LED Packaging with Integrated Micro-Mirror Optics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current LED packaging methods are expensive and inefficient, particularly for high-power or high-brightness LEDs, as they struggle with thermal management and integration of optical elements, which affects the stability and output of LEDs.
Innovation Solution
A method for bulk packaging of LEDs that integrates optical elements like micro-mirror reflectors and lenses simultaneously with electrical interconnections and thermal dissipation using a common packaging substrate, allowing for efficient thermal management and optical enhancement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional LED packaging methods are used, then manufacturing cost and complexity increase, but thermal management and optical element integration become less efficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple packaging operations (mounting LED die, forming electrical interconnections, integrating optical elements, and thermal management structures) into a single simultaneous process. The encapsulation material is molded to form lenses while electrical connections are established and thermal pathways are created all in one step, eliminating sequential processing and improving both manufacturing efficiency and thermal management.
Solution Approach 2:
The encapsulation material serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides electrical insulation, forms optical lenses, establishes thermal management pathways, and creates mechanical support structures. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components and processes needed, directly addressing the contradiction between manufacturing ease and thermal management efficiency.
2Ease of manufacture
If optical elements are integrated separately, then manufacturing cost increases, but optical performance may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates optical element formation directly into the encapsulation molding process. The encapsulation material is shaped to form lenses and optical structures simultaneously with the packaging, eliminating separate optical element manufacturing and assembly steps while maintaining optical performance through precise mold-driven geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the molding process parameters (temperature, pressure, material viscosity) to precisely control the formation of optical surfaces. By optimizing these parameters, high-quality optical lenses are formed directly during packaging, achieving both cost reduction and optical performance maintenance.
3Productivity
If LEDs are packaged individually, then manufacturing productivity decreases, but packaging precision may be improved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent processes arrays of LED die simultaneously on a substrate, dividing the substrate into multiple regions that can be handled as a group. This allows high-throughput processing while maintaining precision through standardized substrate handling and mold alignment, resolving the contradiction between productivity and precision.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple LED packages are formed simultaneously in a single molding operation. The mold is designed to accommodate multiple LED die arrays, creating multiple encapsulated LED structures with precise geometry in one process step, thereby achieving both high productivity and manufacturing precision.
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 approach reduces the cost and complexity of LED packaging while improving thermal dissipation and optical performance, maintaining brightness and extending the operating life of LEDs.
Implementation Method 1
curing the encapsulation material to form encapsulations in front of the LEDs in the array
Implementation Method 2
laminating an array of molded micro-mirror reflectors onto the array of substrate-mounted LEDs
Implementation Method 3
simultaneously shaping the encapsulation material over the plurality of LEDs to form lenses
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and structures are provided for wafer-level packaging of light-emitting diodes (LEDs). An array of LED die are mounted on a packaging substrate. The substrate may include an array of patterned metal contacts on a front side. The metal contacts may be in electrical communication with control logic formed in the substrate. The LEDs mounted on the packaging substrate may also be encapsulated individually or in groups and then singulated, or the LEDs mounted on the packaging substrate may be integrated with a micro-mirror array or an array of lenses.