Non-Rectangular Optical Material Die Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current die-size light diffusers made of rectangular-shaped polymer on a substrate suffer from defects like glass chips, voids, and delamination during dicing, leading to failure in thermal cycling and inefficient use of optical material, as most incident light beams miss the corners and edges.
Innovation Solution
A die with a non-rectangular shaped optical material on a substrate, where the material does not extend the entire length of the edges, is created, allowing for reduced defects and improved thermal shock reliability, and the method involves placing optical material on a mold with a positive relief pattern and contacting it with a substrate to achieve the desired non-rectangular shape.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If rectangular-shaped optical material is used on substrate, then manufacturing process is simple and standardized, but defects such as glass chips, voids, and delamination occur during dicing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by changing the optical material shape from rectangular to non-rectangular (circular, oval, or other curved shapes). This asymmetric design eliminates the corners that cause stress concentration and dicing defects, thereby improving thermal cycling reliability while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through updated molding processes
2Productivity
If rectangular-shaped die is used, then dicing process is straightforward with grid lines, but corners and edges are optically redundant and contribute to defect formation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the harmful corners and straight edges from the optical material shape. By using curved or circular shapes without corners, the design eliminates the regions that generate defects during dicing, while the updated molding process efficiently produces these new shapes without significantly impacting productivity
3Area of stationary object
If optical material extends entire length of substrate edges, then substrate utilization is maximized, but inactive corner regions waste material and contribute to defects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses asymmetric curved shapes that conform to the circular substrate geometry, allowing the optical material to cover the active optical regions efficiently while avoiding the creation of redundant corner material, thus reducing waste without significantly compromising substrate utilization
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by concentrating optical material only in regions that are optically active and useful for light diffusion. The curved shapes ensure material is placed where it serves a function, eliminating material in inactive corner regions while maintaining optimal coverage of the substrate surface
Data Source
AI summary
A die including a substrate having a surface defined by paired oppositely-oriented edges; and an optical material, in a non-rectangular shape, and on the surface of the substrate; wherein the optical material does not extend an entire length of any one of the paired oppositely-oriented edges is disclosed, A wafer can including a plurality of the dies. Methods of making the wafer and the die are also disclosed.