiment mode may be referred to. At this time, a highly flat region (flat region) 10 on the surface of the gate electrode and a region (uneven region) 11 where unevenness is formed by the roughening process are formed. The gate insulating film provided in the uneven region other than on the gate electrode has a shape reflecting the uneven shape of the substrate.

As shown in FIG. 3B, a conductive film functioning as the source and drain electrodes 108 is formed. At this time, the surface of the gate insulating film formed in the uneven region has an uneven shape. When the contact angle of the droplet on the flat surface is smaller than 90 °, the contact angle of the surface having the uneven shape is smaller than that of the flat surface on the gate electrode. That is, a surface having an uneven shape has higher wettability to liquid droplets and exhibits lyophilicity than a flat surface on the gate electrode. As a result, the source electrode and the drain electrode are preferentially formed on a surface having a concavo-convex shape, and are hardly formed on a flat region. By utilizing this characteristic, the source electrode and the drain electrode can be formed in a self-aligning manner. At this time, the gate electrode formed in the flat region does not overlap with the source electrode and the drain electrode formed preferentially on the surface having the uneven shape.

When the source electrode and the drain electrode are formed after only one gate insulating film is formed as in this embodiment mode, the surface having the concavo-convex shape of the gate insulating film accurately reflects the source electrode in a self-aligning manner. In addition, it is preferable because a drain electrode can be easily formed.

As shown in FIG. 3C, a semiconductor film 105 is formed. After that, a mask 107 is formed as in the above embodiment. The above embodiment modes may be referred to for a specific method for forming a semiconductor film and a mask.

In this embodiment, when a semiconductor film having one conductivity type is formed, the semiconductor film is formed between the source and drain electrodes and the semiconductor film. Then, it is necessary to perform etching in order to cut the electrical connection between the source electrode and the drain electrode. Thereafter, a semiconductor film can be formed as described above.

After that, as shown in FIG. 3D, the semiconductor film 105 and the N-type semiconductor film 106 are patterned into a desired shape using a mask. The above embodiment may be referred to for a specific patterning method.

As described above, the thin film transistor provided with the source electrode and the drain electrode is completed. The thin film transistor in this embodiment is a so-called bottom gate thin film transistor in which a gate electrode is provided below a semiconductor film. More specifically, a so-called reverse coplanar type in which a source electrode and a drain electrode are provided below the semiconductor film. A substrate provided with a plurality of such thin film transistors is referred to as a TFT substrate.

The thin film transistor in this embodiment includes a gate insulating film having an uneven shape that follows the unevenness of the roughened substrate. In addition, the thin film transistor in this embodiment has a structure in which a gate electrode does not overlap with a source electrode and a drain electrode.

The thin film transistor described in this embodiment is characterized in that a source electrode and a drain electrode are formed in a self-aligning manner by a droplet discharge method. Therefore, pattern formation of gate electrodes and masks other than the source electrode and the drain electrode may not be formed by a droplet discharge method. On the other hand, patterns other than those shown in this embodiment mode may be formed by a droplet discharge method.

As described above, the source electrode and the drain electrode can be formed in a self-aligned manner due to the uneven shape of the roughened substrate. Further, the adhesion of the gate electrode formed over the substrate can be improved by using the roughened substrate.

In addition, when a pattern such as a wiring or a mask is formed by a droplet discharge method, the utilization efficiency of the material is improved, and the cost and the amount of waste liquid can be reduced. In particular, when a pattern is formed by a droplet discharge method, the process can be simplified as compared with a photolithography process. As a result, it is possible to reduce capital investment cost, cost reduction, and manufacturing time.

(Embodiment 4)
In this embodiment mode, a method for forming a pixel electrode will be described.

In FIG. 4, description is made using the TFT described in Embodiment Mode 2, but any TFT described in the above embodiment mode may be used. In FIG. 4A, the case where the pixel electrode 123 is formed below the electrode so as to be connected to the source electrode and the drain electrode will be described.

First, as shown in FIG. 4A, a TFT 120 including an insulating film 110 functioning as a protective film is formed based on the above embodiment mode. In the TFT manufacturing process, after forming the gate insulating film, the semiconductor film and the N-type semiconductor film are patterned, and the pixel electrode 123 is formed in a region where the source electrode or the drain electrode is formed.

The pixel electrode is formed from a light-transmitting or non-light-transmitting material. For example, ITO or the like can be used when it has translucency, and a metal film can be used when it has non-translucency. Specific materials having translucency include indium tin oxide (ITO), indium oxide mixed with 2-20% zinc oxide (ZnO), and indium oxide 2 It is also possible to use ITO-SiOx (denoted as ITSO or NITO for convenience), organic indium, organic tin, etc. mixed with ˜20% silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ). In addition to silver (Ag), an element selected from tantalum, tungsten, titanium, molybdenum, aluminum, and copper, or an alloy material or a compound material containing the element as a main component is used as the non-light-transmitting material. it can.

The pixel electrode can be formed by a sputtering method or a droplet discharge method. In particular, when a pixel electrode is formed by a droplet discharge method, the gate insulating film, which is a surface on which the pixel electrode is formed, has an uneven shape, so that the adhesion of the pixel electrode can be improved.

In FIG. 4A, a droplet in which an ITO conductor is dispersed is dropped using a droplet discharge method to form a pixel electrode. Thereafter, when it is necessary to remove the solvent of the droplets, heat treatment is performed for baking or drying.

FIG. 4B illustrates a case where the pixel electrode 123 is formed over the source electrode or the drain electrode, unlike FIG. 4A. The pixel electrode can be formed by a sputtering method or a droplet discharge method as in the case of FIG. In particular, when a pixel electrode is formed by a droplet discharge method, the gate insulating film, which is a part of a surface where the pixel electrode is formed, has an uneven shape, so that the adhesion of the pixel electrode can be improved. Thereafter, when it is necessary to remove the solvent of the droplets, heat treatment is performed for baking or drying.

FIG. 5 shows a case where, unlike FIG. 4, an interlayer insulating film is formed and planarized, an opening is formed in the interlayer insulating film, and a source electrode or a drain electrode is connected to a pixel electrode.

In FIG. 5, the TFT described in Embodiment Mode 1 is used for description, but any TFT described in the above embodiment mode may be used.

First, an insulating film 113 is provided so as to cover the TFT 120. The insulating film is preferably formed from an insulator containing nitrogen. In this embodiment, the insulating film is formed using silicon nitride. In particular, when a source electrode and a drain electrode made of silver (Ag) are in contact with an insulating film containing oxygen, silver oxide is formed and the surfaces of the source electrode and the drain electrode may be roughened.

As shown in FIG. 5A, an interlayer insulating film 121 is formed. As a material for the interlayer insulating film, an organic material or an inorganic material can be used. As the organic material, polyimide, acrylic, polyamide, polyimide amide, resist, benzocyclobutene, siloxane, or polysilazane can be used. Siloxane has a skeletal structure composed of a bond of silicon (Si) and oxygen (O), and the substituent contains at least hydrogen, or the substituent has at least one of fluorine, an alkyl group, and an aromatic hydrocarbon. A polymeric material having a starting material. Polysilazane is formed using a polymer material having a bond of silicon (Si) and nitrogen (N), that is, a liquid material containing so-called polysilazane as a starting material. As the inorganic material, silicon oxide or silicon nitride can be used.

In the case of using an organic material, an interlayer insulating film can be formed by a droplet discharge method, a spin coating method, or a dip method. In particular, it is preferable to flatten the interlayer insulating film by means of spraying a gas before dropping a droplet containing an organic material using a droplet discharge method and heating the droplet. For example, an air knife used for removing impurities such as a substrate can be used as a means for spraying gas. As the gas, air, oxygen, or nitrogen can be used. As a result, it is possible to flatten even the micro unevenness formed on the surface of the interlayer insulating film. After the planarization treatment, when it is necessary to remove the solvent in the droplets, heat treatment is performed for baking or drying.

In this embodiment, an interlayer insulating film is formed using siloxane. Since the interlayer insulating film 121 is formed using siloxane, an insulating film containing nitrogen, for example, silicon nitride or silicon oxynitride is preferably formed.

Next, an opening 122 is formed in the interlayer insulating film. In the case of forming an insulating film containing nitrogen, an opening is formed in the insulating film containing nitrogen simultaneously with the interlayer insulating film. The opening can be formed by a photolithography method. For example, a mask material such as a resist is applied on the interlayer insulating film, and a mask having a desired shape is formed by an exposure process. The opening can be formed by a dry etching method or a wet etching method using the mask.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 5B, a pixel electrode 123 is formed. The pixel electrode can be formed by a sputtering method or a droplet discharge method similarly to FIG. In FIG. 5B, ITSO is used as the pixel electrode. ITSO can be formed by dropping a conductive film constituting ITO or a droplet in which silicon is dispersed by a droplet discharge method. Alternatively, it can be formed by a sputtering method using an ITO target containing silicon. In the case of forming a pixel electrode by a droplet discharge method, when it is necessary to remove the solvent of the droplet, heat treatment is performed for baking or drying.

As described above, when the interlayer insulating film having siloxane and the pixel electrode made of ITSO are formed, and the insulating film having nitrogen is preferably formed on the interlayer insulating film, it is suitable for a display device having a light emitting element. This is because it has been found that the light emission luminance and life can be improved. A configuration including an interlayer insulating film made of acrylic or polyimide and a pixel electrode made of ITO is suitable for a display device having a liquid crystal element.

6A, an opening 122 may be formed in the interlayer insulating film 121 by dropping a droplet including an etchant by a droplet discharge method. This is because when the opening is formed by the droplet discharge method, the use efficiency of the etchant is improved, and the cost and the amount of waste liquid can be reduced. When the opening is formed by a droplet discharge method, the photolithography process can be simplified. Since other structures are similar to those in FIG.

After that, as shown in FIG. 6B, the pixel electrode 123 is formed in the opening. The above may be referred to for the method of forming the pixel electrode.

As shown in FIG. 7A, a part 123a of the pixel electrode may be formed by dropping a material of an interlayer insulating film and a material of a wiring by a droplet discharge method.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 21B, the surface of the interlayer insulating film or the wiring may be polished by CMP or the like in order to improve flatness. Further, planarization may be performed using a means for spraying the gas.

Thereafter, a pixel electrode 123b is formed on the interlayer insulating film by a droplet discharge method.

In this way, by controlling the ink jet apparatus so that different kinds of materials are dropped, the interlayer insulating film and the pixel electrode can be formed simultaneously in the same layer. As a result, it is not necessary to form an opening in the interlayer insulating film, and the number of steps that require a photolithography step can be reduced.

The TFT substrate provided with the pixel electrodes as described above is referred to as a module TFT substrate.

The thin film transistor described in this embodiment is characterized in that a source electrode and a drain electrode are formed in a self-aligning manner by a droplet discharge method. Therefore, the pattern formation of the interlayer insulating film and the pixel electrode other than the source electrode and the drain electrode may not be formed by the droplet discharge method. On the other hand, patterns other than those shown in this embodiment mode may be formed by a droplet discharge method.

Further, when a pattern such as a pixel electrode or a mask is formed or an opening is formed by a droplet discharge method, the material utilization efficiency is improved, and the cost and the amount of waste liquid can be reduced. In particular, it is preferable to use a droplet discharge method in the step of forming the opening in the interlayer insulating film because the photolithography step can be reduced.
As a result, it is possible to reduce capital investment cost, cost reduction, and manufacturing time.

(Embodiment 5)
In this embodiment, a display device (liquid crystal display device) including the thin film transistor described in any of the above embodiments and including a liquid crystal element will be described. Although this embodiment mode is described using the TFT described in Embodiment Mode 2, any TFT described in the above embodiment mode may be used.

Note that a module TFT substrate used in a liquid crystal display device as in this embodiment is referred to as a liquid crystal module TFT substrate.

FIG. 8 shows a cross section of a liquid crystal display device having the thin film transistor 120 and the pixel electrode 123 formed on the TFT substrate as described in the above embodiment. When a light-transmitting conductive film (for example, ITO or ITSO) is used for the pixel electrode 123, a transmissive liquid crystal display device is obtained. When a non-transmissive, that is, highly reflective conductive film (for example, aluminum) is used, a reflective liquid crystal display is used. A device can be formed.

As shown in FIG. 8A, an alignment film 131 is formed so as to cover the thin film transistor 120 and the pixel electrode 125.

As shown in FIG. 8B, a color filter 134, a counter electrode 133, and an alignment film 131 are sequentially formed on the counter substrate 135. The color filter, the counter electrode, or the alignment film can be formed by a droplet discharge method. Although not shown, a black matrix can be formed, and the black matrix can also be formed by a droplet discharge method.

After that, the substrate 100 and the counter substrate 135 are attached to each other with a sealant, and liquid crystal is injected therebetween to form a liquid crystal layer 136, thereby forming a liquid crystal display device. Liquid crystal is injected in a processing chamber in a vacuum state.

Note that the liquid crystal layer may be formed by dropping, or a droplet discharge method may be used as a means for dropping liquid crystal. Particularly in the case of a large substrate, it is preferable to form liquid crystals by dropping. This is because when the liquid crystal injection method is used, the processing chamber is enlarged as the substrate becomes large, and the weight of the substrate increases, resulting in difficulty.

When the liquid crystal is dropped, a sealing agent is first formed around one substrate. The reason why one substrate is described is that a sealant may be formed on either the substrate 100 or the counter substrate 135. At this time, the sealing agent is formed so that the start point and the end point of the sealing agent coincide and close. Thereafter, one or more liquid crystals are dropped. In the case of a large substrate, a plurality of liquid crystals are dropped at a plurality of locations. Then, it is brought into a vacuum state and bonded to the other substrate. This is because in a vacuum state, unnecessary air can be removed, and damage and expansion of the sealant due to air can be prevented.

Next, two or more points in the region where the sealant is formed are solidified and bonded for temporary fixing. In the case where an ultraviolet curable resin is used as the sealant, it is only necessary to irradiate ultraviolet rays at two or more points in the region where the sealant is formed. Thereafter, the substrate is taken out from the processing chamber, and the entire sealing agent is solidified and bonded in order to perform the final fastening. At this time, a light shielding material is preferably arranged so that the thin film transistor and the liquid crystal are not irradiated with ultraviolet rays.

In order to maintain the gap between the substrates, a columnar or spherical spacer may be used in addition to the sealant.

After that, an FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit) may be bonded using an anisotropic conductive film to connect the external terminal and the signal line driving circuit or the scanning line driving circuit. Further, the signal line driver circuit or the scan line driver circuit may be formed as an external circuit.

In this way, a liquid crystal display device is completed.

In this embodiment mode, since the thin film transistor does not form an interlayer insulating film, a very thin liquid crystal display device can be formed.

In this embodiment mode, as shown in the above embodiment mode, an interlayer insulating film may be formed to improve flatness. Increasing the flatness is preferable because the alignment film can be formed uniformly. Further, it is preferable because the distance between the electrodes can be made uniform and a voltage can be uniformly applied to the liquid crystal layer.

(Embodiment 6)
In this embodiment, a pixel circuit of a display device (light-emitting device) including the thin film transistor described in the above embodiment and including a light-emitting element, and an operation thereof will be described.

In the pixel shown in FIG. 9A, a signal line 410 and power supply lines 411 and 412 are arranged in the column direction, and a scanning line 414 is arranged in the row direction. The pixel further includes a switching TFT 401, a driving TFT 403, a current control TFT 404, a capacitor element 402, and a light emitting element 405.

The pixel shown in FIG. 9C is different from the pixel shown in FIG. 9A except that the gate electrode of the TFT 403 is connected to the power supply line 412 arranged in the row direction. is there. That is, both pixels shown in FIGS. 9A and 9C show the same equivalent circuit diagram. However, in the case where the power supply line 412 is arranged in the row direction (FIG. 9A) and in the case where the power supply line 412 is arranged in the column direction (FIG. 9C), each power supply line has a different layer. It is formed of a conductive film. Here, attention is paid to the wiring to which the gate electrode of the driving TFT 403 is connected, and FIGS. 9A and 9C are separately shown in order to show that the layers for producing these are different.

As a feature of the pixel shown in FIGS. 9A and 9C, TFTs 403 and 404 are connected in series in the pixel. The channel length L (403) of the TFT 403, the channel width W (403), and the channel length L of the TFT 404 are obtained. (044) and the channel width W (404) may be set so as to satisfy L (403) / W (403): L (404) / W (404) = 5 to 6000: 1.

Note that the TFT 403 operates in a saturation region and controls the current value flowing through the light emitting element 406, and the TFT 404 operates in a linear region and controls the supply of current to the light emitting element 406. Both TFTs preferably have the same conductivity type in terms of manufacturing process, and in this embodiment mode, they are formed as n-channel TFTs. The TFT 403 may be a depletion type TFT as well as an enhancement type. In the present invention having the above structure, since the TFT 404 operates in a linear region, a slight change in Vgs of the TFT 404 does not affect the current value of the light emitting element 406. That is, the current value of the light emitting element 406 can be determined by the TFT 403 operating in the saturation region. With the above structure, it is possible to provide a display device in which luminance unevenness of a light-emitting element due to variation in TFT characteristics is improved and image quality is improved.

In the pixels shown in FIGS. 9A to 9D, a TFT 401 controls input of a video signal to the pixel. When the TFT 401 is turned on, a video signal is input into the pixel. Then, the voltage of the video signal is held in the capacitor 402. Note that FIGS. 9A and 9C illustrate a structure in which the capacitor 402 is provided; however, the present invention is not limited to this, and the capacity for holding a video signal can be covered by a gate capacity or the like. In this case, the capacitor 402 is not necessarily provided.

The pixel shown in FIG. 9B has the same pixel structure as that shown in FIG. 9A except that a TFT 406 and a scanning line 416 are added. Similarly, the pixel illustrated in FIG. 9D has the same pixel structure as that illustrated in FIG. 9C except that a TFT 406 and a scanning line 416 are added.

The TFT 406 is controlled to be turned on or off by a newly arranged scanning line 416. When the TFT 406 is turned on, the charge held in the capacitor 402 is discharged, and the TFT 404 is turned off. That is, a state in which no current flows through the light emitting element 405 can be created by the arrangement of the TFT 406. Therefore, the TFT 406 can be called an erasing TFT. 9B and 9D can improve the duty ratio because the lighting period can be started simultaneously with or immediately after the start of the writing period without waiting for signal writing to all pixels. It becomes possible.

In the pixel shown in FIG. 9E, a signal line 410 and a power supply line 411 are arranged in the column direction, and a scanning line 414 is arranged in the row direction. In addition, the pixel includes a switching TFT 401, a driving TFT 403, a capacitor element 402, and a light emitting element 405. The pixel shown in FIG. 9F has the same pixel structure as that shown in FIG. 9E except that a TFT 406 and a scanning line 415 are added. Note that the duty ratio of the structure in FIG. 9F can also be improved by the arrangement of the TFTs 406.

In particular, when a thin film transistor including an amorphous semiconductor or the like is formed as in the above embodiment mode, it is preferable to increase the semiconductor film of the driving TFT. Therefore, in consideration of the aperture ratio, it is preferable to use FIG. 9E or FIG. 9F where the number of TFTs is small.

Such an active matrix light-emitting device is considered to be advantageous because it can be driven at a low voltage because a TFT is provided in each pixel when the pixel density is increased. On the other hand, a passive matrix light-emitting device in which a TFT is provided for each column can be formed. A passive matrix light-emitting device has a high aperture ratio because a TFT is not provided for each pixel.

As described above, various pixel circuits can be employed.

(Embodiment 7)
In this embodiment, a structure of a light-emitting device including the thin film transistor described in the above embodiment and a pixel circuit illustrated in FIG. 9E will be described. Although this embodiment mode is described using the TFT described in Embodiment Mode 2, any TFT described in the above embodiment mode may be used.

Note that the module TFT substrate used in the light emitting device as in the present embodiment is referred to as a light emitting module TFT substrate.

As shown in FIG. 10A, the first thin film transistor 121 and the second thin film transistor 122 are formed as described in the above embodiment mode. The first thin film transistor 121 functions as a switching TFT, and the second thin film transistor 122 functions as a driving TFT.

A wiring 150 is formed to connect one electrode of the switching TFT and the gate electrode of the driving TFT. The wiring can be formed of an element selected from silver (Ag), tantalum, tungsten, titanium, molybdenum, aluminum, and copper, or an alloy material or a compound material containing the element as a main component. The wiring can be formed by a sputtering method or a plasma CVD method other than the droplet discharge method. In this embodiment mode, the wiring 150 is formed by a droplet discharge method.

After that, a pixel electrode is formed as shown in the above embodiment mode. In this embodiment, an example in which an interlayer insulating film is formed in order to improve flatness, and an interlayer insulating film is formed after the connection wiring 151 is formed, unlike the above embodiment, will be described.

First, as illustrated in FIG. 10A, the connection wiring 151 is formed on the source electrode or the drain electrode of the second thin film transistor 122. The connection wiring is formed so that the conductive film has a columnar shape. As the connection wiring, a film made of an element of gold, silver, copper, aluminum, titanium, molybdenum, tungsten, or silicon, or an alloy film using these elements can be used. The connection wiring can be formed using any one of a droplet discharge method, a CVD method, and a sputtering method. In this embodiment mode, the connection wiring is formed by a droplet discharge method. In the case of forming by a droplet discharge method, a droplet is dropped from a nozzle 204 on a region where a connection wiring is formed. At this time, in order to make the connection wiring have a desired height, it is preferable to drop the liquid droplets a plurality of times. Further, heat treatment is preferably performed every time a droplet is dropped. Since the conductive film is fired and has an appropriate hardness, a columnar conductive film can be easily formed. However, if the viscosity of the droplet having the conductive film is a desired value, the columnar conductive film can be formed by dropping the droplet once or a small number of times.

As shown in FIG. 10B, an interlayer insulating film 121 is formed. The above embodiment mode may be referred to for a material and a manufacturing method of the interlayer insulating film. In particular, when the mother glass substrate is enlarged, it is feared that it is difficult to use the spin coating method. Therefore, the large mother glass substrate is installed obliquely, and a solvent having an interlayer insulating film material is disposed from the upper end of the substrate. You may use the method of dripping. It is preferable to form an interlayer insulating film because the flatness can be improved.

After that, the pixel electrode 123 is formed so as to be connected to the columnar conductive film 151. Therefore, if necessary, the interlayer insulating film 121 is etched back to expose the tip of the connection wiring 150. The above embodiment mode may be referred to for the material and the manufacturing method of the pixel electrode. In this embodiment mode, a pixel electrode is formed using ITSO by a sputtering method. Note that in the case where ITSO is used for the pixel electrode, the ITSO is preferably formed after an insulating film having nitride is formed over the interlayer insulating film. In this embodiment mode, a silicon nitride film 152 is formed.

Next, an insulating film 153 that functions as a partition wall or a bank is formed so as to cover an end portion of the pixel electrode 123. The insulating film 153 includes an inorganic material (silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, or the like), a photosensitive or non-photosensitive organic material (polyimide, acrylic, polyamide, polyimideamide, resist, or benzocyclobutene), siloxane, or polysilazane. , And their stacked structures can be used. As the organic material, a positive photosensitive organic resin or a negative photosensitive organic resin can be used. For example, in the case where positive photosensitive acrylic is used as the organic material, an opening having a curvature can be formed at the upper end when the photosensitive organic resin is etched by an exposure process. Therefore, disconnection of an electroluminescent layer or the like to be formed later can be prevented.

After the insulating film 153 is formed, heat treatment is preferably performed under atmospheric pressure or reduced pressure. The heating temperature is 100 ° C to 450 ° C, preferably 250 ° C to 350 ° C. As a result, moisture adsorbed in the insulating layer 153 or on the surface thereof can be removed.

Note that in this embodiment mode, since ITSO is used for the pixel electrode, the pixel electrode 123 is formed after the silicon nitride film 152 is formed over the interlayer insulating film.

An electroluminescent layer 133 is formed in the opening of the insulating film 153. After the heat treatment for the insulating film 153, the electroluminescent layer is preferably formed by a vacuum evaporation method or a droplet discharge method under reduced pressure without being exposed to the air. In addition, plasma treatment may be performed on the insulating film 153 before forming the electroluminescent layer.

The material of the electroluminescent layer can be used as an organic material (including a low molecule or a polymer) or a composite material of an organic material and an inorganic material. The electroluminescent layer can be formed by a droplet discharge method, a coating method, or a vapor deposition method. The polymer material is preferably a droplet discharge method or a coating method, and the low molecular material is preferably an evaporation method, particularly a vacuum evaporation method. In this embodiment mode, a low molecular material is formed by a vacuum evaporation method as the electroluminescent layer.

Note that the type of molecular excitons formed by the electroluminescent layer can be a singlet excited state or a triplet excited state. The ground state is usually a singlet state, and light emission from the singlet excited state is called fluorescence. In addition, light emission from the triplet excited state is called phosphorescence. The light emission from the electroluminescent layer includes the case where either excited state contributes. Furthermore, fluorescence and phosphorescence may be used in combination, and either fluorescence or phosphorescence can be selected depending on the emission characteristics of each RGB (emission luminance, lifetime, etc.).

The detailed electroluminescent layer is laminated in the order of HIL (hole injection layer), HTL (hole transport layer), EML (light emitting layer), ETL (electron transport layer), and EIL (electron injection layer) in this order from the pixel electrode 123 side. Has been. Note that the electroluminescent layer can have a single-layer structure or a mixed structure in addition to the stacked structure.

Specifically, CuPc or PEDOT is used as HIL, α-NPD is used as HTL, BCP or Alq _{3 is used} as ETL, and BCP: Li or CaF ₂ is used as EIL. Further, for example, EML may be Alq ₃ doped with a dopant corresponding to each emission color of R, G, and B (DCM in the case of R, DMQD in the case of G).

Note that the electroluminescent layer is not limited to the above materials. For example, instead of CuPc or PEDOT, an oxide such as molybdenum oxide (MoOx: x = 2 to 3) and α-NPD or rubrene can be co-evaporated to improve the hole injection property.

In this embodiment mode, a material that emits red (R), green (G), and blue (B) light is selectively formed as the electroluminescent layer 133 by an evaporation method using an evaporation mask, or the like. it can. In the case of using a droplet discharge method, a material that emits red (R), green (G), or blue (B) light can be formed without using an evaporation mask.

Furthermore, when each RGB electroluminescent layer is formed, high-definition display can be performed using a color filter. This is because the color filter can correct a broad peak in the emission spectrum of each RGB so as to be sharp.

The case where the RGB electroluminescent layers are formed has been described above, but an electroluminescent layer exhibiting monochromatic light emission may be formed. In this case, full color display can be performed by combining a color filter and a color conversion layer. For example, when an electroluminescent layer that emits white or orange light is formed, full color display can be performed by providing a color filter or a combination of a color filter and a color conversion layer. For example, the color filter and the color conversion layer may be formed over a second substrate (also referred to as a sealing substrate) and attached to the substrate. Both the color filter and the color conversion layer can be formed by a droplet discharge method.

Needless to say, a monochromatic display may be performed by forming an electroluminescent layer that emits monochromatic light. For example, an area color type display can be performed using monochromatic light emission. The area color type is suitable for a passive matrix structure and can mainly display characters and symbols.

After that, as illustrated in FIG. 10C, the second electrode 134 of the light-emitting element is formed so as to cover the electroluminescent layer 133 and the insulating film 153.

The materials of the first electrode 123 and the second electrode 134 need to be selected in consideration of the work function. The first electrode and the second electrode can be either an anode or a cathode depending on the pixel configuration. In this embodiment mode, since the polarity of the second thin film transistor to which the first electrode is connected is an N-channel type, it is preferable that the first electrode be a cathode and the second electrode be an anode. In the case where the polarity of the second thin film transistor is a p-channel type, it is preferable that the first electrode be an anode and the second electrode be a cathode.

Below, the electrode material used for an anode and a cathode is demonstrated.

As an electrode material used as the anode, it is preferable to use a metal, an alloy, an electrically conductive compound, a mixture thereof, or the like having a high work function (work function 4.0 eV). Specific materials include ITO (indium tin oxide), IZO (indium zinc oxide) in which 2 to 20% zinc oxide (ZnO) is mixed with indium oxide, ITSO (NITO), gold, platinum, nickel, tungsten, Chromium, molybdenum, iron, cobalt, copper, palladium, or a nitride of a metal material (eg, titanium nitride) can be used.

On the other hand, as an electrode material used as a cathode, it is preferable to use a metal, an alloy, an electrically conductive compound, a mixture thereof, or the like having a low work function (work function of 3.8 eV or less). Specific examples of the material include elements belonging to Group 1 or Group 2 of the element periodic rule, that is, alkali metals such as lithium and cesium, alkaline earth metals such as magnesium, calcium, and strontium, and alloys containing these (Mg: In addition to Ag, Al: Li) and compounds (LiF, CsF, CaF ₂ ), transition metals including rare earth metals can be used.

Further, in the present embodiment, when the cathode material needs to be light-transmitting, these metals or alloys containing these metals are formed very thin, and ITO, IZO, ITSO, or other metals (including alloys) are formed. And can be formed by lamination.

As described above, the light emitting direction from the electroluminescent layer can be selected by making the anode material or the cathode material used as the first electrode or the second electrode light-transmitting or non-light-transmitting. it can. For example, in the case where the first electrode and the second electrode are formed using a light-transmitting material, a dual emission display in which light from the electroluminescent layer is emitted to the substrate side 170 and the sealing substrate side 171 is performed. be able to. At this time, light can be effectively used by using a highly reflective conductive film for the non-light-transmitting electrode provided on the side not corresponding to the light emission direction.

The first electrode and the second electrode can be formed by an evaporation method, a sputtering method, a droplet discharge method, or the like.

Moreover, when forming ITO, ITSO, or those laminated bodies as a 2nd electrode by sputtering method, there exists a possibility that an electroluminescent layer may be damaged at the time of sputtering. In order to reduce damage due to sputtering, an oxide such as molybdenum oxide (MoOx: x = 2 to 3) is preferably formed on the uppermost surface of the electroluminescent layer. Therefore, an oxide such as molybdenum oxide (MoOx: x = 2 to 3) or titanium oxide (TiOx) that functions as an HIL or the like is formed on the uppermost surface of the electroluminescent layer, and the EIL (electron) is sequentially formed from the first electrode side. The injection layer), the ETL (electron transport layer), the EML (light emitting layer), the HTL (hole transport layer), the HIL (hole injection layer), and the second electrode may be stacked in this order. That is, an electroluminescent layer in which an organic material and an inorganic material are mixed may be formed. At this time, the first electrode functions as a cathode, and the second electrode functions as an anode.

In particular, in this embodiment, since the polarity of the second thin film transistor is an N-channel type, the first electrode is a cathode, EIL (electron injection layer), ETL (electron transport layer), It is preferable that the EML (light emitting layer), HTL (hole transport layer), HIL (hole injection layer), and the second electrode be an anode.

In this embodiment mode, an interlayer insulating film is formed, which has high flatness and can apply a voltage uniformly to the electroluminescent layer.

After that, an insulating film containing nitrogen, a carbon film containing nitrogen (CNx), DLC, or the like may be formed as a protective film over the second electrode by a sputtering method or a CVD method. In particular, when ITSO is used for the second electrode, it is preferable to form a silicon nitride film as the protective film. A film made of an organic material such as styrene polymer may be laminated on the film made of these inorganic materials. As a result, moisture and oxygen can be prevented from entering.

FIG. 11A is a cross-sectional view of a sealed light-emitting device. The substrate 100 and the counter substrate 161 are attached to each other with the sealant 163 interposed therebetween. A desiccant 162 may be provided on the counter substrate. The desiccant can prevent moisture and oxygen from entering. Furthermore, a color filter may be formed on the counter substrate. This is because the color filter can correct a broad peak to be sharp in the emission spectrum of each RGB. The sealing agent is made of a thermosetting resin or an ultraviolet curable resin, and is heated while applying pressure or irradiated with ultraviolet rays to bond and fix the first substrate and the second substrate. For example, an epoxy resin can be used as the sealant. Spacers are mixed in the sealing agent, and a gap between the substrate 100 and the counter substrate 161, that is, a so-called gap is maintained. A spacer having a spherical or columnar shape is used as the spacer, and in this embodiment, a cylindrical spacer is used, and the diameter of the circle becomes a gap.

When sealed with the counter substrate 161, a space is formed between the second electrode 134. The space can be filled with an inert gas, for example, nitrogen gas, or a material with high water absorption can be formed to further prevent moisture and oxygen from entering. Further, a resin having translucency and high water absorption may be formed. Even when light from the light-emitting element is emitted to the second substrate side with the light-transmitting resin, the resin can be formed without reducing transmittance.

In this embodiment mode, as described in the above embodiment mode, since the thin film transistor is formed using an amorphous semiconductor film, the signal line driver circuit or the scan line driver circuit is formed using the IC chip 172. Such a driver circuit is mounted by a TAB method, mounted by a COG method around a pixel portion, or a TFT is formed by SAS, and only a scanning line driver circuit is integrally formed on a substrate. In some cases, the line drive circuit is separately mounted as a driver IC. For example, a signal line driver circuit formed using the IC chip 172 is provided over the FPC 171 and connected to the thin film transistor 121 through the anisotropic conductive film 170. When adhering the anisotropic conductive film by pressurization or heating, care should be taken not to cause cracks due to the flexibility of the film substrate and softening due to heating. A video signal and a clock signal are received from the IC chip thus connected.

FIG. 11B shows a case of sealing without using a counter substrate, unlike FIG. 11A. Since other configurations are the same, description thereof is omitted.

In FIG. 11B, a protective film 165 is provided to cover the second electrode 134. An organic material such as an epoxy resin, a urethane resin, or a silicone resin can be used as the second protective film. Further, the second protective film may be formed by dropping a polymer material by a droplet discharge method. In this embodiment mode, the epoxy resin is discharged using a dispenser and dried. Further, a counter substrate may be provided over the protective film.

When sealing is performed without using the counter substrate in this manner, the weight, size, and thickness of the display device can be improved.

In this embodiment mode, a polarizing plate or a circular polarizing plate may be provided to increase contrast. For example, a polarizing plate or a circularly polarizing plate can be provided on one surface or both surfaces of the display surface.

FIG. 16A shows an appearance of the sealed light emitting device shown in FIG. 11 as viewed from above, and a control circuit 601a and a power supply circuit 602 are mounted through an FPC. A cross-sectional view taken along line DD ′ in FIG. 16A corresponds to FIG. 11, and a pixel in which a light-emitting element or a liquid crystal element is provided in each pixel over the substrate 600 as described in the above embodiment mode. A portion 603 is provided. A thin film transistor included in the pixel portion 603 can be formed as in the above embodiment mode. A scanning line driver circuit 604a that selects a pixel included in the pixel portion 603 and a signal line driver circuit 605a that supplies a video signal to the selected pixel are mounted on an IC chip. The long side and short side length and the number of ICs to be mounted are not limited to the present embodiment. Further, the scan line driver circuit and the signal line driver circuit may be formed integrally with the pixel portion.

The printed circuit board 607 is provided with a control circuit 601a, a power supply circuit 602, a video signal processing circuit 609a, a video RAM 610a, and an audio circuit 611a. The power supply voltage output from the power supply circuit 602, and various signals from the control circuit 601a, the video signal processing circuit 609a, the video RAM 610a, and the audio circuit 611a are sent through the FPC 606 to the scanning line driving circuit 604a and the signal line driving circuit 605a. And further supplied to the pixel portion 603.

The power supply voltage and various signals of the printed circuit board 607 are supplied through an interface (I / F) unit 608 in which a plurality of input terminals are arranged. The video signal processing circuit 609 a receives a signal from an interface (I / F) unit 608. Further, the video signal processing circuit 609a exchanges signals with the video RAM 610a.

In this embodiment mode, the printed circuit board 607 is mounted using the FPC 606, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to this structure. The control circuit 601a and the power supply circuit 602 may be directly mounted on the substrate using a COG (Chip on Glass) method. The mounting method of the IC chip such as the signal line driver circuit and the scanning line driver circuit is not limited to this embodiment mode, and the IC chip formed on the substrate is connected to the wiring of the pixel portion by a wire bonding method. Also good.

Further, in the printed circuit board 607, noise may occur in a power supply voltage or a signal or a signal may be slow to rise due to a capacitance formed between wirings that are routed or resistance of the wiring itself. Therefore, various elements such as a capacitor and a buffer may be provided on the printed circuit board 607 so as to prevent noise on the power supply voltage and the signal and the rise of the signal from becoming dull.

In the case where a module is formed using a thin film transistor having a crystalline semiconductor film, an element formed as a driver circuit portion can be formed over the substrate. For example, the buffer circuit included in the scan line driver circuit can be formed over the same substrate.

In order to enhance the contrast, it is preferable to provide a polarizing plate or a circularly polarizing plate at least in the pixel portion of the module. For example, as shown in FIG. 16B corresponding to the cross section EE ′, when the display is recognized from the sealing substrate side, the quarter-λ plate 651 and the half-λ plate 652 are sequentially formed from the sealing substrate 650. A polarizing plate 653 is preferably provided. Further, an antireflection film 654 may be provided over the polarizing plate.

(Embodiment 8)
In this embodiment, the first and second thin film transistors each include the thin film transistor described in the above embodiment, and a top view of a light-emitting device including the pixel circuit illustrated in FIG. 9E is described. Although this embodiment mode is described using the TFT described in Embodiment Mode 2, any TFT described in the above embodiment mode may be used.

As shown in FIG. 12, the switching TFT 121, the gate electrode of the driving TFT 122, and the scanning line 803 are formed in the same layer on the roughened substrate by a droplet discharge method or a sputtering method. In the case where a gate electrode or the like is formed by a droplet discharge method, the adhesion can be enhanced by the uneven shape of the roughened substrate.

Although not shown, a gate insulating film, a semiconductor film, and an n-type semiconductor film included in the switching TFT 121, the driving TFT 122 are sequentially formed. At this time, in the uneven region, the gate insulating film, the semiconductor film, and the n-type semiconductor film have uneven shapes. After that, the semiconductor film and the n-type semiconductor film are patterned into a desired shape.

Then, the switching TFT 121, the source and drain electrodes of the driving TFT 122, the signal line 804, and the power supply line 805 are formed in the same layer by a droplet discharge method or a sputtering method.

After that, in order to prevent a short circuit between the source electrode and the drain electrode, the n-type semiconductor film is etched using the source electrode and the drain electrode.

In addition, the gate insulating film is etched using the source and drain electrodes, the signal line 804, and the power supply line 805. Then, since the gate electrode of the driving TFT is exposed, the gate electrode and the source electrode or drain electrode of the switching TFT can be connected by the conductive film 150. The conductive film can be formed by a droplet discharge method.

Next, a pixel electrode is formed so as to be connected to the source electrode or the drain electrode of the driving TFT. In this embodiment mode, the pixel electrode 123 is formed by a droplet discharge method using ITSO.

In addition, the capacitor element 402 is formed using a conductive film in the same layer as the gate electrode of the driving TFT, a gate insulating film, and a conductive film in the same layer as the power supply line.

In this embodiment mode, since the driving TFT includes an amorphous semiconductor film, the driving TFT may be designed to have a wide channel width (W).

(Embodiment 9)
In this embodiment mode, a droplet discharge apparatus that can be used for pattern formation in the above embodiment mode will be described. In FIG. 13, a region 830 where one panel is formed on the large substrate 100 is indicated by a dotted line.

FIG. 13 shows one mode of a droplet discharge device used for forming a pattern such as a wiring. The droplet discharge means 805 has a head 803, and the head 803 has a plurality of nozzles 204. In this embodiment, the case where there are three heads (803a, 803b, 803c) provided with ten nozzles is described. However, the number of nozzles and the number of heads are set according to the processing area, the process, and the like. Can do.

The head 803 is connected to the control unit 807, and the control unit can control the computer 810 to draw a preset pattern. The drawing timing may be performed using, for example, the marker 811 formed on the substrate 100 or the like fixed on the stage 803 as a reference point. Further, the edge of the substrate 100 may be used as a reference point. These reference points are detected by an imaging unit 804 such as a CCD, and converted into a digital signal by an image processing unit 809. The computer 810 recognizes the digitally changed signal, generates a control signal, and sends it to the control means 807. When the pattern is drawn in this way, the distance between the pattern forming surface and the tip of the nozzle is 0.1 cm to 10 cm, preferably 0.1 cm to 1 cm. By shortening the interval in this way, droplet landing accuracy is improved.

At this time, information on the pattern formed on the substrate 100 is stored in the storage medium 808. Based on this information, a control signal is sent to the control means 807 to individually control the heads 803a, 803b, and 803c. be able to. That is, droplets having different materials can be ejected from the nozzles of the heads 803a, 803b, and 803c. For example, the nozzles of the heads 803a and 803b can discharge droplets having an insulating film material, and the nozzles of the head 803c can discharge droplets having a conductive film material.

Further, each nozzle of the head 803 can be individually controlled. Since the nozzles can be individually controlled, droplets having different materials can be discharged from a specific nozzle. For example, the same head 803a can be provided with a nozzle for discharging a droplet having a conductive film material and a nozzle for discharging a droplet having an insulating film material.

In the case where a droplet discharge process is performed on a large area as in the step of forming an interlayer insulating film, droplets having an interlayer insulating film material may be discharged from all nozzles. Furthermore, it is preferable to discharge droplets having an interlayer insulating film material from all nozzles of a plurality of heads. As a result, throughput can be improved. Of course, in the interlayer insulating film forming step, a droplet having the interlayer insulating film material may be discharged from a single nozzle and a plurality of scans may be performed to perform a droplet discharging process on a large area.

The head 803 can be zigzag or reciprocated to form a pattern on the large mother glass. At this time, the head and the substrate may be relatively scanned a plurality of times. When scanning the head with respect to the substrate, the head may be inclined obliquely with respect to the traveling direction.

When forming a plurality of panels from a large mother glass, the width of the head 803 is preferably about the same as the width of one panel. This is because a pattern can be formed in one scan of the region 830 where one panel is formed, and high throughput can be expected.

The width of the head may be smaller than the width of the panel. At this time, a plurality of small heads may be arranged in series so as to be approximately the same as the width of one panel. By arranging a plurality of small heads in series, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of head deflection, which is a concern as the head width increases. Of course, the pattern may be formed by scanning a narrow head a plurality of times.

The step of discharging the composition droplets by such a droplet discharge method is preferably performed under reduced pressure. This is because the solvent of the composition evaporates and the steps of drying and firing the composition can be omitted before the composition is discharged and landed on the object to be processed. Further, it is preferable to perform under reduced pressure because an oxide film or the like is not formed on the surface of the conductor. The step of dropping the composition may be performed in a nitrogen atmosphere or an organic gas atmosphere.

As a droplet discharge method, a piezo method can be used. The piezo method is also used in inkjet printers because of its excellent droplet controllability and high degree of freedom in ink selection. Note that there are two types of piezo methods: MLP (Multi Layer Piezo) type and MLChip (Multi Layer Ceramic Hyper Integrated Piezo Segments) type. Further, depending on the solvent of the composition, an ink jet method using a so-called thermal method in which a heating element generates heat to generate bubbles to push out the solution may be used.

(Embodiment 10)
As an electronic device in which the module described in the above embodiment is mounted, a video camera, a digital camera, a goggle type display (head mounted display), a navigation system, an audio playback device (car audio, audio component, etc.), a notebook type personal computer, Reproducing a recording medium such as a game machine, a portable information terminal (mobile computer, cellular phone, portable game machine, electronic book, etc.), an image reproducing apparatus (specifically, Digital Versatile Disc (DVD)) equipped with a recording medium, And a device having a display capable of displaying the image). In particular, it is desirable to use the droplet discharge method described in the above embodiment mode for a large television having a large screen. Specific examples of these electronic devices are shown in FIGS.

FIG. 14A illustrates a large EL television device which includes a housing 2001, a support base 2002, a display portion 2003, a speaker portion 2004, a video input terminal 2005, and the like. The display portion 2003 is provided with a module having a pixel portion and a driver circuit portion. The pixel portion includes a light emitting element and includes a TFT formed by a droplet discharge method described in the above embodiment mode. The display devices include all information display devices for personal computers, for receiving TV broadcasts, for displaying advertisements, and the like.

In order to increase the contrast, at least the pixel portion may include a polarizing plate or a circular polarizing plate. For example, a 1 / 4λ plate, a 1 / 2λ plate, and a polarizing plate may be provided in this order on the sealing substrate. Further, an antireflection film may be provided on the polarizing plate.

FIG. 14B is a block diagram illustrating a main structure of the EL television device. In the display panel, a pixel portion 901 is formed as the structure described in the above embodiment mode. The scan line driver circuit 903 and the signal line driver circuit 902 are mounted by a TAB method, and the scan line driver circuit 903 and the signal line driver circuit 902 are mounted by a COG method around the pixel portion. In some cases, a TFT is formed by SAS, the pixel portion 901 and the scanning line driver circuit 903 are integrally formed on a substrate, and the signal line driver circuit 902 is separately mounted as a driver IC.

As the configuration of the external circuit, on the video signal input side, among the signals received by the tuner 904, the video signal amplification circuit 905 that amplifies the video signal and the signal output from the video signal amplification circuit correspond to each color of red, green, and blue A video signal processing circuit 906 for converting the video signal into a color signal, and a control circuit 907 for converting the video signal into an input specification of the driver IC. Signals are output from the control circuit 907 to the scanning line driver circuit and the signal line driver circuit, respectively. In the case of digital driving, a signal dividing circuit 908 may be provided between the control circuit and the signal line driving circuit, and the input digital signal may be divided into m pieces and supplied.

Of the signals received by the tuner 904, the audio signal is sent to the audio signal amplifier circuit 909, and the output is supplied to the speaker 913 via the audio signal processing circuit 910. The control circuit 911 receives control information on the receiving station (reception frequency) and volume from the input unit 912 and sends a signal to the tuner 904 and the audio signal processing circuit 910.

A display device in which such an external circuit is incorporated can be incorporated in the housing 2001 to complete the television device. Other accessory equipment includes a speaker 2004, a video signal input terminal 2005, an operation switch, and the like. Thus, an EL television device can be completed according to the present invention.

Of course, the present invention is not limited to a television device, but can be applied to various applications such as a monitor for a personal computer, an information display board in a railway station or airport, an advertisement display board in a street, etc. can do.
In addition, a television device including a liquid crystal element can be formed.

FIG. 15A illustrates a mobile phone among mobile terminals, which includes a main body 2101, a housing 2102, a display portion 2103, an audio input portion 2104, an audio output portion 2105, operation keys 2106, an antenna 2107, and the like. The display portion 2103 is provided with a module having a pixel portion and a driver circuit portion. The pixel portion includes a light-emitting element or a liquid crystal element, and includes a TFT formed by the droplet discharge method described in the above embodiment mode. Furthermore, the cost of the mobile phone can be reduced by forming the display portion 2103 from a large mother glass substrate.

FIG. 15B illustrates a sheet-type mobile phone, which includes a main body 2301, a display portion 2303, an audio input portion 2304, an audio output portion 2305, a switch 2306, an external connection port 2307, and the like. A separately prepared earphone 2308 can be connected through the external connection port 2307. A touch panel display screen including a sensor is used for the display portion 2303, and a series of operations can be performed by touching a touch panel operation key 2309 displayed on the display portion 2303. The display portion 2303 is provided with a module having a pixel portion and a driver circuit portion. The pixel portion includes a light-emitting element or a liquid crystal element, and includes a TFT formed by the droplet discharge method described in the above embodiment mode. Further, by forming the display portion 2303 from a large mother glass substrate, the cost of the sheet-type mobile phone can be reduced.

Even in such a small electronic device, by forming the display portion using the present invention, it is possible to form multiple surfaces from a large mother glass substrate and reduce costs.

It is a diagram showing a method for manufacturing a thin film transistor of the present invention. It is a diagram showing a method for manufacturing a thin film transistor of the present invention. It is a diagram showing a method for manufacturing a thin film transistor of the present invention. It is a diagram showing a method for manufacturing a thin film transistor of the present invention. It is a diagram showing a method for manufacturing a thin film transistor of the present invention. It is a diagram showing a method for manufacturing a thin film transistor of the present invention. It is a diagram showing a method for manufacturing a thin film transistor of the present invention. It is the figure which showed the liquid crystal display device of this invention. It is a circuit diagram showing a pixel circuit of a light emitting device of the present invention. It is a figure showing a manufacturing method of a light emitting device of the present invention. It is the figure which showed the light-emitting device of this invention. It is a top view of the pixel of the light-emitting device of this invention. It is the figure which showed the droplet discharge apparatus of this invention. It is the figure which showed the display apparatus of this invention. It is the figure which showed the electronic device of this invention. It is the figure which showed the module of this invention.

Claims (28)

A method for manufacturing a wiring, wherein the wiring is formed by ejecting a composition mixed with the wiring material into a region having an uneven shape. Forming a first wiring in a region having an uneven shape;
A method for manufacturing a wiring, in which a second wiring is formed by ejecting a composition mixed with the wiring material,
A method for manufacturing a wiring, wherein the second wiring is formed in a self-aligning manner by a surface having the uneven shape and a flat surface on the first wiring. 3. The method for manufacturing a wiring according to claim 2, wherein the first wiring is formed by ejecting a composition mixed with a wiring material. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 3,
A method for manufacturing a wiring, wherein the region having the uneven shape is formed by a dry etching method, a frost processing method, or a sand blasting method. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 4,
A method for manufacturing a wiring, wherein the composition mixed with the wiring material is ejected by an inkjet method. A method for manufacturing a thin film transistor, wherein the pattern is formed by ejecting a composition mixed with the pattern material into a region having an uneven shape. Forming a first pattern in a region having an uneven shape;
A method for producing a thin film transistor, wherein a second pattern is formed by ejecting a composition mixed with the pattern material,
A method for manufacturing a thin film transistor, wherein the second pattern is formed in a self-aligned manner by the surface having the uneven shape and the flat surface on the first pattern. 8. The method for manufacturing a thin film transistor according to claim 7, wherein the first pattern is formed by ejecting a composition mixed with a pattern material. A method for manufacturing a thin film transistor, wherein a conductive film is formed by ejecting a composition mixed with a material of the conductive film into a region having an uneven shape. Forming a first conductive film in a region having an uneven shape;
A method for manufacturing a thin film transistor, in which a second conductive film is formed by ejecting a composition mixed with a material of the conductive film,
A method for manufacturing a thin film transistor, characterized in that a second conductive film is formed in a self-aligned manner by the surface having the concavo-convex shape and the flat surface on the first conductive film. The method for manufacturing a thin film transistor according to claim 10, wherein the first conductive film is formed by ejecting a composition mixed with a conductive film material. A method for manufacturing a thin film transistor, wherein a gate electrode is formed by ejecting a composition in which a gate electrode material is mixed into a region having an uneven shape. Form a gate electrode in a region having an uneven shape,
A method for manufacturing a thin film transistor in which a source electrode and a drain electrode are formed by ejecting a composition mixed with the source electrode and drain electrode materials,
A method for manufacturing a thin film transistor, wherein the source electrode and the drain electrode are formed in a self-aligning manner by a surface having the uneven shape and a flat surface on the gate electrode. Form a gate electrode in a region having an uneven shape,
An insulating film is formed to cover the gate electrode, and the insulating film is formed along the uneven shape,
A method for manufacturing a thin film transistor in which a source electrode and a drain electrode are formed by ejecting a composition mixed with the source electrode and drain electrode materials,
The source electrode and the drain electrode are formed in a self-aligned manner by the surface having the uneven shape and the flat surface on the gate electrode,
A method for manufacturing a thin film transistor, wherein the adhesion of the gate electrode is improved by the uneven shape of the insulating film. Form a gate electrode in a region having an uneven shape,
An insulating film is formed to cover the gate electrode, and the insulating film is formed along the uneven shape,
A method for manufacturing a thin film transistor in which a source electrode and a drain electrode are formed by ejecting a composition mixed with the source electrode and drain electrode materials,
The source electrode and the drain electrode are formed in a self-aligned manner by the surface having the uneven shape and the flat surface on the gate electrode,
The method for manufacturing a thin film transistor is characterized in that adhesion between the gate electrode, the source electrode, and the drain electrode is improved by the uneven shape of the insulating film. 16. The method for manufacturing a thin film transistor according to claim 14, wherein the gate electrode is formed by ejecting a composition mixed with a material for the gate electrode. In any one of Claims 6 thru | or 16,
A method for manufacturing a thin film transistor, wherein the region having the uneven shape is formed by a dry etching method, a frost processing method, or a sand blast method. In any one of Claims 6 thru | or 17,
A method for manufacturing a thin film transistor, wherein the composition mixed with the wiring material is ejected by an inkjet method. A first conductive film is formed by ejecting a composition mixed with a conductor into a region having an uneven shape,
A thin film transistor is formed by forming a semiconductor film over the first conductive film,
Forming a first insulating film so as to cover the thin film transistor;
Forming a first electrode on the first insulating film;
Forming a second insulating film so as to cover an end of the first electrode;
Forming an electroluminescent layer between the second insulating films;
A method for manufacturing a display device, comprising forming a second electrode so as to cover the electroluminescent layer. Forming a first conductive film in a region having an uneven shape;
Forming a semiconductor film on the first conductive film;
A thin film transistor is formed by forming a second conductive film on the semiconductor film by ejecting a composition mixed with a conductor.
Forming a first insulating film so as to cover the thin film transistor;
Forming a first electrode on the first insulating film;
Forming a second insulating film so as to cover an end of the first electrode;
Forming an electroluminescent layer between the second insulating films;
A method of manufacturing a display device in which a second electrode is formed so as to cover the electroluminescent layer,
A method for manufacturing a display device, characterized in that the second conductive film is formed in a self-aligning manner by a surface having the uneven shape and a flat surface on the first conductive film. Forming a first conductive film in a region having an uneven shape;
An insulating film is formed to cover the first conductive film, and the insulating film is formed along the uneven shape,
Forming a semiconductor film on the insulating film;
A thin film transistor is formed by forming a second conductive film on the semiconductor film by ejecting a composition mixed with a conductor.
Forming a first insulating film so as to cover the thin film transistor;
Forming a first electrode on the first insulating film;
Forming a second insulating film so as to cover an end of the first electrode;
Forming an electroluminescent layer between the second insulating films;
A method of manufacturing a display device in which a second electrode is formed so as to cover the electroluminescent layer,
The source electrode and the drain electrode are formed in a self-aligned manner by the surface having the uneven shape and the flat surface on the gate electrode,
A method for manufacturing a display device, wherein adhesion of the gate electrode is improved by the uneven shape of the insulating film. Forming a first conductive film in a region having an uneven shape;
An insulating film is formed to cover the first conductive film, and the insulating film is formed along the uneven shape,
Forming a semiconductor film on the insulating film;
A thin film transistor is formed by forming a second conductive film on the semiconductor film by ejecting a composition mixed with a conductor.
Forming a first insulating film so as to cover the thin film transistor;
Forming a first electrode on the first insulating film;
Forming a second insulating film so as to cover an end of the first electrode;
Forming an electroluminescent layer between the second insulating films;
A method of manufacturing a display device in which a second electrode is formed so as to cover the electroluminescent layer,
The source electrode and the drain electrode are formed in a self-aligned manner by the surface having the uneven shape and the flat surface on the gate electrode,
The method for manufacturing a display device is characterized in that adhesion between the gate electrode, the source electrode, and the drain electrode is improved by the uneven shape of the insulating film. Forming a first conductive film in a region having an uneven shape;
Forming a semiconductor film on the first conductive film;
A thin film transistor is formed by forming a second conductive film on the semiconductor film by ejecting a composition mixed with a conductor.
Forming a first electrode to connect to the second conductive film;
Disposing a second electrode so as to face the first electrode;
A method for manufacturing a display device in which a liquid crystal layer is formed between the first electrode and the second electrode,
A method for manufacturing a display device, characterized in that the second conductive film is formed in a self-aligning manner by a surface having the uneven shape and a flat surface on the first conductive film. Forming a first conductive film in a region having an uneven shape;
An insulating film is formed to cover the first conductive film, and the insulating film is formed along the uneven shape,
Forming a semiconductor film on the insulating film;
A thin film transistor is formed by forming a second conductive film on the semiconductor film by ejecting a composition mixed with a conductor.
Forming a first electrode to connect to the second conductive film;
Disposing a second electrode so as to face the first electrode;
A method for manufacturing a display device in which a liquid crystal layer is formed between the first electrode and the second electrode,
The source electrode and the drain electrode are formed in a self-aligned manner by the surface having the uneven shape and the flat surface on the gate electrode,
A method for manufacturing a display device, wherein adhesion of the gate electrode is improved by the uneven shape of the insulating film. Forming a first conductive film in a region having an uneven shape;
An insulating film is formed to cover the first conductive film, and the insulating film is formed along the uneven shape,
Forming a semiconductor film on the insulating film;
A thin film transistor is formed by forming a second conductive film on the semiconductor film by ejecting a composition mixed with a conductor.
Forming a first electrode to connect to the second conductive film;
Disposing a second electrode so as to face the first electrode;
A method for manufacturing a display device in which a liquid crystal layer is formed between the first electrode and the second electrode,
The source electrode and the drain electrode are formed in a self-aligned manner by the surface having the uneven shape and the flat surface on the gate electrode,
The method for manufacturing a display device is characterized in that adhesion between the gate electrode, the source electrode, and the drain electrode is improved by the uneven shape of the insulating film. 26. The method for manufacturing a display device according to claim 24, wherein the first conductive film is formed by ejecting a composition mixed with a conductive film material. 27. Any one of claims 19 to 26.
A method for manufacturing a display device, wherein the region having the uneven shape is formed by a dry etching method, a frost processing method, or a sand blast method. A device according to any one of claims 19 to 27.
A method for manufacturing a display device, wherein the composition mixed with the wiring material is ejected by an ink-jet method.

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