Monolithic LED Chip Series Interconnection High Voltage Low Current
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional LED systems face challenges in achieving high light output while maintaining compactness and efficiency, as they often require high current and low voltage operation, leading to costly driver solutions and limited design flexibility due to the need for multiple LED packages and extensive 'dead space', which complicates the creation of compact lighting solutions with directed or collimated light output.
Innovation Solution
The development of a monolithic LED chip with multiple sub-LEDs interconnected in series on a single submount, allowing for high voltage and low current operation, which reduces the size of the source, increases efficiency, and enables more flexible optical design by minimizing 'dead space' and utilizing efficient driver circuitry.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If multiple LED packages are mounted on a circuit board to achieve high light output, then the light output increases, but the device size and dead space increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple LED junctions onto a single semiconductor substrate, creating an integrated multi-junction LED device. This consolidation eliminates the need for multiple separate LED packages and their associated dead space, while maintaining high light output through the combined emission of all junctions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a planar arrangement of multiple LED packages on a circuit board to a three-dimensional stacked configuration of multiple junctions within a single vertical substrate structure. This dimensional change allows multiple light-emitting elements to occupy a smaller footprint area while maintaining high illumination intensity.
2Illumination intensity
If single junction LEDs operate at high current to achieve high light output, then the light output increases, but the driver cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the total current requirement into multiple smaller current paths, with each junction handling a portion of the total light output demand. This segmentation allows the system to operate at lower current per junction while achieving the same total light output, thereby reducing driver complexity and cost.
3Power
If multiple LED packages are used to achieve high voltage low current operation, then the operating voltage increases, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple LED junctions into a single integrated device structure with unified electrical contacts. This merging eliminates the need for complex external interconnection circuits that would be required to series-connect multiple separate LED packages, thereby achieving high voltage operation while reducing overall device complexity.
4Device complexity
If single junction LEDs are used, then the device structure is simple, but the fault tolerance decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the light-emitting function across multiple independent junctions within the device. This segmentation provides fault tolerance because if one junction fails, the other junctions continue to operate and emit light, ensuring the device maintains partial functionality rather than complete failure.
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 enables the creation of compact, high-efficiency LED systems that can achieve equivalent performance to single junction LEDs while reducing costs and improving design flexibility, with up to a 7% increase in system operating efficiency and increased fault tolerance due to the series connection of sub-LEDs.
Implementation Method 1
Light emitting diodes (LED or LEDs) are solid state devices that convert electric energy to light, and generally comprise one or more active layers of semiconductor material sandwiched between oppositely doped layers. When a bias is applied across the doped layers, holes and electrons are injected into the active layer where they recombine to generate light.
Data Source
AI summary
An LED chip comprising a plurality of sub-LEDs on a submount. Electrically conductive and electrically insulating features are included that serially interconnect the sub-LEDs such that an electrical signal applied to the serially interconnected sub-LEDs along the electrically conductive features spreads to the serially interconnected sub-LEDs. A via is included that is arranged to electrically couple one of the sub-LEDs to the submount. The sub-LEDs can be interconnected by more than one of the conductive features, with each one of the conductive features capable of spreading an electrical signal between two of the sub-LEDs.