Segmented LED Chip Units for High-Resolution Automotive Headlights
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for producing high-resolution, high-luminous flux light sources, such as adaptive automotive headlights, are costly due to the complexity and defectiveness of monolithically integrated pixelated LED chips, which limits economic viability and component yield.
Innovation Solution
The component comprises a connection substrate with laterally arranged, monolithically integrated semiconductor units, each having a plurality of separately controllable image points, with a distance between units optimized for efficient light emission and electrical control, allowing for targeted light emission and reducing production costs through defect separation and modular design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If monolithically integrated pixelated LED chips are used to achieve high resolution and high luminous flux, then light emission performance is improved, but production costs increase and defect rates rise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the LED chip into multiple independently controllable semiconductor units, each containing a subset of the total pixel points. This segmentation allows defective units to be identified and excluded from operation while maintaining functionality of good units, thereby reducing waste and production costs while preserving high luminous flux output from the remaining functional units.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements independent electrical control of each semiconductor unit, allowing local quality assessment and selective operation. Each unit can be individually tested and activated based on its quality, enabling the system to maintain high overall performance while excluding only the defective local regions, thus reducing production costs by avoiding complete chip rejection.
2Manufacturing precision
If monolithically integrated pixelated LED chips are used to achieve high resolution, then light emission quality is improved, but defectiveness increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the chip into multiple semiconductor units with independent control, the patent enables localized defect management. Each unit can be independently tested and activated, allowing the system to achieve high resolution through the collective output of multiple units while excluding only the small fraction that contain defects, thereby maintaining high reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements quality control at the unit level rather than the entire chip level. Each semiconductor unit can be individually assessed for defects, and only defective units are deactivated. This local quality approach preserves high resolution performance from the many functional units while minimizing the impact of defects in a small number of units.
3Power
If monolithically integrated pixelated LED chips are used to achieve high luminous flux, then light output is improved, but production complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the LED chip into multiple semiconductor units that can be independently controlled and tested. This segmentation simplifies production by enabling modular assembly and independent quality control of each unit, reducing the overall production complexity while maintaining high luminous flux through the combined output of multiple units.
Solution Approach 2:
By implementing independent electrical control of each semiconductor unit, the patent enables localized quality control and selective activation. This approach reduces production complexity by allowing simple binary decisions (activate/deactivate) for each unit based on its quality, rather than requiring complex control of the entire monolithic structure.
4Measurement precision
If monolithically integrated pixelated LED chips are used to achieve high resolution, then emission precision is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the high-resolution LED chip into multiple semiconductor units with independent control. This segmentation enables cost-effective manufacturing by allowing individual units to be tested and activated based on their quality, reducing waste and production costs while maintaining the high emission precision needed for applications like adaptive headlights.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements quality control at the unit level, allowing local assessment and selective activation of semiconductor units. This local quality approach reduces manufacturing cost by enabling the production of high-resolution chips without requiring perfect yield across the entire monolithic structure, as defective units can be simply excluded while maintaining precision from the functional units.
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 production of high-resolution, high-luminous flux light sources with reduced production costs by separating defective units and optimizing the placement of image points, increasing yield and reducing the need for additional lenses, while allowing for flexible design and cost-effective manufacturing.
Implementation Method 1
Each of the semiconductor units comprises a plurality of monolithically integrated image points each having an active layer, which emits light during operation
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a component with at least one optoelectronic semiconductor chip, comprising: a connection substrate, which has an assembly surface and electric contact structures, and a plurality of structured semiconductor units, each of which has a plurality of monolithically connected pixels with a respective active layer that emits light during operation, wherein: the semiconductor units are arranged at a lateral distance to one another on the assembly surface, the distance between adjacent semiconductor units is at least 5 μm and maximally 55 μm, and the pixels can be controlled in an electrically separated manner. The invention also relates to a method for producing said component.