IP Library Granted Patent US 8,416,169
Granted Patent B2
US 8,416,169 · App. 12/470,056 · Granted Apr 9, 2013

Drive circuit, active matrix substrate, and liquid crystal display device

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,416,169
App. No.
12/470,056
Granted
Apr 9, 2013
Kind
B2
Abstract

Off-leak current of a TFT, required for a drive circuit configured with a TFT of a single conductivity type, is realized with simple manufacturing steps. The impurity concentration of a source region and a drain region of a TFT is set between 2*10 18 cm −3 and 2*10 19 cm −3 , whereby off-leak current of the TFT can be sufficiently reduced even in a single gate structure.

Claims (40)

1. A drive circuit comprising a thin film transistor of a single conductivity type, wherein

impurity concentration of a source region and a drain region of the thin-film transistor is between 2*10 18 cm −3 and 2*10 19 cm −3 ,

the thin film transistor includes a silicon film, a gate insulating film, and a gate electrode, laminated in this order, and

at least a part of the gate electrode and at least a part of the source region and the drain region formed in the silicon film are overlapped via the gate insulating film.

2. The drive circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the thin film transistor is of a p-channel type.

3. The drive circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the thin film transistor is a double-gate type, a triple-gate type, or a quadruple-gate type.

4. The drive circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the drive circuit is a gate line drive circuit including a bootstrap scan circuit.

5. An active matrix substrate comprising:

a plurality of gate lines;

a plurality of data lines;

a pixel transistor formed at each of nodes between the plurality of gate lines and the plurality of data lines; and

a gate line drive circuit which sequentially applies a drive voltage to the plurality of gate lines, wherein

the gate line drive circuit is the drive circuit according to claim 1 .

6. The active matrix substrate according to claim 5 , wherein

each of the pixel transistor and the thin film transistor configuring the gate line drive circuit is a p-channel type thin film transistor, and

impurity concentration of a source region and a drain region of the p-channel type thin film transistor is between 2*10 18 cm −3 and 2*10 19 cm −3 .

7. The active matrix substrate according to claim 5 , further comprising:

a voltage application terminal to which a voltage is applied; and

a switch unit which switches between the voltage applied to the voltage application terminal and a voltage output from the gate line drive circuit, and supplies either voltage to the gate line.

8. The active matrix substrate according to claim 5 , further comprising:

a power supply circuit which outputs a voltage having a higher absolute value than that of the drive voltage; and

a switch unit which switches between the voltage output from the power supply circuit and a voltage output from the gate line drive circuit, and supplies either voltage to the gate line.

9. The active matrix substrate according to claim 5 , further comprising:

a first power supply circuit which outputs the drive voltage;

a second power supply circuit which outputs a voltage having a higher absolute value than that of the drive voltage; and

a switch unit which switches between the voltage output from the first power supply circuit and the voltage output from the second power supply circuit, and supplies either voltage to the gate line.

10. A liquid crystal display device, comprising:

the active matrix substrate according to claim 5 ;

a counter substrate opposite the active matrix substrate; and

liquid crystal interposed between the counter substrate and the active matrix substrate.

11. A drive circuit comprising a thin film transistor of a single conductivity type, wherein

impurity concentration of a source region and a drain region of the thin film transistor is between 2*10 18 cm −3 and 2*10 19 cm −3 ,

the thin film transistor includes an auxiliary gate electrode, an auxiliary gate insulating film, a silicon, film, a gate insulating film, and a gate electrode laminated in this order, the auxiliary gate electrode and the gate electrode being electrically short-circuited, and

at least a part of the auxiliary gate electrode and at least a part of the source region and the drain region formed in the silicon film are overlapped via the auxiliary gate insulating film.

12. A method of reducing off-leak current of a thin film transistor in which impurity concentration of a source region and a drain region is between 2*10 18 cm −3 and 2*10 19 cm −3 , comprising:

applying to a gate electrode of the thin film transistor an off-state voltage having a larger absolute value than that of a normal off-state voltage, while also applying a constant voltage or a pulse voltage, in which a polarity is reversed, between a source electrode and a drain electrode of the thin film transistor, then

applying the normal off-state voltage to the gate electrode of the thin film transistor.

13. A method of reducing off-leak current of a thin film transistor in which impurity concentration of a source region and a drain region is between 2*10 18 cm −3 and 2*10 19 cm −3 , comprising:

applying to a gate electrode of the thin film transistor an off-state pulse voltage having a larger absolute value than that of a normal off-state voltage, while also allowing either a source electrode or a drain electrode of the thin film transistor to be in a floating state, then

applying the normal off-state voltage to the gate electrode of the thin film transistor.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Nov 8, 2011
From: NEC LCD TECHNOLOGIES, LTD.
To: NLT TECHNOLOGIES, LTD.
Reel/Frame 027190/0085 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 21, 2009
From: KORENARI, TAKAHIRO; SHIOTA, KUNIHIRO; SAITO, SOICHI
To: NEC LCD TECHNOLOGIES, LTD.
Reel/Frame 022720/0622 →