LED Array Submount with Thermal Spreading Pads
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-power LED arrays require complex and expensive circuitry for electrical connections, which can obscure light emitters and reduce efficiency due to the need for circuit elements that cannot be mounted on the array surface, leading to challenges in achieving high luminous output and thermal management.
Innovation Solution
A submount with input and output terminals and attach pads that are electrically and thermally conductive, allowing LEDs to be mounted and connected while spreading heat across the surface, with lenses molded over the LEDs for efficient light emission and thermal dissipation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If multiple LED arrays are grouped together to increase luminous output, then the light intensity increases, but the circuitry becomes complex and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple LED arrays into a single integrated array structure where individual LEDs are mounted on a common substrate with shared electrical connections. This merging approach increases luminous output while reducing circuitry complexity compared to grouping separate arrays, as the LEDs share common power and signal lines rather than requiring independent circuitry for each array.
2Reliability
If circuit elements are added to connect LED arrays, then electrical connections are established, but the circuit elements obscure the light emitters and reduce efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions electrical connection elements on the substrate plane beneath the LEDs, while the light-emitting surfaces are positioned in a different spatial dimension above the substrate. This dimensional separation allows electrical connections to be made without placing circuit elements in the light path, thus maintaining both reliable electrical connectivity and high light emission efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a substrate as an intermediary between the electrical connection elements and the LEDs. The substrate provides electrical connections to the LEDs while its transparent or non-obstructive nature allows light to pass through or around the connection points without being blocked, thus mediating between the need for electrical connectivity and the need for unobstructed light emission.
3Illumination intensity
If high-power LEDs are used to achieve high luminous output, then the light intensity increases, but thermal management becomes challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple heat-generating LEDs into a single array mounted on a common substrate with integrated thermal management features. This allows the thermal characteristics of individual LEDs to be managed collectively through shared heat sinks and thermal pathways, improving overall thermal dissipation efficiency compared to managing high-power LEDs in separate configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the substrate as a thermal intermediary between the high-power LEDs and the external environment. The substrate is designed with enhanced thermal conductivity and integrated heat dissipation structures that act as a mediator to efficiently transfer heat away from the LEDs, enabling high luminous output while maintaining manageable operating temperatures.
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 solution enables compact, efficient, and high-power LED arrays that can be easily connected and mounted, improving luminous flux and thermal management, allowing for higher power operation without overheating and maintaining efficient light emission.
Implementation Method 1
The attach pads cover more of the submount than the emitters and laterally spread heat from the emitters to the surface of the submount
Implementation Method 2
LEDs are semiconductor photon sources that can serve as highly efficient electronic-to-photonic transducers. They are typically forward-biased p-n junctions fabricated from a semiconductor material that emits light via injection electroluminescence
Data Source
AI summary
A light emitting device or array comprising a submount having a top surface, a bottom surface and a plurality of edges, with input and output terminals disposed on the top surface. A plurality of attach pads and traces are also disposed on the top surface and electrically connected between the input and output terminals. A plurality of LEDs are also included, each of which is mounted to one of the attach pads. The attach pads cover more of the top surface than the LEDs and spread heat from the LEDs to the top surface of the submount. A plurality of lenses are also included each of which is molded over a respective one of the attach pads and covers the LED mounted to the particular attach pad. The arrays are shaped and arranged so that they can be easily attached to similar arrays in a tiling fashion, with the desired number of arrays included to meet the desired lighting requirements. Methods for fabricating the arrays from a single submount or submounts panel are also disclosed.