JP4869626B2 - Display device and electronic device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a display device including a light emitting element and a television device.

In recent years, the development of display devices including light emitting elements typified by EL (Electro Luminescence) elements has been promoted, and a wide range of uses is expected by taking advantage of self-luminous type such as high image quality, wide viewing angle, thinness, and light weight. Has been. Since a light-emitting element has a property in which luminance is proportional to a current value, there is a display device that employs constant-current driving in which a constant current flows through the light-emitting element in order to accurately represent gradation (for example, a patent) Reference 1).
JP 2003-323159 A

  A light-emitting element has a property that its resistance value (internal resistance value) varies depending on ambient temperature (hereinafter referred to as environmental temperature). Specifically, when the room temperature is a normal temperature, the resistance value decreases when the temperature is higher than normal, and the resistance value increases when the temperature is lower than normal. Therefore, when the temperature increases, the current value increases and becomes higher than the desired luminance. When the same voltage is applied when the temperature decreases, the current value decreases and the luminance becomes lower than the desired luminance. Such a property of the light-emitting element is as shown in a graph (see FIG. 17A) of a relationship between voltage-current characteristics and temperature of the light-emitting element. Further, the light emitting element has a property that its current value decreases with time. Specifically, when the light emission time and the non-light emission time are accumulated, the resistance value increases with the deterioration of the light emitting element. For this reason, when the same voltage is applied when the light emission time and the non-light emission time are accumulated, the current value decreases and the luminance becomes lower than desired luminance. Such a property of the light-emitting element is as shown in a graph of voltage-current characteristics of the light-emitting element and time (see FIG. 17B).

  Due to the properties of the light-emitting element as described above, when the environmental temperature changes or changes with time occur, the luminance varies. In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to suppress an influence caused by a change in a current value of a light emitting element due to a change in environmental temperature and a change with time.

  The present invention is a display device having a compensation function for changes in environmental temperature and a compensation function for changes over time (hereinafter also collectively referred to as a compensation function).

  The present invention is a display device having a first transistor and a second transistor. The drain terminal of the first transistor and the drain terminal of the second transistor are electrically connected. The source terminal of the first transistor and the first electrode for allowing current to flow through the first light emitting element are electrically connected. The source terminal of the second transistor and the first electrode for allowing current to flow through the second light emitting element are electrically connected. The other electrode for flowing a current to the second light emitting element and the input terminal of the amplifier circuit are electrically connected. The second electrode for flowing a current to the second light emitting element and the current source circuit are electrically connected. The second electrode for allowing current to flow through the first light emitting element and the output terminal of the amplifier circuit are electrically connected.

  The present invention is a display device having a first transistor and a second transistor. The source terminal of the first transistor and the first electrode for flowing current to the first light emitting element are electrically connected. The source terminal of the second transistor and the first electrode for flowing a current through the second light emitting element are electrically connected. The gate terminal of the second transistor and the drain terminal of the second transistor are electrically connected. The drain terminal of the second transistor and the input terminal of the amplifier circuit are electrically connected. The drain terminal of the second transistor and the current source circuit are electrically connected. The second electrode for flowing current to the first light emitting element and the second electrode for flowing current to the second light emitting element are electrically connected. The gate terminal of the first transistor and the output terminal of the video signal generation circuit are electrically connected. The output terminal of the amplifier circuit and the input terminal of the video signal generation circuit are electrically connected.

  The present invention is a display device having a first transistor and a second transistor. The source terminal of the first transistor and the first electrode for flowing current to the first light emitting element are electrically connected. The source terminal of the second transistor and the first electrode for flowing a current through the second light emitting element are electrically connected. The drain terminal of the second transistor and the input terminal of the amplifier circuit are electrically connected. The drain terminal of the second transistor and the current source circuit are electrically connected. The second electrode for flowing current to the first light emitting element and the second electrode for flowing current to the second light emitting element are electrically connected. The output terminal of the amplifier circuit and the drain terminal of the first transistor are electrically connected.

  The present invention is a display device including a first transistor, a second transistor, a first light emitting element, and a second light emitting element. The drain terminal of the first transistor and the drain terminal of the second transistor are electrically connected. The source terminal of the first transistor and one electrode of the first light emitting element are electrically connected. The source terminal of the second transistor and one electrode of the second light emitting element are electrically connected. The other electrode of the second light emitting element and the input terminal of the voltage follower circuit are electrically connected. The other electrode of the second light emitting element and the current source circuit are electrically connected. The other electrode of the first light emitting element and the output terminal of the voltage follower circuit are electrically connected.

  The present invention is a display device including a first transistor, a second transistor, a first light emitting element, and a second light emitting element. A source terminal of the first transistor and one electrode of the first light emitting element are electrically connected. The source terminal of the second transistor and one electrode of the second light emitting element are electrically connected. The gate terminal of the second transistor and the drain terminal of the second transistor are electrically connected. The drain terminal of the second transistor and the input terminal of the voltage follower circuit are electrically connected. The drain terminal of the second transistor and the current source circuit are electrically connected. The other electrode of the first light emitting element and the other electrode of the second light emitting element are electrically connected. The gate terminal of the first transistor and the output terminal of the video signal generation circuit are electrically connected. The output terminal of the voltage follower circuit and the input terminal of the video signal generation circuit are electrically connected.

  The present invention is a display device including a first transistor, a second transistor, a first light emitting element, and a second light emitting element. The source terminal of the first transistor and one electrode of the first light emitting element are electrically connected. The source terminal of the second transistor and one electrode of the second light emitting element are electrically connected. The drain terminal of the second transistor and the input terminal of the voltage follower circuit are electrically connected. The drain terminal of the second transistor and the current source circuit are electrically connected. The other electrode of the first light emitting element and the other electrode of the second light emitting element are electrically connected. The output terminal of the voltage follower circuit and the drain terminal of the first transistor are electrically connected.

  In the above structure, each transistor can be an amorphous semiconductor film or a semi-amorphous semiconductor film in which a channel formation region is formed. That is, a thin film transistor (hereinafter also referred to as a TFT) formed using an amorphous semiconductor film or a semi-amorphous semiconductor film can be used.

  The present invention is a television apparatus having any one of the above-described configurations. The television device is a thin device in which a pixel is formed using a light-emitting element formed using an electroluminescent material.

  It is possible to provide a display device in which an influence due to a change in a current value of a light emitting element due to a change in environmental temperature and a change with time is suppressed.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention can be implemented in many different modes, and those skilled in the art can easily understand that the modes and details can be variously changed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Is done. Therefore, the present invention is not construed as being limited to the description of this embodiment mode.

Embodiment 1 FIG. 1A illustrates a circuit configuration. The pixel includes a selection transistor 3001, a driving transistor 3002, and a light emitting element 3006. A source signal line 3003 to which a video signal is input and a gate terminal of the driving transistor 3002 are connected via the selection transistor 3001. Yes. A gate signal line 3007 is connected to the gate terminal of the selection transistor 3001. A driving transistor 3002 and a light emitting element 3006 are connected between the first power supply line 3004 and the second power supply line 3005. A current flows from the first power supply line 3004 to the second power supply line 3005. The light emitting element 3006 emits light according to the magnitude of the current flowing therethrough.

  A shift register 3008 is used to control an analog switch 3009 arranged between a video line 3010 to which a video signal is input and a source signal line 3003. Then, the video signal supplied to the source signal line 3003 is input to the gate electrode of the driving transistor 3002. Then, current flows in the driving transistor 3002 and also flows in the light emitting element 3006 in accordance with the magnitude of the video signal.

  Note that a capacitor may be provided in order to hold a video signal input to the gate terminal of the driving transistor 3002. In that case, a capacitor may be provided between the gate terminal of the driving transistor 3002 and the drain terminal of the driving transistor 3002, or a capacitance may be provided between the gate terminal of the driving transistor 3002 and the source terminal of the driving transistor 3002. An element may be arranged. Alternatively, a capacitor may be provided between the gate terminal of the driving transistor 3002 and another wiring (a dedicated wiring, a gate signal line of a pixel in the previous stage, or the like). Alternatively, the capacitor element may not be provided due to the gate capacitance of the driving transistor 3002. Note that the driving transistor 3002 and the selection transistor 3001 are N-channel transistors. However, it is not limited to this.

  In the case of such a pixel structure, when the potentials of the first power supply line 3004 and the second power supply line 3005 are fixed, current continues to flow through the light emitting element 3006 and the driving transistor 3002, and the characteristics deteriorate. Further, the characteristics of the light emitting element 3006 and the driving transistor 3002 vary depending on the temperature. Specifically, when a current continues to flow through the light emitting element 3006, the voltage-current characteristic shifts. That is, the resistance value of the light emitting element 3006 increases, and the flowing current value decreases even when the same voltage is applied. Moreover, even if the same magnitude | size electric current flows, luminous efficiency will fall and a brightness | luminance will fall. As the temperature characteristics, when the temperature decreases, the voltage-current characteristics of the light-emitting element 3006 shift, and the resistance value of the light-emitting element 3006 increases.

  Similarly, if a current continues to flow through the drive transistor 3002, the threshold voltage increases, and the current decreases even when the same gate voltage is applied. Also, the value of the flowing current varies depending on the temperature.

  Therefore, the influence of deterioration and fluctuation as described above is corrected using a monitoring circuit. In this embodiment, by adjusting the potential of the second power supply line 3005, the deterioration of the light emitting element 3006 and the fluctuation of the current value due to the temperature of the driving transistor 3002 are corrected.

  Therefore, the configuration of the monitor circuit will be described. A monitor drive transistor 3014, a monitor light emitting element 3011, and a monitor current source 3013 are connected between the first power supply line 3004 and the third power supply line 3012. An input terminal of the voltage follower circuit 3015 is connected to a contact point between the monitor light emitting element 3011 and the monitor current source 3013. A second power supply line 3005 is connected to the output terminal of the voltage follower circuit 3015. Therefore, the potential of the second power supply line 3005 is controlled by the output of the voltage follower circuit 3015.

  Next, the operation of the monitor circuit will be described. First, when the light emitting element 3006 emits light with the brightest number of gradations, the monitoring current source 3013 passes a current having a magnitude desired to flow through the light emitting element 3006. The current value at this time is Imax. When the light emitting element 3006 emits light with the brightest number of gradations, the potential Vb having the same magnitude as the video signal input to the pixel (gate terminal of the drive transistor 3002) is applied to the gate terminal of the monitor drive transistor 3014. Add.

  As a result, a voltage having a magnitude necessary for flowing a current having a magnitude of Imax is added to the gate-source voltage of the monitor driving transistor 3014. That is, the source potential of the monitor drive transistor 3014 is a potential required to flow a current having a magnitude of Imax. Even if the threshold voltage of the monitor drive transistor 3014 changes due to deterioration, temperature, or the like, the gate-source voltage (source potential) also changes accordingly and becomes an optimum magnitude. Therefore, the influence of fluctuations in threshold voltage (deterioration, temperature change, etc.) can be corrected.

  Similarly, a voltage having a magnitude necessary for flowing a current having a magnitude of Imax is added to the voltage across the monitor light emitting element 3011. Even if the voltage-current characteristic of the monitor light emitting element 3011 changes due to deterioration, temperature, or the like, the voltage across the monitor light emitting element 3011 also changes accordingly and becomes an optimum magnitude. Therefore, the influence of fluctuation (deterioration, temperature change, etc.) of the monitor light emitting element 3011 can be corrected.

  The sum of the voltage applied to the monitor drive transistor 3014 and the voltage applied to the monitor light emitting element 3011 is input to the input terminal of the voltage follower circuit 3015. Therefore, the output terminal of the voltage follower circuit 3015, that is, the potential of the second power supply line 3005 is corrected by the monitor circuit, and the light emitting element 3006 and the driving transistor 3002 are also corrected for deterioration and fluctuation due to temperature. The

  The voltage follower circuit is not limited to this. That is, any circuit that outputs a voltage corresponding to the input current may be used. The voltage follower circuit is also a kind of amplifier circuit, but is not limited thereto. A circuit may be configured by combining any one or more of an operational amplifier, a bipolar transistor, and a MOS transistor.

  Note that the monitor light-emitting element 3011 and the monitor drive transistor 3014 are preferably formed on the same substrate by the same manufacturing method at the same time as the light-emitting element 3006 and the drive transistor 3002. This is because if the light emitting element for monitoring and the driving transistor, and the light emitting element and the driving transistor arranged in the pixel have different characteristics, the correction is shifted.

  Note that when the light emitting element 3006 emits light with the brightest number of gradations, a potential having the same magnitude as the video signal input to the pixel (the gate terminal of the drive transistor 3002) is applied to the gate terminal of the monitor drive transistor 3014. In the current source 3013 for monitoring, when the light emitting element 3006 is caused to emit light with the brightest number of gradations, a current having a magnitude desired to be supplied to the light emitting element 3006 is supplied, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

  When matched with the potential of the brightest number of gradations, the deterioration of the monitor light emitting element 3011 and the monitor drive transistor 3014 is significantly greater than that of the light emitting element 3006 and the drive transistor 3002 arranged in the pixel. For this reason, the potential output from the voltage follower circuit 3015 is a potential as if the correction has been performed. Therefore, it may be adapted to the degree of deterioration in actual pixels. For example, on average, if the lighting rate of the entire screen is 30%, the monitor circuit may be operated in accordance with the number of gradations corresponding to a luminance of 30%.

  Specifically, when the light emitting element 3006 emits light at the number of gradations corresponding to 30% luminance, the input to the pixel (gate terminal of the drive transistor 3002) is input to the gate terminal of the monitor drive transistor 3014. When the same potential as the video signal is applied and the light emitting element 3006 is caused to emit light to the monitor current source 3013 with the number of gradations corresponding to 30% luminance, the current to be supplied to the light emitting element 3006 You may make it send an electric current.

  Note that in order to increase the number of gray levels of the light-emitting element, when the light-emitting element is driven in a saturation region, the voltage of the video signal may be increased as illustrated in FIG. In this embodiment, the potential of the second power supply line 3005 connected to one electrode of the light emitting element 3006 is corrected. Therefore, it is not necessary to correct the video signal voltage (video voltage) for increasing the number of gradations of the light emitting element.

  Note that if the monitor circuit is operated in accordance with the brightest number of gradations, a potential that has been heavily corrected is output, but this causes burn-in in pixels (the degree of deterioration for each pixel). Since the luminance unevenness due to fluctuations becomes inconspicuous, it is desirable to operate the monitor circuit in accordance with the brightest number of gradations.

  Note that the driving transistor 3002 may be operated only in the saturation region, may be operated in the saturation region and the linear region, or may be operated only in the linear region.

  When operating only in the linear region, the drive transistor 3002 generally operates as a switch. Therefore, the influence of characteristic variation due to deterioration or temperature of the driving transistor 3002 is difficult to occur. However, the influence of variation in characteristics due to deterioration or temperature of the light emitting element 3006 is corrected. When operating only in the linear region, it is often digitally controlled whether or not a current flows through the light emitting element 3006. In that case, a time gray scale method, an area gray scale method, and the like are often combined in order to increase the number of gray levels.

(Embodiment 2)
In this embodiment, a case where correction is performed using a video signal will be described.

  FIG. 2A illustrates a circuit configuration. The pixel includes a selection transistor 3001, a driving transistor 3002, and a light emitting element 3006. A source signal line 3003 to which a video signal is input and a gate terminal of the driving transistor 3002 are connected via the selection transistor 3001. Yes. A gate signal line 3007 is connected to the gate terminal of the selection transistor 3001. A driving transistor 3002 and a light emitting element 3006 are connected between the first power supply line 3004 and the second power supply line 4005. Then, a current flows from the first power supply line 3004 to the second power supply line 4005. The light emitting element 3006 emits light according to the magnitude of the current flowing therethrough.

  A shift register 3008 is used to control an analog switch 3009 arranged between a video line 3010 to which a video signal is input and a source signal line 3003. Then, the video signal supplied to the source signal line 3003 is input to the gate electrode of the driving transistor 3002. Then, current flows in the driving transistor 3002 and also flows in the light emitting element 3006 in accordance with the magnitude of the video signal.

  A video signal generation circuit 4031 is connected as a circuit for supplying a video signal to the video line 3010. The video signal generation circuit 4031 has a function of processing a video signal in order to correct deterioration due to the driving transistor 3002 and the light-emitting element 3006, fluctuation due to temperature, and the like.

  In such a pixel configuration, if the potentials of the first power supply line 3004 and the second power supply line 4005 are fixed, current continues to flow through the light emitting element 3006 and the driving transistor 3002, and the characteristics deteriorate. Further, the characteristics of the light emitting element 3006 and the driving transistor 3002 vary depending on the temperature.

  Specifically, when a current continues to flow through the light emitting element 3006, the voltage-current characteristic shifts. That is, the resistance value of the light emitting element 3006 increases, and the flowing current value decreases even when the same voltage is applied. Moreover, even if the same magnitude | size electric current flows, luminous efficiency will fall and a brightness | luminance will fall. As the temperature characteristics, when the temperature decreases, the voltage-current characteristics of the light-emitting element 3006 shift, and the resistance value of the light-emitting element 3006 increases.

  Similarly, if a current continues to flow through the drive transistor 3002, the threshold voltage increases, and the current decreases even when the same gate voltage is applied. Also, the value of the flowing current varies depending on the temperature.

  Therefore, the influence of deterioration and fluctuation as described above is corrected using a monitoring circuit. In this embodiment, the deterioration of the light-emitting element 3006 and the driving transistor 3002 and fluctuation due to temperature are corrected by adjusting the voltage of the video signal.

  First, the configuration of the monitor circuit will be described. A monitor current source 4013, a monitor drive transistor 4014, and a monitor light emitting element 4011 are connected between the first power supply line 4012 and the second power supply line 4005. The input terminal of the voltage follower circuit 4015 is connected to the contact point between the monitor current source 4013 and the monitor light emitting element 4011. A video signal generation circuit 4031 is connected to the output terminal of the voltage follower circuit 4015. Therefore, the voltage of the video signal is controlled by the output of the voltage follower circuit 4015.

  Next, the operation of the monitor circuit will be described. First, when the light emitting element 3006 emits light with the brightest number of gradations, the monitoring current source 4013 passes a current having a magnitude desired to flow through the light emitting element 3006. The current value at this time is Imax. The gate terminal of the monitor drive transistor 4014 is connected to the drain terminal of the monitor drive transistor 4014.

  As a result, a voltage having a magnitude necessary for flowing a current having a magnitude of Imax is added to the gate-source voltage of the monitor driving transistor 4014. That is, the source potential of the monitor drive transistor 4014 is a potential required to flow a current having a magnitude of Imax. Since the drain terminal is connected to the gate terminal, the drain potential is also a potential necessary to flow a current having a magnitude of Imax. Even if the threshold voltage of the monitor drive transistor 4014 changes due to deterioration, temperature, or the like, the gate-source voltage (source potential or drain potential) also changes accordingly and becomes an optimum magnitude. Therefore, the influence of fluctuations in threshold voltage (deterioration, temperature change, etc.) can be corrected.

  Similarly, a voltage having a magnitude necessary for flowing a current having a magnitude of Imax is added to the voltage across the monitor light emitting element 4011. Even if the voltage-current characteristic of the monitor light emitting element 4011 changes due to deterioration, temperature, or the like, the voltage across the monitor light emitting element 4011 also changes accordingly and becomes an optimum magnitude. Therefore, the influence of fluctuations (deterioration, temperature change, etc.) of the monitor light emitting element 4011 can be corrected.

  The sum of the voltage applied to the monitor drive transistor 4014 and the voltage applied to the monitor light emitting element 4011 is input to the input terminal of the voltage follower circuit 4015. Therefore, the output terminal of the voltage follower circuit 4015, that is, the potential of the video signal output from the video signal generation circuit 4031 is corrected by the monitor circuit, and the light emitting element 3006 and the driving transistor 3002 are also deteriorated or temperature-dependent. Variations are corrected.

  The voltage follower circuit is not limited to this. That is, any circuit that outputs a voltage corresponding to the input current may be used. The voltage follower circuit is also a kind of amplifier circuit, but is not limited thereto. A circuit may be configured by combining any one or more of an operational amplifier, a bipolar transistor, and a MOS transistor.

  Note that the monitor light emitting element 4011 and the monitor drive transistor 4014 are preferably formed on the same substrate by the same manufacturing method at the same time as the light emitting element 3006 and the drive transistor 3002. This is because the correction is shifted if the characteristics are different between the monitor and the pixel.

  Note that when the light emitting element 3006 emits light with the brightest number of gradations, a potential having the same magnitude as that of the video signal input to the pixel (the gate terminal of the driving transistor 3002) is applied to the gate terminal of the monitor driving transistor 4014. In the current source 4013 for monitoring, when the light emitting element 3006 is caused to emit light with the brightest number of gradations, a current having a magnitude desired to be supplied to the light emitting element 3006 is supplied, but the present invention is not limited to this.

  In accordance with the brightest number of gradations, the deterioration of the monitor light emitting element 4011 and the monitor drive transistor 4014 is larger than that of the light emitting element 3006 and the drive transistor 3002 arranged in the pixel. For this reason, the potential output from the voltage follower circuit 4015 is a potential as if the correction has been performed firmly. Therefore, it may be adapted to the degree of deterioration in actual pixels. For example, on average, if the lighting rate of the entire screen is 30%, the monitor circuit may be operated in accordance with the number of gradations corresponding to a luminance of 30%.

  Note that in order to increase the number of gray levels of the light-emitting element, when the light-emitting element is driven in a saturation region, the voltage of the video signal may be increased as illustrated in FIG. In this embodiment, the potential of the gate terminal of the driving transistor 3002 is corrected. Therefore, desired luminance of the light-emitting element can be expressed by correcting the voltage of the video signal (video voltage) as illustrated in FIG. 2B in accordance with the change in characteristics of the light-emitting element 3006.

  Specifically, when the light emitting element 3006 emits light with the number of gradations corresponding to 30% luminance, a current of a magnitude that is desired to flow through the light emitting element 3006 is supplied to the monitoring current source 4013. Also good. Then, the video signal generation circuit 4031 may output a video signal accordingly.

  Note that if the monitor circuit is operated in accordance with the brightest number of gradations, a potential that has been heavily corrected is output, but this causes burn-in in pixels (the degree of deterioration for each pixel). Since the luminance unevenness due to fluctuations becomes inconspicuous, it is desirable to operate the monitor circuit in accordance with the brightest number of gradations.

  Note that the driving transistor 3002 may be operated only in the saturation region, or may be operated in the saturation region and the linear region.

(Embodiment 3)
In this embodiment, a case where correction is performed using the potential of the first power supply line will be described.

  FIG. 3 shows a circuit configuration. The pixel includes a selection transistor 3001, a driving transistor 3002, and a light emitting element 3006. A source signal line 3003 to which a video signal is input and a gate terminal of the driving transistor 3002 are connected via the selection transistor 3001. Yes. A gate signal line 3007 is connected to the gate terminal of the selection transistor 3001. A drive transistor 3002 and a light emitting element 3006 are connected between the first power supply line 5004 and the second power supply line 5005. Then, a current flows from the first power supply line 5004 to the second power supply line 5005. The light emitting element 3006 emits light according to the magnitude of the current flowing therethrough.

  A shift register 3008 is used to control an analog switch 3009 arranged between a video line 3010 to which a video signal is input and a source signal line 3003. Then, the video signal supplied to the source signal line 3003 is input to the gate electrode of the driving transistor 3002. Then, current flows in the driving transistor 3002 and also flows in the light emitting element 3006 in accordance with the magnitude of the video signal.

  In the case of such a pixel structure, if the potentials of the first power supply line 5004 and the second power supply line 5005 are fixed, if current continues to flow through the light emitting element 3006 and the driving transistor 3002, the characteristics deteriorate. Come. Further, the characteristics of the light emitting element 3006 and the driving transistor 3002 vary depending on the temperature.

  Specifically, when a current continues to flow through the light emitting element 3006, the voltage-current characteristic shifts. That is, the resistance value of the light emitting element 3006 increases, and the flowing current value decreases even when the same voltage is applied. Moreover, even if the same magnitude | size electric current flows, luminous efficiency will fall and a brightness | luminance will fall. As the temperature characteristics, when the temperature decreases, the voltage-current characteristics of the light-emitting element 3006 shift, and the resistance value of the light-emitting element 3006 increases.

  Similarly, if a current continues to flow through the drive transistor 3002, the threshold voltage increases, and the current decreases even when the same gate voltage is applied. Also, the value of the flowing current varies depending on the temperature.

  Therefore, the influence of deterioration and fluctuation as described above is corrected using a monitoring circuit. In this embodiment, by adjusting the potential of the first power supply line 5004, deterioration of the light-emitting element 3006 and the driving transistor 3002 and fluctuation due to temperature are corrected.

  Therefore, the configuration of the monitor circuit will be described. A monitor current source 5013, a monitor drive transistor 5014, and a monitor light emitting element 5011 are connected between the first power supply line 5012 and the second power supply line 5005. An input terminal of the voltage follower circuit 5015 is connected to a contact point between the monitor light emitting element 5011 and the monitor current source 5013. A first power supply line 5004 is connected to the output terminal of the voltage follower circuit 5015. Therefore, the potential of the first power supply line 5004 is controlled by the output of the voltage follower circuit 5015.

  Next, the operation of the monitor circuit will be described. First, when the light emitting element 3006 emits light with the brightest number of gradations, the monitoring current source 5013 passes a current having a magnitude desired to flow through the light emitting element 3006. The current value at this time is Imax. When the light emitting element 3006 emits light with the brightest number of gradations, the potential Vc having the same magnitude as the video signal input to the pixel (gate terminal of the drive transistor 3002) is applied to the gate terminal of the monitor drive transistor 5014. Add.

  As a result, a voltage of a magnitude necessary for flowing a current of Imax is added to the gate-source voltage and the drain-source voltage of the monitor drive transistor 5014. In other words, the source potential and drain potential of the monitor drive transistor 5014 have a potential that is necessary to flow a current having a magnitude of Imax. Even if the threshold voltage of the monitor drive transistor 5014 changes due to deterioration or temperature, the gate-source voltage (source potential) and the drain-source voltage (drain potential) also change accordingly. Optimum size. Therefore, the influence of fluctuations in threshold voltage (deterioration, temperature change, etc.) can be corrected.

  Similarly, a voltage having a magnitude necessary for flowing a current having a magnitude of Imax is added to the voltage across the monitor light emitting element 5011. Even if the voltage-current characteristic of the monitor light emitting element 5011 changes due to deterioration, temperature, or the like, the voltage across the monitor light emitting element 5011 also changes accordingly and becomes an optimum magnitude. Therefore, the influence of fluctuations (deterioration, temperature change, etc.) of the monitor light emitting element 5011 can be corrected.

  The sum of the voltage applied to the monitor drive transistor 5014 and the voltage applied to the monitor light emitting element 5011 is input to the input terminal of the voltage follower circuit 5015. Therefore, the output terminal of the voltage follower circuit 5015, that is, the potential of the first power supply line 5004 is corrected by the monitor circuit, and the light emitting element 3006 and the driving transistor 3002 are also corrected for deterioration and fluctuation due to temperature. The

  The voltage follower circuit is not limited to this. That is, any circuit that outputs a voltage corresponding to the input current may be used. The voltage follower circuit is also a kind of amplifier circuit, but is not limited thereto. A circuit may be configured by combining any one or more of an operational amplifier, a bipolar transistor, and a MOS transistor.

  Note that the monitor light emitting element 5011 and the monitor drive transistor 5014 are preferably formed on the same substrate by the same manufacturing method at the same time as the drive transistor 3002 and the drive transistor 3002. This is because the correction is shifted if the characteristics are different between the monitor and the pixel.

  Note that the light emitting element 3006 and the driving transistor 3002 arranged in the pixel have a period during which current does not frequently flow, and thus the current continues to flow through the monitoring light emitting element 5011 and the monitoring driving transistor 5014. The deterioration of the monitor light emitting element 5011 and the monitor drive transistor 5014 is greatly increased. For this reason, the potential output from the voltage follower circuit 5015 is a potential as if the correction has been performed strongly. Therefore, it may be adapted to the degree of deterioration in actual pixels. For example, on average, if the lighting rate of the entire screen is 30%, a current may be supplied to the monitor light emitting element 5011 and the monitor drive transistor 5014 for a period corresponding to 30% luminance. . At that time, a period in which no current flows in the monitor light emitting element 5011 and the monitor drive transistor 5014 occurs, but it is necessary to keep the voltage supplied from the output terminal of the voltage follower circuit 5015 unchanged. . In order to realize this, a capacitive element is provided at the input terminal of the voltage follower circuit 5015 so that the potential when a current is supplied to the monitor light emitting element 5011 and the monitor drive transistor 5014 is held there. do it.

  Note that if the monitor circuit is operated in accordance with the brightest number of gradations, a potential that has been heavily corrected is output, but this causes burn-in in pixels (the degree of deterioration for each pixel). Since the luminance unevenness due to fluctuations becomes inconspicuous, it is desirable to operate the monitor circuit in accordance with the brightest number of gradations.

  Note that the driving transistor 3002 is preferably operated in a linear region. This is because in this embodiment, the drain potential of the driving transistor 3002 is changed in order to correct the potential of the first power supply line 5004. If the driving transistor 3002 operates in the saturation region, even if the drain potential is changed, the change in the current flowing through the driving transistor 3002 is not large. On the other hand, when the driving transistor 3002 operates in the linear region, the current value changes when the drain potential changes, so that the correction effect is large. Therefore, the driving transistor 3002 is desirably operated in a linear region.

  When operating only in the linear region, the drive transistor 3002 generally operates as a switch. Therefore, the influence of characteristic variation due to deterioration or temperature of the driving transistor 3002 is difficult to occur. However, the influence of variation in characteristics due to deterioration or temperature of the light emitting element 3006 is corrected. When operating only in the linear region, it is often digitally controlled whether or not a current flows through the light emitting element 3006. In that case, a time gray scale method, an area gray scale method, and the like are often combined in order to increase the number of gray scales.

(Embodiment 4)
FIG. 4A illustrates a circuit configuration. The pixel includes a selection transistor 6001, a driving transistor 6002, a holding transistor 6009, a capacitor 6010, and a light emitting element 6006. A source signal line 6003 to which a video signal is input and a source terminal of the driving transistor 6002 are selected. The transistors 6001 are connected to each other. A gate signal line 6007 is connected to the gate terminal of the selection transistor 6001. A drive transistor 6002 and a light emitting element 6006 are connected between the first power supply line 6004 and the second power supply line 6005. Then, a current flows from the first power supply line 6004 to the second power supply line 6005. The light emitting element 6006 emits light according to the amount of current flowing therethrough. A capacitor 6010 is disposed between the gate and source of the driving transistor 6002, and a holding transistor 6009 is connected between the drain and source of the driving transistor 6002. A gate signal line 6007 is connected to the gate terminal of the holding transistor 6009.

  A video current source circuit 6008 is arranged in the signal line driver circuit. The video current source circuit 6008 supplies a current having a magnitude corresponding to the video signal to the pixel. Then, the video signal supplied to the source signal line 6003 when the gate signal line 6007 is selected is input to the driving transistor 6002. At this time, since the potential of the first power supply line 6004 is changed, no current flows through the light emitting element 6006 because of the potential of the second power supply line 6005. Then, a gate-source voltage of the driving transistor 6002 having a necessary magnitude is accumulated in the capacitor 6010 in accordance with the magnitude of the video signal. After that, the gate signal line 6007 is brought into a non-selected state, and the charge accumulated in the capacitor 6010 is held. Therefore, even when the drain potential or the source potential of the driving transistor 6002 changes, the gate-source voltage of the driving transistor 6002 does not change. Then, the potential of the first power supply line 6004 returns to the original state, and a current having a magnitude corresponding to the video signal flows to the driving transistor 6002 and also flows to the light emitting element 6006.

  FIG. 4B shows a timing chart of potentials of the gate signal line 6007 and the first power supply line 6004 at this time. First, a signal for turning on the selection transistor 6001 and the holding transistor is input through the i-th gate signal line Vp (i). At the same time, a signal obtained by inverting the potential of the gate signal line Vp (i) is input to the i-th first power supply line Vg (i). A signal obtained by inverting the potential of the gate signal line Vp (i) is input from the i-th first power supply line Vg (i), so that the driving transistor 6002 corresponds to the video signal in the video current source circuit 6008. A gate-source voltage for turning on for the magnitude of the current is accumulated in the capacitor element 6010, and the current that flows when the drive transistor 6002 is turned on is related to the potential of the second power supply line 6005. Control can be performed so that no current flows through the light-emitting element 6006. At this time, the potential of the second power supply line 6005 can be increased so that current does not flow through the light emitting element 6006. In that case, for each pixel in the address period (writing period), the gate-source voltage for causing the driving transistor 6002 to flow by the amount of current corresponding to the video signal in the video current source circuit 6008 is the capacitive element 6010. And all the pixels are allowed to emit light simultaneously during the sustain period (light emission period). (I + 1) th gate signal line Vp (i + 1), (i + 1) th first power supply line Vg (i + 1), and (i + 2) th gate signal line Vp (i + 2), (i + 2) th first power supply A similar operation is performed on the supply line Vg (i + 2).

  Note that the driving transistor 6002 and the selection transistor 6001 are n-channel transistors. However, it is not limited to this.

  In the case of such a pixel configuration, if current continues to flow through the light emitting element 6006, the characteristics deteriorate. The characteristics of the light emitting element 6006 vary depending on the temperature around the light emitting element.

  Specifically, if a current continues to flow through the light-emitting element 6006, even if a current of the same magnitude flows, the light emission efficiency decreases and the luminance decreases.

  Therefore, the influence of deterioration and fluctuation as described above is corrected using a monitoring circuit. In this embodiment, the deterioration of the light-emitting element 6006 and fluctuation due to temperature are corrected by adjusting the magnitude of the current of the video signal.

  Therefore, the configuration of the monitor circuit will be described. Between the first power supply line 6012 and the second power supply line 6005, a monitor current source 6013, a monitor drive transistor 6014, and a monitor light emitting element 6011 are connected. The input terminal of the voltage follower circuit 6015 is connected to the contact point between the monitor current source 6013 and the monitor drive transistor 6014. The output terminal of the voltage follower circuit 6015 is connected to the input terminal of a video signal generation circuit 6031 that controls the magnitude of the current output from the video current source circuit 6008. Therefore, the magnitude of the current output from the video current source circuit 6008 is controlled by the output of the voltage follower circuit 6015.

  Next, the operation of the monitor circuit will be described. First, when the light emitting element 6006 emits light with the brightest number of gradations, the monitoring current source 6013 passes a current having a magnitude desired to flow through the light emitting element 6006. The current value at this time is Imax.

  Then, since the gate terminal and the drain terminal of the monitor drive transistor 6014 are connected, a voltage having a magnitude necessary for flowing a current having a magnitude of Imax is added to the gate-source voltage. That is, the source potential and the drain potential of the monitor drive transistor 6014 have a potential that is necessary to pass a current having a magnitude of Imax.

  Similarly, a voltage having a magnitude necessary for flowing a current having a magnitude of Imax is added to the voltage across the monitor light emitting element 6011. Even if the voltage-current characteristic of the monitor light emitting element 6011 changes due to deterioration, temperature, or the like, the voltage across the monitor light emitting element 6011 also changes accordingly and becomes an optimum magnitude. Therefore, the influence of fluctuations (deterioration, temperature change, etc.) of the monitor light emitting element 6011 can be corrected.

  The sum of the voltage applied to the monitor drive transistor 6014 and the voltage applied to the monitor light emitting element 6011 is input to the input terminal of the voltage follower circuit 6015. Therefore, the output terminal of the voltage follower circuit 6015, that is, the magnitude of the current output from the video current source circuit 6008 is corrected by the monitor circuit, and the light emitting element 6006 is also corrected for deterioration and fluctuation due to temperature. Is done.

  The voltage follower circuit is not limited to this. That is, any circuit that outputs a voltage corresponding to the input current may be used. The voltage follower circuit is also a kind of amplifier circuit, but is not limited thereto. A circuit may be configured by combining any one or more of an operational amplifier, a bipolar transistor, and a MOS transistor.

  Note that the monitor light emitting element 6011 and the monitor drive transistor 6014 are preferably formed on the same substrate by the same manufacturing method at the same time as the drive transistor 6002 and the drive transistor 6002. This is because the correction is shifted if the characteristics are different between the monitor and the pixel.

  Note that, when the light emitting element 6006 is caused to emit light with the brightest number of gradations, a current of a magnitude that is desired to flow through the light emitting element 6006 is supplied to the monitoring current source 6013; however, the present invention is not limited to this.

  When matched to the brightest number of gradations, the deterioration of the monitor light emitting element 6011 is larger than that of the light emitting element 6006 arranged in the pixel. For this reason, the potential output from the voltage follower circuit 6015 is a potential as if the correction has been made. Therefore, it may be adapted to the degree of deterioration in actual pixels. For example, on average, if the lighting rate of the entire screen is 30%, the monitor circuit may be operated in accordance with the number of gradations corresponding to a luminance of 30%. Specifically, when the light emitting element 6006 emits light with the number of gradations corresponding to 30% luminance, a current of a magnitude desired to flow through the light emitting element 6006 is supplied to the monitoring current source 6013. Also good. Then, the video signal generation circuit 6031 may output a video signal accordingly.

  Note that if the monitor circuit is operated in accordance with the brightest number of gradations, a potential that has been heavily corrected is output, but this causes burn-in in pixels (the degree of deterioration for each pixel). Since the luminance unevenness due to fluctuations becomes inconspicuous, it is desirable to operate the monitor circuit in accordance with the brightest number of gradations.

  Note that the driving transistor 6002 may be operated only in the saturation region, may be operated in the saturation region and the linear region, or may be operated only in the linear region.

  Note that the pixel configuration is not limited to FIG. In FIG. 4, a current having a magnitude corresponding to a video signal is supplied to the pixel, and the driving transistor 6002 can supply a current corresponding to the video signal to the light-emitting element 6006 even if the current characteristics thereof vary. That is, the variation in current characteristics of the drive transistor 6002 is corrected. FIG. 18 shows another example of a pixel configuration in which a current having a magnitude corresponding to a video signal is supplied to a pixel to correct variation in current characteristics of the driving transistor.

In the pixel, a selection transistor 1801, a driving transistor 1802, a conversion transistor 1811, a holding transistor 1809, a capacitor 1810, and a light emitting element 1806 are arranged. A source signal line 1803 to which a video signal is input and a gate terminal of the driving transistor 1802 Are connected via a selection transistor 1801 and a holding transistor 1809. The selection transistor 1801 is disposed between the source signal line 1803 and the drain terminal of the conversion transistor 1811. A gate signal line 1807 is connected to gate terminals of the selection transistor 1801 and the holding transistor 1809. A driving transistor 1802 and a light emitting element 1806 are connected between the first power supply line 1804 and the second power supply line 1805. A current flows from the first power supply line 1804 to the second power supply line 1805. The light emitting element 1806 emits light according to the magnitude of the current flowing therethrough. A capacitive element 1810 is arranged at the gate terminal of the driving transistor 1802 and holds the gate potential. Note that although the capacitor 1810 is connected between the gate terminal of the driving transistor 1802 and the wiring 1812, the invention is not limited to this. The driving transistor 1802 may be disposed between the gate and the source. A holding transistor 1809 is connected between the drain and gate of the conversion transistor 1811. The drive transistor 1802 and the conversion transistor 1811 have a current mirror configuration, and the gate terminals are connected to each other and the source terminals are connected to each other.

  A video current source circuit 1808 is disposed in the signal line driver circuit. The video current source circuit 1808 supplies a current having a magnitude corresponding to the video signal to the pixel. Then, the video signal supplied to the source signal line 6003 when the gate signal line 1807 is selected is input to the conversion transistor 1811. Then, the gate potential of the conversion transistor 1811 having a necessary magnitude is accumulated in the capacitor 1810 in accordance with the magnitude of the video signal. After that, the gate signal line 1807 is in a non-selected state, and the charge accumulated in the capacitor 1810 is held. Since the drive transistor 1802 and the conversion transistor 1811 have a current mirror configuration, a current having a magnitude corresponding to the current flowing through the conversion transistor 1811 flows through the drive transistor 1802. As a result, a current having a magnitude corresponding to the video signal flows through the driving transistor 1802 and also flows through the light emitting element 1806. Here, the current capability of the drive transistor 1802 (W / L, which is the ratio of the channel width W to the channel length L) is made smaller than the current capability of the conversion transistor 1811, thereby increasing the current flowing through the conversion transistor 1811. Is possible. As a result, the amount of current supplied from the video current source circuit 1808 to the pixel can be increased. As a result, the signal writing speed to the pixel can be increased.

(Embodiment 5)
FIG. 5A illustrates a circuit configuration. The pixel includes a selection transistor 7001, a driving transistor 7002, a holding transistor 7009, a capacitor 7010, and a light emitting element 7006. A source signal line 7003 to which a video signal is input and a gate terminal of the driving transistor 7002 are selected. The transistors 7001 are connected to each other. A gate signal line 7007 is connected to the gate terminal of the selection transistor 7001. A drive transistor 7002 and a light emitting element 7006 are connected between the first power supply line 7004 and the second power supply line 7005. A current flows from the first power supply line 7004 to the second power supply line 7005. The light emitting element 7006 emits light according to the magnitude of current flowing therethrough. A capacitor 7010 is disposed between the gate and source of the driving transistor 7002, and a holding transistor 7009 is connected between the drain and source of the driving transistor 7002. A second gate signal line 7016 is connected to the gate terminal of the holding transistor 7009.

  In the circuit configuration illustrated in FIG. 5A, the holding transistor 7009 is turned on in accordance with a signal input from the second gate signal line 7016. Then, the gate-source voltage of the driving transistor 7002 corresponding to the threshold voltage of the driving transistor 7002 is accumulated in the capacitor 7010. Therefore, variations in the threshold voltage of each drive voltage can be corrected in advance. Note that a charge higher than the threshold voltage may be stored in advance in the capacitor by increasing the potential of the second power supply line for a moment.

  A shift register 7008 is used to control an analog switch 3009 arranged between a video line 7040 to which a video signal is input and a source signal line 7003. Then, the video signal supplied to the source signal line 7003 is input to the gate electrode of the driving transistor 7002. Then, a current flows through the driving transistor 7002 and also flows through the light emitting element 7006 in accordance with the magnitude of the video signal.

  Note that the driving transistor 7002 and the selection transistor 7001 are n-channel transistors. However, it is not limited to this.

  A video signal generation circuit 7031 is connected as a circuit for supplying a video signal to the video line 7040. The video signal generation circuit 7031 has a function of processing a video signal in order to correct deterioration due to deterioration of the driving transistor 7002 or the light-emitting element 7006, temperature, or the like.

  In such a pixel structure, if the potentials of the first power supply line 7004 and the second power supply line 7005 are fixed when the light emitting element 7006 emits light, current is supplied to the light emitting element 7006 and the driving transistor 7002. If is continuously flowing, the characteristics will deteriorate. In addition, the characteristics of the light-emitting element 7006 and the driving transistor 7002 vary depending on the temperature.

  Specifically, when a current continues to flow through the light emitting element 7006, the voltage-current characteristic shifts. That is, the resistance value of the light emitting element 7006 increases, and the flowing current value decreases even when the same voltage is applied. Moreover, even if the same magnitude | size electric current flows, luminous efficiency will fall and a brightness | luminance will fall. As the temperature characteristics, when the temperature decreases, the voltage-current characteristics of the light-emitting element 7006 shift, and the resistance value of the light-emitting element 7006 increases.

  Similarly, if a current continues to flow through the drive transistor 7002, the threshold voltage increases, and the current decreases even when the same gate voltage is applied. Also, the value of the flowing current varies depending on the temperature.

  Therefore, the influence of deterioration and fluctuation as described above is corrected using a monitoring circuit. In this embodiment, the deterioration of the light-emitting element 7006 and the driving transistor 7002 and fluctuation due to temperature are corrected by adjusting the potential of the video signal.

  Therefore, the configuration of the monitor circuit will be described. A monitor current source 7013, a monitor drive transistor 7014, and a monitor light emitting element 7011 are connected between the first power supply line 7004 and the second power supply line 7012. The input terminal of the voltage follower circuit 7015 is connected to the contact point between the monitor current source 7013 and the monitor drive transistor 7014. A video signal generation circuit 7031 is connected to the output terminal of the voltage follower circuit 7015. Therefore, the voltage of the video signal is controlled by the output of the voltage follower circuit 7015.

  Next, the operation of the monitor circuit will be described. First, when the light emitting element 7006 emits light with the brightest number of gradations, the monitoring current source 7013 passes a current having a magnitude desired to flow through the light emitting element 7006. The current value at this time is Imax.

  Then, since the gate terminal and the drain terminal of the monitor drive transistor 7014 are connected, the voltage between the gate and the source of the monitor drive transistor 7014 is a voltage required to flow a current of Imax. Will be added. In other words, the source potential and the drain potential of the monitor drive transistor 7014 have a potential that is necessary to flow a current having a magnitude of Imax. Even if the threshold voltage of the monitor drive transistor 7014 changes due to deterioration, temperature, or the like, the gate-source voltage (source potential or drain potential) also changes accordingly and becomes an optimum magnitude. Therefore, the influence of fluctuations in threshold voltage (deterioration, temperature change, etc.) can be corrected.

  Similarly, a voltage having a magnitude necessary for flowing a current having a magnitude of Imax is added to the voltage across the monitor light emitting element 7011. Even if the voltage-current characteristic of the monitor light emitting element 7011 changes due to deterioration, temperature, or the like, the voltage across the monitor light emitting element 7011 also changes accordingly and becomes an optimum magnitude. Therefore, the influence of fluctuations (deterioration, temperature change, etc.) of the monitor light emitting element 7011 can be corrected.

  The sum of the voltage applied to the monitor drive transistor 7014 and the voltage applied to the monitor light emitting element 7011 is input to the input terminal of the voltage follower circuit 7015. Therefore, the output terminal of the voltage follower circuit 7015, that is, the potential of the video signal is corrected by the monitoring circuit, and the light emitting element 7006 and the driving transistor 7002 are also corrected for deterioration and fluctuation due to temperature.

  The voltage follower circuit is not limited to this. That is, any circuit that outputs a voltage corresponding to the input current may be used. The voltage follower circuit is also a kind of amplifier circuit, but is not limited thereto. A circuit may be configured by combining any one or more of an operational amplifier, a bipolar transistor, and a MOS transistor.

  Note that the monitor light-emitting element 7011 and the monitor drive transistor 7014 are preferably formed over the same substrate by the same manufacturing method as the drive transistor 7002 and the light-emitting element 7006. This is because the correction is shifted if the characteristics are different between the monitor and the pixel.

  Note that when the light emitting element 7006 is caused to emit light with the brightest number of gradations, a current of a magnitude desired to flow through the light emitting element 7006 is supplied to the monitoring current source 7013; however, the present invention is not limited to this.

  When matched to the brightest number of gradations, the deterioration of the monitor light emitting element 7011 and the monitor drive transistor 7014 is larger than that of the light emitting element 7006 and the drive transistor 7002 arranged in the pixel. For this reason, the potential output from the voltage follower circuit 7015 is a potential as if the correction has been performed. Therefore, it may be adapted to the degree of deterioration in actual pixels. For example, on average, if the lighting rate of the entire screen is 30%, the monitor circuit may be operated in accordance with the number of gradations corresponding to a luminance of 30%.

  Specifically, when the light emitting element 7006 emits light with the number of gradations corresponding to 30% luminance, a current of a magnitude desired to flow through the light emitting element 7006 is supplied to the monitor current source 7013. Also good. Then, the video signal generation circuit 7031 may output a video signal accordingly.

  Note that in order to increase the number of gray levels of the light-emitting element, when the light-emitting element is driven in a saturation region, the voltage of the video signal may be increased as illustrated in FIG. In this embodiment, the potential of the gate terminal of the driving transistor 7002 is corrected. Therefore, the desired luminance of the light-emitting element can be expressed by correcting the voltage of the video signal (video voltage) as shown in FIG.

  Note that if the monitor circuit is operated in accordance with the brightest number of gradations, a potential that has been heavily corrected is output, but this causes burn-in in pixels (the degree of deterioration for each pixel). Since the luminance unevenness due to fluctuations becomes inconspicuous, it is desirable to operate the monitor circuit in accordance with the brightest number of gradations.

  Note that the driving transistor 7002 may be operated only in the saturation region, may be operated in the saturation region and the linear region, or may be operated only in the linear region.

  When operating only in the linear region, the driving transistor 7002 generally operates as a switch. For this reason, it is difficult to affect the characteristics of the drive transistor 7002 due to deterioration, temperature, or the like. However, the influence of variation in characteristics due to deterioration or temperature of the light emitting element 7006 is corrected. When operating only in the linear region, it is often digitally controlled whether or not a current flows through the light emitting element 7006. In that case, a time gray scale method, an area gray scale method, and the like are often combined in order to increase the number of gray scales.

(Embodiment 6)
FIG. 6 shows an example of correcting a video signal input to a signal line driver circuit that drives a pixel portion. 6 includes a source signal line driver circuit 9901, a gate signal line driver circuit 9902, a pixel portion 9903, an adder circuit 9904, a video input terminal 9905, a differential amplifier 9906, a reference power supply 9907, a buffer amplifier 9908, a current source 9909, A monitor TFT 9910, a monitor light emitting element 9911, and an electrode 9912 are included.

  The operation will be described below. A current is supplied from the current source 9909 to the monitor TFT 9910 and the monitor light emitting element 9911. As a result, a voltage corresponding to the current is generated in the monitor light emitting element 9911 and the monitor TFT 9910. The voltage is input to the first input terminal of the differential amplifier 9906 via the buffer amplifier 9908. On the other hand, the voltage of the reference power supply 9907 is input to the second input terminal of the differential amplifier 9906. A differential voltage between the output voltage of the buffer amplifier 9908 and the output voltage of the reference power supply 9907 is amplified by the differential amplifier 9906 and input to the adder circuit 9904. In the adder circuit 9904, the output voltage of the differential amplifier 9906 and the video signal input from the video signal input terminal 9905 are added and input to the source signal line driver circuit 9901. With this video signal after addition, the source signal line driver circuit 9901 and the gate signal line driver circuit 9902 can write the video signal into the pixel portion 9903.

In the initial stage, the output voltage of the buffer amplifier 9908 and the output voltage of the reference power supply 9907 are made substantially equal. As a result, the video signal input from the video signal input terminal 9905 is initially written in the pixel portion 9903 as it is.
When time elapses and the TFT 9910 and the monitor light emitting element 9911 deteriorate, their voltages change. When the voltage is input to the differential amplifier 9906 via the buffer amplifier 9908, the output voltage of the buffer amplifier 9908 and the output voltage of the reference power supply 9907 are different, so the differential amplifier 9906 amplifies and adds the difference. Input to the circuit 9904. In the adder circuit 9904, the output voltage of the differential amplifier 9906 and the video signal are added, and the output voltage of the adder circuit 9904 is corrected for deterioration. By writing the output voltage of the adder circuit 9904 into the pixel portion 9903 through the source line signal line 9901, the display content is corrected. As described above, the deterioration of the TFT and the light emitting element can be corrected.

  FIG. 7 shows an example in which a video signal input to a signal line driver circuit that drives a pixel portion is corrected. 7 includes a source signal line driver circuit 9801, a gate signal line driver circuit 9802, a pixel portion 9803, an adder circuit 9804, a video input terminal 9805, a differential amplifier 9806, buffer amplifiers 9807 and 9808, current sources 9809 and 9813, The monitor TFTs 9810 and 9814, monitor light emitting elements 9811 and 9815, and an electrode 9812 are included.

  The operation will be described below. A current is supplied from the current source 9809 to the monitor TFT 9810 and the monitor light emitting element 9811. As a result, a voltage corresponding to the current is generated in the monitor light emitting element 9811 and the monitor TFT 9810. The voltage is input to the first input terminal of the differential amplifier 9806 via the buffer amplifier 9808. A current is supplied from the current source 9813 to the monitor TFT 9814 and the light emitting element 9815. Thereby, a voltage corresponding to the current is generated in the monitor TFT 9814 and the monitor light emitting element 9815. The voltage is input to the second input terminal of the differential amplifier 9806 via the buffer amplifier 9807. At this time, the current of the current source 9809 is set larger than the current of the current source 9813. Due to the difference in current, the voltage at the first input terminal and the voltage at the second input terminal of the differential amplifier 9806 are different. This difference is compensated inside the differential amplifier 9806 so that the voltage at the first input terminal and the voltage at the second input terminal of the differential amplifier 9806 are the same.

  The output voltage of the differential amplifier 9806 is input to the adder circuit 9804. In the adder circuit 9904, the output voltage of the differential amplifier 9806 and the video signal input from the video signal input terminal 9805 are added and input to the source signal line driver circuit. With this video signal after addition, the source signal line driver circuit and the gate signal line driver circuit can write the video signal to the pixel portion 9803.

  Initially, the output voltage of the buffer amplifier 9808 and the output voltage of the buffer amplifier 9807 are different from each other. However, since the differential amplifier 9806 is compensated as described above, the output of the differential amplifier 9806 becomes zero. Accordingly, at the initial stage, the video signal input from the video signal input terminal 9805 is written in the pixel portion 9803 as it is.

  When time elapses and the monitor TFTs 9810 and 9814 and the monitor light emitting elements 9811 and 9815 deteriorate, their voltages change. As for the degree of change, the deterioration of the TFT 9810 and the monitor light emitting element 9811 through which a large amount of current flows is large, and the deterioration of the monitor TFT 9814 and the monitor light emitting element 9815 with a small current is small. As a result, the output voltage of the buffer amplifier 9808 does not change much from the initial value, but the output voltage of the buffer amplifier 9807 changes greatly. Since the differential amplifier 9806 takes these differences, it is possible to extract the voltage corresponding to the deterioration of the monitor TFT 9810 and the monitor light emitting element 9811. The differential amplifier 9806 amplifies the degraded voltage and inputs it to the adder circuit 9804. In the adder circuit 9804, the output voltage of the differential amplifier 9806 and the video signal are added, and the output voltage of the adder circuit 9804 is corrected for deterioration. By writing the output voltage of the adder circuit 9804 into the pixel portion 9803 with the source line signal driver circuit, the display content is corrected. As described above, the deterioration of the TFT and the light emitting element can be corrected.

(Embodiment 7)
In this embodiment, an example of manufacturing an active matrix display device using a channel-etch TFT as a switching element will be described with reference to drawings.

As shown in FIG. 8A, a material layer and a base layer 111 for improving adhesion are formed on a substrate 110 by a droplet discharge method to be formed later. Since the base layer 111 may be formed extremely thin, it does not necessarily have a layer structure. The underlayer 111 is produced by a photocatalytic material (titanium oxide (TiO _x ), strontium titanate (SrTiO ₃ ), cadmium selenide (CdSe), potassium tantalate (KTaO ₃ ), cadmium sulfide (CdS) by spraying or sputtering. ), Zirconium oxide (ZrO ₂ ), niobium oxide (Nb ₂ O ₅ ), zinc oxide (ZnO), iron oxide (Fe ₂ O ₃ ), tungsten oxide (WO ₃ )) are formed on the entire surface. Alternatively, an organic material (polyimide, acrylic, or a bond of silicon (Si) and oxygen (O) is used to form a skeletal structure using an inkjet method or a sol-gel method, and the substituent is hydrogen, fluorine, an alkyl group, or an aromatic group. A process of selectively forming a coating insulating film using a material having at least one kind of hydrocarbon may be performed. This can also be regarded as a base pretreatment.

Here, an example of performing base pretreatment for improving adhesion when discharging a conductive material on a substrate is shown. However, a material layer (for example, an organic layer, an inorganic layer, or a metal layer) or discharged conductivity When a material layer (for example, an organic layer, an inorganic layer, or a metal layer) is further formed on the layer by a droplet discharge method, a TiO _x film forming process is performed to improve the adhesion between the material layer and the material layer. May be. That is, when drawing is performed by discharging a conductive material by a droplet discharge method, it is desirable that the base pretreatment is sandwiched between the upper and lower interfaces of the conductive material layer to improve the adhesion.

  The underlayer 111 is not limited to a photocatalytic material, but a 3d transition metal (Sc, Ti, Cr, Ni, V, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, etc.), or an oxide, nitride, or oxynitride thereof Can be used.

  Note that the substrate 100 has heat resistance capable of withstanding the processing temperature in this manufacturing process, in addition to an alkali-free glass substrate manufactured by a fusion method or a float method, such as barium borosilicate glass, aluminoborosilicate glass, or aluminosilicate glass. A plastic substrate or the like can be used.

  Next, a conductive film pattern 112 is formed by dropping a conductive film material liquid by a droplet discharge method, typically an inkjet method. (FIG. 8 (A)) As the conductive material included in the conductive film material liquid, 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), an alloy made of these, These dispersible nanoparticles or silver halide fine particles are used. In particular, since it is preferable to reduce the resistance of the gate wiring, it is preferable to use a material in which any one of gold, silver, and copper is dissolved or dispersed in consideration of the specific resistance value. More preferably, low resistance silver or copper is used. However, when silver or copper is used, it is preferable to provide a barrier film together to prevent impurity diffusion. The solvent corresponds to esters such as butyl acetate, alcohols such as isopropyl alcohol, organic solvents such as acetone, and the like. The surface tension and the viscosity are appropriately adjusted by adjusting the concentration of the solvent or adding a surfactant or the like.

  Here, an example of the droplet discharge device is shown in FIG. In FIG. 15, 1500 is a large substrate, 1504 is an imaging means, 1507 is a stage, 1511 is a marker, and 1503 is a region where one panel is formed. Heads 1505a, 1505b, and 1505c having the same width as one panel are provided, and the stage is moved, and these heads are scanned, for example, zigzag or reciprocated to appropriately form a pattern of the material layer. Although it is possible to use a head having the same width as that of the large-sized substrate, it is easier to operate by adjusting it to one panel size as shown in FIG. In order to improve the throughput, it is preferable to discharge the material while moving the stage.

  The heads 1505a, 1505b, 1505c and the stage 1507 are preferably provided with a temperature adjustment function. The interval between the head (nozzle tip) and the large substrate is about 1 mm. The landing accuracy can be increased by shortening this interval.

  In FIG. 15, heads 1505a, 1505b, and 1505c arranged in three rows in the scanning direction may be capable of forming different material layers, or may eject the same material. When the same material is discharged by three heads to form the interlayer insulating film 128 in a pattern, the throughput is improved. Note that the apparatus shown in FIG. 15 can scan with the head unit fixed and the substrate 1500 moved, or the substrate 1500 fixed and the head unit moved.

  The individual heads 1505a, 1505b, and 1505c of the droplet discharge means are connected to the control means, which can draw a pre-programmed pattern by being controlled by a computer. The discharge amount is controlled by the applied pulse voltage. The drawing timing may be performed with reference to a marker formed on the substrate, for example. Alternatively, the reference point may be determined based on the edge of the substrate. This is detected by an image pickup means such as a CCD, and converted into a digital signal by the image processing means is recognized by a computer to generate a control signal and send it to the control means. Of course, the information on the pattern to be formed on the substrate is stored in the storage medium, and based on this information, a control signal is sent to the control means to individually control each head of the droplet discharge means. be able to.

  Next, laser light is selectively irradiated to expose part of the conductive film pattern (see FIG. 8B). A photosensitive material is included in advance in the conductive film material liquid to be discharged, and a chemical reaction is caused by the irradiated laser light. Here, an example in which the photosensitive material is a negative type that leaves a portion chemically irradiated by irradiation is shown. By irradiating the laser beam, an accurate pattern shape, particularly a wiring having a narrow width can be obtained.

  Here, the laser beam drawing apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. A laser beam drawing apparatus 401 includes a personal computer (hereinafter also referred to as a PC) 402 that executes various controls when irradiating a laser beam, a laser oscillator 403 that outputs a laser beam, a power supply 404 of the laser oscillator 403, An optical system (ND filter) 405 for attenuating the laser beam, an acousto-optic modulator (AOM) 406 for modulating the intensity of the laser beam, a lens and an optical path for enlarging or reducing the cross section of the laser beam An optical system 407 composed of a mirror for changing the substrate, a substrate moving mechanism 409 having an X stage and a Y stage, a D / A converter 410 for digital-to-analog conversion of control data output from the PC, and D A driver 411 that controls the acousto-optic modulator 406 according to the analog voltage output from the A / A converter , And a driver 412 for outputting a driving signal for driving the substrate transfer mechanism 409.

As the laser oscillator 403, a laser oscillator that can oscillate ultraviolet light, visible light, or infrared light can be used. Examples of laser oscillators include excimer laser oscillators such as KrF, ArF, XeCl, and Xe, gas laser oscillators such as He, He—Cd, Ar, He—Ne, and HF, YAG, GdVO ₄ , YVO ₄ , YLF, and YAlO _3. A solid-state laser oscillator using a crystal doped with Cr, Nd, Er, Ho, Ce, Co, Ti, or Tm, and a semiconductor laser oscillator such as GaN, GaAs, GaAlAs, or InGaAsP can be used. In the solid-state laser oscillator, it is preferable to apply the first to fifth harmonics of the fundamental wave.

  A photosensitive material exposure method using a laser beam direct writing apparatus will be described below. In addition, the photosensitive material said here has pointed out the electrically conductive film material (photosensitive material is included) used as an electrically conductive film pattern.

  When the substrate 408 is mounted on the substrate moving mechanism 409, the PC 402 detects the position of the marker attached to the substrate by a camera (not shown). Next, the PC 402 generates movement data for moving the substrate moving mechanism 409 based on the detected marker position data and drawing pattern data input in advance. Thereafter, the PC 402 controls the output light amount of the acousto-optic modulator 406 via the driver 411, so that the laser beam output from the laser oscillator 403 is attenuated by the optical system 405 and then the acousto-optic modulator 406. The light amount is controlled so as to be a predetermined light amount. On the other hand, the laser beam output from the acousto-optic modulator 406 is changed in optical path and beam shape by the optical system 407, condensed by the lens, and then irradiated to the photosensitive material formed on the substrate. The photosensitive material is exposed to light. At this time, the substrate movement mechanism 409 is controlled to move in the X direction and the Y direction according to the movement data generated by the PC 402. As a result, a predetermined position is irradiated with a laser beam, and the photosensitive material is exposed.

  Note that a part of the energy of the laser light irradiated to the photosensitive material is converted into heat and reacts a part of the photosensitive material. Therefore, the pattern width is slightly larger than the width of the laser beam. Further, since the laser beam with a shorter wavelength can be condensed with a smaller beam diameter, it is preferable to irradiate a laser beam with a shorter wavelength in order to form a pattern with a fine width.

  The spot shape of the laser beam on the surface of the photosensitive material is processed by an optical system so as to be a dot, circle, ellipse, rectangle, or line (strictly, an elongated rectangle). The spot shape may be circular, but a linear pattern can form a pattern with a uniform width.

  The apparatus shown in FIG. 13 shows an example in which exposure is performed by irradiating a laser beam from the front side of the substrate. However, the optical system and the substrate moving mechanism are appropriately changed, and the laser beam is irradiated from the back side of the substrate. Alternatively, a laser beam drawing apparatus that performs exposure may be used. Note that here, the laser beam is selectively irradiated by moving the substrate; however, the present invention is not limited to this, and the laser beam can be irradiated by scanning the laser beam in the XY direction. In this case, it is preferable to use a polygon mirror or a galvanometer mirror for the optical system 407.

  Next, development is performed using an etchant (or developer), an excess portion is removed, and main baking is performed to form a metal wiring 115 serving as a gate electrode or a gate wiring (see FIG. 8C). .

  Similarly to the metal wiring 115, the wiring 140 extending to the terminal portion is also formed. Although not shown here, a power supply line for supplying current to the light emitting element may also be formed. In addition, a capacitor electrode or a capacitor wiring for forming a storage capacitor is formed if necessary. Note that when a positive photosensitive material is used, a portion to be removed may be irradiated with a laser to cause a chemical reaction, and the portion may be dissolved with an etchant. Further, after dropping the conductive film material solution, exposure by laser light irradiation may be performed after drying at room temperature or pre-baking.

  Next, a gate insulating film 118, a semiconductor film, and an n-type semiconductor film are sequentially formed by a plasma CVD method or a sputtering method. As the gate insulating film 118, a material mainly containing silicon oxide, silicon nitride, or silicon nitride oxide obtained by a PCVD method is used. The gate insulating film 118 may be a SiOx film containing an alkyl group by discharging and baking by a droplet discharging method using a siloxane polymer.

The semiconductor film is formed of an amorphous semiconductor film or a semi-amorphous semiconductor film which is manufactured by a vapor deposition method, a sputtering method, or a thermal CVD method using a semiconductor material gas typified by silane or germane. The amorphous semiconductor film, SiH _4, or can be used to obtain an amorphous silicon film by a PCVD method using a mixed gas of SiH ₄ and H _2. Further, (also referred to as microcrystal or microcrystalline) semi-amorphous as the semiconductor film, a mixed gas obtained by diluting the SiH ₄ to 3 to 1000 times with H _2, the gas flow rate ratio of Si ₂ H ₆ and GeF ₄ 20 to 40 : Semi-amorphous obtained by PCVD using a mixed gas diluted with 0.9 (Si ₂ H ₆ : GeF ₄ ), a mixed gas of Si ₂ H ₆ and F ₂ , or a mixed gas of SiH ₄ and F ₂ A silicon film can be used. Note that a semi-amorphous silicon film is preferable because the interface with the base can be more crystalline.

Alternatively, the crystallinity may be further improved by irradiating a semi-amorphous silicon film obtained by a PCVD method using a mixed gas of SiH ₄ and F ₂ with laser light.

  The n-type semiconductor film may be formed by a PCVD method using silane gas and phosphine gas, and can be formed by an amorphous semiconductor film or a semi-amorphous semiconductor film. When the n-type semiconductor film 120 is provided, the contact resistance between the semiconductor film and the electrode (an electrode formed in a later step) is preferable, but it may be provided as necessary.

  Next, a mask 121 is provided, and the semiconductor film and the n-type semiconductor film are selectively etched to obtain an island-shaped semiconductor film 119 and an n-type semiconductor film 120 (see FIG. 8D). The mask 121 is formed using a droplet discharge method or a printing method (such as a relief plate, a flat plate, an intaglio plate, or a screen). Although a desired mask pattern may be directly formed by a droplet discharge method or a printing method, after forming a rough resist pattern by a droplet discharge method or a printing method in order to form with high definition, a laser beam is emitted. It may be selectively exposed to form a fine resist pattern.

  If the laser beam drawing apparatus shown in FIG. 13 is used, resist exposure can also be performed. In that case, the resist mask 121 may be formed by exposing the photosensitive material as a resist with laser light.

  Next, after removing the mask 121, a mask (not shown) is provided, and the gate insulating film is selectively etched to form a contact hole. Further, the gate insulating film is removed from the terminal portion. The mask may be formed by a normal photolithography technique, a resist pattern formation by a droplet discharge method, or a resist pattern formation in which a positive resist coating is performed on the entire surface, followed by exposure and development with a laser beam. In an active matrix light-emitting device, a plurality of TFTs are arranged in one pixel and have a connection portion between a gate electrode and an upper wiring through a gate insulating film.

  Next, a composition containing a conductive material (Ag (silver), Au (gold), Cu (copper), W (tungsten), Al (aluminum), etc.)) is selectively discharged by a droplet discharge method, and the source Wiring or drain wirings 122 and 123 and an extraction electrode 117 are formed. Similarly, a power supply line for supplying current to the light-emitting element and a connection wiring (not shown) are also formed in the terminal portion (see FIG. 8E).

  Next, the n-type semiconductor film and the upper layer portion of the semiconductor film are etched using the source or drain wirings 122 and 123 as a mask to obtain the state of FIG. At this stage, a channel etch type TFT including a channel formation region 124, a source region 126, and a drain region 125 to be an active layer is completed.

  Next, a protective film 127 for preventing the channel formation region 124 from being contaminated with impurities is formed (see FIG. 9B). As the protective film 127, silicon nitride obtained by a sputtering method or a PCVD method, or a material mainly containing silicon nitride oxide is used. Although an example in which the protective film 127 is formed is shown here, it is not necessary to provide it unless particularly necessary.

  Next, an interlayer insulating film 128 is selectively formed by a droplet discharge method. For the interlayer insulating film 128, a resin material such as an epoxy resin, an acrylic resin, a phenol resin, a novolac resin, an acrylic resin, a melamine resin, or a urethane resin is used. Also, using organic materials such as benzocyclobutene, parylene, flare, permeable polyimide, compound materials made by polymerization of siloxane polymers, composition materials containing water-soluble homopolymers and water-soluble copolymers, etc. It is formed by a droplet discharge method. The formation method of the interlayer insulating film 128 is not particularly limited to the droplet discharge method, and may be formed over the entire surface using a coating method, a PCVD method, or the like.

Next, the protective film 127 is etched using the interlayer insulating film 128 as a mask, and a convex portion (pillar) 129 made of a conductive member is formed on part of the source wiring or drain wiring 122 or 123. The convex portion (pillar) 129 repeats discharge and firing of a composition containing a conductive material (Ag (silver), Au (gold), Cu (copper), W (tungsten), Al (aluminum), etc.). May be formed.

Next, a first electrode 130 in contact with the convex portion (pillar) 129 is formed over the interlayer insulating film 128 (see FIG. 9C). Similarly, a terminal electrode 141 in contact with the wiring 140 is also formed. Here, since the driving TFT is an n-channel type, the first electrode 130 preferably functions as a cathode. When light emission is allowed to pass, a composition containing indium tin oxide (ITO), indium tin oxide containing silicon oxide (ITSO), zinc oxide (ZnO), tin oxide (SnO ₂ ), or the like by a droplet discharge method or a printing method A predetermined pattern made of a material is formed and baked to form the first electrode 130 and the terminal electrode 141. In addition, when light emission is reflected by the first electrode 130, metal particles such as Ag (silver), Au (gold), Cu (copper), W (tungsten), and Al (aluminum) are mainly formed by a droplet discharge method. A predetermined pattern made of the composition as a component is formed and baked to form the electrode 130 and the terminal electrode 141. As another method, a transparent conductive film or a light reflective conductive film is formed by a sputtering method, a mask pattern is formed by a droplet discharge method, and etching is combined to form the first electrode 130. good.

  An example of a top view of the pixel at the stage of FIG. 9C is shown in FIG. In FIG. 10, the cross section taken along the chain line AA ′ corresponds to the cross sectional view on the right side of the pixel portion in FIG. 9C, and the cross sectional line BB ′ corresponds to the cross sectional view on the left side of the pixel portion in FIG. is doing. In FIG. 10, the same reference numerals are used for portions corresponding to those in FIGS. Further, in FIG. 10, a portion that becomes an end portion of the partition wall 134 to be formed later is indicated by a dotted line.

  Further, since the protective film 127 is provided here as an example, the interlayer insulating film 128 and the convex portion (pillar) 129 are formed separately. However, when the protective film 127 is not provided, the same apparatus is used by a droplet discharge method. It can also be formed.

  Next, a partition wall 134 that covers the periphery of the first electrode 130 is formed. A partition wall (also referred to as a bank) 134 is formed using a material containing silicon, an organic material, and a compound material. A porous film may be used. However, it is preferable to use a photosensitive or non-photosensitive material such as acrylic or polyimide because the side surface has a shape in which the radius of curvature continuously changes and the upper thin film is formed without being cut off.

  Through the above steps, a TFT substrate for a light-emitting display panel in which a bottom gate type (also referred to as an inverted stagger type) TFT and a first electrode 130 are formed over the substrate 100 is completed.

  Next, a layer functioning as an electroluminescent layer (EL layer), that is, a layer 136 containing an organic compound is formed. The layer 136 containing an organic compound has a stacked structure and is formed using an evaporation method or a coating method, respectively. For example, an electron transport layer (electron injection layer), a light emitting layer, a hole transport layer, and a hole injection layer are sequentially stacked on the cathode.

The electron transport layer contains a charge injecting / transporting material. Examples of the charge injecting / transporting material having a high electron transporting property include tris (8-quinolinolato) aluminum (abbreviation: Alq ₃ ), tris (5-methyl-8- Quinolinolato) aluminum (abbreviation: Almq ₃ ), bis (10-hydroxybenzo [h] -quinolinato) beryllium (abbreviation: BeBq ₂ ), bis (2-methyl-8-quinolinolato) -4-phenylphenolato-aluminum (abbreviation) : BAlq) and the like, and metal complexes having a quinoline skeleton or a benzoquinoline skeleton. As a substance having a high hole-transport property, for example, 4,4′-bis [N- (1-naphthyl) -N-phenyl-amino] -biphenyl (abbreviation: α-NPD), 4,4′-bis [ N- (3-methylphenyl) -N-phenyl-amino] -biphenyl (abbreviation: TPD) or 4,4 ′, 4 ″ -tris (N, N-diphenyl-amino) -triphenylamine (abbreviation: TDATA) ), 4,4 ′, 4 ″ -tris [N- (3-methylphenyl) -N-phenyl-amino] -triphenylamine (abbreviation: MTDATA) (ie, benzene ring-nitrogen) And a compound having a bond of

Among the charge injecting and transporting materials, materials having particularly high electron injecting properties include alkali metals or alkaline earths such as lithium fluoride (LiF), cesium fluoride (CsF), calcium fluoride (CaF ₂ ) and the like. Metal compounds can be mentioned. In addition, a mixture of a substance having a high electron transport property such as Alq ₃ and an alkaline earth metal such as magnesium (Mg) may be used.

  The light-emitting layer is formed of a charge injecting and transporting substance containing an organic compound or an inorganic compound and a light-emitting material, and based on the number of molecules thereof, a low molecular weight organic compound or a medium molecular weight organic compound (having no sublimation property and having Is an organic compound having a chain length of 10 μm or less, and includes one or a plurality of layers selected from high-molecular organic compounds, and has an electron injection / transport property or a hole injection / transport property. You may combine with these inorganic compounds.

There are various kinds of light emitting materials. In the low molecular weight organic light emitting material, 4-dicyanomethylene-2-methyl-6-[(1,1,7,7-tetramethyljulolidyl-9-enyl)]-4H-pyran (abbreviation: DCJT), 4-dicyanomethylene-2-tert-butyl-6- (1,1,7,7-tetramethyljulolidyl-9-enyl) -4H-pyran (abbreviation: DCJTB), perifuranthene, 2,5-dicyano- 1,4-bis (10-methoxy-1,1,7,7-tetramethyljulolidyl-9-enyl) benzene, N, N′-dimethylquinacridone (abbreviation: DMQd), coumarin 6, coumarin 545T, tris (8-quinolinolato) aluminum (abbreviation: Alq _3), 9,9'-bianthryl, 9,10-diphenyl anthracene (abbreviation: DPA) and 9,10-bis (2-naphthyl) anthranilate Sen (abbreviation: DNA), or the like can be used. Other substances may also be used.

  The polymer organic light emitting material has higher physical strength and higher device durability than the low molecular weight material. In addition, since the film can be formed by coating, the device can be manufactured relatively easily. The structure of the light emitting element using the high molecular weight organic light emitting material is basically the same as that when the low molecular weight organic light emitting material is used, and has a structure in which a cathode, an organic light emitting layer, and an anode are sequentially laminated. However, when forming a light emitting layer using a high molecular weight organic light emitting material, it is difficult to form a laminated structure as in the case of using a low molecular weight organic light emitting material. . Specifically, the cathode, the light emitting layer, the hole transport layer, and the anode are sequentially laminated.

  Since the light emission color is determined by the material for forming the light emitting layer, a light emitting element exhibiting desired light emission can be formed by selecting these materials. Examples of the polymer electroluminescent material that can be used for forming the light emitting layer include polyparaphenylene vinylene, polyparaphenylene, polythiophene, and polyfluorene.

  Examples of polyparaphenylene vinylene include poly (paraphenylene vinylene) (PPV) derivatives, poly (2,5-dialkoxy-1,4-phenylene vinylene) [RO-PPV], poly (2- (2′- Ethyl-hexoxy) -5-methoxy-1,4-phenylenevinylene) [MEH-PPV], poly (2- (dialkoxyphenyl) -1,4-phenylenevinylene) [ROPh-PPV] and the like. Examples of polyparaphenylene include derivatives of polyparaphenylene [PPP], poly (2,5-dialkoxy-1,4-phenylene) [RO-PPP], poly (2,5-dihexoxy-1,4-phenylene). ) And the like. The polythiophene series includes polythiophene [PT] derivatives, poly (3-alkylthiophene) [PAT], poly (3-hexylthiophene) [PHT], poly (3-cyclohexylthiophene) [PCHT], poly (3-cyclohexyl). -4-methylthiophene) [PCHMT], poly (3,4-dicyclohexylthiophene) [PDCHT], poly [3- (4-octylphenyl) -thiophene] [POPT], poly [3- (4-octylphenyl) -2,2 bithiophene] [PTOPT] and the like. Examples of the polyfluorene series include polyfluorene [PF] derivatives, poly (9,9-dialkylfluorene) [PDAF], poly (9,9-dioctylfluorene) [PDOF], and the like.

  Note that when a hole-transporting polymer-based organic light-emitting material is sandwiched between an anode and a light-emitting polymer-based organic light-emitting material, hole injection properties from the anode can be improved. In general, an acceptor material dissolved in water is applied by spin coating or the like. In addition, since it is insoluble in an organic solvent, it can be stacked with the above-described light-emitting organic light-emitting material. Examples of the hole-transporting polymer organic light emitting material include a mixture of PEDOT and camphor sulfonic acid (CSA) as an acceptor material, a mixture of polyaniline [PANI] and polystyrene sulfonic acid [PSS] as an acceptor material, and the like. .

  Furthermore, a triplet excitation material containing a metal complex or the like may be used for the light emitting layer in addition to a singlet excitation light emitting material. For example, among red light emitting pixels, green light emitting pixels, and blue light emitting pixels, a red light emitting pixel having a relatively short luminance half time is formed of a triplet excitation light emitting material, and the other A singlet excited luminescent material is used. The triplet excited luminescent material has a feature that the light emission efficiency is good, so that less power is required to obtain the same luminance. That is, when applied to a red pixel, the amount of current flowing through the light emitting element can be reduced, so that reliability can be improved. As a reduction in power consumption, a red light-emitting pixel and a green light-emitting pixel may be formed using a triplet excitation light-emitting material, and a blue light-emitting pixel may be formed using a singlet excitation light-emitting material. By forming a green light-emitting element having high human visibility with a triplet excited light-emitting material, power consumption can be further reduced.

  Examples of triplet excited luminescent materials include those using a metal complex as a dopant, and metal complexes having a third transition series element platinum as the central metal and metal complexes having iridium as the central metal are known. Yes. The triplet excited light-emitting material is not limited to these compounds, and a compound having the above structure and having an element belonging to group 8 to 10 in the periodic table as a central metal can also be used.

The hole transport layer contains a charge injecting and transporting material, and examples of the material having a high hole injecting property include molybdenum oxide (MoOx), vanadium oxide (VOx), ruthenium oxide (RuOx), Examples thereof include metal oxides such as tungsten oxide (WOx) and manganese oxide (MnOx). In addition, phthalocyanine compounds such as phthalocyanine (abbreviation: H ₂ Pc) and copper phthalocyanine (CuPC) can be given.

  Note that plasma treatment in an oxygen atmosphere or heat treatment in a vacuum atmosphere is preferably performed before the formation of the layer 136 containing an organic compound. When the vapor deposition method is used, the organic compound is vaporized by resistance heating in advance, and is scattered in the direction of the substrate when the shutter is opened during vapor deposition. The vaporized organic compound scatters upward and is deposited on the substrate through an opening provided in the metal mask. In order to achieve full color, the mask may be aligned for each emission color (R, G, B).

  The light emitting layer may be configured to perform full color display by forming light emitting layers having different emission wavelength bands for each pixel. Typically, a light emitting layer corresponding to each color of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) is formed. In this case, a filter (colored layer) that transmits light in the emission wavelength band is provided on the light emission side of the pixel to improve color purity and prevent mirror reflection (reflection) of the pixel portion. Can be achieved. By providing the filter (colored layer), it is possible to omit a circularly polarized plate that has been considered necessary in the past, and it is possible to eliminate the loss of light emitted from the light emitting layer. Furthermore, a change in color tone that occurs when the pixel portion (display screen) is viewed obliquely can be reduced.

  Further, full color display can be performed by combining a color filter and a color conversion layer using a material that emits monochromatic light as the layer 136 containing an organic compound without separately coating. For example, when an electroluminescent layer that emits white or orange light is formed, a full color display can be achieved by separately providing a color filter or a color conversion layer, or a combination of a color filter and a color conversion layer on the light emission side of the pixel. it can. The color filter and the color conversion layer may be formed on, for example, a second substrate (sealing substrate) and attached to the substrate. In addition, as described above, any of the material that emits monochromatic light, the color filter, and the color conversion layer can be formed by a droplet discharge method.

To form a light emitting layer that emits white light, for _{example, Alq 3, Alq 3, Alq} 3 doped with Nile Red which is partly red light emitting pigment, p-EtTAZ, by TPD (aromatic diamine) evaporation A white color can be obtained by sequentially laminating. In the case of forming an EL by a coating method using spin coating, it is preferable that the coated film is baked by vacuum heating after coating. For example, a poly (ethylenedioxythiophene) / poly (styrenesulfonic acid) aqueous solution (PEDOT / PSS) that acts as a hole injection layer is applied and baked on the entire surface, and then a luminescent center dye (1, 1,4,4-tetraphenyl-1,3-butadiene (TPB), 4-dicyanomethylene-2-methyl-6- (p-dimethylamino-styryl) -4H-pyran (DCM1), Nile Red, Coumarin 6 Etc.) A doped polyvinyl carbazole (PVK) solution may be applied to the entire surface and fired.

  The light emitting layer can also be formed as a single layer, and an electron transporting 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivative (PBD) may be dispersed in hole transporting polyvinyl carbazole (PVK). Further, white light emission can be obtained by dispersing 30 wt% PBD as an electron transporting agent and dispersing an appropriate amount of four kinds of dyes (TPB, coumarin 6, DCM1, Nile red).

  The substances forming the layer containing an organic compound listed above are examples, and examples thereof include a hole injection transport layer, a hole transport layer, an electron injection transport layer, an electron transport layer, a light emitting layer, an electron block layer, and a hole block layer. A light-emitting element can be formed by appropriately stacking functional layers. Moreover, you may form the mixed layer or mixed junction which combined these each layer. The layer structure of the light-emitting layer can be changed, and instead of having a specific electron injection region or light-emitting region, it is possible to provide a modification with an electrode for this purpose or a dispersed light-emitting material. Can be permitted without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  Of course, monochromatic light emission may be displayed. For example, an area color type light emitting display device may be formed using monochromatic light emission. As the area color type, a passive matrix type display unit is suitable, and characters and symbols can be mainly displayed.

  Next, a second electrode 137 is formed. The second electrode 137 functioning as an anode of the light emitting element is formed using a transparent conductive film that transmits light. For example, in addition to ITO and ITSO, indium oxide is mixed with 2 to 20% zinc oxide (ZnO). A conductive film is used. The light-emitting element has a structure in which a layer 136 containing an organic compound is sandwiched between a first electrode 130 and a second electrode 137. Note that it is necessary to select materials for the first electrode 130 and the second electrode 137 in consideration of a work function, and the first electrode 130 and the second electrode 137 are both anodes or Can be a cathode.

  A light-emitting element formed using the above materials emits light by being forward-biased. A pixel of a display device formed using a light-emitting element can be driven by a simple matrix method or an active matrix method. In any case, each pixel emits light by applying a forward bias at a specific timing, but is in a non-light emitting state for a certain period. By applying a reverse bias during this non-light emitting time, the reliability of the light emitting element can be improved. The light emitting element has a degradation mode in which the light emission intensity decreases under a constant driving condition and a degradation mode in which the non-light emitting area is enlarged in the pixel and the luminance is apparently decreased. However, alternating current that applies a bias in the forward and reverse directions. By performing typical driving (AC driving), the progress of deterioration can be delayed, and the reliability of the light-emitting device can be improved.

In order to reduce the resistance of the second electrode 137, an auxiliary electrode may be provided over the second electrode 137 in a region that does not serve as a light-emitting region. In addition, a protective layer for protecting the second electrode 137 may be formed. For example, the protective film made of a silicon nitride film can be formed by using a disk-shaped target made of silicon and setting the film formation chamber atmosphere to a nitrogen atmosphere or an atmosphere containing nitrogen and argon. Further, a thin film containing carbon as a main component (DLC film, CN film, amorphous carbon film) may be formed as a protective film, or a film formation chamber using a CVD method may be provided separately. Diamond-like carbon film (also called DLC film) is formed by plasma CVD method (typically RF plasma CVD method, microwave CVD method, electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) CVD method, hot filament CVD method, etc.), combustion flame method It can be formed by sputtering, ion beam vapor deposition, laser vapor deposition or the like. The reaction gas used for film formation was hydrogen gas and a hydrocarbon gas (for example, CH ₄ , C ₂ H ₂ , C ₆ H _6, etc.), ionized by glow discharge, and negative self-bias was applied. Films are formed by accelerated collision of ions with the cathode. The carbon nitride film (CN film) may be formed using C ₂ H ₄ gas and N ₂ gas as reaction gases. Note that the DLC film and the CN film are insulating films that are transparent or translucent to visible light. “Transparent to visible light” means that the visible light transmittance is 80 to 100%, and “Translucent to visible light” means that the visible light transmittance is 50 to 80%. Point to. Note that this protective film is not particularly required if it is not necessary.

Next, the sealing substrate 135 is bonded with a sealing material (not shown) to seal the light emitting element. Note that a transparent filler 138 is filled in a region surrounded by the sealant. The filler 138 is not particularly limited as long as it is a light-transmitting material. Typically, an ultraviolet curable or thermosetting epoxy resin may be used. Here, a highly heat-resistant UV epoxy resin having a refractive index of 1.50, a viscosity of 500 cps, a Shore D hardness of 90, a tensile strength of 3000 psi, a Tg point of 150 ° C., a volume resistance of 1 × 10 ¹⁵ Ω · cm, and a withstand voltage of 450 V / mil (electro Wright Corporation: 2500 Clear) is used. Further, by filling the filler 138 between the pair of substrates, the entire transmittance can be improved.

  Finally, the FPC 146 is attached to the terminal electrode 141 by a known method with the anisotropic conductive film 145 (see FIG. 9D). Through the above steps, an active matrix light-emitting device can be manufactured.

  FIG. 11 is a top view illustrating an example of an EL display panel configuration. FIG. 11 shows a structure of a light-emitting display panel in which signals input to the scanning lines and the signal lines are controlled by an external driving circuit. A pixel portion 201 in which pixels 202 are arranged in a matrix, a scanning line side input terminal 203, and a signal line side input terminal 204 are formed over a substrate 200 having an insulating surface. The number of pixels may be provided in accordance with various standards. For XGA, 1024 × 768 × 3 (RGB), for UXGA, 1600 × 1200 × 3 (RGB), and for full specification high vision, 1920 × 1080. X3 (RGB) may be used.

  The pixels 202 are arranged in a matrix form by intersecting a scanning line extending from the scanning line side input terminal 203 and a signal line extending from the signal line side input terminal 204. Each of the pixels 202 includes a switching element and a pixel electrode connected to the switching element. A typical example of the switching element is a TFT. By connecting the gate electrode side of the TFT to a scanning line and the source or drain side to a signal line, each pixel can be controlled independently by a signal input from the outside. Yes.

  Note that when the first electrode 130 shown in FIG. 9 is a transparent material and the second electrode 137 is a metal material, a structure in which light is extracted through the substrate 100, that is, a bottom emission type is obtained. When the first electrode 130 is a metal material and the second electrode 137 is a transparent material, a structure in which light is extracted through the sealing substrate 135, that is, a top emission type is obtained. Further, when the first electrode 130 and the second electrode 137 are made of a transparent material, a structure in which light is extracted through both the substrate 100 and the sealing substrate 135 can be obtained. The present invention may have any one structure as appropriate. In addition, a driver circuit for driving may be mounted on the EL display panel. One mode will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, a display device employing a COG method is described with reference to FIG. On the substrate 300, a pixel portion 301 for displaying information such as characters and images, and a scanning-side driving circuit 302 are provided. A substrate provided with a plurality of drive circuits is divided into rectangular shapes, and the divided drive circuits (hereinafter referred to as driver ICs) 305 a and 305 b are mounted on the substrate 300. FIG. 12 shows a form in which a plurality of driver ICs 305a and 305b and tapes 304a and 304b are mounted on the ends of the driver ICs 305a and 305b. Further, the size to be divided may be substantially the same as the length of the side of the pixel portion on the signal line side, and a tape may be mounted on the tip of the driver IC on a single driver IC.

  Alternatively, a TAB method may be employed. In that case, a plurality of tapes may be attached and a driver IC may be mounted on the tapes. As in the case of the COG method, a single driver IC may be mounted on a single tape. In this case, a metal piece or the like for fixing the driver IC may be attached together due to strength problems.

  A plurality of driver ICs mounted on these EL display panels are preferably formed on a rectangular substrate having a side of 300 mm to 1000 mm or more from the viewpoint of improving productivity. That is, a plurality of circuit patterns having a drive circuit portion and an input / output terminal as one unit may be formed on the substrate, and finally divided and taken out. The driver IC may be formed in a rectangular shape having a long side of 15 to 80 mm and a short side of 1 to 6 mm in consideration of the length of one side of the pixel portion and the pixel pitch. May be formed to have a length obtained by adding one side to one side of each drive circuit.

  The advantage of the external dimensions of the driver IC over the IC chip lies in the length of the long side. When a driver IC formed with a long side of 15 to 80 mm is used, the number required for mounting corresponding to the pixel portion is as follows. This is less than when an IC chip is used, and the manufacturing yield can be improved. Further, when a driver IC is formed over a glass substrate, the shape of the substrate used as a base is not limited, and thus productivity is not impaired. This is a great advantage compared with the case where the IC chip is taken out from the circular silicon wafer.

  In FIG. 12, driver ICs 305 a and 305 b in which a drive circuit is formed are mounted in a region outside the pixel portion 301. These driver ICs 305a and 305b are drive circuits on the signal line side. In order to form a pixel region corresponding to RGB full color, the number of signal lines in the XGA class is 3072 and the number in the UXGA class is 4800. The signal lines formed in such a number are divided into several blocks at the end of the pixel portion 301 to form lead lines, and are collected according to the pitch of the output terminals of the driver ICs 305a and 305b.

  The driver IC is preferably formed of a crystalline semiconductor formed over a substrate, and the crystalline semiconductor is preferably formed by irradiating continuous-emitting laser light. Therefore, a continuous light emitting solid state laser or gas laser is used as an oscillator for generating the laser light. When a continuous light emission laser is used, a transistor can be formed using a polycrystalline semiconductor layer having a large grain size with few crystal defects. In addition, since the mobility and response speed are good, high-speed driving is possible, the operating frequency of the element can be improved as compared with the prior art, and there is less variation in characteristics, so that high reliability can be obtained. Note that for the purpose of further improving the operating frequency, the channel length direction of the transistor and the scanning direction of the laser light are preferably matched. This is because, in the laser crystallization process using a continuous emission laser, the highest mobility is obtained when the channel length direction of the transistor and the scanning direction of the laser beam with respect to the substrate are substantially parallel (preferably −30 ° to 30 °). It is because it is obtained. Note that the channel length direction corresponds to the direction in which current flows in the channel formation region, in other words, the direction in which charges move. The transistor thus fabricated has an active layer composed of a polycrystalline semiconductor layer in which crystal grains extend in the channel direction, which means that the crystal grain boundaries are formed substantially along the channel direction. means.

  In order to perform laser crystallization, it is preferable to significantly narrow the laser beam, and the width of the beam spot is preferably about 1 to 3 mm, which is the same width of the short side of the driver IC. In order to ensure a sufficient and efficient energy density for the irradiated object, the laser light irradiation region is preferably linear. However, the line shape here does not mean a line in a strict sense, but means a rectangle or an ellipse having a large aspect ratio. For example, the aspect ratio is 2 or more (preferably 10 to 10,000). In this manner, a method for manufacturing a display device with improved productivity can be provided by setting the width of the beam spot of the laser light to the same length as the short side of the driver IC.

  In FIG. 12, the scanning line driving circuit is formed integrally with the pixel portion, and a driver IC is mounted as the signal line driving circuit. However, the present invention is not limited to this mode, and a driver IC may be mounted as both the scanning line driving circuit and the signal line driving circuit. In that case, the specifications of the driver ICs used on the scanning line side and the signal line side may be different.

In the pixel portion 301, signal lines and scanning lines intersect to form a matrix, and a transistor is arranged corresponding to each intersection. The present invention is characterized in that a TFT using an amorphous semiconductor or a semi-amorphous semiconductor as a channel portion is used as a transistor arranged in the pixel portion 301. The amorphous semiconductor is formed by a method such as a plasma CVD method or a sputtering method. A semi-amorphous semiconductor can be formed by a plasma CVD method at a temperature of 300 ° C. or lower. For example, even a non-alkali glass substrate having an outer dimension of 550 × 650 mm has a film thickness necessary for forming a transistor. Is formed in a short time. Such a feature of the manufacturing technique is effective in manufacturing a large-screen display device. In addition, a semi-amorphous TFT can obtain a field effect mobility of ² to 10 cm ² / V · sec by forming a channel formation region with SAS. Therefore, this TFT can be used as a switching element for a pixel or an element constituting a driving circuit on the scanning line side. Therefore, an EL display panel that realizes system-on-panel can be manufactured.

  Note that FIG. 12 shows the premise that the scanning line side driver circuit is also formed integrally on the substrate by using a TFT having a semiconductor layer formed of SAS. In the case of using a TFT having a semiconductor layer formed of SAS, a driver IC may be mounted on both the scanning line side driving circuit and the signal line side driving circuit.

  In that case, it is preferable that the specifications of the driver ICs used on the scanning line side and the signal line side are different. For example, although a transistor constituting the driver IC on the scanning line side is required to have a withstand voltage of about 30 V, the driving frequency is 100 kHz or less, and a relatively high speed operation is not required. Therefore, it is preferable to set the channel length (L) of the transistors forming the driver on the scanning line side to be sufficiently large. On the other hand, it is sufficient for the transistor of the driver IC on the signal line side to have a withstand voltage of about 12V, but the drive frequency is about 65 MHz at 3V, and high speed operation is required. Therefore, it is preferable to set the channel length and the like of the transistors constituting the driver on the micron rule.

  The method for mounting the driver IC is not particularly limited, and a known COG method, wire bonding method, or TAB method can be used. By setting the thickness of the driver IC to be the same as that of the counter substrate, the height between the two becomes substantially the same, which contributes to the reduction in thickness of the entire display device. In addition, since each substrate is made of the same material, thermal stress is not generated even when a temperature change occurs in the display device, and the characteristics of a circuit made of TFTs are not impaired. In addition, the number of driver ICs to be mounted in one pixel region can be reduced by mounting the drive circuit with a driver IC that is longer than the IC chip as shown in this embodiment.

As described above, a fine pattern can be realized by exposing and developing a conductive film pattern using a droplet discharge method with a laser beam. In addition, by forming various patterns directly on the substrate by using a droplet discharge method, it is easy to manufacture an EL display panel even if a glass substrate of 5th generation or more with one side exceeding 1000 mm is used. Can be.

  In the present embodiment, the spin coating is not performed, and the light exposure process using the photomask is performed as much as possible. However, the process is not particularly limited, and the light exposure process using the photomask for partial patterning is performed. You may go in.

  Various electronic devices can be completed using the EL display panel manufactured as described above. Examples of electronic devices include television devices, video cameras, digital cameras, goggle-type displays, navigation systems, sound playback devices (car audio, audio components, etc.), personal computers, game devices, portable information terminals (mobile computers, mobile phones) , Portable game machines, electronic books, etc.), image playback device provided with a recording medium (specifically, a device provided with a display capable of playing back a recording medium such as Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) and displaying the image) Etc. In particular, it is desirable to use the present invention for leaving a large television having a large screen. Specific examples of these electronic devices are shown in FIGS.

  FIG. 16A illustrates a large television device having a large screen of 22 inches to 50 inches, which includes a housing 2001, a support base 2002, a display portion 2003, a video input terminal 2005, and the like. In addition, the display device includes all information display devices for receiving television broadcasts, interactive television, and the like. According to the present invention, a relatively inexpensive large-sized display device can be realized even if a glass substrate of the fifth generation or later in which one side exceeds 1000 mm is used.

  FIG. 16B illustrates a personal computer, which includes a main body 2201, a housing 2202, a display portion 2203, a keyboard 2204, an external connection port 2205, a pointing mouse 2206, and the like. According to the present invention, a relatively inexpensive notebook personal computer can be realized.

  FIG. 16C illustrates a portable image reproducing device (specifically, a DVD reproducing device) provided with a recording medium, which includes a main body 2401, a housing 2402, a display portion A2403, a display portion B2404, and a recording medium (DVD or the like). A reading unit 2405, operation keys 2406, a speaker unit 2407, and the like are included. A display portion A2403 mainly displays image information, and a display portion B2404 mainly displays character information. Note that an image reproducing device provided with a recording medium includes a home game machine and the like. According to the present invention, a relatively inexpensive image reproducing apparatus can be realized.

  FIG. 16D illustrates a TV that can carry only a display wirelessly. The housing 2602 includes a battery and a signal receiver, and the display portion 2603 and the speaker portion 2607 are driven by the battery. The battery can be repeatedly charged by the charger 2600. The charger 2600 can transmit and receive a video signal, and can transmit the video signal to a signal receiver of the display. The housing 2602 is controlled by operation keys 2606. The device illustrated in FIG. 16D can be used as a video / audio two-way communication device because a signal can be transmitted from the housing 2602 to the charger 2600 by operating the operation key 2606. Further, by operating the operation key 2606, a signal is transmitted from the housing 2602 to the charger 2600, and further, a signal that can be transmitted by the charger 2600 is received by another electronic device, so that communication control of the other electronic device can be performed. It can be used as a general-purpose remote control device. According to the present invention, a portable TV having a relatively large size (22 inches to 50 inches) can be provided by an inexpensive manufacturing process.

  As described above, the light-emitting device obtained by implementing the present invention can be used as a display portion of any electronic device. Note that although an example in which a TFT is formed using amorphous silicon or semi-amorphous silicon is described in this embodiment mode, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the same applies to a TFT in which a channel formation region is formed using a polysilicon material. The effect of this can be obtained.

(Embodiment 8)
In this embodiment mode, a light-emitting device including a thin film transistor is described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 14A, a top gate type N-channel TFT having a semi-amorphous silicon film as an active layer is provided in the driver circuit portion 1310 and the pixel portion 1311.

  In this embodiment, the N-channel TFT connected to the light emitting element formed in the pixel portion 1311 is referred to as a driving TFT 1301. An insulating film 1302 called a bank or a partition is formed so as to cover an end portion of an electrode (referred to as a first electrode) included in the driving TFT 1301. The insulating film 1302 includes an inorganic material (silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, or the like), a photosensitive or non-photosensitive organic material (polyimide, acrylic, polyamide, polyimide amide, resist, or benzocyclobutene), silicon (Si ) And oxygen (O) are combined to form a skeletal structure, and the substituent contains at least hydrogen, or the substituent has at least one of fluorine, alkyl group, or aromatic hydrocarbon, so-called siloxane, And a stacked structure thereof can be used. As the organic material, a positive photosensitive organic resin or a negative photosensitive organic resin can be used.

  An opening is formed in the insulating film 1302 over the first electrode. An electroluminescent layer 1303 is provided in the opening, and a second electrode 1304 of the light emitting element is provided so as to cover the electroluminescent layer and the insulating film 1302. The type of molecular exciton formed by the electroluminescent layer can be a singlet excited state or a triplet excited state, and since the ground state is usually a singlet state, the emission from the singlet excited state is fluorescence, 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 can be selected according to the emission characteristics (emission luminance, lifetime, etc.) of each RGB.

  The electroluminescent layer 1303 is stacked 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 first electrode side. Has been. Note that the electroluminescent layer can have a single-layer structure or a mixed structure in addition to the stacked structure.

In the case of full color display as the electroluminescent layer 1303, materials that emit red (R), green (G), and blue (B) light are selected by an evaporation method using an evaporation mask or an inkjet method, respectively. It may be formed automatically. 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 material having the above stacked structure. 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. As such a material, an organic material (including a low molecule or a polymer) or a composite material of an organic material and an inorganic material can be used.

  In the case of forming an electroluminescent layer that emits white light, full color display can be performed by separately providing a color filter or a color filter and a color conversion layer. The color filter and the color conversion layer may be attached to each other after being provided on the second substrate (sealing substrate), for example. The color filter and the color conversion layer can be formed by an ink jet method. Of course, a monochromatic light emitting device may be formed by forming an electroluminescent layer that emits light other than white light. Further, an area color type display device capable of monochromatic display may be formed.

  In addition, it is necessary to select materials for the first electrode and the second electrode 1304 in consideration of a work function. However, each of the first electrode and the second electrode can be an anode or a cathode depending on the pixel configuration. In this embodiment, since the polarity of the driving TFT 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 driving TFT is a P-channel type, the first electrode may be an anode and the second electrode may be a cathode.

  Since the polarity of the driving TFT is an N-channel type, considering the electron moving direction, the first electrode is a cathode, EIL (electron injection layer), ETL (electron transport layer), EML (light emitting layer), HTL ( It is preferable to stack a hole transport layer), an HIL (hole injection layer), and a second electrode in this order with the anode.

  As a passivation film that covers the second electrode, an insulating film may be formed by sputtering or CVD using DLC or the like. As a result, moisture and oxygen can be prevented from entering. In addition, the first electrode, the second electrode, and other electrodes can cover the side surface of the display means to prevent oxygen and moisture from entering. Next, the sealing substrate is attached. Nitrogen may be sealed in the space formed by the sealing substrate, or a desiccant may be further disposed. In addition, a space formed by the sealing substrate may be filled with a resin having a light-transmitting property and high water absorption.

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

  In the light-emitting device having the structure thus formed, in this embodiment, a light-transmitting material (ITO or ITSO) is used for the first electrode and the second electrode. Therefore, light is emitted from the electroluminescent layer in the directions indicated by double arrows 1305 and 1306 at a luminance corresponding to the video signal input from the signal line. FIG. 14B illustrates another structural example which is partly different from FIG.

  In the structure of the light-emitting device shown in FIG. 14B, a channel etch type N-channel TFT is provided in the driver circuit portion 1310 and the pixel portion 1311. Since a method for manufacturing this channel etch type TFT is shown in Embodiment Mode 4, detailed description thereof is omitted here.

  Similarly to FIG. 14A, the N-channel TFT connected to the light-emitting element formed in the pixel portion 1311 is referred to as a driving TFT 1301. FIG. 14A is different from FIG. 14A in that the first electrode is a light-transmitting conductive film, preferably a highly reflective conductive film, and the second electrode 1304 is a light-transmitting conductive film. . Therefore, the light emission direction 1305 is only on the sealing substrate side. FIG. 14C illustrates another structural example which is partly different from FIG.

  In the structure of the light-emitting device illustrated in FIG. 14C, a channel stop N-channel TFT is provided in the driver circuit portion 1310 and the pixel portion 1311. Since the method for manufacturing this channel stop type TFT is shown in Embodiment Mode 5, detailed description thereof is omitted here.

  Similarly to FIG. 14A, the N-channel TFT connected to the light-emitting element formed in the pixel portion 1311 is referred to as a driving TFT 1301. FIG. 14C is different from FIG. 14A in that the first electrode is a light-transmitting conductive film and the second electrode 1304 is a light-transmitting conductive film, preferably a highly reflective conductive film. Different. Therefore, the light emission direction 1306 is only on the substrate side.

  Although the structure of the light-emitting device is described using each thin film transistor, the structure of the thin film transistor and the structure of the light-emitting device may be combined in any way.

FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram illustrating a structure of a display device according to an embodiment. FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram illustrating a structure of a display device according to an embodiment. FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram illustrating a structure of a display device according to an embodiment. FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram illustrating a structure of a display device according to an embodiment. FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram illustrating a structure of a display device according to an embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of correcting a video signal input to a signal line driver circuit that drives a pixel portion. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of correcting a video signal input to a signal line driver circuit that drives a pixel portion. Sectional drawing which shows the manufacturing process of EL display panel which concerns on embodiment. Sectional drawing which shows the manufacturing process of EL display panel which concerns on embodiment. FIG. 6 is a top view illustrating an EL display panel according to an embodiment. FIG. 9 illustrates an EL display module according to an embodiment. FIG. 9 illustrates an EL display module according to an embodiment. The figure which shows the structure of a laser beam drawing apparatus. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a structure of an EL display panel according to an embodiment. The perspective view which shows the structure of a droplet discharge apparatus. FIG. 14 illustrates an example of an electronic device. The graph of the relationship between the voltage-current characteristic of a light emitting element, and temperature. FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram illustrating a structure of a display device according to an embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

100 substrate 112 conductive film pattern 115 metal wiring 117 extraction electrode 118 gate insulating film 119 island-shaped semiconductor film 120 n-type semiconductor film 121 mask 122 drain wiring 123 drain wiring 124 channel formation region 125 drain region 126 source region 127 protective film 128 Interlayer insulating film 129 Pillar 130 First electrode 134 Partition 135 Sealing substrate 136 Layer 137 containing organic compound Second electrode 138 Filler 140 Wiring 141 Terminal electrode 145 Anisotropic conductive film 146 FPC
200 Substrate 201 Pixel portion 202 Pixel 203 Scan line side input terminal 204 Signal line side input terminal 300 Substrate 301 Pixel portion 302 Drive circuit 304a Tape 304b Tape 305a Driver IC
305b Driver IC
401 Laser beam drawing device 402 Personal computer 403 Laser oscillator 404 Power source 405 Optical system 406 Acousto-optic modulator 407 Optical system 408 Substrate 409 Substrate moving mechanism 410 D / A converter 411 Driver 412 Driver 1301 Driving TFT
1302 Insulating film 1303 Electroluminescent layer 1304 Second electrode 1305 Double arrow direction 1306 Double arrow direction 1310 Drive circuit portion 1311 Pixel portion 1500 Substrate 1503 Area 1504 Imaging means 1505a Head 1505b Head 1505c Head 1507 Stage 1511 Marker 1801 Selection transistor 1802 Drive transistor 1803 Source signal line 1804 First power supply line 1805 Second power supply line 1806 Light emitting element 1807 Gate signal line 1808 Video current source circuit 1809 Holding transistor 1810 Capacitance element 1811 Conversion transistor 1812 Wiring 2001 Housing 2002 Supporting stand 2003 Display unit 2005 Video input terminal 2201 Main body 2202 Case 2203 Display unit 2204 Keyboard 2205 External connection port 2206 Point Ting mouse 2401 body 2402 housing 2403 display part A
2404 Display B
2405 Recording medium reading unit 2406 Operation key 2407 Speaker unit 2600 Battery charger 2602 Case 2603 Display unit 2606 Operation key 2607 Speaker unit 3001 Selection transistor 3002 Drive transistor 3003 Source signal line 3004 First power supply line 3005 Second power supply line 3006 Light emission Element 3007 Gate signal line 3008 Shift register 3009 Analog switch 3010 Video line 3011 Monitor light emitting element 3012 Third power supply line 3013 Monitor current source 3014 Monitor drive transistor 3015 Voltage follower circuit 4005 Second power supply line 4011 Monitor light emitting element 4012 First power supply line 4013 Monitor current source 4014 Monitor drive transistor 4015 Voltage follower circuit 4031 Video signal generation circuit 5 04 first power supply line 5005 second power supply line 5011 monitor light emitting element 5012 first power supply line 5013 monitor current source 5014 monitor drive transistor 5015 voltage follower circuit 6001 selection transistor 6002 drive transistor 6003 source signal line 6004 first Power supply line 6005 Second power supply line 6006 Light emitting element 6007 Gate signal line 6008 Video current source circuit 6009 Holding transistor 6010 Capacitance element 6011 Monitor light emitting element 6012 First power supply line 6013 Monitor current source 6014 Monitor drive transistor 6015 Voltage follower circuit 6031 Video signal generation circuit 7001 Select transistor 7002 Drive transistor 7003 Source signal line 7004 First power supply line 7005 Second power supply line 700 Light emitting element 7007 Gate signal line 7008 Shift register 7009 Holding transistor 7010 Capacitor element 7011 Monitor light emitting element 7012 Second power supply line 7013 Monitor current source 7014 Monitor drive transistor 7015 Voltage follower circuit 7016 Second gate signal line 7031 Video signal generation Circuit 7040 Video line 9801 Source signal line driver circuit 9802 Gate signal line driver circuit 9803 Pixel portion 9804 Adder circuit 9805 Video input terminal 9806 Differential amplifier 9807 Buffer amplifier 9808 Buffer amplifier 9809 Current source 9810 Monitor TFT
9811 Monitor light emitting element 9812 Electrode 9813 Current source 9814 Monitor TFT
9815 Monitor light emitting element 9901 Source signal line drive circuit 9902 Gate signal line drive circuit 9903 Pixel unit 9904 Addition circuit 9905 Video input terminal 9906 Differential amplifier 9907 Reference power supply 9908 Buffer amplifier 9909 Current source 9910 Monitor TFT
9911 Monitor light emitting element 9912 Electrode

Claims (6)

A pixel portion including a first transistor , a second transistor, a third transistor, a capacitor, and a first light-emitting element in each pixel; and a monitor circuit including a fourth transistor and a second light-emitting element. A display device comprising:
The first light emitting element has a first electrode and a second electrode,
The second light emitting element has a third electrode and a fourth electrode,
A gate of the first transistor is electrically connected to a gate signal line;
One of a source and a drain of the first transistor is electrically connected to a source signal line;
The other of the source and the drain of the first transistor is electrically connected to the first electrode;
A gate of the second transistor is electrically connected to one of a source and a drain of the third transistor;
One of a source and a drain of the second transistor is electrically connected to a first power supply line;
The other of the source and the drain of the second transistor is electrically connected to the first electrode;
The capacitor is electrically connected between the gate of the second transistor and the other of the source and the drain of the second transistor,
A gate of the third transistor is electrically connected to the gate signal line;
The other of the source and the drain of the third transistor is electrically connected to the first power supply line;
The second electrode and the fourth electrode are electrically connected to a second power supply line,
The fourth one of the source and the drain of transistor, the fourth transistor gate, a current source, and is input electrically connected to the voltage follower circuit,
The other of the source and the drain of the fourth transistor is electrically connected to the third electrode;
The output of the voltage follower circuit is electrically connected to a video signal generation circuit that controls the magnitude of the current output from the video current source ,
A display device , wherein a current is supplied to the source signal line from the video current source . A pixel portion including a first transistor, a second transistor, a third transistor, a fourth transistor, a capacitor, and a first light-emitting element in each pixel; and a fifth transistor and a second light-emitting element A display device having a monitor circuit,
The first light emitting element has a first electrode and a second electrode,
The second light emitting element has a third electrode and a fourth electrode,
A gate of the first transistor is electrically connected to a gate signal line;
One of a source and a drain of the first transistor is electrically connected to a source signal line;
The other of the source and the drain of the first transistor is electrically connected to one of the source and the drain of the third transistor;
A gate of the second transistor is electrically connected to a gate of the fourth transistor;
One of a source and a drain of the second transistor is electrically connected to a first power supply line;
The other of the source and the drain of the second transistor is electrically connected to the first electrode;
The capacitor is electrically connected between the gate of the second transistor and a wiring,
A gate of the third transistor is electrically connected to the gate signal line;
The other of the source and the drain of the third transistor is electrically connected to the gate of the second transistor;
One of a source and a drain of the fourth transistor is electrically connected to the other of the source and the drain of the first transistor;
The other of the source and the drain of the fourth transistor is electrically connected to the first electrode;
The second electrode and the fourth electrode are electrically connected to a second power supply line,
One of a source and a drain of the fifth transistor is electrically connected to a gate of the fifth transistor, a current source, and an input of a voltage follower circuit;
The other of the source and the drain of the fifth transistor is electrically connected to the third electrode;
The output of the voltage follower circuit is electrically connected to a video signal generation circuit that controls the magnitude of the current output from the video current source,
A display device, wherein a current is supplied to the source signal line from the video current source. A pixel portion including a first transistor, a second transistor, a third transistor, a capacitor, and a first light-emitting element in each pixel; and a monitor circuit including a fourth transistor and a second light-emitting element. A display device comprising:
The first light emitting element has a first electrode and a second electrode,
The second light emitting element has a third electrode and a fourth electrode,
A gate of the first transistor is electrically connected to a first gate signal line;
One of a source and a drain of the first transistor is electrically connected to a source signal line;
The other of the source and the drain of the first transistor is electrically connected to the gate of the second transistor;
One of a source and a drain of the second transistor is electrically connected to a first power supply line;
The other of the source and the drain of the second transistor is electrically connected to the first electrode;
The capacitor is electrically connected between the gate of the second transistor and the other of the source and the drain of the second transistor,
A gate of the third transistor is electrically connected to a second gate signal line;
One of a source and a drain of the third transistor is electrically connected to the first power supply line;
The other of the source and the drain of the third transistor is electrically connected to the gate of the second transistor;
The second electrode and the fourth electrode are electrically connected to a second power supply line,
One of a source and a drain of the fourth transistor is electrically connected to a gate of the fourth transistor, a current source, and an input of a voltage follower circuit;
The other of the source and the drain of the fourth transistor is electrically connected to the third electrode;
The output of the voltage follower circuit is electrically connected to a video signal generation circuit,
A display device, wherein a video signal is supplied to the source signal line from the video signal generation circuit via an analog switch. In any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first light emitting element and the second light emitting element, a display device, characterized in that an EL element. An electronic apparatus characterized by comprising a display device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. 6. The electronic device according to claim 5 , wherein the electronic device is a television device.