Light collection structure for light emitting array

Abstract

A semiconductor LED includes a p-doped layer, an n-doped layer, and an active layer, and has an anode electrical contact and a cathode electrical contact, a lateral dielectric layer on a side surface of the LED, and an electrically conductive bonding layer on the lateral dielectric layer. The bonding layer is electrically coupled to the anode electrical contact and is electrically insulated from the active layer and a side surface of the n-doped layer by the lateral dielectric layer. The LED has a cross-sectional area that monotonically increases with distance from its anode contact surface toward its light exit surface. The side surface shape is arranged so that internal reflections within the LED or lateral dielectric layer redirect a portion of light emitted by the active layer and propagating within the LED outside an escape cone to propagate toward the light exit surface of the n-doped layer within the escape cone.

Description

[0001] Priority requirements This application claims priority to (i) U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 289,607, filed December 14, 2021, entitled “Light-collecting structures for a light-emitting array”, filed by Lopez-Julia et al., and (ii) U.S. Non-Provisional Application No. 17 / 991,317, filed November 21, 2022, entitled “Light-collecting structures for a light-emitting array”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This invention generally relates to light-emitting diodes and phosphor-converted light-emitting diodes. Background Technology

[0003] Semiconductor light-emitting diodes and laser diodes (collectively referred to herein as "LEDs") are among the most efficient light sources currently available. The emission spectrum of an LED typically has a single narrow peak at a wavelength determined by the structure of the device and the composition of the semiconductor materials that make it up. By appropriately selecting the device structure and material system, LEDs can be designed to operate at ultraviolet, visible, or infrared wavelengths.

[0004] LEDs can be combined with one or more wavelength conversion materials (generally referred to herein as "phosphors") that absorb the light emitted by the LED and, in response, emit light of a longer wavelength. For such phosphor-converting LEDs ("pcLEDs"), the proportion of light emitted by the LED that is absorbed by the phosphor depends on the amount of phosphor material in the optical path of the light emitted by the LED, for example, on the concentration of phosphor material in a phosphor layer disposed on or around the LED and the thickness of the layer.

[0005] Phosphor-converted LEDs can be designed such that all light emitted by the LED is absorbed by one or more phosphors, in which case the emission from the pcLED originates entirely from the phosphor. In this case, the phosphor can be selected to emit light in a narrow spectral region that the LED cannot directly and effectively produce.

[0006] Alternatively, a pcLED can be designed such that only a portion of the light emitted by the LED is absorbed by the phosphor, in which case the emission of the pcLED is a mixture of light emitted by the LED and light emitted by the phosphor. By appropriately selecting the LED, phosphor, and phosphor composition, such a pcLED can be designed to emit, for example, white light with a desired color temperature and desired color rendering index.

[0007] Multiple LEDs or pcLEDs can be formed together on a single substrate to form an array. Such arrays can be used to form active lighting displays, such as those used in smartphones and smartwatches, computer or video displays, augmented reality or virtual reality displays, or signs, or to form adaptive lighting sources, such as those used in automotive headlights, street lighting, camera flash sources, or flashlights (i.e., flashlights). Arrays having one or more individual devices per millimeter (e.g., device pitch or spacing of about one millimeter, several hundred micrometers, or less than 100 micrometers, with spacing between adjacent devices less than 100 micrometers or only tens of micrometers or less) are generally referred to as miniLED arrays or microLED arrays (or, μLED arrays). In many cases, such miniLED or microLED arrays may also include phosphor converters as described above; such arrays may be referred to as pc-miniLED or pc-microLED arrays. Summary of the Invention

[0008] A light-emitting element includes a semiconductor light-emitting diode (LED), an anode electrical contact and a cathode electrical contact, a lateral dielectric layer, and a conductive bonding layer. The LED includes a p-doped semiconductor layer, an n-doped semiconductor layer, and an active light-emitting layer between the p-doped and n-doped layers. The LED has: (i) a light-emitting surface of the n-doped layer opposite the active layer; (ii) an anode contact surface of the p-doped layer opposite the active layer; and (iii) one or more side surfaces that laterally define at least a portion of the n-doped layer, the p-doped layer, and the active layer. The anode electrical contact is positioned on the anode contact surface and electrically coupled to the p-doped layer. The cathode electrical contact is electrically coupled to the n-doped layer. The lateral dielectric layer is positioned on the one or more side surfaces of the LED, and the bonding layer is positioned on the lateral dielectric layer. The bonding layer is electrically coupled to the anode electrical contact and electrically insulated from the side surfaces of the active layer and the n-doped layer through the lateral dielectric layer. The LED has a side surface shape characterized by a cross-sectional area that monotonically increases with increasing distance from the anode contact surface of the p-doped layer toward the light-emitting surface of the n-doped layer. The side surface shape is arranged such that internal reflections within the LED or the lateral dielectric layer redirect a portion of the light emitted by the active layer and propagating outside the escape cone within the LED toward the light-emitting surface of the n-doped layer within the escape cone.

[0009] The purposes and advantages relating to LEDs, pcLEDs, miniLED arrays, pc-miniLED arrays, microLED arrays and pc-microLED arrays may become clear after reference to the examples shown in the accompanying drawings and disclosed in the following written description or appended claims.

[0010] This summary is provided to introduce, in a simplified form, some concepts that will be further described in the following detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to help determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. Attached Figure Description

[0011] Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view of an exemplary pcLED is shown.

[0012] Figure 2A and 2B Cross-sectional view and top view of an exemplary array of pcLEDs are shown respectively.

[0013] Figure 3A A schematic cross-sectional view of an exemplary array of pcLEDs arranged relative to waveguides and projection lenses is shown. Figure 3B The arrangement shown is Figure 3A The arrangement is similar, but without waveguides.

[0014] Figure 4A A top schematic diagram of an exemplary miniLED or microLED array is shown, along with a magnified portion of the array's 3×3 LEDs. Figure 4B A perspective view of several LEDs in an exemplary pc-miniLED or pc-microLED array monolithically formed on a substrate is shown. Figure 4C This is a side cross-sectional schematic diagram of an example of a densely packed array of multicolor phosphor-converting LEDs on a single die and substrate.

[0015] Figure 5A This is a schematic top view of a portion of an exemplary LED display, wherein each display pixel is an LED pixel converted from red, green, or blue phosphors. Figure 5B This is a schematic top view of a portion of an exemplary LED display, wherein each display pixel includes multiple phosphor-converted LED pixels (red, green, and blue) integrated onto a single die, which is coupled to a control circuitry backplane.

[0016] Figure 6A A schematic top view of an exemplary electronic board on which a pcLED array can be mounted is shown, and Figure 6B Similarly, installations are shown. Figure 6AAn exemplary array of pcLEDs on an electronic board.

[0017] Figure 7 This is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of an exemplary light-emitting element.

[0018] Figure 8A and Figure 8B This is a schematic cross-sectional view of an exemplary array of light-emitting elements.

[0019] Figures 9A to 9C This is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of an exemplary light-emitting element.

[0020] Figure 10A and Figure 10B This is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of an exemplary light-emitting element.

[0021] Figure 11 This is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of an exemplary array of light-emitting elements.

[0022] Figure 12A An exemplary camera flash system is illustrated schematically. Figure 12B An exemplary display system is illustrated schematically. Figure 12C A block diagram of an exemplary visualization system is shown.

[0023] The examples depicted are shown schematically only; not all features may be shown in full detail or at proper scale; for clarity, some features or structures may be enlarged or reduced relative to others, or omitted entirely; unless explicitly stated otherwise, the figures should not be considered to be drawn to scale. For example, the vertical dimensions or layer thickness of an individual LED may be exaggerated relative to its lateral extent or relative to the thickness of the substrate or phosphor. The examples shown should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure or the appended claims. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The following detailed description should be read with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals refer to the same elements throughout the various drawings. The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, depict selective examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the subject matter of the invention. The detailed description illustrates the principles of the subject matter of the invention by way of example rather than limitation. For the purposes of simplicity and clarity, detailed descriptions of well-known devices, circuits, and methods may be omitted so as not to obscure the description of the subject matter of the invention with unnecessary detail.

[0025] Figure 1An example of an individual pcLED 100 is shown, comprising: a semiconductor diode structure 102 disposed on a substrate 104, collectively referred to herein as an "LED" or "semiconductor LED"; and a wavelength conversion structure (e.g., a phosphor layer) 106 disposed on the semiconductor LED. The semiconductor diode structure 102 typically includes an active region disposed between an n-type layer and a p-type layer. Applying a suitable forward bias voltage to the diode structure 102 results in light emission from the active region. The wavelength of the emitted light is determined by the composition and structure of the active region.

[0026] LEDs can be, for example, group III nitride LEDs that emit blue, violet, or ultraviolet light. LEDs formed from any other suitable material system and emitting light of any other suitable wavelength can also be used. Other suitable material systems may include, for example, group III phosphide materials, group III arsenide materials, and other binary, ternary, or quaternary alloys of gallium, aluminum, indium, nitrogen, phosphorus, or arsenic, or group II-VI materials.

[0027] Depending on the desired light output of the pcLED, any suitable phosphor material can be used in or incorporated into the wavelength conversion structure 106.

[0028] Figure 2A-2B Cross-sectional and top views of an array 200 of pcLEDs 100 arranged on a substrate 204 are shown, each pcLED including a phosphor pixel 106. Such an array may include any suitable number of pcLEDs arranged in any suitable manner. In the illustrated example, the array is described as being monolithically formed on a shared substrate; however, alternatively, the array of pcLEDs may be formed from separate individual pcLEDs (e.g., individualized devices assembled onto an array substrate). Individual phosphor pixels 106 are shown in the illustrated example, but alternatively, adjoining layers of phosphor material may be disposed across multiple LEDs 102. In some cases, the array 200 may include light barriers (e.g., reflective, scattering, and / or absorptive light barriers) between adjacent LEDs 102 or between adjacent phosphor pixels 106 (or between adjacent LEDs 102 and adjacent phosphor pixels 106). The substrate 204 may optionally include traces or interconnects, or CMOS or other circuitry for driving the LEDs, and may be formed of any suitable material.

[0029] Individual pcLED 100 can optionally be arranged in conjunction with or combined with lenses or other optical elements positioned adjacent to or disposed on the phosphor layer. Such optical elements (not shown in the figure) can be referred to as "primary optical elements." Furthermore, as... Figure 3A and 3BAs shown, the pcLED array 200 (e.g., mounted on an electronics board) can be arranged in combination with secondary optical elements (such as waveguides, lenses, or both) for the intended application. Figure 3A In this array 200, light emitted by each pcLED 100 is collected by a corresponding waveguide 192 and guided to a projection lens 294. The projection lens 294 can be, for example, a Fresnel lens. This arrangement can be suitable for, for example, automotive headlights or other adaptive lighting sources. Depending on need or desire, any other primary or secondary optical elements of any suitable type or arrangement may be included for each pixel. Figure 3B In this arrangement, the light emitted by the pcLEDs of array 200 is directly collected by projection lens 294 without the use of an intermediate waveguide. This arrangement may be particularly suitable when the pcLEDs can be spaced close enough together, and can also be used in automotive headlights, camera flash applications, or other lighting sources. For example, miniLED or microLED display applications can use... Figure 3A and 3B The optical arrangements shown are similar to those described herein. Generally, any suitable arrangement of optical elements (primary, secondary, or both) can be used in combination with the pcLED described herein, depending on the required application.

[0030] although Figure 2A and 2B A 3×3 array of nine pcLEDs is shown, but such an array could, for example, include 10. 1 10 2 10 3 10 4 or more orders of magnitude of LEDs (e.g., Figure 4A (Illustrated schematically). Individual LEDs 100 (i.e., pixels) may have a width w1 (e.g., side length) in the plane of array 200, which is, for example, less than or equal to 1 millimeter (mm), less than or equal to 500 micrometers, less than or equal to 100 micrometers, or less than or equal to 50 micrometers. The LEDs 100 in array 200 may be spaced apart from each other by streets, channels, or trenches 230 having a width w2 in the plane of array 200, which is, for example, several hundred micrometers, less than or equal to 100 micrometers, less than or equal to 50 micrometers, less than or equal to 20 micrometers, less than or equal to 10 micrometers, or less than or equal to 5 micrometers. The pixel pitch or spacing D1 is the sum of w1 and w2. Although the illustrated example shows rectangular pixels arranged in a symmetrical matrix, the pixels and the array may have any suitable shape or arrangement, whether symmetrical or asymmetrical. Multiple separate LED arrays may be combined in any suitable arrangement in any applicable form to form a larger combined array or display.

[0031] LEDs with a dimension w1 (e.g., side length) less than or equal to about 0.10 mm in the array plane are generally called microLEDs, and arrays of such microLEDs can be called microLED arrays. LEDs with a dimension w1 (e.g., side length) between about 0.10 mm and about 1.0 mm in the array plane are generally called miniLEDs, and arrays of such miniLEDs can be called miniLED arrays.

[0032] An array or portion of an array of LEDs, miniLEDs, or microLEDs can be formed as a segmented monolithic structure, wherein individual LED pixels are electrically isolated from each other by trenches and / or insulating materials. Figure 4B A perspective view of an example of such a segmented monolithic LED array 200 is shown. Pixels (i.e., individual semiconductor LED devices 102) in the array are separated by trenches 230, which are filled to form n-type contacts 234. This monolithic structure is grown or disposed on a substrate 204. Each pixel includes a p-type contact 236, a p-GaN semiconductor layer 102b, an active region 102a, and an n-GaN semiconductor layer 102c; layers 102a / 102b / 102c together form the semiconductor LED 102. Wavelength converter material 106 may be deposited on semiconductor layer 102c (or other applicable intermediate layers). A passivation layer 232 may be formed within the trenches 230 to separate at least a portion of the n-type contacts 234 from one or more layers of the semiconductor. The n-type contact 234, other materials within the groove 230, or materials different from those within the groove 230 may extend into the converter material 106 to form a complete or partial optical isolation barrier 220 between the pixels.

[0033] Figure 4C This is a schematic cross-sectional view of a densely packed array 200 of multi-color, phosphor-converting LEDs 100 on a monolithic die and substrate 204. The side view shows GaN LEDs 102 attached to substrate 204 via metal interconnects 239 (e.g., gold-to-gold interconnects or solder attached to copper micropillars) and metal interconnects 238. Phosphor pixels 106 are located on or above the respective GaN LED pixels 102. Semiconductor LED pixels 102 or phosphor pixels 106 (typically both) may have reflective or diffuse layers coated on their sides to form an optical isolation barrier 220. In this example, each phosphor pixel 106 is one of three different colors, such as red phosphor pixel 106R, green phosphor pixel 106G, and blue phosphor pixel 106B (still generally or collectively referred to as phosphor pixels 106). This arrangement enables the LED array 200 to be used as a color display.

[0034] Individual LEDs (pixels) in an LED array can be individually addressable, addressable as part of a group or subset of pixels in the array, or non-addressable. Therefore, emitting pixel arrays are useful for any application that requires or benefits from fine-grained intensity, spatial, and temporal control of light distribution. These applications can include, but are not limited to, the precise and specific patterning of emitted light from pixel blocks or individual pixels (in some cases, the formation of images as a display device). Depending on the application, the emitted light can be spectrally diverse, time-adaptive, and / or environmentally responsive. Emitting pixel arrays can provide pre-programmed light distributions in various intensity, spatial, or temporal modes. The emitted light can be based at least in part on received sensor data and can be used for optical wireless communication. The associated electronics and optics can be distinct at the pixel, pixel block, or device level.

[0035] Figure 5A and 5B This is an example of an LED array 200 used in a display application, where the LED display includes multiple display pixels. In some instances (e.g., as...) Figure 5A In the case of a display pixel, each display pixel includes a single semiconductor LED pixel 102 and a corresponding phosphor pixel 106R, 106G, or 106B of a single color (red, green, or blue). Each display pixel provides only one of the three colors. In some instances (e.g., as...), Figure 5B Each display pixel (in the example shown) includes multiple semiconductor LED pixels 102 and multiple corresponding phosphor pixels 106 of various colors. In the example shown, each display pixel includes a 3×3 array of semiconductor pixels 102; three of these LED pixels have red phosphor pixels 106R, three have green phosphor pixels 106G, and three have blue phosphor pixels 106B. Therefore, each display pixel can produce any desired color combination. In the example shown, the spatial arrangement of the phosphor pixels 106 of different colors is different among the display pixels; in some examples (not shown), each display pixel may have the same arrangement of phosphor pixels 106 of different colors.

[0036] like Figure 6A and 6BAs shown, the pcLED array 200 can be mounted on an electronic board 300 including a power supply and control module 302, a sensor module 304, and an LED attachment area 306. The power supply and control module 302 can receive power and control signals from an external source and signals from the sensor module 304, and uses these signals to control the operation of the LEDs. The sensor module 304 can receive signals from any suitable sensor, such as a temperature or light sensor. Alternatively, the pcLED array 200 can be mounted on a separate board (not shown) from the power supply and control module and the sensor module.

[0037] Independently operable LED or pcLED arrays can be used in combination with lenses, lens systems, or other optical systems (e.g., as described above) to provide illumination suitable for a specific purpose. For example, in operation, such adaptive lighting systems can provide illumination and / or aiming at a desired direction across an illuminated scene or object, varying according to color and / or intensity. Beam focusing or guiding of light emitted by an LED or pcLED array can be electronically performed by activating LEDs or pcLEDs in groups of different sizes or sequentially, allowing for dynamic adjustment of beam shape and / or direction without moving optics or altering the focus of lenses in the lighting device. A controller can be configured to receive data indicating the position and color characteristics of objects or people in a scene and, based on this information, control the LEDs or pcLEDs in the array to provide scene-appropriate illumination. Such data can be provided, for example, by an image sensor, or an optical (e.g., laser scanning) or non-optical (e.g., millimeter-scale radar) sensor. This adaptive lighting is increasingly important for automotive (e.g., adaptive headlights), mobile device cameras (e.g., adaptive flash), AR, VR, and MR applications (such as those described below).

[0038] Figure 12A An exemplary camera flash system 310 is schematically illustrated, comprising an array of LEDs or pcLEDs and an optical (e.g., lens) system 312. This system may be, or may include, the adaptive illumination system described above, wherein the LEDs or pcLEDs in the array can operate individually or as a group. During operation of the camera flash system, illumination from some or all of the LEDs or pcLEDs in the array and the optical system 312 can be adjusted – deactivated, operated at full intensity, or operated at intermediate intensity. As described above, the array may be a monolithic array or may comprise one or more monolithic arrays. As described above, the array may be a microLED array.

[0039] The flash system 310 also includes an LED driver 316 controlled by a controller 314 (e.g., a microprocessor). The controller 314 may also be coupled to the camera 317 and the sensor 318, and operates according to instructions and profiles stored in the memory 311. The camera 317 and the LED or pcLED array and lens system 312 may be controlled by the controller 314 to, for example, match the illumination provided by the system 312 (i.e., the field of view of the illumination system) to the field of view of the camera 317, or, as described above, adapt the illumination provided by the system 312 to the scene observed by the camera. The sensor 318 may include, for example, a position sensor (e.g., a gyroscope and / or accelerometer) and / or other sensors that may be used to determine the position and orientation of the system 310.

[0040] Figure 12B An exemplary display system 320 is schematically illustrated, comprising an array 321 of individually operable or group-operable LEDs or pcLEDs, a display 322, a light-emitting array controller 323, a sensor system 324, and a system controller 325. As described above, the array 321 may be a monolithic array or may comprise one or more monolithic arrays. The array may be monochromatic. Alternatively, as described above, the array may be a multicolor array, wherein different LEDs or pcLEDs in the array are configured to emit light of different colors. Thus, the array may be or comprise a monolithic multicolor matrix of individually operable LEDs or pcLEDs, which may be, for example, microLEDs as described above. A group or a single individually operable LED or pcLED adjacent to each other in the array may correspond to a single pixel in the display. For example, a group of three individually operable adjacent LEDs or pcLEDs, including a red emitter, a blue emitter, and a green emitter, may correspond to a single color-tunable pixel in the display. Similarly, to provide redundancy in the case of defective LEDs or pcLEDs, a set of six individually operable adjacent LEDs or pcLEDs, including two red emitters, two blue emitters, and two green emitters, can correspond to a single color-tunable pixel in display array 321. This set of six individually operable adjacent LEDs or pcLEDs can be used to project light in, for example, a graphics mode or object mode that can support AR / VR / MR systems.

[0041] Sensor inputs are provided to sensor system 324, while power and user data inputs are provided to system controller 325. In some embodiments, the modules included in system 320 may be compactly arranged in a single structure, or one or more components may be separately mounted and connected via wireless or wired communication. For example, array 321, display 322, and sensor system 324 may be mounted on headphones or glasses, with the light-emitting array controller and / or system controller 325 separately mounted.

[0042] System 320 may include a wide range of optics (not shown) to couple light emitted from array 321 to display 322. Any suitable optics may be used for this purpose.

[0043] Sensor system 324 may include, for example, external sensors (such as cameras, depth sensors, or audio sensors for monitoring the environment) and internal sensors, such as accelerometers or two-axis or three-axis gyroscopes for monitoring the position of the AR / VR / MR headset. Other sensors may include, but are not limited to, barometric pressure sensors, stress sensors, temperature sensors, or any other suitable sensors required for local or remote environmental monitoring. In some embodiments, control inputs through the sensor system may include detected touches or taps, gesture inputs, or controls based on the position of the headset or display.

[0044] In response to data from sensor system 324, system controller 325 may send an image or command to light-emitting array controller 323. Changes or modifications to the image or command may also be made via user data input or automatic data input as needed. User data input may include, but is not limited to, user data input provided by audio commands, haptic feedback, eye or pupil positioning, or a connected keyboard, mouse, or game controller.

[0045] As described above, AR, VR, and MR systems can be more generally referred to as instances of visualization systems. In a virtual reality system, a display can present a view of a scene to the user, such as a view of a three-dimensional scene. For example, by repositioning the user's head or by walking, the user can move within the scene. The virtual reality system can detect the user's movement and change the view of the scene in response to that movement. For example, when the user rotates their head, the system can present a view of the scene that changes in viewing direction to match the user's gaze. In this way, the virtual reality system can simulate the user's presence in a three-dimensional scene. Furthermore, the virtual reality system can receive tactile input, such as from wearable position sensors, and can optionally provide tactile feedback to the user.

[0046] In augmented reality (AR) systems, displays can incorporate elements from the user's surroundings into a view of the scene. For example, an AR system can add text captions and / or visual elements to a view of the user's surroundings. For instance, a retailer could use an AR system to show a user what a piece of furniture would look like in a room in their home by incorporating a visualization of it onto a captured image of the user's surroundings. As the user moves around the room, the visualization takes the user's movement into account and changes the furniture's visualization in a way that aligns with that movement. For example, an AR system could place a virtual chair in the room. The user can stand in the room in front of the virtual chair's location to view the front of the chair. The user can move to an area behind the virtual chair's location to view the back of the chair. In this way, the AR system can add elements to a dynamic view of the user's surroundings.

[0047] Figure 12C A general block diagram of an exemplary visualization system 330 is shown. The visualization system 330 may include a wearable housing 332, such as a headset or goggles. The housing 332 may mechanically support and house the components detailed below. In some instances, one or more of the components detailed below may be contained in one or more additional housings that may be detachable from the wearable housing 332 and may be wirelessly and / or coupled to the wearable housing 332 via a wired connection. For example, a detachable housing may reduce the weight of the wearable goggles, such as by including batteries, wireless devices, and other components. The housing 332 may include one or more batteries 334 that can power any or all of the components detailed below. The housing 332 may include circuitry electrically coupled to an external power source (e.g., a wall outlet) to recharge the batteries 334. The housing 332 may include one or more wireless devices 336 for wireless communication with a server or network via a suitable protocol such as WiFi.

[0048] The visualization system 330 may include one or more sensors 338, such as optical sensors, audio sensors, tactile sensors, thermal sensors, gyroscope sensors, time-of-flight sensors, triangulation-based sensors, etc. In some instances, one or more of the sensors may sense the user's location, position, and / or orientation. In some instances, one or more of the sensors 338 may generate sensor signals in response to the sensed location, position, and / or orientation. The sensor signals may include sensor data corresponding to the sensed location, position, and / or orientation. For example, the sensor data may include a depth map of the surrounding environment. In some instances, such as for augmented reality systems, one or more of the sensors 338 may capture real-time video images of the user's surrounding environment.

[0049] The visualization system 330 may include one or more video generation processors 340. The one or more video generation processors 340 may receive scene data representing a three-dimensional scene from a server and / or storage medium, such as a set of position coordinates of objects in the scene or a depth map of the scene. The one or more video generation processors 340 may receive one or more sensor signals from one or more sensors 338. In response to scene data representing the surrounding environment and at least one sensor signal representing the user's position and / or orientation relative to the surrounding environment, the one or more video generation processors 340 may generate at least one video signal corresponding to a view of the scene. In some instances, the one or more video generation processors 340 may generate two video signals, one for each of the user's eyes, representing views of the scene from the user's left and right eye viewpoints, respectively. In some instances, the one or more video generation processors 340 may generate more than two video signals and combine them to provide a single video signal for both eyes, two video signals for both eyes, or other combinations.

[0050] The visualization system 330 may include one or more light sources 342 that can provide light to the display of the visualization system 330. Suitable light sources 342 may include any of the above-described LEDs, pcLEDs, LED arrays, and pcLED arrays, such as those discussed above with respect to the display system 320.

[0051] The visualization system 330 may include one or more modulators 344. The modulators 344 may be implemented in at least one of two configurations.

[0052] In a first configuration, modulator 344 may include circuitry capable of directly modulating light source 342. For example, light source 342 may include an array of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and modulator 344 may directly modulate the electrical power, voltage, and / or current directed to each LED in the array to form modulated light. Modulation may be performed in an analog and / or digital manner. In some instances, light source 342 may include an array of red LEDs, an array of green LEDs, and an array of blue LEDs, and modulator 344 may directly modulate the red, green, and blue LEDs to form modulated light to produce a specific image.

[0053] In a second configuration, modulator 344 may include a modulation panel, such as a liquid crystal panel. Light source 342 may produce uniform or near-uniform illumination to illuminate the modulation panel. The modulation panel may include pixels. Each pixel may selectively attenuate a corresponding portion of the modulation panel area in response to an electrical modulation signal to form modulated light. In some instances, modulator 344 may include multiple modulation panels capable of modulating different colors of light. For example, modulator 344 may include: a red modulation panel capable of attenuating red light from a red light source such as a red LED; a green modulation panel capable of attenuating green light from a green light source such as a green LED; and a blue modulation panel capable of attenuating blue light from a blue light source such as a blue LED.

[0054] In some instances of the second configuration, modulator 344 may receive uniform or nearly uniform white light from a white light source (e.g., a white light-emitting diode). The modulation panel may include a wavelength-selective filter on each pixel of the modulation panel. The panel pixels may be arranged in groups (such as groups of three or four), where each group may form pixels of a color image. For example, each group may include panel pixels with a red color filter, panel pixels with a green color filter, and panel pixels with a blue color filter. Other suitable configurations may also be used.

[0055] The visualization system 330 may include one or more modulation processors 346, which may receive video signals, for example, from one or more video generation processors 340, and in response, generate an electrically modulated signal. In a configuration where the modulator 344 directly modulates the light source 342, the electrically modulated signal may drive the light source 344. In a configuration where the modulator 344 includes a modulation panel, the electrically modulated signal may drive the modulation panel.

[0056] The visualization system 330 may include one or more beam combiners 348 (also called beam splitters 348) that can combine beams of different colors to form a single polychromatic beam. For the light source 342, which may include a configuration of multiple light-emitting diodes of different colors, the visualization system 330 may include one or more wavelength-sensitive (e.g., dichroic) beam splitters 348 that can combine light of different colors to form a single polychromatic beam.

[0057] The visualization system 330 can direct modulated light toward a viewer's eyes in at least one of two configurations. In a first configuration, the visualization system 330 can function as a projector and may include suitable projection optics 350 that can project modulated light onto one or more screens 352. The screens 352 may be located at an appropriate distance from the user's eyes. The visualization system 330 may optionally include one or more lenses 354 that can position the virtual image of the screens 352 at an appropriate distance from the eyes, such as a near-focal distance like 500 mm, 750 mm, or another appropriate distance. In some instances, the visualization system 330 may include a single screen 352 such that modulated light can be directed toward both of the user's eyes. In some instances, the visualization system 330 may include two screens 352 such that modulated light from each screen 352 can be directed toward the corresponding eye of the user. In some instances, the visualization system 330 may include more than two screens 352. In a second configuration, the visualization system 330 can direct modulated light directly toward one or both of the viewer's eyes. For example, the projection optics 350 can form an image on the retina of a user's eye, or on each retina of a user's two eyes.

[0058] In some configurations of the augmented reality system, the visualization system 330 may include a display that is at least partially transparent, allowing the user to view their surroundings through the display. In such a configuration, the augmented reality system may generate modulated light that corresponds to an enhancement of the surrounding environment rather than the environment itself. For example, in the instance where a retailer displays a chair, the augmented reality system may direct modulated light corresponding to the chair, rather than the rest of the room, toward the screen or toward the user's eyes.

[0059] For the purposes of this disclosure and the appended claims, the “angle of incidence” and “angle of incidence” of light incident on a surface or interface refer to the angle between the propagation direction of the incident light and a vector perpendicular to the surface or interface. Therefore, propagating light incident perpendicularly to a surface will have an angle of incidence of 0°, while light propagating at nearly grazing incidence relative to the surface will have an angle of incidence close to 90°. For the purposes of this disclosure and the appended claims, the “critical angle” (denoted by θ) for light incident on surfaces or interfaces between media with different refractive indices is also defined. C The critical angle θ (denoted by θ) refers to the angle of incidence of light propagating in a medium with a higher refractive index. Above this angle, light will undergo total internal reflection in the medium. Therefore, the critical angle θ... C An escape cone is defined with respect to a given surface or interface, such that light incident outside the escape cone is totally internally reflected and light incident inside the escape cone can be transmitted through refraction.

[0060] For the purposes of this disclosure and the appended claims, terms such as "tilted light," "tilted radiation," "tilted propagation," "lateral light," "lateral radiation," and "lateral propagation" should refer to light emanating from a substrate, layer, or diode structure at a distance greater than θ from its light-emitting surface. C The term "vertical light," "vertical radiation," "vertical propagation," etc., refers to light propagating at an angle of incidence (i.e., outside the escape cone) relative to the surface. C Light propagating at an angle of incidence (i.e., within the escape cone) is not precisely perpendicular or vertical to the surface. The term "normal" should be reserved to describe light incident at an angle of incidence substantially equal to 0°.

[0061] For the purposes of this disclosure and the appended claims, any arrangement of a layer, surface, substrate, diode structure, or other structure "on," "above," or "abuts" another such structure shall cover arrangements having direct contact between the two structures and arrangements including an intermediate structure between them. Conversely, any arrangement of a layer, surface, substrate, diode structure, or other structure "directly on," "directly above," or "directly abuts" another such structure shall cover only arrangements having direct contact between the two structures. For the purposes of this disclosure and the appended claims, layers, structures, or materials described as "transparent" or "substantially transparent" shall have a sufficiently high level of light transmission or a sufficiently low level of light loss (due to absorption, scattering, or other loss mechanisms) at the nominal emission vacuum wavelength λ0, such that the light-emitting device can operate within operationally acceptable parameters (e.g., output power or brightness, conversion or extraction efficiency, or other quality factors including those described below).

[0062] A key challenge in designing LED light sources is extracting the light emitted from the LED and allowing it to propagate outside the device. The semiconductor materials used have relatively high refractive indices, resulting in relatively large Fresnel coefficients and relatively small critical angles θ within the LED. C And corresponding small escape cones. It is desirable to provide a light-emitting element configured to at least partially alleviate these problems.

[0063] The light-emitting element 500 of the present invention (e.g., as in...) Figures 7 to 11The light-emitting element (illustrated in the example) includes a semiconductor light-emitting diode (LED), anode and cathode electrical contacts, a lateral dielectric layer, and a conductive bonding layer. The semiconductor LED includes a p-doped semiconductor layer 502b, an n-doped semiconductor layer 502c, and an active light-emitting layer 502a between the p-doped and n-doped layers 502b / 502c. The LED has: (i) a light-emitting surface 511 of the n-doped layer 502c opposite to the active layer 502a; (ii) an anode contact surface 512 of the p-doped layer 502b opposite to the active layer 502a; and (iii) one or more side surfaces 513 laterally defining at least a portion of the p-doped layer 502b, the active layer 502a, and the n-doped layer 502c. In some examples, the side surface 513 laterally defines the entire n-doped layer 502c.

[0064] In some examples, the LED (including any one or more of its constituent layers 502a / 502b / 502c) may comprise one or more doped or undoped group III-V, II-VI, or IV semiconductor materials or alloys thereof. In some instances, the active layer 502a may comprise one or more pn junctions, one or more quantum wells, one or more multiple quantum wells, or one or more quantum dots. In some instances, the nominal emission vacuum wavelength λ0 may be greater than 0.20 µm, greater than 0.4 µm, greater than 0.8 µm, less than 10 µm, less than 2.5 µm, or less than 1.0 µm. In some instances, the total non-zero thickness of the LED layers 502a / 502b / 502c may be less than 20 µm, less than 10 µm, less than 5 µm, less than 3 µm, less than 2.0 µm, less than 1.5 µm, or less than 1.0 µm. In some instances, the non-zero thickness of the p-doped layer can be less than 2.0 µm, less than 1.0 µm, less than 0.8 µm, less than 0.5 µm, less than 0.3 µm, less than 0.20 µm, or less than 0.10 µm.

[0065] An anode electrical contact is positioned on the anode contact surface 512 and electrically coupled to the p-doped layer 502b; a cathode electrical contact 534 is electrically coupled to the n-doped layer 502c. A lateral dielectric layer 540 is formed on the side surface 513 of the LED. In many embodiments, the dielectric layer 540 conformally covers the side surface 513 such that the outer surface of the dielectric layer 540 replicates the shape of the LED side surface 513. A conductive bonding layer 536 is formed on the lateral dielectric layer 540. This bonding layer is electrically coupled to the anode electrical contact and electrically insulated from the side surfaces of the active layer and the n-doped layers 502a / 502c via the lateral dielectric layer 540. In some examples, the bonding layer 536 may comprise one or more metals or metal alloys, such as one or more of aluminum, silver, or gold.

[0066] The LED has a side surface shape characterized by a cross-sectional area that monotonically increases with increasing distance from the anode contact surface 512 of the p-doped layer 502b toward the light emitting surface 511 of the n-doped layer 502c ("lateral" means the plane defining the cross-section is parallel to the light emitting surface 511). In other words, the minimum cross-sectional area of ​​the LED is located at the anode contact surface 512 of the p-doped layer 502b, and the maximum cross-sectional area is located at the light emitting surface 511 of the n-doped layer 502c, with the cross-sectional area monotonically varying between these extreme locations. This light emitting surface defines an escape cone (as described above) within the LED, which is defined by a critical angle θ. C The critical angle is defined by the refractive index of the n-doped layer 502c and any external medium (e.g., vacuum, air or inert gas, transparent dielectric substrate, or sealant) in contact with the light emitting surface 511. The side surface shape is arranged such that internal reflections within the LED or lateral dielectric layer 540 redirect a portion of the light emitted by the active layer 502a and propagating within the LED outside the escape cone 599 towards the emitting surface 511 of the n-doped layer 502c within the escape cone 599 (e.g., as shown in the image). Figure 10A (as shown in / 10B). Therefore, the LED (together with its shaped side surface 513) acts as a concentrator or collimator to redirect the emitted light so that it leaves the LED through the light exit surface 511, which would otherwise have been confined within the LED and lost as a useful output of the LED.

[0067] In some instances, the LED side surface 513 may have a circular, elliptical, or oval cross-sectional shape (e.g., as in...). Figure 8A (An exemplary array of light-emitting elements 500 is schematically shown in the image). In some other instances, the LED side surface 513 may have a square or rectangular cross-sectional shape (e.g., as in...). Figure 8B (An exemplary array of light-emitting elements 500 is schematically shown in the image). Other cross-sectional shapes may be used. In some instances (e.g., as in...), Figure 9A As shown in the diagram), the LED side surface 513 may have a longitudinal cross-sectional shape that has a substantially constant inclination between the anode contact surface 512 and the light emitting surface 511 (“longitudinal” means that the plane defining the cross-section is perpendicular to the light emitting surface 511). In some other instances (e.g., as in...), Figure 9B As shown in the diagram, the LED side surface may have a longitudinal cross-sectional shape having two or more distinct segments, each segment having a constant inclination different from the others. In some other instances (e.g., as in...), Figure 9CAs shown in the diagram, the LED side surfaces can have a curved longitudinal cross-sectional shape with a slope that monotonically increases from the anode contact surface to the light emitting surface 511. In some of these examples, the slope can increase smoothly; in others, the side surfaces 513 can have one or more abrupt changes in slope (i.e., forming corners or ridges). Other longitudinal cross-sectional shapes may be used.

[0068] Having a single constant tilt (e.g., as in) Figure 9A The longitudinal cross-sectional shape (as shown) is different from the circular, elliptical, or oval cross-sectional shape (e.g., as in...). Figure 8A The combination (as shown in the diagram) results in an LED with a truncated conical shape; in these arrangements, a single continuous side surface 513 laterally defines semiconductor layers 502a / 502b / 502c. Having a single constant tilt (e.g., as shown in...) Figure 9A The longitudinal section shape (as shown) is combined with a square, rectangular, or polygonal cross-sectional shape (e.g., as in...). Figure 8B (As shown) this results in an LED with a frustum-shaped pyramid; in these examples, multiple side surfaces 513 (in the form of planar facets) laterally define semiconductor layers 502a / 502b / 502c. Two or more different segments have a constant tilt that differs from each other (e.g., as shown). Figure 9B In the example shown, the obtained LED shape can include stacked conical frustums or pyramidal frustums. Figure 9B In one example, the side LED surface 513 has a first substantially constant tilt at the anode contact surface 512 and a second substantially constant tilt at the light emitting surface 511 that is greater than the first substantially constant tilt.

[0069] Curved longitudinal section shapes with a smooth, monotonically increasing inclination (e.g., as in...) Figure 9C (as shown) combined with circular, elliptical, or oval cross-sectional shapes (e.g., as in...) Figure 8A (As shown) This results in LEDs having the following shapes: spherical frustum (i.e., spherical segment), parabolic frustum, quasi-spherical frustum, elliptical frustum, or oval frustum (i.e., cup-like or bowl-like shape); in these arrangements, a single continuous side surface 513 laterally defines semiconductor layers 502a / 502b / 502c. A curved longitudinal section shape with one or more abrupt changes in inclination (not shown) can form corresponding ridges or corners; in this arrangement, multiple curved side surfaces 513 laterally define semiconductor layers 502a / 502b / 502c.

[0070] In the hypothetical arrangement where layers 502b / 502c are infinitely thick and all layers 502a / 502b / 502c are infinitely wide, the angular distribution of light emission from the active layer 502a is almost uniform, typically exhibiting slightly higher emission perpendicular to layers 502a / 502b / 502c and slightly lower emission parallel to these layers. The finite thickness of the p-doped layer and the presence of a reflective surface at the anode contact surface 512 alter the angular distribution of emission. In a typical arrangement, the angular distribution of emission can have a central lobe 591 (centered at the normal incidence point on the light emitting surface 511) and a peripheral lobe 592, which has a lower emission angle at the non-normal incidence angle θ. PL The maximum emission intensity is located at this point. In some examples, the thickness of the p-doped layer 502b can be selected (sometimes referred to as "adjusting the LED cavity") to produce an angular distribution of emitted light within the LED that approximates a specified angular distribution. In some such examples, the specified angular distribution may include a center lobe 591 that is partially, mostly, or completely within the escape cone 599 and peripheral lobes 592 that are partially, mostly, or completely outside the escape cone 599 (e.g., as shown in the image). Figure 10A (as shown in / 10B). In some examples, the angular distribution may include multiple peripheral lobes at different corresponding propagation angles.

[0071] In previous LEDs, light propagating in the peripheral lobe 592 could be confined within the LED and lost as a useful output. In the light-emitting element 500 of the present invention, the longitudinal cross-sectional shape of the LED sidewall 513 can be arranged to redirect light propagating in the peripheral lobe 592 (or multiple peripheral lobes, if present) to exit through the light-emitting surface 511 (e.g., as shown in the image). Figure 10A (As shown in / 10B). In some examples, the LED side surface 513 can be arranged such that emitted light propagating within the outer lobe is internally reflected at the LED side surface 513; that is, the size and shape of the LED cause the side surface 513 to intercept light propagating in the outer lobe 592. In some such examples, a region of the LED side surface 513 (to which light propagating in the outer lobe 592 is incident) can be arranged to reflect the light so that it propagates within the exit cone 599. In some instances of achieving this result, the LED sidewall region can form an acute angle θ relative to the surface normal of the light exit surface 511. W The acute angle is approximately (θ) PL -θ C ) / 2 and approximately (θ) PL +θ C Between 1 / 2; in some instances, the angle θ W It can be approximately equal to θ PL / 2. Note the tilt and angle θ of the LED sidewall 513. WIt is related, that is, the tilt angle changes with the angle θ. W It decreases as θ increases: W When approaching 90°, the tilt angle approaches zero, and when θ W Approaching 0°, the tilt angle tends towards infinity. In some instances, the angle θ... W The angle can be between 35 degrees and 40 degrees. In some examples where the angular distribution includes multiple peripheral lobes, two or more different corresponding LED sidewall regions can be arranged to reflect light from two or more corresponding peripheral lobes to propagate within the exit cone 599. In some instances of this example, each of these sidewall regions can be arranged at an angle selected based on the propagation angle of the corresponding peripheral lobe (e.g., as described above).

[0072] In some examples, light incident on an LED sidewall 513 may be partially or completely internally reflected at the interface between the lateral dielectric layer 540 and the LED layers 502a / 502b / 502c; in these examples, light transmitted through this interface may be internally reflected at the interface between the lateral dielectric layer 540 and the bonding layer 536, where the bonding layer 536 also acts as a reflector. In some examples, the lateral dielectric layer 540 may comprise one or more of the following materials: doped or undoped silicon oxide, silicon nitride, or silicon oxynitride; one or more doped or undoped semiconductor oxides, semiconductor nitrides, or semiconductor oxynitrides; one or more doped or undoped metal oxides, metal nitrides, or metal oxynitrides; one or more optical glasses; or one or more doped or undoped polymers. In some examples, the lateral dielectric layer 540 may comprise a single layer of a single dielectric material; in this example, the bonding layer 536 may act as a reflector. In some other examples, the lateral dielectric layer 540 may comprise a reflective coating between the LED side surface 513 and the bonding layer 540. In some examples, such a reflective coating may include a multilayer reflective coating (e.g., a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR)); in some examples, the reflective layer may include one or more of the following materials: one or more metals or metal alloys; doped or undoped silicon; one or more doped or undoped group III-V, II-VI, or IV semiconductors; doped or undoped silicon oxide, silicon nitride, or silicon oxynitride; one or more doped or undoped semiconductor oxides, semiconductor nitrides, or semiconductor oxynitrides; one or more doped or undoped metal oxides, metal nitrides, or metal oxynitrides; one or more optical glasses; or one or more doped or undoped polymers.

[0073] In some examples, the anodic electrical contact may be formed from a portion of a bonding layer 536 that is in direct electrical contact with the anodic contact surface 512 of the p-doped layer 502b. In some other examples, the anodic electrical contact may include one or more conductive anodic electrode layers that: (i) are located between the bonding layer 536 and the anodic contact surface 512; and (ii) electrically couple the bonding layer 536 to the p-doped layer 502b. In some examples, the one or more anodic electrode layers may include a layer 542 made of one or more metals or metal alloys (e.g., one or more of aluminum, silver, or gold). In some examples, the one or more anodic electrode layers may include a transparent electrode layer 544. In some examples of these examples, the transparent electrode 544 may be in direct contact with the anodic contact surface 512 and the bonding layer 536; in some other examples of these examples, the transparent electrode 544 may be in direct contact with the anodic contact surface 512 and a metal electrode 542 located between the transparent electrode layer 544 and the bonding layer 536 (e.g., as shown in the image). Figure 7 (As shown). In some instances, the transparent electrode layer 544 may include one or more of the following: indium tin oxide, indium zinc oxide, one or more other transparent conductive oxides, or combinations or mixtures thereof.

[0074] In some instances, the cathode electrical contact may include one or more edge contacts or one or more peripheral region contacts (not shown). In some instances, the cathode electrical contact may include one or more conductive vias (not shown) electrically insulated from the bonding layer 536; each via provides a local peripheral electrical connection to the n-doped layer 502c. In some examples, the edge contacts, peripheral region contacts, or vias may include one or more metals or metal alloys, such as one or more of aluminum, silver, or gold. In some instances, the cathode electrical contact may include a transparent cathode electrode layer 534 located on the light emitting surface 511 of the n-doped layer 502c. In some of these instances, the transparent cathode electrode layer 534 may include one or more of the following: indium tin oxide, indium zinc oxide, one or more other transparent conductive oxides, or combinations or mixtures thereof.

[0075] In some instances, the light-emitting surface 511 of the n-doped layer 502c may include an anti-reflective coating arranged to reduce Fresnel reflection of emitted light incident on the surface at the nominal emission vacuum wavelength λ0. Any suitable anti-reflective coating may be employed, such as a single quarter-wavelength layer, a multilayer dielectric stack, a so-called moth's-eye structure, etc., and this suitable anti-reflective coating may be appropriately arranged based on the refractive index of the n-doped layer 502c and the medium positioned against the light-emitting surface 511.

[0076] In some instances, multiple light-emitting elements 500 can be arranged as a light-emitting array (e.g., as in...). Figure 8A , Figure 8B and Figure 11 (As shown in the diagram). Multiple light-emitting elements 500 can be arranged in an array, wherein their corresponding light-emitting surfaces 511 are arranged substantially coplanarly. Figure 11 The exemplary array shown includes, for example, Figure 7 Multiple light-emitting elements 500 are arranged in the middle. Any other suitable arrangement (e.g., such as...) Figure 9A , 9B The light-emitting element 500 of the present invention (shown in 9C, 10A or 10B) can be similarly incorporated into the array.

[0077] In some instances, the multiple light-emitting elements 500 may comprise discrete, structurally different elements assembled together to form an array. In other instances, the multiple light-emitting elements 500 of the array may be integrally formed together on a common substrate. In some integrally formed examples, the respective n-doped layers 502c of the LED may be formed as a single, continuous n-doped layer across the array. In some other integrally formed or assembled examples, the respective n-doped layers of the LED may be separate from each other, wherein there is no direct electrical coupling between the respective n-doped layers.

[0078] In some instances of the array, the non-zero spacing between the light-emitting elements 500 can be less than 1.0 mm, less than 0.5 mm, less than 0.33 mm, less than 0.20 mm, less than 0.10 mm, less than 0.08 mm, less than 0.05 mm, less than 0.033 mm, less than 0.020 mm, or less than 0.010 mm. In some instances, the non-zero spacing between adjacent light-emitting elements 500 of the array can be less than 50 μm, less than 20 μm, less than 10 μm, less than 5 μm, less than 2.0 μm, less than 1.0 μm, or less than 0.5 μm. In some instances, the light-emitting elements 500 of the array can have a contrast ratio greater than 5:1, greater than 10:1, greater than 20:1, greater than 50:1, greater than 100:1, or greater than 300:1 for the emitted light from adjacent light-emitting elements.

[0079] In some instances, some or all of the light-emitting elements 500, or an array of light-emitting elements 500, may be arranged to act as direct emitters, i.e., the light emitted from the junction or active layer 502a is the output of element 500. In some instances (not shown), some or all of the light-emitting elements 500, or an array of light-emitting elements 500, may include one or more wavelength conversion structures (e.g., phosphor wavelength converters) such that the output from the element includes down-converted light emitted by the wavelength conversion structure (with or without residual light emitted by the junction or active layer 502a). In some instances of the array of wavelength-converting light-emitting elements 500, all wavelength conversion structures are capable of emitting at the same one or more wavelengths; in other instances of the array, some wavelength conversion structures of element 500 are capable of emitting at wavelengths different from those emitted by the wavelength conversion structures of some other light-emitting elements 500. In some array examples, the wavelength conversion structure can be arranged as a discrete element on each light-emitting element 500; in other examples, the wavelength conversion structure can be a corresponding region of an adjacent layer on multiple light-emitting elements 500 or on all light-emitting elements 500.

[0080] In some examples, a group of multiple independent conductive traces or interconnects 238 may be connected to corresponding anode electrical contacts, wherein each anode electrical contact is connected to a single corresponding trace or interconnect among the traces or interconnects 238, which is different from the corresponding trace or interconnect 238 connected to at least one other anode electrical contact. In some examples, each anode electrical contact may be connected to a single corresponding trace or interconnect among the traces or interconnects 238, which is different from the corresponding trace or interconnect 238 connected to all other anode electrical contacts. In some examples, one or more conductive traces or interconnects 238 may comprise one or more metals or metal alloys, such as one or more of aluminum, silver, or gold.

[0081] In some instances, the drive circuit 302 can be connected to each of the cathode electrical contacts and to each of the anode electrical contacts via electrical traces or interconnects 238. In some examples, the drive circuit 302 can be configured and connected to provide an electrical drive current flowing through the array and causing the array to emit light, and the drive circuit is further configured and connected such that: (i) a corresponding portion of the electrical drive current flows through one or more corresponding LEDs as a corresponding pixel current; and (ii) the amplitude of each pixel current is different from the amplitude of the corresponding pixel current of at least one other LED in the array. In some examples, having different spatial distributions of pixel current amplitudes for the elements 500 in the array can result in correspondingly different spatial distributions of light emission intensity across the array.

[0082] The design or optimization of one or more of the following, such as semiconductor layers 502a / 502b / 502c (e.g., refractive index, thickness, doping level), diode size or shape (e.g., aspect ratio of total semiconductor layer thickness to the width of light emitting surface 511, ratio of the width of light emitting surface 511 to the width of anode contact surface 512, slope of side surface 513, slope variation of side surface 513, or curvature of side surface 513), or lateral dielectric layer 540 (e.g., thickness, refractive index, reflector structure), may be performed based on one or more selected factors of quality (FOM) (through calculation, simulation, or iterative design / fabrication / testing using a prototype or test setup). Considerable device performance-based FOMs may include, for example: (i) extraction efficiency; (ii) total radiated emission; (iii) angular distribution of the emitted light; (iv) the share of radiated emission within a selected cone angle; (v) the contrast of light emission between adjacent light-emitting elements 500 in the array; or (vi) other suitable or desired FOMs. Alternatively or additionally, reductions in cost or manufacturing complexity may be used as FOMs in the design or optimization process. Optimization of one FOM may result in suboptimal values ​​for one or more other FOMs. Note that a device that is not necessarily fully optimized for any one FOM may still provide acceptable improvements to one or more FOMs; such partially optimized devices fall within the scope of this disclosure or the appended claims.

[0083] In addition to the foregoing, the following exemplary embodiments also fall within the scope of this disclosure or the appended claims.

[0084] Example 1. A light-emitting element comprising: (a) a semiconductor light-emitting diode (LED), the semiconductor light-emitting diode including a p-doped semiconductor layer, an n-doped semiconductor layer, and an active light-emitting layer between the p-doped layer and the n-doped layer, the LED having: (i) a light-emitting surface of the n-doped layer opposite to the active layer; (ii) an anode contact surface of the p-doped layer opposite to the active layer; and (iii) one or more side surfaces laterally defining at least a portion of the n-doped layer, the p-doped layer, and the active layer; (b) an anode electrical contact located on the anode contact surface and electrically coupled to the p-doped layer; (c) a cathode electrical contact electrically coupled to the n-doped layer; and (d) a lateral dielectric layer located on the p-doped layer. (e) a conductive bonding layer on the lateral dielectric layer, the bonding layer being electrically coupled to the anode contact and electrically insulated from the side surfaces of the active layer and the n-doped layer via the lateral dielectric layer; (f) the LED having a side surface shape characterized by a cross-sectional area that monotonically increases with increasing distance from the anode contact surface of the p-doped layer toward the light emitting surface of the n-doped layer, the side surface shape being arranged such that internal reflections within the LED or the lateral dielectric layer redirect a portion of the light emitted by the active layer and propagating outside the escape cone within the LED toward the emitting surface of the n-doped layer within the escape cone.

[0085] Example 2. The light-emitting element according to Example 1, wherein the one or more LED side surfaces laterally define the entire n-doped layer.

[0086] Example 3. According to any one of Examples 1 or 2, the LED has a circular, elliptical, or oval cross-sectional shape.

[0087] Example 4. According to any one of Examples 1 or 2, the LED has a square, rectangular or polygonal cross-sectional shape.

[0088] Example 5. According to any one of Examples 1 to 4, the one or more LED side surfaces have a longitudinal cross-sectional shape, the longitudinal cross-sectional shape having a substantially constant inclination between the anode contact surface and the light emitting surface.

[0089] Example 6. According to any one of Examples 1 to 4, the one or more LED side surfaces have a longitudinal cross-sectional shape having a first substantially constant inclination at the anode contact surface and a second substantially constant inclination at the light emitting surface that is greater than the first substantially constant inclination.

[0090] Example 7. According to any one of Examples 1 to 4, the one or more LED side surfaces have a curved longitudinal cross-sectional shape, the curved longitudinal cross-sectional shape having a slope that monotonically increases from the anode contact surface to the light emitting surface.

[0091] Example 8. According to any one of Examples 1 to 7, the angular distribution of light emitted from the active layer includes a central lobe at least partially within the escape cone and a peripheral lobe outside the escape cone, wherein the one or more LED side surfaces are arranged such that emitted light propagating within the peripheral lobe is internally reflected at the one or more LED side surfaces.

[0092] Example 9. According to the light-emitting element of Example 8, the one or more LED side surfaces have a longitudinal cross-sectional shape, the longitudinal cross-sectional shape being arranged such that emitted light propagating in the peripheral lobes is incident on the one or more side surfaces in a region of the longitudinal cross-sectional shape, i.e., in this region, forming an acute angle θ with respect to the surface normal of the light-emitting surface. W The acute angle is approximately (θ) PL -θ C ) / 2 and approximately (θ) PL +θ C Between θ / 2 PL θ is the acute angle of light propagation relative to the surface normal at the maximum value of the outer lobe. C It is the cone angle of the escape cone.

[0093] Example 10. According to the light-emitting element of Example 8, the one or more LED side surfaces have a longitudinal cross-sectional shape, which is arranged such that emitted light propagating in the peripheral lobes is incident on the one or more side surfaces in a region of the longitudinal cross-sectional shape, i.e., in this region, forming an acute angle θ with respect to the surface normal of the light-emitting surface. W The acute angle is approximately equal to θ. PL / 2, θ PL θ is the acute angle of light propagation relative to the surface normal at the maximum value of the outer lobe. C It is the cone angle of the escape cone.

[0094] Example 11. According to the light-emitting element of Example 8, the one or more LED side surfaces have a longitudinal cross-sectional shape, which is arranged such that emitted light propagating in the peripheral lobes is incident on the one or more side surfaces in a region of the longitudinal cross-sectional shape, i.e., in the region, forming an acute angle θ with respect to the surface normal of the light-emitting surface. W The acute angle is between 35 and 40 degrees.

[0095] Example 12. According to any one of Examples 1 to 11, the bonding layer comprises one or more metals or metal alloys.

[0096] Example 13. According to the light-emitting element of Example 13, the bonding layer comprises one or more of aluminum, silver or gold.

[0097] Example 14. According to any one of Examples 1 to 13, the lateral dielectric layer comprises one or more of the following materials: doped or undoped silicon oxide, silicon nitride, or silicon oxynitride; one or more doped or undoped semiconductor oxides, semiconductor nitrides, or semiconductor oxynitrides; one or more doped or undoped metal oxides, metal nitrides, or metal oxynitrides; one or more optical glasses; or one or more doped or undoped polymers.

[0098] Example 15. According to any one of Examples 1 to 14, the lateral dielectric layer comprises only a single layer of a single dielectric material.

[0099] Example 16. According to any one of Examples 1 to 14, the lateral dielectric layer includes a reflective coating located between the one or more LED side surfaces and the bonding layer.

[0100] Example 17. Based on the light-emitting element of Example 16, the reflective coating includes a multilayer reflective coating or a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR). Example 18. According to any one of Examples 16 or 17, the reflective coating comprises one or more of the following materials: one or more metals or metal alloys; doped or undoped silicon; one or more doped or undoped group III-V, II-VI, or IV semiconductors; doped or undoped silicon oxide, silicon nitride, or silicon oxynitride; one or more doped or undoped semiconductor oxides, semiconductor nitrides, or semiconductor oxynitrides; one or more doped or undoped metal oxides, metal nitrides, or metal oxynitrides; one or more optical glasses; or one or more doped or undoped polymers.

[0101] Example 19. According to any one of Examples 1 to 18, the light-emitting element includes one or more conductive anode electrode layers, the one or more conductive anode electrode layers being: (i) located between the bonding layer and the anode contact surface; and (ii) electrically coupling the bonding layer to the p-doped layer.

[0102] Example 20. According to the light-emitting element of Example 19, the one or more anode electrode layers comprise a metal layer made of one or more metals or metal alloys.

[0103] Example 21. According to the light-emitting element of Example 20, one or more anode electrode layers comprise a metal layer made of one or more of aluminum, silver, or gold.

[0104] Example 22. According to any one of Examples 20 or 21, the light-emitting element includes one or more anode electrode layers comprising a transparent electrode layer between the anode contact surface and the metal layer.

[0105] Example 23. According to the light-emitting element of Example 19, one or more anode electrode layers include a transparent electrode layer.

[0106] Example 24. According to any one of Examples 22 or 23, the transparent electrode layer comprises one or more of the following: indium tin oxide, indium zinc oxide, one or more other transparent conductive oxides, or combinations or mixtures thereof.

[0107] Example 25. According to any one of Examples 1 to 18, the anode electrical contact is part of the bonding layer that is in direct electrical contact with the anode surface of the p-doped layer.

[0108] Example 26. According to any one of Examples 1 to 25, the cathode electrical contact includes a transparent cathode electrode layer on the light emitting surface of the n-doped layer.

[0109] Example 27. According to the light-emitting element of Example 26, the transparent cathode electrode layer comprises one or more of the following: indium tin oxide, indium zinc oxide, one or more other transparent conductive oxides or combinations or mixtures thereof.

[0110] Example 28. According to any one of Examples 1 to 27, the cathode electrical contact includes one or more edge contacts or one or more peripheral region contacts.

[0111] Example 29. According to any one of Examples 1 to 28, the light-emitting element, the cathode electrical contact includes one or more conductive vias electrically insulated from the bonding layer.

[0112] Example 30. According to any one of Examples 28 or 29, the light-emitting element comprises one or more edge contacts, peripheral area contacts, or through holes of the cathode electrical contact portion, which include one or more metals or metal alloys.

[0113] Example 31. According to the light-emitting element of Example 30, the one or more edge contacts, peripheral area contacts or through holes of the cathode electrical contact portion include one or more of aluminum, silver or gold.

[0114] Example 32. The light-emitting element according to any one of Examples 1 to 31 further includes an anti-reflective coating on the emitting surface of the n-doped layer, the anti-reflective coating being arranged to reduce the reflection of emitted light incident on the surface at a nominal emission vacuum wavelength λ0, the reduction being relative to the reflection at a similar surface lacking the anti-reflective coating.

[0115] Example 33. According to any one of Examples 1 to 32, the LED comprises one or more doped or undoped group III-V, II-VI or IV semiconductor materials or alloys or mixtures thereof.

[0116] Example 34. The light-emitting array according to any one of Examples 1 to 33 has a nominal emission vacuum wavelength λ0 greater than 0.20 µm, greater than 0.4 µm, greater than 0.8 µm, less than 10 µm, less than 2.5 µm, or less than 1.0 µm.

[0117] Example 35. The light-emitting element described in any of Examples 1 to 34 has an active layer comprising one or more pn junctions, one or more quantum wells, one or more multiple quantum wells, or one or more quantum dots.

[0118] Example 36. The total non-zero thickness of the LED layer in any one of Examples 1 to 35 is less than 20 µm, less than 10 µm, less than 5 µm, less than 3 µm, less than 2.0 µm, less than 1.5 µm, or less than 1.0 µm.

[0119] Example 37. The light-emitting element described in any one of Examples 1 to 36 has a non-zero thickness of p-doped layer of less than 2.0 µm, less than 1.0 µm, less than 0.8 µm, less than 0.5 µm, less than 0.3 µm, less than 0.20 µm, or less than 0.10 µm.

[0120] Example 38. According to any one of Examples 1 to 37, the non-zero thickness of the p-doped layer is selected such that the angular distribution of emitted light within the LED is close to a specified angular distribution.

[0121] Example 39. The light-emitting element according to Example 38, wherein the specified angular distribution includes a central lobe at least partially within the escape cone and a peripheral lobe outside the escape cone.

[0122] Example 40. A method for preparing a light-emitting element according to any one of Examples 1 to 39, the method comprising: (A) forming a first semiconductor layer and a second semiconductor layer, wherein a junction or active layer is provided between the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer; (B) forming a dielectric on the first semiconductor layer; (C) forming a group of first electrical contacts electrically contacting the first semiconductor layer; and (D) forming a group of second electrical contacts electrically contacting the second semiconductor layer.

[0123] Example 41. A light-emitting array comprising a plurality of light-emitting elements as described in any one of Examples 1 to 39, the plurality of light-emitting elements being arranged such that their respective light-emitting surfaces are substantially coplanar.

[0124] Example 42. According to the light-emitting array of Example 41, multiple light-emitting elements of the array are integrally formed together on a common substrate.

[0125] Example 43. According to the light-emitting array of Example 42, the respective n-doped layers of the LED form a single continuous n-doped layer across the array.

[0126] Example 44. According to the light-emitting array of Example 41, the plurality of light-emitting elements include discrete, structurally different elements assembled together to form the array.

[0127] Example 45. According to any one of Examples 42 or 44, the respective n-doped layers of the LED are separated from each other, wherein there is no direct electrical coupling between the respective n-doped layers of the LED.

[0128] Example 46. According to any one of Examples 41 to 45, the non-zero spacing of the light-emitting elements of the array is less than 1.0 mm, less than 0.5 mm, less than 0.33 mm, less than 0.20 mm, less than 0.10 mm, less than 0.08 mm, less than 0.05 mm, less than 0.033 mm, less than 0.020 mm, or less than 0.010 mm.

[0129] Example 47. The light-emitting array described in any one of Examples 41 to 46, wherein the non-zero spacing between adjacent light-emitting elements of the array is less than 50 µm, less than 20 µm, less than 10 µm, less than 5 µm, less than 2.0 µm, less than 1.0 µm, or less than 0.5 µm.

[0130] Example 48. According to any one of Examples 41 to 47, the light-emitting array has a contrast ratio of greater than 5:1, greater than 10:1, greater than 20:1, greater than 50:1, greater than 100:1 or greater than 300:1 for the emitted light emitted from adjacent light-emitting elements.

[0131] Example 49. The light-emitting array according to any one of Examples 41 to 48 further includes a group of multiple independent conductive traces or interconnects connected to respective anode electrical contacts, each anode electrical contact being connected to a single corresponding trace or interconnect among the traces or interconnects, the single corresponding trace or interconnect being different from a corresponding trace or interconnect connected to at least one other anode electrical contact.

[0132] Example 50. The light-emitting element as described in Example 49, wherein the one or more conductive traces or interconnects comprise one or more metals or metal alloys.

[0133] Example 51. The light-emitting element as described in Example 50, wherein the one or more conductive traces or interconnects comprise one or more of aluminum, silver, or gold.

[0134] Example 52. The light-emitting array as described in any of Examples 49 to 51, wherein each anode electrical contact is connected to a single corresponding trace or interconnect in the trace or interconnect, the single corresponding trace or interconnect being different from the corresponding trace or interconnect connected to all other anode electrical contacts.

[0135] Example 53. The light-emitting array according to any one of Examples 49-52 further includes a driving circuit connected (i) to each of the cathode electrical contacts and (ii) to each of the anode electrical contacts via electrical traces or interconnects, the driving circuit being configured and connected to provide an electrical driving current flowing through the array and causing the array to emit light, and the driving circuit being further configured and connected such that (i) a corresponding portion of the electrical driving current flows as a corresponding pixel current through one or more corresponding LEDs, and (ii) the amplitude of each pixel current is different from the amplitude of the corresponding pixel current of at least one other LED in the array.

[0136] Example 54. A method of using the light-emitting array of Example 53, the method comprising: (A) selecting a first specific spatial distribution of pixel current amplitudes; (B) operating the driving circuit to provide the first specific spatial distribution of pixel current amplitudes to the LEDs of the array, such that the array emits light according to a corresponding first spatial distribution of light emission intensity across the array; (C) selecting a second specific spatial distribution of pixel current amplitudes that is different from the first specific spatial distribution of pixel current amplitudes; and (D) operating the driving circuit to provide the second specific spatial distribution of pixel current amplitudes to the LEDs of the array, such that the array emits light according to a corresponding second spatial distribution of light emission intensity across the array, the corresponding second spatial distribution of light emission intensity being different from the first spatial distribution of light emission intensity.

[0137] Example 55. A method for manufacturing the light-emitting array of Example 53, the method comprising: (A) forming or assembling the plurality of light-emitting elements to form the array; (B) forming one or more electrical traces or interconnects connected to respective anode electrical contacts; and (C) using the electrical traces or interconnects to (i) connect the drive circuit to the respective anode electrical contacts and (ii) connect it to the respective cathode electrical contacts.

[0138] This disclosure is illustrative and not restrictive. Further modifications based on this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and are intended to fall within the scope of this disclosure or the appended claims. Equivalents of the disclosed exemplary embodiments and methods, or modifications thereof, should fall within the scope of this disclosure or the appended claims.

[0139] In the detailed description above, various features may be grouped together in several exemplary embodiments to make this disclosure flow smoothly. This method of disclosure should not be construed as reflecting an intention that any claimed embodiment requires more features than those expressly recited in the corresponding claims. Rather, as reflected in the appended claims, the inventive subject matter may exist with fewer features than all in a single disclosed exemplary embodiment. Therefore, this disclosure should be interpreted as implicitly disclosing any embodiment having any suitable subset of one or more features shown, described, or claimed in this application, including those subsets that may not be expressly disclosed herein. A “suitable” subset of features includes only features that are neither incompatible nor mutually exclusive with respect to any other features in that subset. Therefore, the appended claims are hereby incorporated in their entirety into this embodiment, wherein each claim is itself a separate disclosed embodiment. Furthermore, each of the appended dependent claims should be interpreted as being disclosed solely for the purpose of incorporating the claims into this embodiment, as if the dependent claims were written in multiple dependent forms and depended on all the preceding claims, wherein the dependent claims are not inconsistent with all the preceding claims. It should also be noted that the cumulative scope of the appended claims may, but may not, include the entire subject matter disclosed in this application.

[0140] The following interpretations will apply to the purposes of this disclosure and the appended claims. The words “comprising,” “including,” “having,” and variations thereof, wherever they appear, unless otherwise expressly stated, shall be interpreted as open-ended terms having the same meaning as if a phrase such as “at least” were appended after each example. The article “a” shall be interpreted as “one or more” unless “only one,” “single,” or other similar limitation is expressly stated or implied in the particular context; similarly, the article “the” shall be interpreted as “one or more of the” unless “only one of the,” “single of the,” or other similar limitation is expressly stated or implied in the particular context. The conjunction “or” shall be interpreted as inclusive unless: (i) it is expressly additionally stated, for example, by using “or…or…,” “only one of,” or similar language; or (ii) two or more of the listed alternatives are understood or disclosed (implicitly or explicitly) as incompatible or mutually exclusive in the particular context. In the latter case, “or” will be understood to include only those combinations involving non-mutually exclusive alternatives. In one instance, each of “dog or cat,” “one or more dogs or cats,” and “one or more of dogs or cats” will be interpreted as: one or more dogs without any cats; or one or more cats without any dogs; or one or more of each. In another instance, each of “dog, cat, or mouse,” “one or more of dogs, cats, or mice,” and “one or more dogs, cats, or mice” will be interpreted as: (i) one or more dogs without any cats or mice, (ii) one or more cats without any dogs or mice, (iii) one or more mice without any dogs or cats, (iv) one or more dogs and one or more cats without any mice, (v) one or more dogs and one or more mice without any cats, (vi) one or more cats and one or more mice without any dogs, or (vii) one or more dogs, one or more cats, and one or more mice. In another instance, each of “two or more of dogs, cats, or mice” or “two or more dogs, cats, or mice” will be interpreted as: (i) one or more dogs and one or more cats without any mice, (ii) one or more dogs and one or more mice without any cats, (iii) one or more cats and one or more mice without any dogs, or (iv) one or more dogs, one or more cats, and one or more mice. “Three or more,” “four or more,” etc., will be interpreted similarly.

[0141] For the purposes of this disclosure or the appended claims, when describing the quantity of a numerical value (with or without using terms such as “approximately equal to,” “substantially equal to,” “greater than approximately,” “less than approximately,” etc.), standard conventions relating to measurement precision and significant figures will apply unless a different interpretation is explicitly stated. For a zero quantity described by phrases such as “substantially prevented,” “substantially non-existent,” “substantially eliminated,” “approximately equal to zero,” “negligible,” each such phrase should indicate a situation where the quantity in question has been reduced or decreased to such an extent that, for the practical purpose in the context of the intended operation or use of the disclosed or claimed apparatus or method, the overall nature or performance of the apparatus or method is no different from that that occurs when the zero quantity is actually completely removed, exactly equal to zero, or precisely zeroed.

[0142] For the purposes of this disclosure and the appended claims, any designation of elements, steps, limitations, or other parts of embodiments or examples (e.g., first, second, third, etc.; (a), (b), (c), etc.; or (i), (ii), (iii), etc.) is for clarity only and should not be construed as implying any kind of ordering or ranking of the parts so designated. If any such ordering or ranking is desired, it will be expressly stated in the embodiments, examples, or claims, or in some cases, it will be implied or inherent based on the specific content of the embodiments or examples. In the appended claims, if the provisions of 35 USC § 112(f) are expected to apply in an apparatus claim, the word “apparatus” will appear in that apparatus claim. If these provisions are expected to apply in a method claim, the word “for…step” will appear in that method claim. Conversely, if the words “apparatus” or “for…step” do not appear in a claim, the provisions of 35 USC § 112(f) are not intended to apply to that claim.

[0143] If any one or more disclosures are incorporated herein by reference and conflict in whole or in part with this disclosure, or differ in scope from this disclosure, this disclosure shall prevail for the purposes of conflict, the broader disclosure, or the broader definition of terms. If any of the incorporated disclosures conflict in whole or in part with each other, the later-date disclosure shall prevail for the purposes of conflict.

[0144] Abstracts are provided as needed to assist those searching for specific topics in patent literature. However, abstracts do not attempt to imply that any element, feature, or limitation described herein must be included in any particular claim. The scope of the subject matter included in each claim should be determined solely by the statement of that claim.

Claims

1. A light-emitting element, comprising: A semiconductor LED, the LED comprising a p-doped semiconductor layer, an n-doped semiconductor layer and an active light-emitting layer between the p-doped semiconductor layer and the n-doped semiconductor layer, the LED having: (i) a light-emitting surface of the n-doped semiconductor layer opposite to the active light-emitting layer; and (ii) an anode contact surface of the p-doped semiconductor layer opposite to the active light-emitting layer. and (iii) one or more side surfaces that laterally define at least a portion of the n-doped semiconductor layer, the p-doped semiconductor layer, and the active light-emitting layer; An anode electrical contact portion is located on the anode contact surface and electrically coupled to the p-doped semiconductor layer; A cathode electrical contact portion, which is electrically coupled to the n-doped semiconductor layer; A lateral dielectric layer is located on one or more side surfaces of the LED; as well as A conductive bonding layer is located on the lateral dielectric layer, the bonding layer being electrically coupled to the anode electrical contact and electrically insulated from the side surfaces of the active light-emitting layer and the n-doped semiconductor layer through the lateral dielectric layer. The LED has a side surface shape characterized by a cross-sectional area that monotonically increases from the anode contact surface of the p-doped semiconductor layer to the light-emitting surface of the n-doped semiconductor layer. The one or more LED side surfaces have a longitudinal cross-sectional shape having a first substantially constant inclination at the anode contact surface and a second substantially constant inclination at the light-emitting surface that is greater than the first substantially constant inclination. The side surface shape is arranged such that internal reflections within the LED or the lateral dielectric layer redirect a portion of the light emitted by the active light-emitting layer and propagating outside the escape cone within the LED toward the emission surface of the n-doped semiconductor layer within the escape cone.

2. The light-emitting element according to claim 1, wherein the LED has one of the following: (i) a circular, elliptical or oval cross-sectional shape; or (ii) a polygonal cross-sectional shape.

3. The light-emitting element according to claim 1, wherein the angular distribution of light emitted from the active light-emitting layer includes at least a central lobe within the escape cone and a peripheral lobe outside the escape cone, wherein the one or more LED side surfaces are arranged such that emitted light propagating within the peripheral lobe is internally reflected at the one or more LED side surfaces to propagate toward the exiting surface of the n-doped semiconductor layer within the escape cone.

4. The light-emitting element according to claim 3, wherein the one or more LED side surfaces have a longitudinal cross-sectional shape, the longitudinal cross-sectional shape being arranged such that, in a region of the longitudinal cross-sectional shape, emitted light propagating in the peripheral lobes is incident on the one or more side surfaces, the side surface region forming an acute angle θ with respect to the surface normal of the light-emitting surface. W The acute angle: (i) lies between (θ) PL -θ C ) / 2 and (θ) PL +θ C Between ) / 2, θ PL θ is the acute angle of light propagation relative to the surface normal at the maximum value of the outer lobe. C (ii) is the cone angle of the escape cone; PL / 2; or (iii) between 35 degrees and 40 degrees.

5. The light-emitting element according to claim 1, wherein the lateral dielectric layer (i) comprises only a single layer of a single dielectric material, or (ii) comprises a reflective coating between the one or more LED side surfaces and the bonding layer.

6. The light-emitting element of claim 1 further comprises an anti-reflective coating on the emitting surface of the n-doped semiconductor layer, the anti-reflective coating being arranged to reduce the reflection of emitted light incident on the surface at a nominal emission vacuum wavelength λ0, the reduction being relative to the reflection at a similar surface lacking the anti-reflective coating.

7. The light-emitting element according to claim 1, (i) the total non-zero thickness of each layer of the LED is less than 10 µm, or the non-zero thickness of the p-doped semiconductor layer is less than 2.0 µm.

8. The light-emitting element according to claim 2, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the polygon includes a square cross-sectional shape.

9. The light-emitting element according to claim 2, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the polygon includes a rectangular cross-sectional shape.

10. A method for manufacturing a light-emitting element according to claim 1, the method comprising: (A) A first semiconductor layer and a second semiconductor layer are formed, with a junction or active layer between the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer; (B) Forming the one or more side surfaces; (C) Forming an anode electrical contact that is electrically coupled to the p-doped semiconductor layer; as well as (D) Forming a cathode contact that is electrically coupled to the n-doped semiconductor layer.

11. A light-emitting array comprising a plurality of light-emitting elements according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of light-emitting elements according to claim 1 are arranged such that their respective light-emitting surfaces are substantially coplanar.

12. The light-emitting array of claim 11, wherein the plurality of light-emitting elements comprises discrete, structurally different elements assembled together to form the array.

13. The light-emitting array according to claim 11, wherein a plurality of light-emitting elements of the array are integrally formed together on a common substrate.

14. The light-emitting array of claim 13, wherein the respective n-doped semiconductor layers of the LEDs form a single continuous n-doped semiconductor layer across the array.

15. The light-emitting array according to claim 11, wherein the non-zero spacing between the light-emitting elements of the array is less than 0.10 mm, and the non-zero spacing between adjacent light-emitting elements of the array is less than 20 µm.

16. The light-emitting array according to claim 11, wherein the light-emitting elements of the array have a contrast ratio greater than 5:1 for emitted light emitted from adjacent light-emitting elements.

17. The light-emitting array of claim 11 further comprises a group of a plurality of independent conductive traces or interconnects connected to respective anode electrical contacts, each anode electrical contact being connected to a single corresponding trace or interconnect among the traces or interconnects, the single corresponding trace or interconnect being different from a corresponding trace or interconnect connected to at least one other anode electrical contact.

18. The light-emitting array of claim 17, wherein each anode electrical contact is connected to a single corresponding trace or interconnect in the trace or interconnect, the single corresponding trace or interconnect being different from the corresponding traces or interconnects connected to all other anode electrical contacts.

19. The light-emitting array of claim 17 further comprises a driving circuit connected (i) to each of the cathode electrical contacts and (ii) to each of the anode electrical contacts via an electrical trace or interconnect, the driving circuit being configured and connected to provide an electrical driving current flowing through the array and causing the array to emit light, and the driving circuit being further configured and connected such that (i) a corresponding portion of the electrical driving current flows as a corresponding pixel current through one or more corresponding LEDs, and (ii) the amplitude of each pixel current is different from the amplitude of a corresponding pixel current of at least one other LED in the array.

20. A method of using the light-emitting array of claim 19, the method comprising: (A) Select the first specific spatial distribution of pixel current amplitude; (B) Operate the driving circuit to provide a first specific spatial distribution of pixel current amplitudes to the LEDs of the array, such that the array emits light according to a corresponding first spatial distribution of light emission intensity across the array; (C) Select a second specific spatial distribution of pixel current amplitude that is different from the first specific spatial distribution of the pixel current amplitude; and (D) Operate the driving circuit to provide a second specific spatial distribution of pixel current amplitude to the LEDs of the array, such that the array emits light according to a corresponding second spatial distribution of light emission intensity across the array, the corresponding second spatial distribution of light emission intensity being different from a first spatial distribution of light emission intensity.

21. A method for manufacturing a light-emitting array according to claim 19, the method comprising: (A) Forming or assembling the plurality of light-emitting elements to form the array; (B) Form one or more electrical traces or interconnects connected to the corresponding anode electrical contacts; as well as (C) The drive circuit (i) is connected to the corresponding anode electrical contact and (ii) is connected to the corresponding cathode electrical contact using the electrical traces or interconnects.

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