Patent ID: 8575615

Claim:
A semiconductor device, comprising a substrate, and a thin film transistor and a diode which are provided on the substrate, wherein the diode includes a gate electrode provided on the substrate, a gate insulating layer provided on the gate electrode, at least one semiconductor layer provided on the gate insulating layer, the at least one semiconductor layer including a first region, an intermediate region, and a second region, a first electrode provided on the first region, the first electrode being electrically coupled to the first region and the gate electrode, a second electrode provided on the second region, the second electrode being electrically coupled to the second region, and an intermediate electrode provided in the intermediate region between the first region and the second region, the intermediate electrode being electrically coupled to the intermediate region, the at least one semiconductor layer includes a channel region between the first region and the intermediate region which extends above the gate electrode with the gate insulating layer intervening therebetween, and a resistor region which does not extend above the gate electrode with the gate insulating layer intervening therebetween, the resistor region is arranged between the intermediate region and the second region and is arranged such that the resistor region is not overlapped by any of the first electrode, the intermediate electrode, or the second electrode, and when the diode is in an ON state, an electric current path is defined from the first electrode, through the intermediate electrode, and into the second electrode, the electric current path including the channel region and the resistor region.