Non-Polymer LED Lenses for Thermal Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional LED lenses made of polymer materials degrade quickly at elevated temperatures, leading to reduced transparency and efficiency, while non-polymer materials like glass are difficult to form over LEDs without damaging metalized components.
Innovation Solution
Using non-polymer materials such as glass, sapphire, or quartz for LED lenses that can withstand high temperatures and humidity, and attaching them without polymer adhesives to prevent degradation, allowing metallization after lens mounting to avoid damage to metalized components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If polymer materials are used for LED lenses, then the lenses can be deposited directly on LED components without damage, but the lenses degrade quickly at elevated temperatures leading to reduced transparency and efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from polymer to non-polymer (glass, sapphire, quartz), which fundamentally alters the thermal stability and chemical resistance properties of the lens material, enabling it to withstand elevated temperatures without degradation while maintaining optical transparency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a non-polymer bonding material as an intermediary between the lens and LED components, allowing the lens to be mounted at elevated temperatures without directly contacting and damaging sensitive metalized components, thus resolving the contradiction between mounting temperature and component protection
2Reliability
If non-polymer materials like glass are used for LED lenses, then the lenses maintain transparency and resist degradation at high temperatures, but they are difficult to form over LEDs without damaging metalized components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a non-polymer bonding material as a mediator that allows the lens to be attached at elevated temperatures without transferring excessive heat to sensitive metalized LED components, thus enabling the use of thermally stable non-polymer lens materials while protecting the LED components from thermal damage
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs lens mounting before metallization steps, allowing the lens to be securely attached to the LED substrate while metalized components are added later, thus avoiding the need to form the lens over already-sensitized metalized surfaces
3Ease of manufacture
If polymer adhesives are used to attach lenses, then the lenses can be mounted easily, but the adhesives degrade at elevated temperatures causing lens failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the bonding material from polymer-based adhesive to non-polymer bonding material, fundamentally altering the thermal and chemical stability parameters to enable the bonding material to withstand elevated temperatures and harsh environments without degradation, thus matching the thermal stability of the non-polymer lens material
Data Source
AI summary
LED chips and packages are disclosed having lenses made of materials that resist degradation at higher operation temperatures and humidity, and methods of fabricating the same. The lenses can be made of certain materials that can withstand high temperatures and high humidity, with the lenses mounted to the LED prior to certain critical metallization steps. This helps avoid damage to the metalized part that might occur as a result of the high mounting or bonding temperature for the lens. One embodiment of an LED chip comprises a flip-chip LED and a lens mounted to the topmost surface of the flip-chip LED. Lenses can be bonded to LEDs at the wafer level or at the chip level. The lens comprises a non-polymer material and the LED chip is characterized as having substantially no polymer materials in contact with the LED chip.