Thin film transistor and display device including same

Claim 2

A liquid crystal device, comprising: a pair of opposed and spaced apart insulating substrates; a plurality of source lines and a plurality of gate lines disposed on one of the substrates, the source lines intersecting the gate lines at cross-over locations; a plurality of layers located between each of the source lines and each of the gate lines at the cross-over locations, the plurality of layers having non-coextensive edges near the cross-over locations; a plurality of switching elements coupled to the source lines and the gate lines; and a plurality of capacitors including an insulating film which functions as a dielectric material of the capacitors, one of the plurality of layers of the cross-over locations being the insulating film extending from the cross-over locations to the plurality of capacitors, wherein a breakdown voltage of the plurality of layers at each of the cross-over locations is greater than a breakdown voltage of the insulating film of each of the capacitors.

Claim 3

The liquid crystal device of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of layers is one of polycrystalline silicon and amorphous silicon.

Claim 4

The liquid crystal device of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of layers includes at least one non-conductive material selected from the group consisting of a film of SiN, a film of SiO 2 , a film of TaOx, a film formed by anodic oxidation of Cr, Ta, Mo, Al and alloys thereof.

Claim 5

The liquid crystal device of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of layers is at least one of a non-doped semiconductor and an impurity-doped semiconductor film.

Claim 6

The liquid crystal device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of layers include two non-conductive layers.

Claim 7

The liquid crystal device of claim 1, wherein the insulating film of the capacitors includes at least one of a silicon nitride layer and a silicon oxide layer.

Claim 8

The liquid crystal device of claim 1, wherein the insulating film of the capacitors includes at least one of a TaOx layer and a silicon nitride layer.

Claim 9

A liquid crystal device, comprising: a pair of opposed and spaced apart insulating substrates; a plurality of source lines and a plurality of gate lines disposed on one of the substrates, the source lines intersecting the gate lines at cross-over locations; a plurality of layers located between each of the source lines and each of the gate lines at the cross-over locations, the source and gate lines being completely separated by the plurality of layers; a plurality of switching elements arranged near the cross-over locations and coupled to the source lines and the gate lines; and a plurality of capacitors including an insulating film which functions as a dielectric material of the capacitors, one of the plurality of layers of the cross-over locations being the insulating film, wherein a breakdown voltage of the plurality of layers at each of the cross-over locations is greater than a breakdown voltage of the insulating film of each of the capacitors.

Claim 10

A liquid crystal device, comprising: a pair of opposed and spaced apart insulating substrates; a plurality of source lines and a plurality of gate lines disposed on one of the substrates, the source lines intersecting the gate lines at cross-over locations; a plurality of layers located between each of the source lines and each of the gate lines at the cross-over locations, the source and gate lines being completely separated by the plurality of layers; a plurality of switching elements arranged near the cross-over locations and coupled to the source lines and the gate lines; and a plurality of capacitors including an insulating film which functions as a dielectric material of the capacitors, one of the plurality of layers of the cross-over locations being the insulating film, wherein a breakdown voltage of the plurality of layers at each of the cross-over locations is greater than a breakdown voltage of the insulating film of each of the capacitors.

Claim 11

The liquid crystal device of claim 8, wherein one of the plurality of layers is one of polycrystalline silicon and amorphous silicon.

Claim 12

The liquid crystal device of claim 8, wherein one of the plurality of layers includes at least one non-conductive material selected from the group consisting of a film of SiN, a film of SiO 2 , a film of TaOx, a film formed by anodic oxidation of Cr, Ta, Mo, Al and alloys thereof.

Claim 13

The liquid crystal device of claim 8, wherein one of the plurality of layers is at least one of a non-doped. semiconductor and an impurity-doped semiconductor film.

Claim 14

The liquid crystal device of claim 8, wherein the plurality of layers include two non-conductive layers.

Claim 15

The liquid crystal device of claim 8, wherein the insulating film of the capacitors includes at least one of a silicon nitride layer and a silicon oxide layer.

Claim 16

The liquid crystal device of claim 8, wherein the insulating film of the capacitors includes at least one of a TaOx layer and a silicon nitride layer.

Claim 17

A liquid crystal device, comprising: a pair of opposed and spaced apart insulating substrates; a plurality of source lines and a plurality of gate lines disposed on one of the substrates, the source lines intersecting the gate lines at cross-over locations; a plurality of layers located between each of the source lines and each of the gate lines at the cross-over locations; a plurality of switching elements arranged near the cross-over locations and coupled to the source lines and the gate lines; and a plurality of capacitors electrically coupled to the switching elements, each of the capacitors including an insulating film which functions as a dielectric material of the capacitors, wherein a breakdown voltage of the plurality of layers at each of the cross-over locations is greater than a breakdown voltage of each of the capacitors and the plurality of layers comprise two non-conductive layers.

Claim 18

A liquid crystal device, comprising: a pair of opposed and spaced apart insulating substrates; a plurality of source lines and a plurality of gate lines disposed on one of the substrates, the source lines intersecting the gate lines at cross-over locations; a plurality of layers located between each of the source lines and each of the gate lines at the cross-over locations; a plurality of switching elements arranged near the cross-over locations and coupled to the source lines and the gate lines; and a plurality of capacitors electrically coupled to the switching elements, each of the capacitors including an insulating film which functions as a dielectric material of the capacitors, wherein a breakdown voltage of the plurality of layers at each of the cross-over locations is greater than a breakdown voltage of each of the capacitors and the plurality of layers comprise two non-conductive layers.

Claim 19

The liquid crystal device of claim 15, wherein the source and gate lines are completely separated by the plurality of layers.

Claim 20

The liquid crystal device of claim 15, wherein a total thickness of the plurality of layers located between the source lines and the gate lines at the cross-over locations is greater than a thickness of the insulating film of the capacitors.

Claim 21

The liquid crystal device of claim 15, wherein one of the plurality of layers is at least one of a non-doped semiconductor and an impurity-doped semiconductor film.

Claim 22

The liquid crystal device of claim 15, wherein the insulating film of the capacitors includes at least one of a silicon nitride layer and a silicon oxide layer.

Claim 23

The liquid crystal device of claim 15, wherein the insulating film of the capacitors includes at least one of a TaOx layer and a silicon nitride layer.

Claim 24

The liquid crystal device of claim 15, wherein one of the plurality of layers is one of polycrystalline silicon and amorphous silicon.

Claim 25

A liquid crystal device, comprising: a pair of opposed and spaced apart insulating substrates; a plurality of source lines and a plurality of gate lines disposed on one of the substrates, the source lines intersecting the gate lines at cross-over locations; a plurality of layers located between the source lines and the gate lines at the cross-over locations; a plurality of switching elements arranged near the cross-over locations and coupled to the source lines and the gate lines; and a plurality of capacitors electrically coupled to the switching elements, each of the capacitors including an insulating film which functions as a dielectric material of the capacitors, wherein a total thickness of the plurality of layers located between the source lines and the gate lines at the cross-over locations is greater than a thickness of the insulating film of the capacitors and the plurality of layers comprise two non-conductive layers.

Claim 26

A liquid crystal device, comprising: a pair of opposed and spaced apart insulating substrates; a plurality of source lines and a plurality of gate lines disposed on one of the substrates, the source lines intersecting the gate lines at cross-over locations; a plurality of layers located between the source lines and the gate lines at the cross-over locations; a plurality of switching elements arranged near the cross-over locations and coupled to the source lines and the gate lines; and a plurality of capacitors electrically coupled to the switching elements, each of the capacitors including an insulating film which functions as a dielectric material of the capacitors, wherein a total thickness of the plurality of layers located between the source lines and the gate lines at the cross-over locations is greater than a thickness of the insulating film of the capacitors and the plurality of layers comprise two non-conductive layers.

Claim 27

The liquid crystal device of claim 22, wherein one of the plurality of layers is at least one of a non-doped semiconductor and an impurity-doped semiconductor film.

Claim 28

The liquid crystal device of claim 22, wherein one of the plurality of layers is one of polycrystalline silicon and amorphous silicon.

Claim 29

The liquid crystal device of claim 22, wherein the insulating film of the capacitors includes at least one of a silicon nitride layer and a silicon oxide layer.

Claim 30

The liquid crystal device of claim 22, wherein the insulating film of the capacitors includes at least one of a TaOx layer and a silicon nitride layer.

Claim 31

The liquid crystal device of claim 8, wherein the one of the plurality of layers at the cross-over locations being the insulating film extends from the cross-over locations to the plurality of capacitors.

Claim 32

A liquid crystal device, comprising: a pair of opposed and spaced apart insulating substrates; a plurality of source lines and a plurality of gate lines disposed on one of the substrates, the source lines intersecting the gate lines at cross-over locations; a plurality of layers located between each of the source lines and each of the gate lines at the cross-over locations, the plurality of layers having non-coextensive edges near the cross-over locations; a plurality of switching elements coupled to the source lines and the gate lines; and a plurality of capacitors including an insulating film which functions as a dielectric material of the capacitors, one of the plurality of layers of the cross-over locations being the insulating film extending from the cross-over locations to the plurality of capacitors, wherein a total thickness of the plurality of layers at each of the cross-over locations is greater than a thickness of the insulating film of each of the capacitors.

Claim 33

A liquid crystal device, comprising: a pair of opposed and spaced apart insulating substrates; a plurality of source lines and a plurality of gate lines disposed on one of the substrates, the source lines intersecting the gate lines at cross-over locations; a plurality of layers located between each of the source lines and each of the gate lines at the cross-over locations, the plurality of layers having non-coextensive edges near the cross-over locations; a plurality of switching elements coupled to the source lines and the gate lines; and a plurality of capacitors including an insulating film which functions as a dielectric material of the capacitors, one of the plurality of layers of the cross-over locations being the insulating film extending from the cross-over locations to the plurality of capacitors, wherein a total thickness of the plurality of layers at each of the cross-over locations is greater than a thickness of the insulating film of each of the capacitors.

Claim 34

The liquid crystal device of claim 28, wherein one of the plurality of layers is one of polycrystalline silicon and amorphous silicon.

Claim 35

The liquid crystal device of claim 28, wherein one of the plurality of layers includes at least one non-conductive material selected from the group consisting, of a film of SiN, a film of SiO 2 , a film of TaOx, a film formed by anodic oxidation of Cr, Ta, Mo, Al and alloys thereof.

Claim 36

The liquid crystal device of claim 28, wherein one of the plurality of layers is at least one of a non-doped semiconductor and an impurity-doped semiconductor film.

Claim 37

The liquid crystal device of claim 28, wherein the plurality of layers include two non-conductive layers.

Claim 38

The liquid crystal device of claim 28, wherein the insulating film of the capacitors includes at least one of a silicon nitride layer and a silicon oxide layer.

Claim 39

The liquid crystal device of claim 28, wherein the insulating film of the capacitors includes at least one of a TaOx layer and a silicon nitride layer.

Claim 40

A liquid crystal device, comprising: a pair of opposed and spaced apart insulating substrates; a plurality of source lines and a plurality of gate lines disposed on one of the substrates, the source lines intersecting the gate lines at cross-over locations; a plurality of layers located between each of the source lines and each of the gate lines at the cross-over locations, the source and gate lines being completely separated by the plurality of layers; a plurality of switching elements arranged near the cross-over locations and coupled to the source lines and the gate lines; and a plurality of capacitors including an insulating film which functions as a dielectric material of the capacitors, one of the plurality of layers of the cross-over locations being the insulating film, wherein a total thickness of the plurality of layers at each of the cross-over locations is greater than a thickness of the insulating film of each of the capacitors.

Claim 41

A liquid crystal device, comprising: a pair of opposed and spaced apart insulating substrates; a plurality of source lines and a plurality of gate lines disposed on one of the substrates, the source lines intersecting the gate lines at cross-over locations; a plurality of layers located between each of the source lines and each of the gate lines at the cross-over locations, the source and gate lines being completely separated by the plurality of layers; a plurality of switching elements arranged near the cross-over locations and coupled to the source lines and the gate lines; and a plurality of capacitors including an insulating film which functions as a dielectric material of the capacitors, one of the plurality of layers of the cross-over locations being the insulating film, wherein a total thickness of the plurality of layers at each of the cross-over locations is greater than a thickness of the insulating film of each of the capacitors.

Claim 42

The liquid crystal device of claim 35, wherein the one of the plurality of layers at the cross-over locations being the insulating film extends from the cross-over locations to the plurality of capacitors.

Claim 43

The liquid crystal device of claim 35, wherein one of the plurality of layers is one of polycrystalline silicon and amorphous silicon.

Claim 44

The liquid crystal device of claim 35, wherein one of the plurality of layers includes at least one non-conductive material selected from the group consisting of a film of SiN, a film of SiO 2 , a film of TaOx, a film formed by anodic oxidation of Cr, Ta, Mo, Al and alloys thereof.

Claim 45

The liquid crystal device of claim 35, wherein one of the plurality of layers is at least one of a non-doped semiconductor and an impurity-doped semiconductor film.

Claim 46

The liquid crystal device of claim 35, wherein the plurality of layers include two non-conductive layers.

Claim 47

The liquid crystal device of claim 35, wherein the insulating film of the capacitors includes at least one of a silicon nitride layer and a silicon oxide layer.

Claim 48

The liquid crystal device of claim 35, wherein the insulating film of the capacitors includes at least one of a TaOx layer and a silicon nitride layer.

Claim 49

A liquid crystal device, comprising: a pair of opposed and spaced apart insulating substrates; a plurality of source lines and a plurality of gate lines disposed on one of the substrates, the source lines intersecting the gate lines at cross-over locations; a plurality of layers located between each of the source lines and each of the gate lines at the cross-over locations; a plurality of switching elements arranged near the cross-over locations and coupled to the source lines and the gate lines; and a plurality of capacitors electrically coupled to the switching elements, each of the capacitors including an insulating film which functions as a dielectric material of the capacitors, wherein a breakdown voltage of the plurality of layers at each of the cross-over locations is greater than a breakdown voltage of each of the capacitors and the plurality of layers have non-coextensive edges near the cross-over locations.

Claim 50

A liquid crystal device, comprising: a pair of opposed and spaced apart insulating substrates; a plurality of source lines and a plurality of gate lines disposed on one of the substrates, the source lines intersecting the gate lines at cross-over locations; a plurality of layers located between each of the source lines and each of the gate lines at the cross-over locations; a plurality of switching elements arranged near the cross-over locations and coupled to the source lines and the gate lines; and a plurality of capacitors electrically coupled to the switching elements, each of the capacitors including an insulating film which functions as a dielectric material of the capacitors, wherein a breakdown voltage of the plurality of layers at each of the cross-over locations is greater than a breakdown voltage of each of the capacitors and the plurality of layers have non-coextensive edges near the cross-over locations.

Claim 51

A liquid crystal device, comprising: a pair of opposed and spaced apart insulating substrates; a plurality of source lines and a plurality of gate lines disposed on one of the substrates, the source lines intersecting the gate lines at cross-over locations; a plurality of layers located between each of the source lines and each of the gate lines at the cross-over locations; a plurality of switching elements arranged near the cross-over locations and coupled to the source lines and the gate lines; and a plurality of capacitors electrically coupled to the switching elements, each of the capacitors including an insulating film which functions as a dielectric material of the capacitors, wherein a breakdown voltage of the plurality of layers at each of the cross-over locations is greater than a breakdown voltage of each of the capacitors and one of the plurality of layers is the insulating film of the capacitors.

Claim 52

A liquid crystal device, comprising: a pair of opposed and spaced apart insulating substrates; a plurality of source lines and a plurality of gate lines disposed on one of the substrates, the source lines intersecting the gate lines at cross-over locations; a plurality of layers located between each of the source lines and each of the gate lines at the cross-over locations; a plurality of switching elements arranged near the cross-over locations and coupled to the source lines and the gate lines; and a plurality of capacitors electrically coupled to the switching elements, each of the capacitors including an insulating film which functions as a dielectric material of the capacitors, wherein a breakdown voltage of the plurality of layers at each of the cross-over locations is greater than a breakdown voltage of each of the capacitors and one of the plurality of layers is the insulating film of the capacitors.

Claim 53

A liquid crystal device, comprising: a pair of opposed and spaced apart insulating substrates; a plurality of source lines and a plurality of gate lines disposed on one of the substrates, the source lines intersecting the gate lines at cross-over locations; a plurality of layers located between each of the source lines and each of the gate lines at the cross-over locations; a plurality of switching elements arranged near the cross-over locations and coupled to the source lines and the gate lines; and a plurality of capacitors electrically coupled to the switching elements, each of the capacitors including an insulating film which functions as a dielectric material of the capacitors, wherein a breakdown voltage of the plurality of layers at each of the cross-over locations is greater than a breakdown voltage of each of the capacitors and one of the plurality of layers at the cross-over locations is the insulating film extending from the cross-over locations to the plurality of capacitors.

Claim 54

A liquid crystal device, comprising: a pair of opposed and spaced apart insulating substrates; a plurality of source lines and a plurality of gate lines disposed on one of the substrates, the source lines intersecting the gate lines at cross-over locations; a plurality of layers located between each of the source lines and each of the gate lines at the cross-over locations; a plurality of switching elements arranged near the cross-over locations and coupled to the source lines and the gate lines; and a plurality of capacitors electrically coupled to the switching elements, each of the capacitors including an insulating film which functions as a dielectric material of the capacitors, wherein a breakdown voltage of the plurality of layers at each of the cross-over locations is greater than a breakdown voltage of each of the capacitors and one of the plurality of layers at the cross-over locations is the insulating film extending from the cross-over locations to the plurality of capacitors.

Claim 55

A liquid crystal device, comprising: a pair of opposed and spaced apart insulating substrates; a plurality of source lines and a plurality of gate lines disposed on one of the substrates, the source lines intersecting the gate lines at cross-over locations; a plurality of layers located between the source lines and the gate lines at the cross-over locations; a plurality of switching elements arranged near the cross-over locations and coupled to the source lines and the gate lines; and a plurality of capacitors electrically coupled to the switching elements, each of the capacitors including an insulating film which functions as a dielectric material of the capacitors, wherein a total thickness of the plurality of layers located between the source lines and the gate lines at the cross-over locations is greater than a thickness of the insulating film of the capacitors and one of the plurality of layers at the cross-over locations is the insulating film extending from the cross-over locations to the plurality of capacitors.

Claim 56

A liquid crystal device, comprising: a pair of opposed and spaced apart insulating substrates; a plurality of source lines and a plurality of gate lines disposed on one of the substrates, the source lines intersecting the gate lines at cross-over locations; a plurality of layers located between the source lines and the gate lines at the cross-over locations; a plurality of switching elements arranged near the cross-over locations and coupled to the source lines and the gate lines; and a plurality of capacitors electrically coupled to the switching elements, each of the capacitors including an insulating film which functions as a dielectric material of the capacitors, wherein a total thickness of the plurality of layers located between the source lines and the gate lines at the cross-over locations is greater than a thickness of the insulating film of the capacitors and one of the plurality of layers at the cross-over locations is the insulating film extending from the cross-over locations to the plurality of capacitors.