IP Library Granted Patent US 12684821
Granted Patent B2
US 12684821 · App. 18/242,987 · Granted Jul 14, 2026

Transistor, and display apparatus comprising the same

Inventors: HyunCheol Cho (Paju-si, KR); JeeHo Park (Paju-si, KR)
Assignee: LG DISPLAY CO., LTD.
H10D30/6757H10D30/6755H10K59/12
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12684821
App. No.
18/242,987
Granted
Jul 14, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A thin film transistor, and a display apparatus including the thin film transistor are discussed. The thin film transistor includes an active layer and a gate electrode spaced apart from the active layer and overlapping at least part of the active layer. The active layer includes a first oxide semiconductor layer and a second semiconductor layer in contact with the first oxide semiconductor layer and having a lower mobility than that of the first oxide semiconductor layer, and a contact part, which is the part where the first oxide semiconductor layer and the second oxide semiconductor layer are in contact with each other, overlaps the gate electrode.

Claims (42)

1 . A thin film transistor comprising:

a substrate having a main surface, a rear surface opposing the main surface, and a side surface connecting the main surface and the rear surface;

an active layer disposed on the main surface of the substrate; and

a gate electrode spaced apart from the active layer and at least partially overlapped with the active layer in a thickness direction perpendicular to the main surface of the substrate,

wherein the active layer includes:

a first oxide semiconductor layer; and

a second oxide semiconductor layer in contact with a side surface of the first oxide semiconductor layer in a region overlapped by the gate electrode in the thickness direction, and having a mobility lower than a mobility of the first oxide semiconductor layer,

wherein at least a portion of the first oxide semiconductor layer does not overlap the second oxide semiconductor layer in the thickness direction in any region overlapped by the gate electrode in the thickness direction, and

wherein a contact part corresponding to an area where the first oxide semiconductor layer and the second oxide semiconductor layer contact each other, overlaps the gate electrode in the thickness direction.

2 . The thin film transistor of claim 1 , wherein the first oxide semiconductor layer and the second oxide semiconductor layer have a mobility difference in a range of about 10 to 40 cm 2 /V·s.

3 . The thin film transistor of claim 1 , wherein the first oxide semiconductor layer has the mobility in a range of about 25 to 50 cm 2 /V·s.

4 . The thin film transistor of claim 1 , wherein the second oxide semiconductor layer has the mobility in a range of about 10 to 20 cm 2 /V·s.

5 . The thin film transistor of claim 1 , wherein the first oxide semiconductor layer and the second oxide semiconductor layer are disposed on a same layer.

6 . The thin film transistor of claim 1 , wherein the first oxide semiconductor layer includes:

a first channel part overlapping a part of the gate electrode in the thickness direction; and

a first conductor part that does not overlap the gate electrode in the thickness direction,

wherein the second oxide semiconductor layer includes:

a second channel part overlapping a part of the gate electrode in the thickness direction; and

a second conductor part that does not overlap the gate electrode in the thickness direction, and

wherein the first channel part and the second channel part are in contact with each other.

7 . The thin film transistor of claim 6 , further comprising a gate insulating layer between the active layer and the gate electrode,

wherein the gate insulating layer covers the first and second channel parts and exposes the first and second conductor parts.

8 . The thin film transistor of claim 6 , wherein at least a part of the first channel part and at least a part of the second channel part overlap each other in the thickness direction.

9 . The thin film transistor of claim 6 , further comprising a source electrode and a drain electrode spaced apart from each other and in contact with the first conductor part and the second conductor part respectively.

10 . The thin film transistor of claim 1 , wherein at least a part of the first oxide semiconductor layer overlaps at least a part of the second oxide semiconductor layer in the thickness direction.

11 . The thin film transistor of claim 1 , wherein the first oxide semiconductor layer and the second oxide semiconductor layer do not overlap each other in the thickness direction.

12 . The thin film transistor of claim 1 , wherein the first oxide semiconductor layer includes at least one of an InGaZnO-based oxide semiconductor material, an InZnO-based oxide semiconductor material, an InGaZnSnO-based oxide semiconductor material, an InSnZnO-based oxide semiconductor material, an FeInZnO-based oxide semiconductor material, an ZnO-based oxide semiconductor material, an SiInZnO-based oxide semiconductor material, and an Zn-Oxynitride-based oxide-based oxide material, wherein in the InGaZnO-based oxide semiconductor material, Ga concentration <In concentration based on the number of moles, and

wherein the second oxide semiconductor layer includes at least one of an InGaZnO-based oxide semiconductor material, a GaZnO-based oxide semiconductor material, an InGaO-based oxide semiconductor material, and an GaZnSnO-based oxide semiconductor material, wherein in the InGaZnO-based oxide semiconductor material, Ga concentration≥In concentration based on the number of moles.

13 . The thin film transistor of claim 1 , wherein the first oxide semiconductor layer includes a first sub-layer and a second sub-layer on the first sub-layer.

14 . The thin film transistor of claim 13 , wherein the second sub-layer has a greater mobility than that of the first sub-layer.

15 . The thin film transistor of claim 13 , wherein the first oxide semiconductor layer further includes a third sub-layer on the second sub-layer.

16 . The thin film transistor of claim 15 , wherein the third sub-layer has a mobility lower than a mobility of the second sub-layer.

17 . The thin film transistor of claim 1 , further comprising a third oxide semiconductor layer disposed on the first oxide semiconductor layer and the second oxide semiconductor layer.

18 . The thin film transistor of claim 17 , wherein the third oxide semiconductor layer is larger than the first oxide semiconductor layer or the second oxide semiconductor layer.

19 . The thin film transistor of claim 17 , wherein the third oxide semiconductor layer overlaps the entire gate electrode in the thickness direction.

20 . The thin film transistor of claim 17 , wherein the third oxide semiconductor layer overlaps the first oxide semiconductor layer and the second oxide semiconductor layer in the thickness direction in a region overlapping the gate electrode in the thickness direction.

21 . The thin film transistor of claim 17 , wherein the third oxide semiconductor layer includes at least one of an InGaZnO-based oxide semiconductor material (Ga concentration ≥In concentration), a GaZnO-based oxide semiconductor material, an InGaO-based oxide semiconductor material, and a GaZnSnO-based oxide semiconductor material, wherein in the InGaZnO-based oxide semiconductor material, Ga concentration≥In concentration based on the number of moles.

22 . The thin film transistor of claim 17 , wherein the third oxide semiconductor layer has a mobility lower than the mobility of the first oxide semiconductor layer.

23 . A display apparatus comprising:

a display panel configured to display images; and

at least one driver configured to drive the display panel,

wherein at least one of the display panel and the at least one driver includes the thin film transistor of claim 1 .