WO2006118166A1

WO2006118166A1 - Display device and electronic device provided with same

Info

Publication number: WO2006118166A1
Application number: PCT/JP2006/308798
Authority: WO
Inventors: Tomoyuki Nagai; Hiromi Katoh; Yoshihiro Izumi
Original assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
Priority date: 2005-04-28
Filing date: 2006-04-27
Publication date: 2006-11-09

Abstract

A display device provided with an environmental sensor formed in a peripheral region of an active matrix substrate. The characteristics of the environmental sensor are not easily deteriorated in time. The display device is provided with the active matrix substrate (2) having a pixel arranged region (8) wherein a plurality of pixels are arranged; a facing substrate (3) arranged to face the pixel arranged region (8) of the active matrix substrate (2); and a display medium (4) arranged in a space between the active matrix substrate (2) and the facing substrate (3). In the display device, a light sensor (11) is arranged in the peripheral region (9) existing around the pixel arranged region (8) on the active matrix substrate (2), and a surface protecting film (24) is formed of a same material as that of a part of a member constituting the active matrix substrate (2), for covering at least electrode sections (33, 34) of the light sensor (11) at an upper layer of the light sensor (11).

Description

Specification

Display device and electronic apparatus equipped with the same

Technical field

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a flat panel type display device such as a liquid crystal display device or an EL (Electroluminescence) display device, and in particular, a display device including an environmental sensor such as an optical sensor for detecting the brightness of the surrounding environment. About. In addition, a background art related to an electronic device provided with such a display device

[0002] Flat panel display devices typified by liquid crystal display devices have features such as thin and light weight and low power consumption, and are aimed at improving display performance such as colorization, high definition, and video compatibility. Due to advanced technology development, it is currently incorporated into a wide range of information devices, TV devices, and amusement devices such as mobile phones, PDAs, DVD players, mopile game devices, notebook PCs, PC monitors, and TVs.

[0003] In such a background, for the purpose of further improving the visibility of the display device and reducing the power consumption, an automatic control for automatically controlling the brightness of the display device according to the use environment, particularly the brightness of the external light. A display system with dimming function has been proposed.

[0004] For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4 174819 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-241512, an optical sensor, which is a discrete component, is provided in the vicinity of a display device, and based on the ambient illuminance detected by the optical sensor. A method for automatically controlling the luminance of a display device is disclosed. As a result, if the display brightness is increased in a bright environment such as daytime or outdoors, and the display brightness is decreased in a relatively dark environment such as at night or indoors, the display brightness can be reduced automatically according to the brightness of the surrounding environment. Brightness adjustment (dimming) can be performed. In this case, the viewer of the display device does not feel dazzling in a dark environment, and visibility can be improved. In addition, regardless of whether the environment is bright or dark, the display device can achieve lower power consumption and longer life compared to a usage method that always maintains high display brightness. In addition, since the brightness adjustment (dimming) is automatically performed based on the detection information of the optical sensor, it does not bother the user! [0005] Thus, a display system equipped with an automatic light control function can achieve both good visibility and low power consumption against changes in the brightness of the usage environment, so it can be taken outdoors. It is particularly useful for mopile devices (cell phones, PDAs, mono-game devices, etc.) that have many opportunities to use and require battery operation.

[0006] On the other hand, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-62856 discloses a structure in which an optical sensor, which is a discrete component, is incorporated in a display device. FIG. 11 is an overall configuration diagram of a liquid crystal display device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-62856, and FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the photosensor mounting portion. In this liquid crystal display device, a substrate (active matrix substrate) 901 on which an active element such as a thin film transistor (TFT) is formed (active matrix substrate) 901 and a counter substrate 902 are bonded to each other, and a region surrounded by a frame-shaped sealing material 925 is formed between the two. In addition, the liquid crystal layer 903 is sandwiched. Here, an optical sensor 907, which is a discrete component, is disposed in the peripheral portion of the active matrix substrate 901, that is, in the peripheral region S (frame region) where the counter substrate does not exist. The light is incident on the optical sensor 907 through a hole 916 provided in the housing 915.

As described above, the structure in which the optical sensor 907 is disposed in the peripheral region S has the following characteristics. That is, when the display mode of the liquid crystal display device is a transmissive type or a transflective type, it is necessary to provide the backlight system 914 on the back surface of the active matrix substrate 901, but the optical sensor 907 is arranged in the peripheral region S described above. Therefore, the malfunction of the light sensor 907 due to the light emitted from the knock light system 914 where the light emitted from the backlight system 914 directly reaches the light sensor 907 can be minimized. It is possible. Further, in a normal liquid crystal display device, a force light sensor 907 having a polarizing plate (not shown) attached to the front side of the counter substrate 902 is disposed in the peripheral region S. Therefore, the light sensor 907 It is possible to introduce a sufficient amount of external light to the optical sensor so that the external light incident on is not blocked by the polarizing plate on the counter substrate 902. As a result, the optical sensor 907 can obtain a high SZN.

[0008] Further, in recent years, the manufacturing technology of display devices has rapidly progressed, and an IC chip and various circuit elements that have been conventionally mounted as discrete components on the periphery of the display device can be used as a component circuit of the display device. At the time of formation, inside the display device (specifically on the glass substrate constituting the display device) ) Has been established in the same process.

[0009] For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-175026, when a display area portion is formed on a substrate, a vertical drive circuit, a horizontal drive circuit, a voltage conversion circuit, and a timing generation circuit are formed around the display area portion. An example in which an optical sensor circuit and the like are formed monolithically by the same process is disclosed. Such monolithic formation of discrete components in a display device enables reduction of the number of components and component mounting process, and can achieve downsizing and cost reduction of an electronic device incorporating the display device. Of course, it is possible to monolithically form the optical sensor used for the luminance adjustment (dimming) of the display device described above, a dedicated circuit for the optical sensor (light amount detection circuit), and the like in the display device. Also in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-62856, an embodiment is disclosed in which a peripheral circuit and an optical sensor are formed monolithically by the same process on a constituent substrate of a display device instead of an optical sensor of a discrete part. Has been.

Incidentally, as an active element used in an active matrix display device, a thin film transistor (TFT) using an amorphous Si film or a polycrystalline Si film is generally used. As described above, when an active element and various circuit elements are formed monolithically on the same substrate, a TFT using a polycrystalline Si film is mainly used.

Therefore, a structure of a TFT including a polycrystalline Si film formed as a semiconductor layer in each pixel of the pixel array region (display region) will be described with reference to FIG. The TFT structure described here is called a “top gate structure” or “positive stagger structure”, and has a gate electrode on the upper layer of a semiconductor film (polycrystalline Si film) serving as a channel.

The TFT 500 includes a polycrystalline Si film 511 formed on a glass substrate 510, a gate insulating film 512 formed so as to cover the polycrystalline Si film, and a gate electrode 5 formed on the gate insulating film 512. 13 and a first interlayer insulating film 514 formed so as to cover the gate electrode 513. The source electrode 517 formed on the first interlayer insulating film 514 is electrically connected to the source region 511 c of the semiconductor film through a contact hole that penetrates the first interlayer insulating film 514 and the gate insulating film 512. Has been. Similarly, the drain electrode 515 formed on the first interlayer insulating film 514 is electrically connected to the drain region 5 l ib of the semiconductor film through a contact hole that penetrates the first interlayer insulating film 514 and the gate insulating film 512. Connected. In addition, this A second interlayer insulating film 518 is formed so as to cover them.

In such a structure, the region of the semiconductor film facing the gate electrode 513 functions as the channel region 511a. The regions other than the channel region 511a of the semiconductor film are highly doped with impurities, and function as the source region 511c and the drain region 51 lb.

[0014] Although not shown here, in order to prevent deterioration of electrical characteristics due to hot carriers, impurities are reduced in concentration on the channel region side of the source region 51 lc and on the channel region side of the drain region 51 lb. Doped LDD (Lightly Doped Drain) regions are formed.

Furthermore, a pixel electrode 519 for supplying an electric signal to the driven display medium is formed on the second interlayer insulating film 518. The pixel electrode 519 is electrically connected to the drain electrode 515 through a contact hole provided in the second interlayer insulating film 518. The pixel electrode 519 generally requires flatness, and the second interlayer insulating film 518 existing below the pixel electrode 519 is required to function as a flat film. Therefore, it is preferable to use an organic film (thickness: 2 to 3 m) such as acrylic resin for the second interlayer insulating film. Further, in order to form a contact hole in the TFT 500 and to take out an electrode in the peripheral region, the second interlayer insulating film 518 is required to have a patterning performance, and usually a photosensitive organic film is often used.

[0016] On the other hand, in a display device including a TFT having the above-described structure in the display region, when an optical sensor for detecting the brightness of external light is to be monolithically formed in the peripheral region of the display device In order to minimize the increase in the manufacturing process, the element structure of the optical sensor is limited.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a cross-section of the element structure of the optical sensor 400 that satisfies these conditions. A semiconductor film 411 constituting an optical sensor is formed on a glass substrate 410, and a doping region (p region 41 lc or n region 41 lb) force of the semiconductor film 411 is applied to a non-doping region (i region 41 la). It is formed in the horizontal direction (plane direction) instead of the vertical direction (stacking direction). In general, a structure having a PIN junction in the lateral direction (plane direction) with respect to the formation surface is called a lateral PIN-type photodiode.

[0018] Each member constituting the optical sensor 400 is substantially the same as each member constituting the TFT of FIG. It is formed by the same process. For example, an insulating film 412 formed of the same material as the gate insulating film 512 is formed on the upper layer of the semiconductor film 411, and the same material as that of the source electrode 517 is formed on the upper layer of the first interlayer insulating film 414. The p-side electrode 417 formed by the same process, the same material as the drain electrode 515, and the n-side electrode 415 formed by the same process are formed.

Further, on the upper layer, a surface protective film 418 formed of the same material as the second interlayer insulating film 518 and the same process is formed. In this case, in the pixel array region (display region), the second interlayer insulating film 518 electrically insulates the interlayer between the TFT 500 formation layer and the pixel electrode 519 formation layer, and improves the flatness of the formation surface of the pixel electrode 519. In the peripheral area (frame area) outside the pixel array area (outside the display area), the surface protective film 418 of the active matrix substrate is used as the surface sensor film 418 and the electrodes connected to the optical sensor 400 It plays a protective role. As described above, the second interlayer insulating film 518 is generally formed on the substantially entire surface over the display region force peripheral region also serving as the surface protective film 418.

Such an optical sensor 400 shown in FIG. 14 can be used in place of the optical sensor 907 (discrete component provided in the peripheral area) of the conventional display device shown in FIG. In addition, when the display device shown in Fig. 11 is incorporated into an electronic device, the number of components and the component mounting process can be reduced.

[0021] In addition, in JP-A-6-188400, as another example of the structure of the optical sensor 400, a TFT having a bottom gate structure (inverted stagger structure) using an amorphous silicon film, a MIS (MetaHnsulator- There is a description that a photodiode having a (Semiconductor) type junction is formed monolithically on the same substrate.

Disclosure of the invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

[0022] However, when the above-described optical sensor shown in FIG. 14 is formed in the peripheral region on the active matrix substrate to realize a display device, the following problems have been clarified.

As shown in FIG. 12, the active matrix substrate constituting the display device is roughly divided into a display area (H) and a peripheral area (frame area) (S). The latter peripheral area (S) Furthermore, the light shielding area (S1) shielded from light by the housing, and the opening provided in the housing (for example, the opening 916 in FIG. 12). It can be divided into non-light-shielding areas (S2) that are located in the same area and receive external light. Since the above-described optical sensor needs to receive external light, it is naturally necessary to be disposed in the non-shielding region (S2) on the active matrix substrate.

[0024] As described above, the second interlayer insulating film is formed on the substantially entire surface from the display region to the peripheral region. However, the external light reaching the second interlayer insulating film (in outdoor sunlight) Considering how it reaches the second interlayer insulating film, the usage is as follows.

[0025] Display area (H): Since a part of external light is absorbed by a polarizing plate (not shown) and a color filter provided on the counter substrate, the display area (H) reaches the second interlayer insulating film on the active matrix substrate. External light reaching is limited to light in a specific wavelength region. In particular, since almost 100% of the ultraviolet light is absorbed by the polarizing plate and the color filter, no ultraviolet light reaches the second interlayer insulating film.

[0026] Light shielding area (S1): All external light is shielded by the casing. Of course, no ultraviolet rays reach the second interlayer insulating film on the active matrix substrate.

Non-shielding region (S2): Since external light is directly incident, light of all wavelengths (including ultraviolet rays) included in the external light reaches the second interlayer insulating film on the active matrix substrate.

In other words, considering the case where the display device is used outdoors, ultraviolet rays contained in sunlight reach the second interlayer insulating film on the active matrix substrate only in the non-light-shielding region (S2) in the peripheral region. Will get.

[0029] As described above, the second interlayer insulating film is formed of a photosensitive organic film such as acrylic resin, but the organic film used here can be patterned by ultraviolet exposure. The material is designed so that it contains a photosensitive group that absorbs ultraviolet rays, and a polymer polymerization reaction or a decay reaction is likely to occur by ultraviolet exposure. For this reason, it has the characteristics that it absorbs ultraviolet rays and is easily deteriorated compared to ordinary resin materials. Thus, the organic film used here was not considered for resistance to ultraviolet rays.

[0030] Thus, when the light resistance test of the second interlayer insulating film located in the non-light-shielding region (S2) is performed, the phenomenon that the film deteriorates due to long-term ultraviolet irradiation, that is, the film that was initially transparent is brownish It has been found that there is a phenomenon of becoming turbid or cloudy, and further peeling may occur. I am clear. Furthermore, as a result, it has been found that the transparency of the second interlayer insulating film is impaired, and the external light reaching the optical sensor located thereunder is reduced, resulting in poor sensitivity of the optical sensor and changes in characteristics over time. .

On the other hand, in order to eliminate the influence of the deterioration of the second interlayer insulating film due to ultraviolet rays, it may be considered that the second interlayer insulating film 418 is not provided in the upper region of the photosensor shown in FIG. It is. However, in this configuration, each electrode of the optical sensor and the wiring member of the peripheral circuit are exposed to the outside air, so that the performance of the optical sensor is deteriorated and the electrode is exposed to the outside air, so that it is oxidized. The electrical characteristics may change.

Therefore, the present invention protects an environmental sensor without using a second interlayer insulating film in a display device including an environmental sensor (for example, an optical sensor) formed in a peripheral region of a pixel arrangement region in an active matrix substrate. By means of this, means for solving the problems aimed at providing a display device in which the characteristics of the environmental sensor are unlikely to change over time and an electronic device using this display device are provided.

In order to achieve the above object, a display device according to the present invention has an active matrix substrate having a pixel array region in which a plurality of pixels are arrayed, and a pixel array region of the active matrix substrate. A display device comprising: a counter substrate disposed on the active matrix substrate; and a display medium disposed on a gap between the active matrix substrate and the counter substrate. An environmental sensor disposed in the region, and a surface protective film formed of the same material as a part of the constituent members of the active matrix substrate, and covering at least the electrode part of the environmental sensor in the upper layer of the environmental sensor; It is provided with. According to this configuration, since the surface protection film that covers at least the electrode portion of the environmental sensor is provided in the upper layer of the environmental sensor, each electrode of the optical sensor is not exposed to the outside air. As a result, it is possible to provide a display device in which the environmental sensor characteristics hardly change over time. In addition, since at least a part of the constituent member of the surface protective film is formed of the same material as a part of the constituent member of the active matrix substrate, the manufacturing cost can be reduced. In addition, a film other than the second interlayer protective film that is a part of the components of the active matrix substrate and is used as the surface protective film. As a result, it is possible to provide a display device capable of sensing with high accuracy for many years without causing a sensitivity failure of the environmental sensor due to deterioration of the second interlayer insulating film due to ultraviolet rays as in the past.

[0034] In the above display device, a plurality of electrode wirings, a plurality of active elements, and an interlayer insulating film provided in an upper layer of the plurality of electrode wirings and the plurality of active elements are provided in a pixel array region of the active matrix substrate. And a plurality of pixel electrodes formed on the interlayer insulating film, the surface protection film is formed of the same material as the pixel electrode, and islands are formed with respect to each electrode of the environmental sensor. It can be set as the structure formed in the shape. According to this configuration, by forming the surface protective film with the same material as the pixel electrode, it is possible to provide a display device that is unlikely to change with time in the characteristics of the environmental sensor. The conductive surface protective film is formed in an island shape with respect to each electrode of the environmental sensor so that the electrodes of the environmental sensor do not short-circuit. This improves the reliability of the environmental sensor. Further, since there is a portion that is not covered with the surface protective film between the electrodes of the environmental sensor, for example, when the environmental sensor is an optical sensor, there is an effect that the light incident efficiency to the optical sensor is improved.

In the above display device, it is more preferable that the pixel electrode and the surface protective film are formed by the same process. By forming the pixel electrode and the surface protective film of the environmental sensor in the same process, it is possible to realize a configuration having the surface protective film without increasing the number of processes.

[0036] In the above display device, a plurality of electrode wirings, a plurality of active elements, and a color filter layer provided above the plurality of electrode wirings and the plurality of active elements in a pixel array region of the active matrix substrate And a plurality of pixel electrodes formed on the color filter layer, and the surface protection film is made of the same material as the non-colored region of the color filter layer. it can. According to this configuration, in a so-called color filter 'on' array display device, the surface protective film can be formed from the same material as the non-colored region of the color filter layer, so that the environmental sensor characteristics change over time. Can be provided at a low cost.

[0037] In the above display device, an uncolored region of the color filter layer and the surface protective film Are more preferably formed by the same process. By forming the non-colored region of the color filter layer and the surface protective film of the environmental sensor in the same process, it is possible to realize a configuration having the surface protective film without increasing the number of steps.

[0038] In the display device described above, a plurality of electrode wirings, a plurality of active elements, and an interlayer insulating film provided in an upper layer of the plurality of electrode wirings and the plurality of active elements are provided in a pixel array region of the active matrix substrate. A plurality of pixel electrodes formed on the interlayer insulating film, and a photo spacer formed on the interlayer insulating film in a region where no pixel electrode exists, and The surface protective film may be formed of the same material as the photospacer. According to this configuration, the surface protective film can be formed of the same material as the photo spacer provided on the active matrix substrate in order to keep the distance from the counter substrate uniform, so that the environmental sensor characteristics change over time. V and display devices can be provided at low cost.

[0039] In the above display device, it is preferable that the photo spacer and the surface protective film are formed by the same process. By forming the photo spacer and the surface protection film of the environmental sensor in the same process, it is possible to realize a configuration having the surface protection film without increasing the number of processes.

[0040] In the above display device, it is preferable that at least a part of the environmental sensor is manufactured in the same process as that of the active element. This is because the manufacturing process is simplified and costs can be reduced.

[0041] In the above display device, the environmental sensor is preferably formed monolithically on the main surface of the active matrix substrate. Here, the environmental sensor being “monolithically formed” on the active matrix substrate does not include that the environmental sensor is mounted on the active matrix substrate as a discrete component. More specifically, an environmental sensor is “monolithically formed” on an active matrix substrate means that a physical and Z or chemical process such as a film forming process or an etching process is performed directly on the active matrix substrate. It means that an environmental sensor is formed on the main surface of the active matrix substrate through the applied steps.

In the above display device, the active element is, for example, a thin film transistor. As the environmental sensor, a photodiode having a lateral structure can be used! /.

[0043] In the above display device, a circuit member is mounted in a peripheral region of the active matrix substrate, and a reinforcing member having the same material force as that of the surface protective film is disposed in the mounting portion of the circuit member. Preferably it is. This is because the reinforcing member is disposed in the mounting portion of the circuit member, so that the mechanical strength of the mounting portion is increased and a moistureproof / dustproof effect is also obtained. Thereby, the reliability of connection with a circuit member improves. Furthermore, since the transparent conductive layer and the reinforcing member have the same material strength, the environmental sensor protection process and the wiring connection reinforcement process can be performed in the same process, thereby preventing an increase in man-hours.

[0044] Further, in order to achieve the above object, an electronic apparatus according to the present invention includes the display device according to the present invention that works on any of the above-described configurations, and the environmental sensor is an optical sensor, A control circuit is provided that controls display brightness in accordance with brightness information of external light detected by the optical sensor. For example, in the case of a display device including a backlight system, the display luminance can be controlled by the control circuit controlling the luminance of the backlight system. Further, when the display device is a self-luminous element, it can be realized by the control circuit controlling the light emission luminance. In this way, by controlling the display brightness so that it becomes necessary and sufficient brightness according to the ambient brightness, it is possible to provide an electronic device that reduces power consumption and realizes an easy-to-see display. Since this electronic device can achieve both good visibility and low power consumption against changes in the brightness of the usage environment, it is particularly useful as a mopile device that needs to be taken outdoors and needs battery operation. Useful. Such mopile devices are not intended to limit the application of the present invention, but include, for example, mobile phones, information terminals such as PDAs, mopile game devices, portable music players, digital cameras, There are video cameras.

The invention's effect

According to the present invention, in a display device including an environmental sensor (for example, an optical sensor) formed in a peripheral region of a pixel arrangement region in an active matrix substrate, the environmental sensor is used without using the second interlayer insulating film. By protecting, it is possible to provide a display device in which the characteristics of the environmental sensor are unlikely to change with time and an electronic device using the display device. Brief Description of Drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of a display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the display device according to the first embodiment is incorporated in a housing.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure per pixel of a pixel array region (display region) of the display device that is effective in the first embodiment.

[FIG. 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the structure of the optical sensor portion of the display device that is effective in the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure per pixel of a pixel arrangement region in a display device that is effective in the second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the structure of an optical sensor of a display device that is effective in the second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure per pixel in a pixel arrangement region in a display device that is effective in the third embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the structure of an optical sensor of a display device that works on the third embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view of a display device 40 according to a fourth embodiment and a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB ′.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an overall configuration diagram of a conventional liquid crystal display device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-62856.

[FIG. 12] FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of an optical sensor mounting portion disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-62856.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional TFT formed in a pixel array region of an active matrix substrate.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view of an element structure of a conventional photosensor. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, a description will be given of a display device that is useful for embodiments of the present invention. In this embodiment, a liquid crystal display device is given as an example of a display device. However, the present invention can also be applied to display devices other than liquid crystal display devices.

[0048] [First embodiment]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a display device 1 that is useful for one embodiment of the present invention. The display device 1 includes an active matrix substrate 2 in which a large number of pixels are arranged in a matrix, and a counter substrate 3 disposed so as to face the active matrix substrate 2, and a display medium 4 is provided in the gap therebetween. It has a structure in which liquid crystal is sandwiched. The active matrix substrate 2 and the counter substrate 3 are bonded together by a frame-shaped seal resin (not shown) along the outer periphery of the counter substrate 3.

Each pixel 5 of the active matrix substrate 2 is formed with a thin film transistor (TFT) 6 and a pixel electrode 7 for driving the display medium 4. A counter electrode (not shown) and a color filter (not shown) are formed on the counter substrate 3.

[0050] The active matrix substrate 2 has an area (pixel arrangement area) 8 in which the pixels 5 are arranged and a peripheral area 9 close to the pixel arrangement area, and the counter substrate 3 covers the pixel arrangement area 8 and the peripheral area It is arranged so that a part of 9 is exposed.

[0051] Further, in the peripheral region 9 of the active matrix substrate 2, an FPC 10 for connecting an external drive circuit to the display device is mounted via a terminal 38 (see FIG. 2). An optical sensor 11 for detecting the brightness of the light is provided. In addition, other peripheral circuits (a drive circuit (not shown) for driving the TFT 6 in the pixel array region 8), a wiring (not shown) connected to the optical sensor 11 and the drive circuit, and the pixel array region 8 Lead-out wiring (not shown) etc. are also arranged!

The TFT 6 formed in the pixel array region 8 and the optical sensor 11 formed in the peripheral region 9 are monolithically formed on the active matrix substrate 2 by substantially the same process. That is, some constituent members of the optical sensor 11 are formed simultaneously with some constituent members of the TFT 6.

Then, the display device 1 shown in FIG. 1 has the display shown in FIG. 12 of the conventional example as shown in FIG. Like the device, it is built into the housing 35 with holes. The opening 37 of the housing 35 is provided at a predetermined position, and is structured so that external light reaches the optical sensor 11 through the opening 37. In FIG. 2, 39 is a circuit board and 25 is a sealing material.

[0054] When the display device is in a display mode using transmitted light, it is necessary to provide the backlight system 12 on the back side of the active matrix substrate 2 in the housing 35. Of course, when using a liquid crystal that uses a reflective display mode that uses reflection of external light, or when using a self-luminous element such as EL as the display medium, a knocklight system is not required.

[0055] In addition, since the optical sensor 11 is intended to detect outside light, if the light of the knock light system 12 enters the optical sensor 11, the optical sensor 11 malfunctions, which causes another problem. . Therefore, a force that prevents the backlight system 12 from being arranged below the photosensor arrangement part of the active matrix substrate 2 and a light shielding member such as aluminum tape (see FIG. (Not shown) is necessary!

[0056] The display device 1 of the present embodiment described above is applied to a display system with an automatic light control function that detects the illuminance of external light using the optical sensor 11 and automatically controls the display luminance in accordance with the detected illuminance. be able to. That is, a control circuit that controls the luminance of the backlight system 12 or the luminance signal of the display signal based on the brightness information of the external light output from the optical sensor 11 provided in the peripheral region 9 of the active matrix substrate 2. By providing this, it is possible to automatically control the display brightness of the display device 1. As a result, brightness adjustment (dimming) can be automatically performed to increase the display brightness in bright environments such as outdoors, and to decrease the display brightness in relatively dark environments such as at night or indoors. Power consumption and longer life can be achieved.

Next, the detailed structure of the display device 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 3, and 4. FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional structure diagram of each pixel in the pixel array region (display region) 8 in the display device 1 of FIG. A display medium (liquid crystal) 4 is sandwiched between the active matrix substrate 2 and the counter substrate 3. A thin film transistor (TFT) 6 and a pixel electrode 7 for driving a display medium are formed on the active matrix substrate 2. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, the TFT 6 using the polycrystalline Si film used in the present embodiment and the structure of the pixel 5 including the TFT 6 will be described. The structure of the TFT 6 used here is called a “top gate structure” or “positive stagger structure”, and has a gate electrode on the semiconductor film (polycrystalline Si film) 13 to be a channel.

[0059] For the glass substrate 14 serving as the base substrate, non-alkali barium borosilicate glass, alumino borosilicate glass, or the like is used. The TFT 6 includes a polycrystalline Si film 13 formed on a glass substrate 14, a gate insulating film 15 (an oxide silicon film, a silicon nitride film, etc.) formed so as to cover the polycrystalline Si film 13, a gate A gate electrode 16 (Al, Mo, T, or an alloy thereof) formed on the insulating film and a first interlayer insulating film 17 (oxynitride silicon film nitrided) formed so as to cover the gate electrode Silicon film). Here, the region of the semiconductor film which overlaps with the gate electrode 16 through the gate insulating film 15 functions as a channel region. The region other than the channel region of the semiconductor film is a η + layer doped with impurities at a high concentration, and functions as a source region and a drain region. Although not shown here, LDD (Lightly Doped Drain) in which impurities are lightly doped on the channel region side of the source region and the channel region side of the drain region in order to prevent deterioration of electrical characteristics due to hot carriers. A region is formed. A base coat film (such as an oxide silicon film or a silicon nitride film) may be provided on the surface of the glass substrate (under the polycrystalline Si film 13). Polycrystalline Si film 1

3 can be obtained by crystallizing a semiconductor film (amorphous Si film) having an amorphous structure by heat treatment such as laser annealing or RTA (Rapid Thermal Annealing).

[0060] The source electrode 18 (Al, Mo, T, or an alloy thereof) formed on the first interlayer insulating film 17 has a contact hole that penetrates the first interlayer insulating film 17 and the gate insulating film 15. It is electrically connected to the source region of the semiconductor film. Similarly, the drain electrode 19 (Al, Μο, Τ or their alloys) formed on the first interlayer insulating film 17 has a contact hole penetrating the first interlayer insulating film 17 and the gate insulating film 15. It is electrically connected to the drain region of the semiconductor film.

The above is the basic structure of the TFT 6 used here. In the pixel array region (display region) 8, a second interlayer insulating film 20 is further formed so as to cover the TFT 6. Here, as the second interlayer insulating film 20, in addition to the insulating property between the layers, the second interlayer insulating film 20 serves to flatten the unevenness of the lower layer. Therefore, organic films that can be formed by coating or printing (for example, organic insulating films such as acrylic and polyimide) are mainly used.

Further, a pixel electrode 7 (for example, ITO (Indium-Tin-Oxide), IZO (Indium-Zinc-Oxide), etc.) is formed on the second interlayer insulating film 20. The pixel electrode 7 is electrically connected to the drain electrode 19 through a contact hole formed in the second interlayer insulating film 20. As the second interlayer insulating film 20, a contact hole can be easily formed in the second interlayer insulating film 20 by mask exposure and development treatment that preferably uses a photosensitive organic insulating film. Examples of such an organic insulating film having photosensitivity include acrylic, polyimide, and BCB (Benzo-Cyclo-Butene).

In FIG. 3, 30 is a glass substrate which is a base substrate of the counter substrate 3, 31 is a color filter, and 32 is a counter electrode formed on the entire surface of the counter substrate 3.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional structure diagram of the optical sensor 11 formed in the peripheral region 9.

Hereinafter, the structure of the optical sensor 11 will be described with reference to FIG. The structure of the optical sensor 11 used here is called a “lateral structure photodiode”, and includes a diode in which a semiconductor PIN junction is formed in the surface direction (lateral direction) of the substrate.

In the optical sensor 11 shown in FIG. 4, a PIN diode made of a polycrystalline Si film 21 is formed on a glass substrate 14 (a substrate common with a TFT formed substrate) serving as a base substrate. Yes. The polycrystalline Si film 21 of the optical sensor 11 is formed simultaneously with the same process as the polycrystalline Si film 13 (see FIG. 3) of the TFT 6 in the pixel array region 8 (display region). Therefore, the polycrystalline Si film 13 and the polycrystalline Si film 21 have the same film thickness.

[0067] The PIN junction is formed by a p + layer (region 21b) and an n + layer (region 21c) doped with impurities at a high concentration, and an i layer (region 21a) not doped with impurities. Instead of the i layer, a lightly doped P-layer or n-layer can be used alone or in combination.

[0068] Furthermore, a gate insulating film 15 (such as an acid silicon film or a silicon nitride film) and a first interlayer insulating film 17 (such as an oxide silicon film) are formed so as to cover the polycrystalline Si film 21 having a PIN junction. A silicon nitride film) is formed. The gate insulating film 15 and the first interlayer insulating film 17 shown in FIG. 4 are the same as the gate insulating film 15 and the first interlayer insulating film 17 (refer to FIG. 3) of the TFT 6 in the pixel array region 8. It extends to area 9.

[0069] The p-side electrode 33 (for example, Al, Mo, T, or an alloy thereof can be used) formed on the first interlayer insulating film 17 includes the first interlayer insulating film 17 and the gate insulating film 15 It is electrically connected to the ρ + region 21b of the polycrystalline Si film 21 through a contact hole penetrating through the polycrystalline silicon film 21. Similarly, the n-side electrode 34 (for example, Al, Mo, T, or an alloy thereof can be used) formed on the first interlayer insulating film 17 is used for the first interlayer insulating film 17 and the gate insulating film 15. It is electrically connected to the η + region 21c of the polycrystalline Si film 21 through a contact hole penetrating through. In the P-side electrode 33 and the n-side electrode 34, the partial force photosensor 11 is exposed on the surface of the first interlayer insulating film 17.

It should be noted that the contact holes to the first interlayer insulating film 17 and the gate insulating film 15 in the peripheral region 9 are formed by the contact holes to the first interlayer insulating film 17 and the gate insulating film 15 in the pixel array region 8. It is performed simultaneously by the same process as forming. The p-side electrode 33 and the n-side electrode 34 are formed simultaneously by the same process as the formation of the source electrode 18 and the drain electrode 19 of the TFT 6.

The above is the basic structure of the optical sensor 11. The constituent members of the optical sensor 11 are basically the same as the constituent members of the TFT 6 in the pixel array region described above, and the manufacturing process is also common. As described above, the active matrix substrate 2 has the TFT 6 in the pixel array region 8 and the optical sensor 11 in the peripheral region 9 formed monolithically.

[0072] In addition to the optical sensor 11, the peripheral area 9 is connected to a peripheral circuit (a driving circuit (not shown) for driving the TFT 6 in the pixel array area 8), the optical sensor 11 and the driving circuit. The wiring 36 and the lead-out wiring (not shown) from the pixel array region 8 are also formed.

In the display device according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the surface protective film 24 is formed so as to individually cover the p-side electrode 33 and the n-side electrode 34 of the optical sensor 11. It is. The surface protective film 24 is formed of the same material as the pixel electrode 7 in the pixel array region 8, and serves to protect the p-side electrode 33 and the n-side electrode 34 from oxidation and moisture absorption. The film formation and patterning of the surface protective film 24 are preferably performed simultaneously with the film formation and patterning of the pixel electrodes 7 in the pixel array region 8. This is because an increase in the number of processes for forming the surface protective film 24 can be avoided. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, recesses 33a and 34a are formed in the tops of the p-side electrode 33 and the n-side electrode 34, respectively. The recesses 33a and 34a are formed, for example, by etching after the p-side electrode 33 and the n-side electrode 34 are patterned. In this way, the concave portions 33a and 34a are formed at the tops of the p-side electrode 33 and the n-side electrode 34, so that the tops of the p-side electrode 33 and the n-side electrode 34 and the surface protective film 24 are in close contact with each other. Improves.

It should be noted that the surface protective film 24 also has the same conductive material force as that of the pixel electrode 7. Therefore, in order to prevent the p-side electrode 33 and the n-side electrode 34 from conducting, the p-side electrode 33 and the n-side electrode It is shaped like an island with respect to each of the 34 upper layers. It is preferable that the surface protective film 24 also protects the wiring extending from these electrodes (the portion extending into the area under the counter substrate 3) that extends only from the p-side electrode 33 and the n-side electrode 34. In addition, by forming the p-side electrode 33 and the n-side electrode 34 in an island shape in this way, the surface of the first interlayer insulating film 17 is between the p-type electrode 33 and the n-side electrode 34. A place where the protective film 24 does not exist is formed. As a result, the incidence rate of light on the i-layer (region 21a) of the polycrystalline Si film 21 can be ensured, and the brightness change of external light can be detected with high accuracy.

As described above, in the display device 1 according to the present embodiment, the surface protective film 24 having the same material force as the pixel electrodes 7 in the pixel array region 8 has the p-side electrode 33 and the n-side electrode 34 of the photosensor 11. By forming the electrodes so as to cover them, it is possible to suppress temporal changes caused by these electrodes coming into contact with outside air or moisture. As a result, it is possible to provide a highly reliable display device that can perform high-precision sensing over a long period of time and can appropriately adjust brightness according to changes in the brightness of external light.

[0077] [Second Embodiment]

A display device according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. 5 and FIG. Note that the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment, and description thereof is omitted.

The display device according to the present embodiment is a display device having a so-called color filter “on” TFT. Array structure in which a color filter 70 is provided between the TFT 6 and the pixel electrode 7 in the active matrix substrate 2. . A surface protective film is formed on the upper layer of the optical sensor 11 using the same material as the non-colored region of the color filter. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure per pixel of the pixel array region (display region) 8 in the display device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the optical sensor 11 of the display device according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 5, the display device according to the present embodiment includes a source electrode 18, a drain electrode 19, a TFT 6, and a first electrode provided on the pixel electrode 7 in the active matrix substrate 2. The color filter 70 is provided on the upper layer of the two interlayer insulating film 20. The pixel electrode 7 and the drain electrode 19 of the TFT 6 are connected via a contact hole provided in the second interlayer insulating film 20 and the color filter 70. On the counter substrate 3 side, a counter electrode 32 is formed on the entire surface of the glass substrate 30 which is a base substrate without a color filter.

The color filter 70 has a configuration in which one color filter region is regularly arranged in a plane for each pixel. Examples of the color filter 70 include a four-color filter having each color region of red (R), green (G), blue (B), and non-colored (W), and a part of the color filter. You can use a 6-color filter etc. As a method of forming the color filter 70, there are generally the following two methods which are not intended to limit the present invention. The first method is a method in which films (dry film) that are pre-colored (uncolored in the W region) are sequentially applied and patterned according to the filter arrangement. The second method is to apply a liquid colored pigment (called a liquid resist) and pattern it.

As shown in FIG. 6, a surface protective film 44 is provided on the upper layer of the optical sensor 11 that is effective in the present embodiment so as to cover the p-side electrode 33 and the n-side electrode 34 as a whole. ing. The surface protective film 44 is formed of the same material as the non-colored region (W region) of the color filter 70. In other words, since the surface protective film 44 is not conductive, it is not necessary to form the islands separated between the p-side electrode 33 and the n-side electrode 34 as in the first embodiment. However, from the viewpoint of the efficiency of light incident on the i layer, the surface protective film 44 may be patterned in an island shape as in the first embodiment.

[0083] Since the surface protective film 44 is formed of the same material as the W region of the color filter 70 as described above, it can be formed by the same process as the W region of the color filter 70. wear. That is, regardless of whether the color filter 70 is formed by the first or second method described above, an uncolored photosensitive transparent resin is formed on the pixel array region 8 and patterned. At the same time, by forming the same photosensitive transparent resin on the upper layer of the photosensor 11 in the peripheral region 9 and patterning it appropriately, the surface protective film 44 can be formed simultaneously.

Further, as in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, recesses 33a and 34a may be formed on the tops of the p-side electrode 33 and the n-side electrode 34, respectively. The recesses 33a and 34a are formed, for example, by etching after the p-side electrode 33 and the n-side electrode 34 are patterned. As described above, the concave portions 33a and 34a are formed at the tops of the P-side electrode 33 and the n-side electrode 34, so that the adhesion between the tops of the P-side electrode 33 and the n-side electrode 34 and the surface protective film 44 is improved. improves.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the surface protective film 44 made of the same material as the non-colored region (W region) of the color filter 70 in the pixel array region 8 is formed on the p side of the photosensor 11. By being formed so as to cover the electrode 33 and the n-side electrode 34, it is possible to suppress changes over time due to contact of these electrodes with the outside air or moisture. As a result, highly accurate sensing can be performed over a long period of time, and as a result, a highly reliable display device capable of appropriately adjusting luminance according to changes in the brightness of external light can be provided.

[0086] [Third Embodiment]

A display device according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. 7 and FIG. Note that the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment, and description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the structure of the pixel array region (display region) 8 of the active matrix substrate 2 in the display device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the optical sensor 11 of the display device according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 7, the active matrix substrate 2 of the display device according to the present embodiment has a pixel 5 including a TFT 6 and a pixel electrode 7 in order to control the distance from the counter substrate 3 to be constant. A photospacer 71 is provided in between. The photo spacer 71 is formed on the active matrix substrate 2 after the pixel electrode 7 is formed, and the second interlayer insulating film 20 outside the pixel 5. Above, it is formed by a photolithographic process. The material of the photo spacer 71 is generally a transparent photosensitive resin. In FIG. 7, the arrangement of the force photospacer exemplifying a configuration in which the photospacer 71 is arranged every other pixel is not limited to this example.

[0089] As shown in FIG. 8, the same material as the photo spacer 71 is provided on the upper layer of the photosensor 11 that is effective in the present embodiment so as to cover the p-side electrode 33 and the n-side electrode 34 as a whole. Thus, a surface protective film 45 is provided. Since the surface protective film 45 is not conductive, it is not necessary to form the islands separated between the p-side electrode 33 and the n-side electrode 34 as in the first embodiment. However, the surface protective film 45 may be patterned in an island shape, as in the first embodiment, from the viewpoint of the efficiency of light incidence on the i layer.

Since the surface protective film 45 is formed of the same material as the photospacer 71 as described above, it can be formed by the same process as the photospacer 71. That is, a photosensitive transparent resin, which is the material of the photo spacer 71, is formed on the pixel array region 8 and patterned, and at the same time, the same photosensitive transparent resin is formed on the upper layer of the optical sensor 11 in the peripheral region 9. The surface protective film 45 can be formed at the same time by forming an oil film and appropriately patterning it.

[0091] Similarly to the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, recesses 33a and 34a may be formed on the tops of the p-side electrode 33 and the n-side electrode 34, respectively. The recesses 33a and 34a are formed, for example, by etching after the p-side electrode 33 and the n-side electrode 34 are patterned. In this way, the concave portions 33a and 34a are formed at the tops of the P-side electrode 33 and the n-side electrode 34, so that the adhesion between the tops of the P-side electrode 33 and the n-side electrode 34 and the surface protective film 45 is improved. improves.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the surface protective film 45 having the same material force as that of the photo spacer 71 in the pixel array region 8 provides the p-side electrode 33 and the n-side electrode 34 of the photosensor 11. By forming the electrodes so as to cover them, it is possible to suppress temporal changes caused by these electrodes coming into contact with outside air or moisture. As a result, it is possible to provide a highly reliable display device that can perform high-precision sensing over a long period of time and can appropriately adjust brightness according to changes in the brightness of external light.

[0093] [Fourth Embodiment] A display device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. Note that the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment, and description thereof is omitted.

[0094] Fig. 9 is a schematic plan view of a display device 40 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, and its B-B, line sectional view. The active matrix substrate 2 and the counter substrate 3 are bonded to each other with a seal resin 25, and the optical sensor 11 is formed in the peripheral region 9, and the P-side electrode 33 and the n-side electrode 34 are respectively formed on the upper layer of the optical sensor 11. The surface protective film 24 is provided to cover the islands in the same manner as the display device 1 of the first embodiment. However, the display device 40 has the FPC 10 mounted in the peripheral area 9, and the connection of the FPC 10 is also reinforced around the mounting area of the FPC 10 (mechanical reinforcement or reliability improvement of the mounting section by moisture and dust prevention). The sliding surface protection film 24 (that is, a film made of the same material as the pixel electrode 7 in the pixel array region 8) is present.

In this way, the reinforcing member that reinforces the connecting portion of the FPC 10 is formed of the same material as the surface protective film 24 of the optical sensor 11, so that the reinforcing member is made of a material different from that of the surface protective film 24. Compared to the case of forming with, it is possible to prevent an increase in man-hours.

Furthermore, in the example shown in FIG. 9, the reinforcing member is made of the same material as the surface protective film 24 so as to fill the gap between the active matrix substrate 2 and the counter substrate 3 in the vicinity of the optical sensor 11 and the FPC 10. Is formed. According to this configuration, for example, when the circuit portion of the optical sensor 11 is provided on the counter substrate 3, the wiring connecting the optical sensor 11 and the circuit portion can be protected by the reinforcing member. There is.

FIG. 9 shows an example in which the optical sensor 11 is arranged near the center in the short side direction and the FPC 10 is arranged beside the optical sensor 11 in the peripheral region 9 of the display device 40. Also, illustration of drive circuits other than the optical sensor is omitted. However, the arrangement position and the number of the optical sensors 11 and the arrangement position of the FPC 10 are not limited to the example shown in FIG. For example, a structure in which a plurality of optical sensors 11 are provided in the peripheral region 9 may be employed. In that case, the connecting portion of the FPC 10 and one or more optical sensors 11 that are relatively close to each other may be continuously covered with the same material as the surface protective film 24.

[0098] Further, in the present embodiment, in the configuration of the first embodiment, the surface protective film 24 is FPC1. Although the configuration provided near the mounting portion of 0 is illustrated, the configuration in which the surface protection film 44 is also provided near the mounting portion of the FPC 10 in the second embodiment and the surface protection in the third embodiment A configuration in which the film 45 is also provided near the mounting portion of the FPC 10 also belongs to the technical scope of the present invention.

[0099] As described above, the powers exemplifying some embodiments of the display device of the present invention. The present invention is not limited to these embodiments. For example, in each of the above-described embodiments, an example in which the TFT 6 and the optical sensor 11 are formed using a polycrystalline Si film is shown, but both can be formed of an amorphous Si film. In addition, a TFT having a bottom gate structure (reverse stagger structure) may be used instead of a TFT having a top gate structure (forward stagger structure). In addition, other active elements such as MIM (MetaHnsulator-Metal) can be used instead of TFT6.

[0100] Furthermore, the optical sensor can use a photodiode having a Schottky junction or an MIS type junction that is not limited to using a PIN junction. For example, a method of monolithically forming a TFT having a bottom gate structure (inverted stagger structure) using an amorphous Si film and a photodiode having an MIS type junction on the same substrate is disclosed in, for example, JP-A-6-188400. Since it is known as disclosed and obvious to those skilled in the art, a detailed description thereof is omitted here.

[0101] The present invention can be widely applied to flat panel display devices including active elements. In addition to liquid crystal display devices, the present invention can be applied to various display devices such as EL display devices and electrophoretic display devices. Can be applied.

[0102] In each of the above-described embodiments, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a knocklight color sensor instead of the force sensor described for the display device in which the optical sensor is formed in the peripheral region 9 as a representative of the environmental sensor. And brightness sensors can be used as environmental sensors, and similar effects can be obtained.

[Fifth Embodiment]

An embodiment of an electronic device according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the electronic apparatus according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, the electronic device 60 according to the present embodiment includes the display device 1 according to the first embodiment and the display device. And a control circuit 61 that controls the display luminance of the display device 1 according to the brightness information of the external light detected by the one optical sensor 11. In FIG. 10, the functional blocks in the display device 1 and the electronic device 60 are simply illustrated. The control circuit 61 may have a function of controlling an arbitrary operation of the electronic device 60 in addition to the control of display luminance. Further, the electronic device 60 may have arbitrary functional blocks other than those shown in FIG.

The control circuit 61 controls the display brightness of the display device 1 by adjusting the brightness of the backlight system 12 according to the brightness information (sensor output) of the external light detected by the light sensor 11. For example, automatically adjusting the brightness (dimming) to increase the display brightness in bright environments such as outdoors, and to reduce the display brightness in relatively dark environments such as at night or indoors, reduces the power consumption of the display device. And longer life. In the case of a transflective display mode display device that uses both the transmissive display mode and the reflective display mode, the brightness of the backlight system can be reduced or turned off in bright environments such as outdoors. In addition, lower power consumption and longer life of the display device can be realized. Since display device 1 is a liquid crystal display device, the display brightness can be adjusted by controlling the brightness of the backlight system. However, if a self-luminous element such as an EL element is used as the display device, the display brightness can be adjusted. The circuit 61 is configured to control the light emission luminance of the self light emitting element.

[0105] Further, in the present embodiment, the configuration using the display device 1 according to the first embodiment has been exemplified, but the display device that works well with the second to fourth embodiments and these modifications is used. The electronic equipment that was used is also within the scope of the present invention.

As described above, it is possible to provide an electronic device that reduces power consumption and realizes an easy-to-view display by controlling the display brightness so as to obtain a necessary and sufficient brightness according to the ambient brightness. . The electronic device of the present embodiment can achieve both good visibility and low power consumption in response to changes in the brightness of the usage environment, so it is often used as a mopile device that needs to be taken outside and needs battery drive. It is particularly useful. As specific examples of such mopile equipment, the application of the present invention is not limited to these. For example, information terminals such as mobile phones, PDAs, mopile game equipment, portable music players, digital cameras, video There are cameras. In the present embodiment, the configuration in which the control circuit 61 for controlling the display brightness of the display device is provided outside the display device is illustrated, but the control circuit is provided as a part of the display device. It is good also as the structure comprised.

Industrial applicability

The present invention can be applied to a flat panel display device including an environmental sensor and an electronic apparatus including the flat panel display device.

Claims

The scope of the claims

[1] an active matrix substrate having a pixel array region in which a plurality of pixels are arrayed;

A counter substrate disposed to face a pixel array region of the active matrix substrate;

In a display device comprising a display medium disposed in a gap between the active matrix substrate and the counter substrate,

An environmental sensor disposed in a peripheral region existing around the pixel array region in the active matrix substrate;

A display device, comprising: a surface protective film that is formed of the same material as a part of constituent members of the active matrix substrate and covers at least an electrode portion of the environmental sensor in an upper layer of the environmental sensor.

[2] In the pixel array region of the active matrix substrate, a plurality of electrode wirings, a plurality of active elements, an interlayer insulating film provided above the plurality of electrode wirings and the plurality of active elements, and the interlayer insulating film A plurality of pixel electrodes formed on the film, and the surface protection film is formed of the same material as the pixel electrode and is formed in an island shape with respect to each electrode of the environmental sensor! The display device according to claim 1.

3. The display device according to claim 2, wherein the pixel electrode and the surface protective film are formed by the same process.

[4] In the pixel array region of the active matrix substrate, a plurality of electrode wirings, a plurality of active elements, a color filter layer provided above the plurality of electrode wirings and the plurality of active elements, and the color filter A plurality of pixel electrodes formed on the layer, and

2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the surface protective film is formed of the same material as the non-colored region of the color filter layer.

5. The display device according to claim 4, wherein the non-colored region of the color filter layer and the surface protective film are formed by the same process.

[6] In the pixel array region of the active matrix substrate, a plurality of electrode wires and a plurality of functions are provided. Eve element, an interlayer insulating film provided on the plurality of electrode wirings and the plurality of active elements, a plurality of pixel electrodes formed on the interlayer insulating film, and a pixel electrode on the interlayer insulating film And a photo spacer formed in an area where no

The display device according to claim 1, wherein the surface protection film is formed of the same material as the photospacer.

7. The display device according to claim 6, wherein the photo spacer and the surface protective film are formed by the same process.

8. The display device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein at least a part of the environmental sensor is manufactured by the same process as that of the active element.

[9] The display device according to any one of [1] to [7], wherein the environmental sensor is formed monolithically on a main surface of the active matrix substrate.

10. The display device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the active element is a thin film transistor, and the environmental sensor is a photodiode having a lateral structure.

[11] A circuit member is mounted in a peripheral region of the active matrix substrate, and a reinforcing member having the same material force as that of the surface protective film is disposed in the mounting portion of the circuit member.

The display device according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

[12] An electronic device comprising the display device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the environmental sensor is an optical sensor,

An electronic apparatus comprising: a control circuit that controls display luminance according to brightness information of external light detected by the optical sensor.