Embedded LED Backplane Panel for Fine-Pitch Interconnects and Heat Dissipation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Micro LED arrays with fine pitch and line spacing face challenges in making reliable interconnections and require significant power, leading to heat dissipation issues, especially when each LED or emitter is separately addressable.

Innovation Solution

A substrate-based LED lighting system with embedded backplanes and conductive structures that facilitate individual addressability and efficient heat dissipation, using thermal conductors and conductive pathways to manage power and heat effectively.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If micro LED arrays with fine pitch and line spacing are used to achieve small size and precise control, then illumination precision and device compactness are improved, but manufacturing reliability and interconnection reliability deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveLED pitch and line spacing precisionVSAvoidinterconnection reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The backplane is embedded within the substrate, creating a nested structure where the backplane is housed inside the substrate cavity. This nesting approach allows the fine-pitch LED arrays to be mounted on the backplane while maintaining reliable interconnections through the embedded configuration, resolving the contradiction between small size and manufacturing reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

The backplane serves as an intermediary component between the LED arrays and the substrate. It provides a dedicated mounting surface for the fine-pitch LEDs and facilitates reliable electrical interconnections, acting as a mediator that enables precise LED positioning while maintaining connection reliability despite the fine pitch requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If each LED or emitter is separately addressable to enable precise control of light emission, then control precision is improved, but power consumption and heat generation increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelight emission control precisionVSAvoidpower consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The LED array is divided into multiple independently addressable LEDs or emitters, each capable of being controlled individually. This segmentation enables precise control of light emission from specific regions or pixels, achieving the desired control precision while allowing for efficient power management through selective activation of only the necessary LEDs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Illumination intensity

If significant power is supplied to micro LED arrays for adequate illumination, then light output is improved, but heat dissipation requirements and thermal management complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelight outputVSAvoidthermal management complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The thermal management function is extracted and separated from the LED array structure by implementing a dedicated thermal conductor embedded in the substrate. This extracted thermal management system handles heat dissipation independently, allowing the LED array to operate at required power levels for adequate illumination while the separate thermal pathway manages the heat without increasing overall device complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

4Reliability

If backplanes are embedded in the substrate to facilitate reliable interconnections, then interconnection reliability is improved, but manufacturing process complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinterconnection reliabilityVSAvoidmanufacturing process simplicity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The backplane is pre-positioned and embedded within the substrate during the manufacturing process, establishing reliable interconnection pathways before the LED arrays are mounted. This preliminary action of embedding the backplane ensures that interconnection reliability is built into the structure from the outset, while the standardized embedding process helps manage manufacturing complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

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

Enables precise control of light emission and effective heat management, supporting applications like camera flashes with controlled illumination and efficient heat dissipation.

Implementation Method 1

A thermal conductive structure is in contact with the bottom surface of each of the backplanes and extends to at least the bottom surface of the substrate

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThermal conduction: Conduction (thermal)

Data Source

PatentEP3948948B1Panel of light-emitting diode (LED) arrays comprising a plurality of backplanes embedded in the substrate and light-emitting diode (LED) lighting system comprising backplane embedded in the substrate
Publication Date: 2025.12.31 LUMILEDS LLC
  • EP3948948B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3948948B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3948948B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Panels (200) of LED arrays (240) and LED lighting systems are described. A panel (200) includes a substrate (212) having a top (210) and a bottom (214) surface. Multiple backplanes (220) are embedded in the substrate (212), each having a top (222) and a bottom (224) surface. Multiple first electrically conductive structures (226) extend at least from the top surface (222) of each of the backplanes (220) to the top surface (210) of the substrate (212). Each of multiple LED arrays (240) is electrically coupled to at least some of the first conductive structures (226). Multiple second conductive structures (228, 229) extend from each of the backplanes (220) to at least the bottom surface (214) of the substrate (212). At least some of the second electrically conductive structures (228, 229) are coupled to at least some of the first electrically conductive structures (226) via the backplane (220). A thermal conductive structure (230) is in contact with the bottom surface (224) of each of the backplanes (220) and extends to at least the bottom surface (214) of the substrate (212).