Modular device for addressable light emitting diode array

Abstract

In accordance with one or more embodiments, a modular device is provided. The modular device includes light emitting diode elements. The modular device also includes a transistor. Each light emitting diode element is electrically coupled to a corresponding one of the transistors to provide vertical integration between the light emitting diode and the corresponding transistor. The light emitting diode element generates a light emitting region covering a device region of the modular device based on the vertical integration.

Description

[0001] This invention was made with Government support under a contract awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The Government has certain rights in this invention.

[0002] Cross-reference to related application(s) This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 433,186, filed December 16, 2022, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth. Background Art

[0003] Densely packed arrays of addressable light-emitting diodes ("LEDs") can include segmented LEDs or discrete mini-LEDs and are attractive for creating high-brightness light sources with variable spatial light emission. When combined with directional projection optics, the addressability of the elements of densely packed addressable LED arrays can enable beam shaping or steering capabilities. When combined with directional mixing optics and using different colors on the elements, the addressability can also enable color-tunable near-field mixed light sources for directional lighting, avoiding the visible color separation that occurs in designs based on far-field mixing (e.g., showerhead optics).

[0004] In general, due to the variety of possible lighting applications and corresponding requirements, a scalable method for manufacturing densely packed addressable LED arrays of arbitrary sizes and shapes is desirable. However, densely packed addressable LED arrays (i.e., having discrete LED packages assembled on a printed circuit board (PCB)) are limited in size by PCB routing limitations and design rules. Conventional solutions (such as mounting segmented LEDs on a base) can alleviate these PCB routing limitations and design rules. However, although the base can reduce the number of contacts (i.e., by connecting all anodes or cathodes of the LED elements and / or grouping the addressable LED elements together) and can spread the contacts over a larger area to facilitate PCB assembly, the use of the base is not easily scalable or adaptable to the variety of possible lighting applications and corresponding requirements because the base is specifically designed for a given light source specification. Summary of the Invention

[0005] According to one or more embodiments, a modular device is provided. The modular device includes one or more light-emitting diode elements. The modular device also includes one or more transistors. Each of the one or more light-emitting diode elements is electrically coupled to a corresponding transistor in the one or more transistors to provide vertical integration between the light-emitting diode and the corresponding transistor. Based on the vertical integration, the one or more light-emitting diode elements generate a light-emitting area that covers the device area of ​​the modular device.

[0006] According to one or more embodiments, a modular device is provided. The modular device includes a light-emitting diode (LED) chip comprising one or more LED elements. The modular device also includes a base comprising one or more transistors. Each of the one or more LED elements is electrically coupled to a corresponding transistor in the one or more transistors to provide vertical integration between the LED and the corresponding transistor. Based on this vertical integration, the LED chip generates a light-emitting area that covers the device area of ​​the modular device.

[0007] According to one or more embodiments, a method is provided. The method includes vertically integrating a modular device including a plurality of transistors and a plurality of light-emitting diodes, and adding at least one phosphor to the modular device. The method also includes maintaining the addressability of the plurality of light-emitting diodes and assembling the modular device into an addressable light-emitting diode array using reflow soldering. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] A more detailed understanding may be obtained from the following description, which is given by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 A method according to one or more embodiments is shown; Figure 2 shows a device according to one or more embodiments; Figure 3 A device with a complementary metal oxide semiconductor / through silicon via (CMOS / TSV) silicon base is shown according to one or more embodiments; Figure 4 shows a device having a low-temperature thin film transistor (TFT) fabricated on an LED chip according to one or more embodiments; Figure 5 A device having a chip scale package (CSP) according to one or more embodiments is shown; Figure 6 shows a device having a segmented phosphor layer according to one or more embodiments; Figure 7 shows a device having a continuous phosphor layer according to one or more embodiments; Figure 8 shows a device integrating multiple phosphor layers according to one or more embodiments; Figure 9 shows a device having phosphor distributed at a modular device level according to one or more embodiments; Figure 10 shows a schematic diagram of a segmented LED according to one or more embodiments; Figure 11A schematic diagram illustrating an addressable light emitting diode array according to one or more embodiments is shown; Figure 12 A schematic diagram illustrating an addressable light emitting diode array according to one or more embodiments is shown; Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of an example vehicle headlamp system according to one or more embodiments; and Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of another example vehicle headlamp system according to one or more embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0009] According to one or more embodiments herein, a modular device for an addressable LED array of any size is provided. The modular device may include a transistor and one or more LED elements vertically integrated with a corresponding number of transistors. The one or more LED elements may generate a light emitting area based on the vertical integration, which light emitting area may enable the one or more LED elements to be combined to substantially cover the device area of ​​the modular device. The modular device may be placed in a densely packed addressable LED array, such as in combination with other modular devices to provide a larger light source of any size. One or more technical effects, benefits, and advantages of the modular device may include maintaining the addressability of one or more LED elements of the modular device while creating a larger light source (e.g., a densely packed addressable LED array).

[0010] Examples of various lighting system and / or LED implementations will be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings. These examples are not mutually exclusive, and features found in one example can be combined with features found in one or more other examples to implement further implementations. Therefore, it should be understood that the examples shown in the accompanying drawings are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the present disclosure in any way. Like numbers refer to similar elements throughout. Examples of various lighting system and / or LED implementations will be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings. These examples are not mutually exclusive, and features found in one example can be combined with features found in one or more other examples to implement further implementations. Therefore, it should be understood that the examples shown in the accompanying drawings are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the present disclosure in any way. Like numbers refer to similar elements throughout. Furthermore, LEDs can have a relatively large light-emitting area, with their outer walls surrounded on at least one side by a very thin reflector (such as a dichroic mirror). This can enable very close spacing of LEDs (as described above) while still maintaining contrast between adjacent LEDs. In some embodiments, the reflector can only be placed in a position where the sidewall is adjacent to the sidewall of an adjacent LED. For such LEDs, standard pick and place techniques may be difficult for the reasons described above, especially when the tight spacing makes any movement of the LEDs problematic for their function.

[0011] Figure 1 1 is a flow chart of method 100 according to one or more embodiments. Method 100 can be used to assemble an addressable LED array using modular devices. The addressable LED array can generate light zones based on the combination of modular devices. Light zones and addressable LED arrays can have any size, as any number of modular devices can be combined to provide the size required for a specific lighting application (e.g., architectural lighting, entertainment lighting, retail lighting, hospitality lighting, and lighting applications including beam steering / shaping, color tuning in directional lighting, adaptive light engines, and post-configuration). Examples of addressable LED arrays can include densely packed addressable LED arrays.

[0012] Method 100 and the resulting addressable LED array accommodate a fully vertical device structure for each modular device. According to one or more embodiments, in order to provide a fully vertical device structure, the modular device may include one or more transistors, one or more LED elements vertically integrated with a corresponding number of transistors, and one or more electrical pads. The one or more LED elements may generate a light emitting area based on the vertical integration, which light emitting area may enable one or more LED elements to be combined to substantially cover the device area of ​​the modular device. The one or more LED elements may be addressable within the modular device, and the modular device may be addressable within the addressable LED array. Thus, for example, the modular devices may be combined and placed within a densely packed addressable LED array to provide a larger light source of any size. Any size of the densely packed addressable LED array may include at least the combination of each device area of ​​each modular device therein. The larger light source may in turn provide a total emitted light including the combination of each light emitting area of ​​each modular device.

[0013] See below Figure 2-Figure 8 The method 100 is described in further detail, and similar items are labeled with similar identifiers for ease of understanding and brevity.

[0014] The plurality of modular devices may be vertically integrated at block 110. That is, each of the plurality of modular devices may be fabricated with a fully vertical device structure to maintain addressability of one or more LED elements therein.

[0015] Steering Figure 2 , a device 200 is shown according to one or more embodiments. Device 200 is an example of a modular device. Device 200 includes one or more LED elements 210, one or more transistors 220 within a substrate 225, and at least three electrode pads 230 on a bottom side 240 of device 200. A first pad of the at least three electrode pads 230 can be used to turn one or more transistors 220 on or off. A second pad and a third pad of the at least three electrode pads 230 can be used to power device 200.

[0016] As shown, one or more LED elements 210 can be implemented as discrete LED chips. Alternatively, one or more LED elements 210 can be implemented as segments of a segmented monolithic LED chip (with trenches etched through the junction to separate its segments). The circuitry underlying the one or more LED elements 210 can also include other components, such as passive components (i.e., resistors) and junction / Schottky barrier diodes, which can also be integrated into the substrate 225.

[0017] The one or more transistors 220 may include metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs), low temperature thin film transistors (TFTs), or any suitable type of field effect transistors (FETs). By way of further example, the one or more transistors 220 may include bipolar junction transistors, polysilicon field effect transistors, indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) TFTs, etc.

[0018] like Figure 2 As shown in , each LED element 210 can be vertically integrated with the corresponding transistor 220, so that each LED element 210 can be directly addressable within the device. Vertical integration can include, but is not limited to, electrically coupling the corresponding transistor 220 and the LED element 210 so that each LED element 210 is above each transistor 220, on top of each transistor 220, or in a vertical relationship with each transistor 220. In turn, the electrical contact between the transistor 220 and the LED element 210 is below or behind the outward-facing side of the LED element 210, which further enables the LED element 210 and the device 200 to be closely placed, which produces a more continuous light-emitting area. One or more technical effects, benefits, and advantages of the device 200 can include utilizing vertical integration so that the combination of one or more LED elements 210 produces a light-emitting area that covers the device area 260 of the device 200. The device area 260 is the envelope or size of the device 200, such as based on its perimeter dimensions. For example, the device area 260 can be determined by multiplying the length and width of the outer side of the device 200. By way of example, the distance 270 from the edge 272 of the LED element 210 to the edge 274 of the device 200 or substrate 225 can be less than a threshold value, such as 200 μm, 100 μm, or 50 μm. By way of another example, the LED element 210 can be distinguished from the device 200 or substrate 225 by a ratio between the LED chip area 280 and the device area 260 that is greater than 70%, such as 80%, 90%, or 95%. The LED chip area 280 is the envelope or size of the LED element 210, such as based on its perimeter dimensions. For example, the LED chip area 280 can be determined by multiplying the length and width of the outer side of the LED element 210.

[0019] Steering Figure 3 , shows a device 300 according to one or more embodiments. Device 300 is an example of a modular device. Device 300 includes at least three electrode pads 230 on the bottom side 240 of device 200. Device 300 may include an LED chip, such as a segmented monolithic LED chip 310, having trenches 315 etched through the junction to separate its segments. The circuitry beneath the LED chip may also include other components, such as passive components (i.e., resistors) and junction / Schottky barrier diodes.

[0020] The segmented monolithic LED chip 310 may alternatively be implemented as discrete LED chips, such as Figure 2 As shown in FIG. Device 300 may include a submount, such as a complementary metal oxide semiconductor / through silicon via (CMOS / TSV) silicon submount 330. The segmented monolithic LED chip 310 may be bonded to the CMOS silicon substrate 330 via stud bump bonding 332 or any other suitable interconnect process. Note that circuitry beneath the LED chip may also be integrated into the CMOS silicon submount 330. The CMOS / TSV silicon submount 330 may include a CMOS silicon substrate 334 and a TSV layer 336. The CMOS / TSV silicon submount 330 may provide vertical integration via the CMOS silicon substrate 334, utilizing the TSV layer 336 to route contacts from the segmented monolithic LED chip 310 to the bottom side 240 of the device 200. The CMOS silicon substrate 334 may include at least one MOSFET for each LED element (i.e., each segment) of the segmented monolithic LED chip 310. As further examples, the CMOS silicon substrate 334 may include bipolar junction transistors, polysilicon field-effect transistors, indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) TFTs, etc., aligned with the LED elements. The CMOS silicon substrate 334 may also include logic and circuitry to maintain the addressability of each LED element (ie, each segment) of the segmented monolithic LED chip 310 .

[0021] One or more technical effects, benefits, and advantages of the device 300 include utilizing vertical integration of the CMOS / TSV silicon submount 330 so that the segmented monolithic LED chip 310 can produce a light-emitting area that covers the device area 360 of the device 300. For example, as described herein, a distance 370 from an edge 372 of the segmented monolithic LED chip 310 to an edge 374 of the device 300 or the CMOS / TSV silicon submount 330 can be less than a threshold value or greater than a ratio (i.e., the ratio between the LED chip area 380 and the device area 360). Thus, while conventional LED arrays hybridized onto a CMOS / TSV wafer may not be automatically suitable for automotive headlight applications due to top contacts being lateral to the LED die, the device 300 can address lateral contacts by routing contacts out the bottom side 240.

[0022] Steering Figure 4, shows a device 400 according to one or more embodiments. Device 400 is an example of a modular device. Device 400 can include at least three electrode pads 230 on the bottom side 240 of device 200. Device 400 can include an LED chip, such as segmented monolithic LED chip 310, having trenches 315 etched through the junction to separate its segments. Device 400 includes a submount 430. Segmented monolithic LED chip 310 can be bonded to submount 430 via bottom contacts 432, such as aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, or FR4 with copper plugs.

[0023] According to one or more embodiments, thin film transistors (TFTs) may be fabricated on LED chips. Figure 4 As shown in FIG4 , a segmented monolithic LED chip 310 can be integrated with a low-temperature TFT 450 (e.g., using a low-temperature TFT process). For example, using the low-temperature TFT process, one or more transistors of the low-temperature TFT 450 can be integrated directly onto the segmented monolithic LED chip 310 at the wafer level. The low-temperature TFT 450 can provide vertical integration by integrating one or more transistors directly into corresponding segments of the segmented monolithic LED chip 310. One or more technical effects, benefits, and advantages of device 400 can include leveraging the vertical integration of the low-temperature TFT 450 so that the segmented monolithic LED chip 410 can create a light-emitting area covering a device area 460 of the device 400 (similar to that described with respect to device 300). The segmented monolithic LED chip 410 integrated with the low-temperature TFT 450 can be mounted on a submount 430. According to one or more embodiments, device 400 can avoid the high upfront costs of CMOS design and fabrication. According to one or more embodiments, the low-temperature TFT process can be used in micro-LED display applications to provide device 400.

[0024] Figure 5 A device 500 having a chip scale package (CSP) according to one or more embodiments is shown. The device 500 can be placed on a submount 430 having at least three electrode pads 230, as described herein. The device 500 includes an LED chip, such as a segmented monolithic LED chip 310, having trenches 315 etched through the junction to separate its segments. The device 500 can include a submount 430. According to one or more embodiments, as Figure 5As shown in FIG, a segmented monolithic LED chip 310 can be integrated with a low-temperature TFT 450 (e.g., using a low-temperature TFT process). Furthermore, device 500 can be implemented as a CSP when the LED chip has sufficient mechanical support. For example, mechanical support for device 500 can include a sapphire growth substrate 510. The sapphire growth substrate 510 can have a target thickness to minimize crosstalk between segments, such as less than 60 μm or 30 μm. For another example, mechanical support for device 500 can include fabricating a thick support structure on the backside by plating and / or molding (e.g., a plate or molded support structure on bottom side 240).

[0025] At block 130, at least one phosphor can be added to the modular device. Typically, the at least one phosphor can provide a broad spectrum of light suitable for illumination by the modular device. The modular device can be embedded in a ceramic or silicone matrix. In embodiments, the at least one phosphor can be in the form of a layer (such as by adding one or more phosphors to a silicone material) or a plate (such as a ceramic phosphor plate), as will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.

[0026] Steering Figure 6 , shows a device 600 according to one or more embodiments. Device 600 is an example of a modular device. Device 600 includes one or more LED elements 210, one or more transistors 220 within a substrate 225, and at least three electrode pads 230 at a bottom side 240 of device 200. According to one or more embodiments, device 600 may include at least one phosphor, such as phosphor layer 610. Phosphor layer 610 may be segmented, such as Figure 6 , where each segment is aligned with LED elements 210 to achieve maximum brightness contrast between adjacent segments.

[0027] Steering Figure 7 , shows a device 700 according to one or more embodiments. Device 700 is an example of a modular device, and similar items are labeled with similar identifiers for ease of understanding and brevity. According to one or more embodiments, device 700 may include at least one phosphor, such as phosphor layer 710. Phosphor layer 710 may be a continuous phosphor layer, such as Figure 7 According to one or more embodiments, the continuous phosphor can be continuous across multiple LED elements (ie, at least two segments) to provide a smoother brightness distribution.

[0028] Steering Figure 8, shows a device 800 according to one or more embodiments. Device 800 is an example of a modular device, and for ease of understanding and brevity, similar items are labeled with similar identifiers. Device 800 may include at least one phosphor, such as a phosphor layer having segments 811, 812, and 813 aligned with one or more LED elements 210. According to one or more embodiments, segments 811, 812, and 813 may include multiple chromaticities (at least two). In this regard, different segments 811, 812, and 813 may be energized at various levels, such that device 800 may be operable as a color-tunable device.

[0029] Note that the at least one phosphor may be added to the modular device by one or more processes, such as a photolithography-based process. Figure 9 A device 900 is shown having phosphor 910 dispensed at a modular device level according to one or more embodiments. Device 900 includes at least one dam 920 on a substrate 930 that supports a densely packed addressable LED array (i.e., comprising a plurality of devices 200). For example, phosphor 910 can be applied across multiple devices 200 at a time at the modular device level, such as by using a dam-and-dispense process. Note that any combination of devices 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, and 800 can be implemented to form device 900.

[0030] At block 150, addressability of one or more LEDs of the modular device can be maintained. Addressability of the one or more LEDs can be achieved in various ways. According to one or more embodiments, for each transistor controlling an LED element, a contact can be routed out to the bottom side 240 of the device 200. According to one or more embodiments, when the device includes a high segment count and / or small segment size, a row / column addressing scheme can be implemented similar to an active matrix backplane. Figure 10 Schematics 1001 and 1002 illustrate a segmented LED 1003 according to one or more embodiments. Segmented LED 1003 may be a 7×7 segmented LED embodiment with row / column addressing. Schematic 1001 illustrates the top side of segmented LED 1003, while schematic 1002 illustrates the bottom side of segmented LED 1003. The bottom side depicts an example contact pad layout for a 7×7 segmented LED embodiment. Because corresponding row and column pads of adjacent devices can be connected with relatively simple routing via circuit traces on a PCB (i.e., PCB 930), the example contact pad layout can be scaled to dense arrays of multiple devices.

[0031] According to one or more embodiments, a microcontroller may be integrated into the CMOS (e.g., CMOS / TSV silicon base 330) to control each LED element internally. The microcontroller may communicate via an inter-integrated circuit (I2C) or serial peripheral interface (SPI) bus to reduce the number of contacts required on the bottom side 240 of the device 200. For example, the SPI bus specifies four (4) logic signals (e.g., SCLK, MOSI, MISO, and CS). The data input to the microcontroller may directly specify the power for each segment, or may have some other format that requires further processing by the microcontroller. Additionally, in the case of a color tunable device, the data input may specify the beam angle or the chromaticity coordinates (x, y), (u', v'), or (CCT, Duv) of the beam shaping device. The microcontroller may also have other functions, such as those related to device health management.

[0032] At block 170, the modular devices may be assembled into an addressable light emitting diode array. The modular devices may be assembled on a PCB (i.e., PCB 930) using reflow soldering. The edge-to-edge spacing between the modular devices may be less than a threshold, such as less than 100 μm. According to one or more embodiments, the edge-to-edge spacing between the modular devices may be less than 50 μm to minimize dark lines in a far-field projection. To further mitigate dark lines, the modular devices may be programmed such that the edge LED elements of each device are slightly brighter than the center LED element. In this regard, utilizing the smoothing of the optics of the addressable light emitting diode array, the brightness surplus from the edge LED elements may offset the brightness deficit in the gaps of the addressable light emitting diode array.

[0033] Now turn Figure 11 and Figure 12 , schematics 1103, 1104, 1105, and 1206 illustrate an addressable light emitting diode array according to one or more embodiments. Schematics 1103, 1104, and 1105 illustrate an addressable light emitting diode array comprising a modular device having a three by three (3×3) arrangement of LED elements. Figure 11 The addressable light emitting diode array can be used for beam shaping / steering. Schematic 1206 shows an addressable light emitting diode array comprising a modular device having a two by two (2×2) arrangement of LED elements in a three by three (3×3) arrangement. Figure 11 An array of addressable LEDs can be used for color tuning. Note that any combination of devices 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, and 900 can be implemented to form Figure 11 and Figure 12 An array of addressable light-emitting diodes.

[0034] Thus, any number of modular devices described herein can be combined to provide an addressable LED array of any size required for a particular lighting application, as each modular device maintains the addressability of the LED elements therein. In turn, applications for modular devices and addressable LED arrays can include, but are not limited to, architectural lighting, entertainment lighting, retail lighting, hospitality lighting, and lighting applications including beam steering / shaping, color adjustment in directional lighting, adaptive light engines, and post-configuration.

[0035] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of an example vehicle headlight system 1300 that may incorporate one or more of the embodiments and examples described herein. Figure 13 The example vehicle headlight system 1300 shown in FIG includes a power line 1302 , a data bus 1304 , an input filter and protection module 1306 , a bus transceiver 1308 , a sensor module 1310 , an LED direct current to direct current (DC / DC) module 1312 , a logic low dropout (LDO) module 1314 , a microcontroller 1316 , and active headlights 1318 .

[0036] The power line 1302 may have an input for receiving power from the vehicle, and the data bus 1304 may have inputs / outputs through which data may be exchanged between the vehicle and the vehicle headlight system 1300. For example, the vehicle headlight system 1300 may receive instructions, such as turn-on maneuvering signaling or instructions to turn on the headlights, from other locations in the vehicle and, if desired, may send feedback to other locations in the vehicle. A sensor module 1310 may be communicatively coupled to the data bus 1304 and may provide additional data to the vehicle headlight system 1300 or other locations in the vehicle, such as data relating to environmental conditions (e.g., time of day, rain, fog, or ambient light levels), vehicle status (e.g., parked, in motion, speed of motion, or direction of motion), and the presence / location of other objects (e.g., vehicles or pedestrians). A headlight controller, separate from any vehicle controller communicatively coupled to the vehicle data bus, may also be included in the vehicle headlight system 1300. Figure 13 In the embodiment of the present invention, the headlight controller may be a microcontroller, such as microcontroller (μC) 1316 . Microcontroller 1316 may be communicatively coupled to data bus 1304 .

[0037] Input filter and protection module 1306 can be electrically coupled to power line 1302 and, for example, can support various filters to reduce conducted emissions and provide power immunity. Additionally, input filter and protection module 1306 can provide electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection, load dump protection, alternator field collapse protection, and / or reverse polarity protection.

[0038] An LED DC / DC module 1312 can be coupled between the input filter and protection module 1306 and the active headlight 1318 to receive filtered power and provide drive current to power LEDs in an LED array in the active headlight 1318. The LED DC / DC module 1312 can have an input voltage between 13 volts and 18 volts, a nominal voltage of approximately 13.2 volts, and an output voltage that can be slightly higher (e.g., 0.3 volts) than the maximum voltage of the LED array (e.g., as determined by factors or local calibration and adjustments to operating conditions due to load, temperature, or other factors).

[0039] Logic LDO module 1314 can be coupled to input filter and protection module 1306 to receive filtered power. Logic LDO module 1314 can also be coupled to microcontroller 1316 and active headlights 1318 to provide power to electronic devices (such as CMOS logic) in microcontroller 1316 and / or active headlights 1318.

[0040] The bus transceiver 1308 may have, for example, a Universal Asynchronous Receiver / Transmitter (UART) or Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) interface and may be coupled to a microcontroller 1316. The microcontroller 1316 may convert vehicle inputs based on or including data from the sensor module 1310. The converted vehicle inputs may include video signals that can be transmitted to the image buffer in the active headlight 1318. Furthermore, the microcontroller 1316 may load a default image frame during startup and test for open / shorted pixels. In embodiments, the SPI interface may load the image buffer in the CMOS. Image frames may be full, differential, or partial frames. Other features of the microcontroller 1316 may include a control interface for monitoring CMOS status, including die temperature, and logic LDO outputs. In embodiments, the LED DC / DC outputs may be dynamically controlled to minimize headroom. In addition to providing image frame data, other headlight functions may also be controlled, such as complementary use with side marker lights or steering signals, and / or activation of the daytime running lights.

[0041] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of another example vehicle headlight system 1400 . Figure 14The example vehicle headlamp system 1400 shown in FIG. 1 includes an application platform 1402 , two LED lighting systems 1406 and 1408 , and secondary optics 1410 and 1412 .

[0042] LED lighting system 1408 can emit a light beam 1414 ( Figure 14 between arrows 1414a and 1414b). LED lighting system 1406 may emit light beam 1416 ( Figure 14 shown between arrows 1416a and 1416b). Figure 14 In the embodiment shown in FIG, secondary optics 1410 is adjacent to LED illumination system 1408, and light emitted from LED illumination system 1408 passes through secondary optics 1410. Similarly, secondary optics 1412 is adjacent to LED illumination system 1406, and light emitted from LED illumination system 1406 passes through secondary optics 1412. In alternative embodiments, secondary optics 1410 / 1412 are not provided in the vehicle headlamp system.

[0043] Where included, secondary optics 1410 / 1412 may be or include one or more light guides. The one or more light guides may be edge-lit or may have an internal opening defining the inner edge of the light guide. LED illumination systems 1408 and 1406 may be inserted into the inner opening of the one or more light guides so that they inject light into the inner edge (inner opening light guides) or outer edge (edge-lit light guides) of the one or more light guides. In embodiments, the one or more light guides may shape the light emitted by LED illumination systems 1408 and 1406 in a desired manner, such as, for example, having a gradient, a beveled distribution, a narrow distribution, a wide distribution, or an angular distribution.

[0044] Application platform 1402 can provide power and / or data to LED lighting systems 1406 and / or 1408 via line 1404, which can include Figure 13 One or more or a portion of the power line 1302 and the data bus 1304. One or more sensors (which may be sensors in the vehicle headlight system 1400 or other additional sensors) may be inside or outside the housing of the application platform 1402. Alternatively or additionally, as Figure 13 As shown in the example vehicle headlamp system 1300 , each LED lighting system 1408 and 1406 may include its own sensor module, connection and control module, power module, and / or LED array.

[0045] In an embodiment, vehicle headlight system 1400 may represent a motor vehicle having a steerable light beam, wherein LEDs may be selectively activated to provide the steerable light. For example, an array of LEDs or emitters may be used to define or project a shape or pattern, or to illuminate only selected portions of a roadway. In an example embodiment, infrared cameras or detector pixels within LED lighting systems 1406 and 1408 may be sensors (e.g., similar to a sensor) that identify portions of a scene requiring illumination (e.g., a roadway or pedestrian crossing). Figure 13 sensors in the sensor module 1310).

[0046] As will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art, based on the description herein, embodiments of the present invention can be designed in software using a hardware description language (HDL), such as, for example, Verilog or VHDL. An HDL design can simulate the behavior of an electronic system, where the design can be synthesized and ultimately fabricated into a hardware device. Furthermore, an HDL design can be stored in a computer product and loaded into the computer system before the hardware is manufactured.

[0047] Having described the embodiments in detail, those skilled in the art will appreciate that, given this description, modifications may be made to the embodiments described herein without departing from the spirit of the inventive concept. Therefore, it is intended that the scope of the invention not be limited to the specific embodiments illustrated and described.

[0048] It will be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. can be used to describe various elements in this article, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms can be used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, a first element can be referred to as a second element and a second element can be referred to as a first element without departing from the scope of the present invention. As used herein, the term "and / or" can include any and all combinations of one or more associated listed items.

[0049] It will be understood that when an element such as a layer, region, or substrate is referred to as being "on" or "extending onto" another element, it may be directly on or directly extending onto the other element, or there may be intervening elements. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on" or "extending directly onto" another element, there may be no intervening elements. It will also be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "coupled" to another element, it may be directly connected or coupled to the other element and / or connected or coupled to the other element via one or more intervening elements. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly coupled" to another element, there may be no intervening elements between the element and the other element. It will be understood that these terms are intended to encompass different orientations of elements in addition to any orientation depicted in the figures.

[0050] Relative terms such as "below," "above," "upper," "lower," "horizontal," or "vertical" may be used herein to describe the relationship of one element, layer, or region to another element, layer, or region illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that these terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures.

Claims

1. A modular device comprising: one or more light emitting diode components; and one or more transistors, wherein each of the one or more light emitting diode elements is electrically coupled to a corresponding transistor of the one or more transistors to provide vertical integration between the light emitting diode and the corresponding transistor, The one or more light-emitting diode elements generate a light-emitting area covering a device area of ​​the modular device based on the vertical integration.

2. The modular device according to claim 1, wherein the modular device comprises: At least three electrode pads on a bottom side of the modular device. 3 . The modular device of claim 2 , wherein a first electrode pad of the at least three electrode pads switches the one or more transistors. 4 . The modular device according to claim 3 , wherein the second pad and the third pad of the at least three electrode pads supply power to the modular device.

5. The modular device of claim 1, wherein the one or more light emitting diode elements comprise discrete light emitting diode chips.

6. The modular device of claim 1, wherein the device area comprises an envelope of the modular device based on a perimeter dimension.

7. A modular device according to claim 1, wherein a distance from an edge of one of the one or more light-emitting diode elements to an edge of the modular device is less than a threshold value so that the one or more light-emitting diode elements can generate a light-emitting area covering the device area of ​​the modular device.

8. The modular device of claim 7, wherein the threshold value comprises 200 μm, 100 μm, or 50 μm.

9. The modular device according to claim 1, wherein a ratio between an LED chip area and the device area is greater than 70%, so that the one or more LED elements can generate a light emitting area covering the device area of ​​the modular device.

10. The modular device according to claim 9, wherein the ratio is 80%, 90% or 95%.

11. The modular device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more light emitting diode elements comprise one or more segments of a segmented monolithic light emitting diode chip.

12. A modular device comprising: a light-emitting diode chip comprising one or more light-emitting diode elements; and a base including one or more transistors; wherein each of the one or more light emitting diode elements is electrically coupled to a corresponding transistor of the one or more transistors to provide vertical integration between the light emitting diode and the corresponding transistor, The light-emitting diode chip generates a light-emitting area covering a device area of ​​the modular device based on the vertical integration.

13. The modular device of claim 12, wherein the LED chip comprises a segmented monolithic LED chip including one or more segments corresponding to the one or more LED elements.

14. The modular device of claim 12, wherein the light emitting diode chip is bonded to the base by stud bump bonding.

15. The modular device of claim 12, wherein the device area comprises an envelope of the modular device based on a perimeter dimension.

16. The modular device of claim 12, wherein the vertical integration comprises electrical contact between the one or more transistors and the one or more light emitting diode elements being below or behind an outwardly facing side of the one or more light emitting diode elements.

17. The modular device of claim 12, wherein the base comprises a complementary metal oxide semiconductor / through silicon via (TSV) silicon base comprising one or more transistors.

18. The modular device of claim 17, wherein the CMOS / TSV silicon base comprises a CMOS silicon substrate and a TSV layer.

19. The modular device of claim 18, wherein the through silicon via layer routes contacts from a light emitting diode chip to a bottom side of the modular device to provide the vertical integration.

20. A method comprising: Vertically integrated modular devices including multiple transistors and multiple light-emitting diodes; adding at least one phosphor to the modular device; Maintaining addressability of multiple light-emitting diodes; and The modular devices are assembled into an addressable light-emitting diode array using reflow soldering.

Images