Inset LED Chips in Ceramic Submount for Thermal Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional light emitter components, such as LEDs, face issues with poor light extraction and efficiency due to heat dissipation into air and optical elements that are not optimized for heat extraction, leading to reduced brightness and thermal resistance.
Innovation Solution
Insetting at least a portion of one or more LED chips within a ceramic submount, allowing direct contact on multiple sides for improved thermal resistance and using a submount material that is transparent and non-absorbing, with surface features like recesses or grooves to enhance light scattering and reflection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If LED chips are mounted on the surface of a plastic or ceramic substrate, then the mounting structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but heat dissipation is poor and light extraction efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The LED chip is inset into a recess in the submount, nesting the chip within a cavity rather than mounting it on the surface. This allows the submount material to surround and contact multiple sides of the chip, improving thermal conduction and light extraction while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through a single-piece construction approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from surface mounting (2D contact) to multi-side contact by inserting the chip into a recess (3D integration). This dimensional change allows thermal and optical interaction on multiple surfaces (bottom, sides, and top through the submount material), simultaneously improving heat dissipation and light extraction efficiency.
2Device complexity
If LED chips release heat directly into the air, then the thermal management structure is simple, but brightness is reduced due to poor heat extraction
Solution Approach 1:
The submount material acts as an intermediary between the LED chip and the heat sink. Instead of direct air cooling, the heat flows from the chip through the thermally conductive submount material to the heat sink, providing efficient thermal management while maintaining structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The submount combines multiple functions: mechanical support, thermal conduction, and optical transmission. By integrating these functions into a single component with a recess, the design achieves effective heat extraction without increasing device complexity, thereby maintaining brightness.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional mounting methods are used, then the optical element placement is straightforward, but thermal resistance is high and light extraction is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The recess is pre-formed in the submount before the LED chip is installed. This preliminary action creates a ready-made cavity that guides proper chip placement and ensures optimal contact between the chip and submount material, facilitating both thermal management and subsequent optical element placement.
Solution Approach 2:
The submount material exhibits different properties in different regions: the recess area provides mechanical retention and thermal contact, while the surrounding material provides optical transmission and additional thermal pathways. This local differentiation optimizes both thermal resistance and ease of manufacturing.
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
This configuration improves thermal resistance, brightness, and light extraction by efficiently dissipating heat and optimizing the optical surface for better light emission, resulting in enhanced performance in various lighting applications.
Implementation Method 1
LED chips can release heat directly into the air and/or the optical element, where used, both of which are not optimized for heat extraction
Implementation Method 2
using a submount material that is transparent and non-absorbing
Implementation Method 3
with surface features like recesses or grooves to enhance light scattering and reflection
Implementation Method 4
with surface features like recesses or grooves to enhance light scattering and reflection
Data Source
AI summary
Light emitter components and methods having improved performance and related methods are disclosed. In one embodiment, a light emitter component can include a submount and at least one light emitting diode (LED) chip disposed over the submount. The submount can contact at least two different sides of the at least one LED chip. In one aspect, a submount can include surface portions adapted to receive portions one or more LED chips. In one aspect, one or more LED chips can be embedded within the submount.