Amorphous Inorganic LED for Low-Cost Area Lighting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Crystalline inorganic light emitting diodes (LEDs) are unsuitable for area lighting due to their point source nature and require expensive epitaxial growth processes, which are costly and prone to defects, whereas organic LEDs offer advantages like amorphous structure and lower manufacturing costs but lack efficiency and brightness.
Innovation Solution
Development of non-crystalline inorganic LEDs with amorphous light emission layers and semiconducting charge transport layers that do not require epitaxial processes like CVD or MBE, using materials like indium gallium nitride and doped zinc oxide for efficient charge injection and confinement, compatible with existing integrated circuit design and manufacturing methods.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If crystalline inorganic LEDs are used, then brightness and efficiency are improved, but manufacturing cost and process complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the crystalline structure parameter to non-crystalline (amorphous), enabling the use of low-cost sputtering deposition instead of expensive epitaxial growth processes while maintaining inorganic material properties and high brightness characteristics
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces expensive single crystal substrates (sapphire, silicon carbide) with inexpensive glass substrates, eliminating the need for costly substrate materials while achieving comparable device performance through amorphous inorganic layers
2Illumination intensity
If crystalline inorganic LEDs are used, then brightness and efficiency are improved, but manufacturing complexity and defect rates increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the structural order parameter from crystalline to amorphous, simplifying the manufacturing process from complex epitaxial growth requiring high vacuum and precise temperature control to straightforward sputtering deposition that is compatible with existing semiconductor fabrication lines
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the requirement for epitaxial growth processes and lattice-matched substrates from the system, retaining only the essential light-emitting function through amorphous inorganic layers deposited by simpler physical vapor deposition methods
3Ease of manufacture
If organic LEDs are used, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but brightness and efficiency decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite inorganic structure combining amorphous semiconductor layers with distinct functional zones for charge injection, transport, and light emission, achieving high brightness through inorganic material properties while maintaining low-cost manufacturing via sputtering deposition
Solution Approach 2:
The invention implements local quality differentiation within the amorphous inorganic structure, creating distinct regions with optimized properties for electron injection, hole injection, charge transport, and light emission, thereby achieving high efficiency without requiring organic materials
4Manufacturing precision
If epitaxial growth processes are used, then crystal quality is improved, but manufacturing time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the structural order parameter from crystalline to amorphous, enabling deposition at lower temperatures and shorter times via sputtering while achieving sufficient material quality for high-performance LEDs without the time-consuming epitaxial growth process
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the chemical epitaxial growth mechanism with physical sputtering deposition, substituting a complex chemical vapor-phase process with a simpler physical vapor-phase process that achieves comparable material quality faster and at lower cost
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The non-crystalline inorganic LEDs achieve high current densities and efficient light production without the need for expensive epitaxial growth, offering improved manufacturing yield and cost-effectiveness while being compatible with existing systems and methods.
Implementation Method 1
first and second semiconducting non-crystalline inorganic charge transport layers surrounding the light emission layer
Implementation Method 2
non-crystalline inorganic light emission layer configured for emitting light
Data Source
AI summary
Non-crystalline inorganic light emitting diode. In accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, an article of manufacture includes a light emitting diode. The light emitting diode includes a non-crystalline inorganic light emission layer and first and second semiconducting non-crystalline inorganic charge transport layers surrounding the light emission layer. The light emission layer may be amorphous. The charge transport layers may be configured to inject one type of charge carrier and block the other type of charge carrier.