KR102581156B1 - Light-emitting device with configurable spatial distribution of emission intensity - Google Patents

Abstract

The semiconductor light emitting device includes a junction between doped semiconductor layers, a first set of multiple independent contacts connected to a first doped layer and a second set of one or more contacts connected to a second doped layer. Multiple conductive vias connect independent contacts to the first doped layer, allowing different corresponding via currents to be applied to the first doped layer through the vias that are independent of each other. The spatial distribution of via currents between multiple vias can be selected to yield a corresponding spatial distribution of emission intensity. A change in via current distribution results in a corresponding change in emission intensity distribution; Such changes can be implemented dynamically. Multiple devices can be arranged as a light emitting array.

Description

Light-emitting device with configurable spatial distribution of emission intensity

This application refers to (i) the U.S. formal title “Light-emitting device with configurable spatial distribution of emission intensity,” filed January 6, 2021, in the names of Toni Lopez and Floris Crompvoets; Application No. 17/142,960, and (ii) U.S. Provisional Application No. 16/, entitled “Light-emitting device with configurable spatial distribution of emission intensity,” filed May 15, 2020, in the names of Tony Lopez and Floris Kromfutz. claiming priority of 875,237; Both of the above applications are incorporated by reference as if set forth herein in their entirety.

The present invention relates generally to light emitting diodes and phosphor converted light emitting diodes.

Semiconductor light emitting diodes and laser diodes (collectively referred to herein as “LEDs”) are among the most efficient light sources currently available. The emission spectrum of an LED typically exhibits a single, narrow peak at a wavelength determined by the structure of the device and the composition of the semiconductor materials that make up the device. By suitable choice of device structure and material system, LEDs can be designed to operate in ultraviolet, visible, or infrared wavelengths.

LEDs may be combined with one or more wavelength converting materials (generally referred to herein as “phosphors”) that absorb the light emitted by the LED and, in response, emit light of a different, typically longer wavelength. . For such phosphor conversion LEDs (“pcLEDs”), the fraction of light emitted by the LED that is absorbed by the phosphor depends on the amount of phosphor material in the optical path of the light emitted by the LED, e.g. or depending on the concentration of phosphor material in the phosphor layer disposed around the LED and the thickness of the layer.

Phosphor conversion LEDs can be designed so that all of the light emitted by the LED is absorbed by one or more phosphors, in which case the emission from the pcLED comes entirely from the phosphors. In such cases the phosphor may be selected to emit light, for example, in a narrow spectral region that is not efficiently produced directly by the LED.

Alternatively, pcLEDs can be designed such that only a portion of the light emitted by the LED is absorbed by the phosphors, in which case the emission from the pcLED is a mixture of the light emitted by the LED and the light emitted by the phosphors. By suitable selection of LED, phosphors and phosphor composition, such pcLED can be designed to emit, for example, white light with desired color temperature and desired color rendering properties.

Multiple LEDs or pcLEDs can be formed together on a single substrate to form an array. Such arrays can be used to form active lighting displays, such as those employed in, for example, smartphones and smart watches, computer or video displays, augmented or virtual reality displays, or signage, or for adaptive lighting. It may be employed to form illumination sources, such as those employed in, for example, automobile headlights, camera flash sources, or flashlights (i.e., torches). having one, several or multiple individual devices per millimeter (e.g., device pitch of about 1 millimeter, hundreds of microns or less than 100 microns, and spacing between adjacent devices of less than 100 microns or only tens of microns) The array is typically referred to as a miniLED array or microLED array (alternatively, μLED array). Such mini or microLED arrays may in many cases also include phosphor transducers as described above; Such arrays may be referred to as pc-miniLED or pc-microLED arrays.

A semiconductor light emitting device (LED) of the present invention includes first and second doped semiconductor layers, first and second sets of electrically conductive contacts, an array of multiple electrically conductive vias, and a set of electrical traces or interconnects. do. The first and second doped semiconductor layers are arranged to emit light resulting from carrier recombination at the junction between them. The first set of contacts includes a plurality of independent electrically conductive contacts each electrically connected to a first doped semiconductor layer; The second set of contacts includes one or more electrically conductive contacts each electrically connected to a second doped semiconductor layer. An array of multiple electrically conductive vias are arranged across the device and connect the first set of contacts to the first doped semiconductor layer. Each via connects at most one corresponding contact in the first set to the first doped semiconductor layer, which is different from the corresponding contact in the first set that is connected to at least one other via. Each via provides a corresponding separate, localized, circumscribed electrical connection between the first doped semiconductor layer and the first set of corresponding contacts. A set of multiple independent electrically conductive traces or interconnects are connected to the first set of contacts; Each contact in the first set is connected to a single corresponding one of traces or interconnects that are different from a corresponding trace or interconnect connected to at least one other contact in the first set. A set of multiple such devices arranged as an array may be employed.

In some examples, the first doped semiconductor layer is between the first set of contacts and the second doped semiconductor layer, and the device includes an electrically insulating layer between the first doped semiconductor layer and the first set of contacts. In such examples, vias connect the first set of contacts to the first doped semiconductor layer through an insulating layer. In some other examples, the second doped semiconductor layer is between the first set of contacts and the first doped semiconductor layer, and the device includes an electrically insulating layer between the second doped semiconductor layer and the first set of contacts. . In such examples, the vias connect the first set of contacts to and are electrically isolated from the second doped semiconductor layer through the insulating layer and the second doped semiconductor layer.

The light emitting device of the present invention may further include a drive circuit connected to the first and second sets of contacts by electrically conductive traces or interconnects. The drive circuit can provide an electrical drive current that flows through the device and causes the device to emit light, with corresponding portions of the electrical drive current flowing through one or more vias of the array as corresponding via currents. Each via current magnitude may be different from at least one other via current magnitude. The drive circuit may provide one or more specified spatial distributions across the device of via current magnitudes provided to corresponding vias of the array. In such examples, the spatial distribution of light emission intensity varies across the device depending on the arrangement of the array of vias across the device and a specified distribution among the vias of the array of via current magnitudes provided by the drive circuitry.

Another light emitting device of the present invention includes an array of n-doped and p-doped semiconductor layers, first and second sets of electrically conductive contacts, and a plurality of electrically conductive vias. The n-doped and p-doped semiconductor layers are arranged to emit light resulting from carrier recombination at the junction between them. The first set of contacts each includes one or more electrically conductive contacts electrically connected to a p-doped semiconductor layer; The second set of contacts each includes one or more electrically conductive contacts electrically connected to the n-doped semiconductor layer. An array of multiple electrically conductive vias are arranged across the device and connect the first set of contacts to the p-doped semiconductor layer. Each via provides a corresponding separate, localized, circumscribed electrical connection between the p-doped semiconductor layer and the corresponding contacts of the first set. The array of vias results in a corresponding spatial distribution of light emission intensity that varies across the device, such that either the via local number density or via transverse area varies with location across the device, and depending on the arrangement of the array of vias. arranged across the device so that

The objectives and advantages relating to LEDs, pcLEDs, MiniLED arrays, pc-MiniLED arrays, MicroLED arrays, and pc-MicroLED arrays are illustrated in the drawings and described in the written description below or attached. This may become apparent upon reference to the examples disclosed in the claims.

This summary is provided to introduce selected concepts in a simplified form that are further explained in the detailed description below. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of an exemplary pcLED.
2A and 2B show a cross-sectional view and a schematic top view, respectively, of an exemplary array of pcLEDs.
3A shows a schematic cross-sectional view of an example array of pcLEDs arranged relative to waveguides and a projection lens. Figure 3b shows an arrangement similar to that of Figure 3a but without the waveguides.
FIG. 4A shows a schematic top view of an exemplary MiniLED or MicroLED array and an enlarged section of the array's 3x3 LEDs. FIG. 4B shows a perspective view of several LEDs of an exemplary pc-miniLED or pc-microLED array formed monolithically on a substrate. Figure 4C is a schematic cross-sectional side view of an example of a closely packed array of multi-color phosphor converted LEDs on a monolithic die and substrate.
FIG. 5A is a schematic top view of a portion of an example LED display where each display pixel is a red, green, or blue phosphor converted LED pixel. FIG. 5B is a schematic top view of a portion of an example LED display where each display pixel includes multiple phosphor converted LED pixels (red, green, and blue) integrated on a single die bonded to a control circuit backplane. am.
FIG. 6A shows a schematic top view of an example electronics board on which an array of pcLEDs may be mounted, and FIG. 6B similarly shows an example array of pcLEDs mounted on the electronics board of FIG. 6A.
Figure 7 shows a schematic diagram of an example of three differently scaled images of an example array of four light-emitting devices, and the corresponding intensity distribution of the images; Images are formed in the Fourier plane.
Figure 8 shows uniform and sloped output intensity distributions for a single light emitting device.
Figure 9 shows a schematic plot of imaged illumination intensity as a function of vertical angle for an array of light-emitting devices, imaged as in Figure 7, with uniform output intensity distributions.
FIG. 10A shows an example image intensity distribution in the Fourier plane of an array of light-emitting devices with the output intensity distribution shown in FIG. 10B when imaged as in FIG. 7.
FIG. 11A shows an example image intensity distribution in the Fourier plane of an array of light-emitting devices with the output intensity distribution shown in FIG. 11B when imaged as in FIG. 7.
Figure 12A is a schematic side cross-sectional view of an example of a conventional light emitting device; Figure 12B is a schematic cross-sectional side view of an exemplary arrangement of a light emitting device of the present invention.
FIG. 13A is an example of a via size distribution to create a sloped emission intensity distribution using the examples of FIG. 12A or 12B. FIG. 13B is an example of a via count density distribution to create a sloped emission intensity distribution using the examples of FIG. 12A or 12B.
Figures 14A-14D are schematic side cross-sectional views of a first group of exemplary arrangements of a light-emitting device of the present invention.
Figures 15A-15D are schematic cross-sectional side views of a second group of exemplary arrangements of the light-emitting device of the present invention.
Figures 16A and 16B are examples of via current magnitude distributions for creating a sloped emission intensity distribution using any of the examples of Figures 14A-14D or 15A-15D.
Figures 17A and 17B are examples of via current magnitude distributions for generating a 1D peak emission intensity distribution using any of the examples of Figures 14A-14D or 15A-15D.
Figures 18A and 18B are examples of via current magnitude distributions for generating a 2D peak emission intensity distribution using any of the examples of Figures 14A-14D or 15A-15D.
Figure 19 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of an example of an array of multiple light-emitting devices.
Figures 20 and 21 are plots of example emission intensity distributions generated by the example of Figure 19.
The examples shown are only schematic; All features may not be shown in complete detail or to scale; For clarity, certain features or structures may be exaggerated or understated relative to others, or omitted entirely; Drawings should not be considered to be to scale unless explicitly indicated as being to scale. For example, individual LEDs may be exaggerated in their vertical dimensions or layer thicknesses relative to their lateral extent or relative to the substrate or phosphor thicknesses. Any units or scales in any graphs or plots are arbitrary unless specifically indicated otherwise. The illustrated examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure or the appended claims.

The following detailed description should be read with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the different drawings. The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, depict alternative examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The detailed description illustrates the principles of the invention by way of example and not by way of limitation.

1 shows a semiconductor diode structure 102 disposed on a substrate 104, together herein referred to as an “LED” or “semiconductor LED,” and a wavelength conversion structure (e.g., a phosphor) disposed on the semiconductor LED. An example of an individual pcLED 100 comprising a layer 106 is shown. Semiconductor diode structure 102 typically includes an active region disposed between an n-type layer and a p-type layer. Application of a suitable forward bias across diode structure 102 results in emission of light from the active region. The wavelength of the emitted light is determined by the composition and structure of the active region.

The LED may be, for example, a III-nitride LED that emits blue, violet, or ultraviolet light. LEDs formed from any other suitable material system and emitting light of any other suitable wavelength may also be used. Suitable material systems may include, for example, various III-nitride materials, various III-phosphide materials, various III-arsenide materials, and various II-VI materials.

Depending on the desired optical output from the pcLED, any suitable phosphor materials may be used in or included within the wavelength converting structure 106.

Figures 2A-2B show cross-sectional and top views, respectively, of an array 200 of pcLEDs 100, each including a phosphor pixel 106, disposed on a substrate 204. Such an array may include any suitable number of pcLEDs arranged in any suitable manner. In the illustrated example, the array is shown as being formed monolithically on a shared substrate, but alternatively, the array of pcLEDs could be formed from separate individual pcLEDs. Substrate 204 may optionally include CMOS or other circuitry for driving an LED, or electrical traces or interconnects, and may be formed from any suitable materials.

The individual pcLEDs 100 may optionally include or be arranged in combination with a lens or other optical element positioned adjacent to or on the phosphor layer. Such an optical element, although not shown in the drawings, may be referred to as a “primary optical element”. Additionally, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the pcLED array 200 (e.g., mounted on an electronics board) may include secondary optical elements, such as waveguides and lenses, for use in the intended application. It can be arranged in combination with , or both. 3A, the light emitted by each pcLED 100 of array 200 is collected by a corresponding waveguide 192 and directed to projection lens 294. Projection lens 294 may be a Fresnel lens, for example. This arrangement may be suitable for use in automobile headlights, for example. In Figure 3B, the light emitted by the pcLEDs of array 200 is collected directly by projection lens 294 without the use of intervening waveguides. This arrangement may be particularly suitable when the pcLEDs can be spaced sufficiently close together and can also be used in automotive headlights as well as in camera flash applications. MiniLED or microLED display applications can use optical arrangements similar to those shown in Figures 3A and 3B, for example. In general, any suitable arrangement of optical elements can be used in combination with the pcLEDs described herein, depending on the desired application.

Figures 2A and 2B show a 3x3 array of 9 pcLEDs, but such arrays may have, for example, approximately 10 ¹ , 10 ² , 10 ³ , 10 ⁴ , as schematically illustrated in Figure 4A. , or more LEDs may be included. Individual LEDs 100 (i.e., pixels) may have widths (w ₁ ) in the plane of array 200, for example, less than 1 millimeter (mm), less than 500 microns, less than 100 microns, or less than 50 microns. (eg, side lengths). LEDs 100 in array 200 may have dimensions in the plane of array 200, e.g., hundreds of microns, less than 100 microns, less than 50 microns, less than 20 microns, less than 10 microns, or less than 5 microns. They may be spaced apart from each other by streets, lanes, or trenches 230 having a width w ₂ of less than or equal to the width w 2 . Pixel pitch (D1) is the sum of w ₁ and w ₂ . Although the illustrated examples show rectangular pixels arranged in a symmetric matrix, the pixels and arrays can have any suitable shape or arrangement, whether symmetrical or asymmetric. Multiple individual arrays of LEDs can be combined in any suitable arrangement in any applicable format to form a larger combined array or display.

LEDs having dimensions (w ₁ ) (e.g., side lengths) of about 0.10 millimeter micron or less in the plane of the array are typically referred to as microLEDs, and arrays of such microLEDs are referred to as microLED arrays. It can be. LEDs having dimensions w ₁ (e.g., side lengths) of about 0.10 millimeter to about 1.0 millimeter in the plane of the array are typically referred to as MiniLEDs, and an array of such MiniLEDs is called a MiniLED array. It may be referred to as .

An array of LEDs, miniLEDs, or microLEDs, or portions of such an array, may be formed as a segmented monolithic structure in which individual LED pixels are electrically isolated from each other by trenches and/or insulating material. Figure 4B shows a perspective view of an example of such segmented monolithic LED array 200. The pixels (i.e., individual semiconductor LED devices 102) of this array are separated by filled trenches 230 to form n-contacts 234. A monolithic structure is grown or placed on a substrate 204. Each pixel includes a p-contact 236, a p-GaN semiconductor layer 102b, an active region 102a, and an n-GaN semiconductor layer 102c; Layers 102a/102b/102c collectively form semiconductor LED 102. Wavelength converter material 106 may be deposited on semiconductor layer 102c (or other applicable intervening layer). Passivation layers 232 may be formed in trenches 230 to isolate at least a portion of n-contacts 234 from one or more layers of semiconductor. The n-contacts 234, another material in the trenches 230, or a material different from the material in the trenches 230 may be used as a converter material to form full or partial optical isolation barriers 220 between pixels. It can be extended within (106).

FIG. 4C is a schematic cross-sectional view of a closely packed array 200 of multi-color phosphor converted LEDs 100 on a monolithic die and substrate 204. Side view shows GaN LEDs 102 attached to substrate 204 via metal interconnects 239 (e.g., gold-gold interconnects or solder attached to copper micropillars) and metal interconnects 238 shows. Phosphor pixels 106 are located on or above corresponding GaN LED pixels 102 . To form the optical isolation barrier 220, the semiconductor LED pixels 102 or phosphor pixels 106 (often both) may be coated with a reflective mirror or a diffuse scattering layer on their sides. In this example each phosphor pixel 106 has three different colors, e.g., red phosphor pixels 106R, green phosphor pixels 106G, and blue phosphor pixels 106B (still, typically or (collectively referred to as phosphor pixels 106). Such an arrangement may enable use of LED array 200 as a color display.

Individual LEDs (pixels) within an LED array may be individually addressable, may be addressable as part of a group or subset of pixels within the array, or may be non-addressable. Accordingly, light-emitting pixel arrays are useful in any application that requires or benefits from precise intensity, spatial, and temporal control of light distribution. These applications may include, but are not limited to, precise special patterning of emitted light from blocks of pixels or individual pixels, including in some cases the formation of images as a display device. Depending on the application, the emitted light may be spectrally distinguishable, adaptive in time and/or environmentally responsive. Light-emitting pixel arrays can provide pre-programmed light distribution of various intensity, spatial, or temporal patterns. The emitted light may be based at least in part on received sensor data and may be used for optical wireless communications. Associated electronics and optics may be distinguished at the pixel, pixel block, or device level.

5A and 5B are examples of LED arrays 200 employed in display applications, where an LED display includes multiple display pixels. In some examples (e.g., as in Figure 5A), each display pixel includes a single semiconductor LED pixel 102 and a corresponding phosphor pixel 106R, 106G, or 106B of a single color (red, green, or blue). Includes. Each display pixel provides only one of three colors. In some examples (e.g., as in Figure 5B), each display pixel includes multiple semiconductor LED pixels 102 and multiple corresponding phosphor pixels 106 of multiple colors. In the example shown, each display pixel includes a 3X3 array of semiconductor pixels 102; Three of those LED pixels have red phosphor pixels 106R, three have green phosphor pixels 106G, and three have blue phosphor pixels 106B. Therefore, each display pixel can produce any desired color combination. In the example shown, the spatial arrangement of different colored phosphor pixels 106 differs between display pixels; In some examples (not shown), each display pixel may have the same arrangement of differently colored phosphor pixels 106.

6A and 6B, the pcLED array 200 may be mounted on an electronics board 300 that includes a power and control module 302, a sensor module 304, and an LED attachment area 306. You can. The power and control module 302 may receive power and control signals from external sources and signals from the sensor module 304, based on which the power and control module 302 controls the operation of the LEDs. . Sensor module 304 may receive signals from any suitable sensors, such as temperature or light sensors. Alternatively, the pcLED array 200 may be mounted on a separate board (not shown) from the power and control module and sensor module.

Headlight optics (which in many cases are reflective) employed in vehicle headlights generally convert the light emitted from one or more lighting devices 100 by superimposing multiple images of one or more lighting devices 100 in corresponding Fourier planes. adapted to do so. 7 shows imaging optics in which three images 299 (“1”, “2” and “3”) of a row containing four light emitting devices 100 fit into the Fourier plane defined by the headlight optics. An example of overlap is shown. For purposes of illustration, images of light-emitting devices 100 are shown scaled according to the corresponding magnification of the corresponding optics on top of an example image intensity distribution 690 in the Fourier plane. In the figure, regions of the image intensity distribution 690 are shown with decreasing intensity from region 601 to region 604 (the corresponding magnitude of intensity is indicated by the density of sunspots in the figure). Figure 8 shows examples of device output intensity distributions that may be employed in the arrangement of Figure 7. The exemplary distribution on the left is a substantially uniform distribution across each light emitting device 100. Using devices 100 with uniform power distributions in the arrangement of FIG. 7 results in the imaged illumination intensity (as a function of vertical angle) substantially as schematically shown in FIG. 9 . The exemplary distribution on the right side of FIG. 8 is a so-called sloped distribution 199 that has a maximum near one edge of device 100 and monotonically decreases towards the opposite edge.

A preferred light source for a vehicle headlight is such that the light imaged by the headlight optics (i.e., the intensity profile formed in the Fourier plane defined by the optics) is emitted in different directions to avoid interfering with oncoming traffic. It should be possible to concentrate along a single direction with very little effort. Such directionality according to the angular distribution as shown in Figure 9 can advantageously be achieved by the inventive light emitting devices disclosed or claimed herein.

Figure 10A is an imaged intensity distribution 691 (with outlines 601/602/603/604) resulting from a row of four light emitting devices 100 imaged according to the arrangement of Figure 7; Each device 100 has an output intensity distribution 692 shown in FIG. 10B (similar to the left distribution in FIG. 8). Figure 11A is an imaged intensity distribution 693 (with outlines 600/601/602/603/604) resulting from a row of four light emitting devices 100 imaged according to the arrangement of Figure 7; Each device 100 has an output intensity distribution 694 shown in FIG. 11B (similar to the distribution on the right side of FIG. 8). The imaged distribution 693 in FIG. 11A peaks more strongly along the desired direction than the distribution 691 in FIG. 10A. Therefore, in some cases it may provide a power distribution similar to that of FIG. 11B that is more concentrated towards the top edge while avoiding disturbance of the upward projection beams and disturbance of the side projection beams (as discussed further below). It may be desirable to provide light sources 100.

Accordingly, it is desirable in certain lighting applications (e.g., certain automobile headlight assemblies containing reflective optics) to employ semiconductor light emitting devices (LEDs) that exhibit a defined spatial distribution of emission intensity. As described above, some low beam automotive headlights employ LEDs with an intensity distribution (referred to herein as a sloped intensity distribution) that has a maximum near one edge of the device and monotonically decreases toward the opposite edge of the device. It was observed to exhibit desirable beam intensity profiles when In another example, some high beam automotive headlights have a preferred beam intensity profile when employing LEDs with an intensity distribution that has a maximum in the central region of the device and decreases toward the edges of the device (referred to herein as a 2D peak intensity distribution). It is observed that it represents Other intensity distributions may be advantageously employed in other usage applications, including automotive and non-automotive applications.

Several examples of LEDs capable of producing specified intensity distributions have been previously disclosed. Some of these are disclosed below:

- EP 3 182 451 published in the name of Stanley Electric Co Ltd dated 21 June 2017;

- EP 2 584 618, published in the name of Stanley Electric Corporation Limited, dated April 24, 2013;

- US 2012/0051075 in the name of Harada, published March 1, 2012;

- US 2012/0051079 published March 1, 2012 in the name of Saito; and

- US 2017/0210277 published on July 27, 2017 in the name of Harada.

In some of such conventional examples, p- and n-contacts are connected to p- and n-doped layers 13 and 11, respectively, and to drive circuit 302 by traces or interconnects 238. So-called flip chip LEDs 10 with (14 and 15) can be employed. Current from drive circuit 20 flows through contacts 12/14 and light is emitted from the p-n junction (including active layer 12) and n-doped layer 11 of device 10. going out through; The general arrangement is shown in a schematic cross-section in Figure 12a. Layers 11/12/13 make up the semiconductor diode portion 102 of device 10. The metal p-contact 14 acts as an optical reflector. The n-contact 15 is separated from the p-contact 14 by an insulating layer 18. Multiple conductive vias 16 connect n-contact 15 through insulating layer 18, p-contact 14, and p-doped layer 13 to the n-doped layer of device 10 ( Connect to 11). Vias 16 that connect to n-doped layer 11 through p-doped layer 13 are often referred to as n-vias. Vias 16 are electrically isolated from p-contact 14 and p-doped layer 13. To achieve a desired spatial distribution of emission intensity, the sizes and/or local number density of vias 16 can vary depending on lateral position across device 10, thus creating a device that varies with lateral position. (e.g., a higher local number density (equivalently, smaller via spacing) or larger size of vias 16 may result in a higher local carrier recombination density). The position-dependent carrier recombination density, in turn, yields the position-dependent emission intensity.

The light-emitting device 100 of the invention is schematically illustrated in FIG. 12B and comprises p-doped and n-doped semiconductor layers 13 and 11, respectively, a first set of electrically conductive contacts 14, an electrically conductive a second set of contacts 15, and an array of electrically conductive vias 17 (substrate 104 and phosphor 106 omitted for clarity; the arrangement shown is a wavelength converting phosphor 106). can be implemented in a light-emitting device without; such implementation is within the scope of the present disclosure). The p-doped and n-doped semiconductor layers 13 and 11 are arranged as a semiconductor diode structure 102 for emitting light resulting from carrier recombination at the junction between them. The junction may be of any type or arrangement suitable for generating light in response to current passing through device 100 under forward bias conditions. In some examples, the junction may include an active layer 12 that includes one or more quantum wells or one or more active semiconductor layers. Any one or more suitable semiconductor materials may be employed in p-doped semiconductor layer 13, n-doped semiconductor layer 11, and active layer 12. In many examples, one or more doped III-V semiconductor materials or alloys thereof are employed to form semiconductor layers 11/12/13. In many examples including one or more active layers or quantum wells, these may include one or more doped or undoped III-V semiconductor materials or alloys thereof.

The first set of contacts 14 includes one or more electrically conductive contacts 14 each electrically connected to the p-doped semiconductor layer 13; If there are multiple contacts 14 they will be directly coupled or operated as if they were, and will therefore be referred to in the singular. The second set of contacts 15 each comprises one or more electrically conductive contacts 15 electrically connected to the n-doped semiconductor layer 11 ; If there are multiple contacts 15 they will be directly coupled or operated as if they were, and will therefore be referred to in the singular. The array of vias 17 includes a number of electrically conductive vias 17 arranged throughout device 100 . An array of vias 17 connects contact 14 to p-doped semiconductor layer 13, with each via 17 between p-doped semiconductor layer 13 and contact 14, Provide corresponding separate, localized, circumscribed electrical connections. Contacts 14/15 and vias 17 may comprise any one or more suitable electrically conductive materials; Typically metals may be employed. The array of vias 17 can be configured such that either the via local number density (equally, via spacing) or via transverse area varies depending on location across device 100 (e.g., via transverse area in FIG. 13A ). Changes in orientation area, and changes in local number density of vias in FIG. 13B) are arranged across device 100. Such changes, in turn, result in a corresponding spatial distribution of light emission intensity that varies across device 100 depending on the arrangement of the array of vias 17 . Device 100 may further include an electrically insulating layer 18 between p-doped semiconductor layer 13 and contact 14, with vias 17 connecting contact 14 to insulating layer 18. It is connected to the p-doped semiconductor layer 13 through . Insulating layer 18 may include any one or more suitable materials; Doped or undoped silica is often employed.

Any suitable arrangement may be employed for varying the sizes or spacing of vias 17. In one example, substantially identical vias 17 are arranged to have smaller spacings between them in areas where higher emission intensities are desired and larger spacings between them in areas where lower emission intensities are desired. Arrangements may be employed (e.g., as in Figure 13B). In another example, the vias 17 may be positioned according to a regular grid pattern, with vias with larger diameters positioned in areas where higher emission intensity is desired and vias with smaller diameters with lower emission intensity. are located in areas where emission intensity is desired (e.g. as in Figure 13A; fractions refer to fraction of maximum via area). Suitable combinations of variable sizes and spacings may be advantageously employed. Any suitable emission intensity distribution (e.g., slope, 1D peak or 2D peak; slope is shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B) may be selected, including any of those described above.

In some examples, contact 14 may include one or more metals or metal alloys, and contact 14 and insulating layer 18 are arranged to act as a composite optical reflector for light emitted by device 100. It can be. In some examples, device 100 includes electrode layer 19 between p-doped semiconductor layer 13 and insulating layer 18; The electrode layer 19 is in direct contact with the p-doped semiconductor layer 13. The electrode layer 19 is substantially transparent to the light emitted by the device 100, and the vias 17 connect the electrode layer 19 to the contact 14 thereby connecting the p-doped semiconductor layer 13. to contact 14 (i.e. vias 17 are arranged as e-vias in this example). Any suitable electrode material may be employed; In some examples the electrode material includes indium tin oxide (ITO) or indium zinc oxide (IZO).

In addition to vias 17 connected to contact 14, in some examples contact 14 may include one or more edge contacts located around a perimeter (not shown) of device 100. In some examples, contact 15 may include one or more edge contacts 15 positioned around a perimeter (not shown) of device 100 or on the same side of device 100 as contact 14. may include one or more area contacts 15 (e.g., as in FIG. 12B) or on the opposite side (not shown) of device 100. Additional conductive or insulating layers that may be employed to establish connections between doped semiconductor layers 11/13, contacts 14/15 or drive circuit 302 are omitted from the figures for clarity. In some examples, device 100 may include a second array of multiple electrically conductive vias (not shown) arranged across device 100. In such examples, the second array of vias may connect contact 15 to second doped semiconductor layer 11 , with each such via between n-doped semiconductor layer 11 and contact 15. to provide corresponding separate, localized, circumscribed electrical connections. In some such examples, the sizes or spacings of vias in the second array may vary across device 100 in a manner similar to those changes in vias 14 in the first array described above.

Although useful, the arrangements of FIGS. 12A and 12B may have a number of drawbacks. First, structural features formed by spatially selective material processing techniques (e.g., epitaxy or lithography) are reduced as feature sizes (e.g., vias become smaller to reduce local carrier recombination density or vias As the spacing between them becomes smaller to increase the local carrier recombination density), it may become less reproducible or reliable. For example, it may limit the practically achievable dynamic range of light emission intensity that can be realized across the device. Second, once fabricated, the spatial distribution of light emission of a given device is fixed. If multiple different emission distributions are required, multiple corresponding light-emitting devices must be provided, each producing only one of the desired emission distributions. This leads to two types of inefficiencies: A device manufacturer must manufacture and stock many different types of light-emitting devices to cover different desired emission distributions. Device users who require multiple different emission distributions from a single device (e.g., for both the low and high beams of a car headlight) must design the device to include multiple light-emitting devices, which increases the cost of the device. and increase complexity. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a light-emitting device that can provide a number of different spatial emission distributions.

Examples of semiconductor light emitting devices 100 (LEDs) of the present invention are schematically illustrated in FIGS. 14A-14D and 15A-15D. Substrate 104 and phosphor 106 are omitted for clarity. The depicted arrangements can also be implemented in a light emitting device without wavelength converting phosphor 106; Such implementations are within the scope of this disclosure. The semiconductor light emitting device 100 of the present invention includes, respectively, first and second doped semiconductor layers 410 and 419, a first set of electrically conductive contacts 420, and a second electrically conductive contacts 429. a set, and an array of electrically conductive vias 430. The first and second doped semiconductor layers 410/419 are arranged as a semiconductor diode structure 102 for emitting light resulting from carrier recombination at the junction between them. The junction may be of any type or arrangement suitable for producing light in response to current passing through the semiconductor diode structure 102 under forward bias conditions. In some examples, the junction may include an active layer 415 that includes, for example, one or more quantum wells or one or more active semiconductor layers. Any one or more suitable semiconductor materials may be employed in the first doped semiconductor layer 410, second doped semiconductor layer 419, and active layer 415. In many examples, one or more doped III-V semiconductor materials or alloys thereof may be employed to form first and second doped semiconductor layers 410/419 or active layer 415. In many examples including one or more active layers or quantum wells, these may include one or more doped or undoped III-V semiconductor materials or alloys thereof.

The generated light is typically emitted primarily through the doped semiconductor layer 410 or 419 furthest from the contacts 420; Some of the emitted light propagates directly from the junction between doped layers 410/419, while some of the light undergoes one or more reflections within device 100 before being emitted. Device 100 may be used on its emitting side for any one or more suitable purposes as discussed above (e.g., reduction of reflection; conversion of wavelength; collimation, focus, diffusion, scattering, or other redirection of emitted light, etc.). may include any one or more additional layers, substrates, or structures. Device 100 may be a free-standing structure, or may be formed on any suitable solid substrate (in some cases, the substrate is on the side of device 100 opposite contacts 420, and therefore typically (transparent to emitted light). In some examples, device 100 is connected to contacts 420 or 429 and is connected to a circuit board or similar structure that provides traces or interconnects 238 to drive circuitry 302 (described below). It may include conductive bond pads or other similar structures (not shown) arranged to mount device 100. Additional conductive or insulating layers that may be employed are omitted from the drawings for clarity.

The first set of contacts 420 includes a plurality of independent electrically conductive contacts 420 each electrically connected to the first doped semiconductor layer 410 . As used herein, “independent” contacts are defined as being spatially separated from each other such that there is no direct electrical conduction between them or corresponding independent traces or interconnects 238; Any electrical connection between two independent contacts 420 may be, for example, both connected to the first doped semiconductor layer 410, to electrode 450 (described below), or to both electrodes 450 (described below). This can only occur indirectly, by being individually connected to the drive circuit 302 (to be explained). The second set of contacts 429 includes one or more electrically conductive contacts 429 each electrically connected to the second doped semiconductor layer 419 .

The array of vias 430 includes a number of electrically conductive vias 430 arranged throughout device 100 . An array of vias 430 connects a first set of contacts 420 to a first doped semiconductor layer 410, with each via 430 connecting at most one corresponding contact 420 of the first set. ) is connected to the first doped semiconductor layer 410. Each via 430 provides a corresponding separate, localized, circumscribed electrical connection between the first doped semiconductor layer 410 and the first set of corresponding contacts 420 . Any suitable electrically conductive material may be employed to form contacts 420/429 and vias 430; In many examples, contacts 420/429 and vias 430 may include one or more metals or metal alloys.

In some examples, the lateral sizes of vias 430 may vary between vias 430, or the local number density of vias 430 may vary depending on location across device 100. Such changes may contribute to achieving the desired spatial distribution of light emission (described further below). In some examples, it may be advantageous for the array of vias 430 to be arranged across device 100 as a substantially regular grid of substantially identical vias 430 . “Regular grid” is defined herein as an arrangement in which vias 430 occupy positions of repeating unit cells; The unit cells of a regular grid may have any suitable size or shape (e.g., square, rectangular, triangular, hexagonal), provided that the size, shape and number are constant for all unit cells of the regular grid. Any suitable number of vias 430 may be included per unit cell. One simple example would be a rectangular grid with one via 430 per unit cell at the center of each rectangle; Other suitable grid arrangements may be employed. Using a regular grid of substantially identical vias 430, variations resulting from the fabrication of different feature sizes are substantially eliminated: each via 430 has the same lateral dimensions as does every other via in the array. Like field 430, it is at the same distance from its nearest neighbors. Achieving variation in emitted light intensity across the device using identical, evenly spaced vias 430 is explained further below and relies on the independence of contacts 420 .

Light emitting device 100 of the present invention may have any suitable or desired transverse dimensions and may include any suitable or desired number of vias 430. Some typical devices can have lateral dimensions from 1 or hundreds of microns to several millimeters, for example, from 4x4 n-vias up to 10x10 n-vias or more (more generally, n x m, where n and m are may be different), or may have arrays of vias comprising from 10x10 so-called e-vias (connecting the electrode layer to the p-contact through an insulating layer) up to 50x50 e-vias or more.

Between vias 430 , independent contacts ( 420 is employed to provide different corresponding via currents flowing between the first doped semiconductor layer 410 and the contacts 420 through vias 430 . In some examples, each contact 420 in the first set is connected to at most one corresponding via 430 in the array. Such an arrangement allows individual control of the current flowing through each via 430 regardless of the currents flowing through other vias 430, and allows device 100 for a given arrangement of vias 430. Provides the highest spatial resolution for controlling local carrier recombination density through . In other examples, one or more contacts 420 of the first set may each be connected to a number of corresponding vias 430 of the array. A subset of vias 430 attached to the same contact 420 can be controlled together solely by varying the total current flowing through the contact 420 and divided among the vias 430 connected to that contact 420. You can.

Figures 14A-14D and 15A-15D illustrate two general example arrangements for the light emitting device 100 of the present invention. In the example general arrangement shown in FIGS. 14A-14D, the first doped semiconductor layer 410 is between the first set of contacts 420 and the second doped semiconductor layer 419, and an electrically insulating layer ( 440 is between the first doped semiconductor layer 410 and the first set of contacts 420 . Insulating layer 440 may include any one or more suitable materials; In some examples, insulating layer 440 includes doped or undoped silica. Vias 430 connect the first set of contacts 420 to the first doped semiconductor layer 410 through the insulating layer 440 . In some examples of this arrangement, the first doped semiconductor layer 410 may be a p-doped layer and the second doped semiconductor layer 419 may be an n-doped layer. Insulating layer 440 may include any one or more suitable materials; In some examples, insulating layer 440 includes doped or undoped silica. In some examples arranged as in FIGS. 14A-14D, contacts 420 may be metal contacts, and contacts 420 and insulating layer 440 may provide a composite optical barrier for light emitted by device 100. It may be arranged to act as a reflector. Metallic contacts 420 can often be lossy as reflectors; The presence of insulating layer 440 reduces optical losses by reflecting at least a portion of the light propagating within layers 410/419 before reaching contacts 420. In some examples (e.g., as in FIG. 14A), vias 430 connect directly to first doped semiconductor layer 410.

In some examples (e.g., as in FIGS. 14B-14D), electrode layer 450 is between first doped semiconductor layer 410 and insulating layer 440, and first doped semiconductor layer 410 ) is in direct contact with Electrode layer 450 is substantially transparent to the light emitted by device 100, and vias 430 (arranged as e-vias in these examples) connect electrode layer 450 to contacts 420. The first doped semiconductor layer 410 is connected to the contacts 420 by connecting to . Electrode layer 450 may include any one or more suitable materials; In some examples, indium tin oxide (ITO) or indium zinc oxide (IZO) may be employed. In some examples (e.g., as in FIG. 14B), electrode 450 is a single electrode that spans most or substantially all of device 100 (excluding other vias, if present, for example, passing through it). It may be a continuous layer.

In other examples (e.g., as in FIGS. 14C and 14D), electrode layer 450 can be arranged as multiple individual area segments separated by an electrically insulating material, so that adjacent area segments of electrode layer 450 can be separated. It may be desirable to substantially prevent transverse electrical conduction of. In some examples including such an arrangement, each area segment of electrode layer 450 may be connected to at most one corresponding contact 420 by one or more corresponding vias 430; In other examples involving such an arrangement, each area segment of electrode layer 450 may be connected to a number of different contacts 420 by corresponding vias 430 . Segmentation of the electrode layer 450 somewhat restricts the lateral movement of charge carriers to or from any given via 430 to the area occupied by the corresponding area segment of the vias 450. The spatial resolution of the carrier recombination spatial distribution provided by (430) can be improved.

In the examples of FIGS. 14A-14C, first doped semiconductor 410 may be a single continuous layer spanning most or substantially all of device 100. In some examples (e.g., as in Figure 14D), further improvement in spatial resolution is achieved by dividing the first doped semiconductor layer 410 into multiple individual area segments separated by electrically insulating material. It can be. In such an arrangement, the movement of charge carriers between a given contact 420 and a junction is transversely prevented by an insulating material separating corresponding area segments of the first doped semiconductor layer 410 and electrode layer 450 from adjacent segments. limited in direction. If suitable or desirable, in some examples, the second doped semiconductor layer 419 may be similarly divided into individual area segments (not shown).

In the example general arrangement shown in FIGS. 15A-15D, the second doped semiconductor layer 419 is between the first set of contacts 420 and the first doped semiconductor layer 410 and includes an electrically insulating layer ( 440 separates the second doped semiconductor layer 419 from the first set of contacts 420 . The metal layer between the insulating layer 440 and the second doped semiconductor layer 419 acts as one or more contacts 429 and may also act as an optical reflector for the light emitted by device 100. Vias 430 connect contacts 420 to first doped semiconductor layer 410 through insulating layer 440, contact 429, and second doped semiconductor layer 419, and vias ( 430 is electrically isolated from one or more contacts 429 and from the second doped semiconductor layer 419 . In some examples of this arrangement, the first doped semiconductor layer 410 may be an n-doped layer and the second doped semiconductor layer 419 may be a p-doped layer. Insulating layer 440 may include any one or more suitable materials; In some examples, insulating layer 440 includes doped or undoped silica.

In some examples (e.g., as in Figure 15A), vias 430 are directly connected to first doped semiconductor layer 410 (i.e., if layer 410 is an n-doped layer, then vias 430 are connected directly to first doped semiconductor layer 410). arranged as vias). In some examples (e.g., as in FIGS. 15B-15D), electrode layer 450 is formed on and in direct contact with first doped semiconductor layer 410. Electrode 450 is substantially transparent to the light emitted by device 100, and vias 430 connect electrode 450 to contacts 420 thereby connecting first doped semiconductor layer 410. Connected to contacts 420. Electrode layer 450 may include any one or more suitable materials; In some examples, indium tin oxide (ITO) or indium zinc oxide (IZO) may be employed. In some examples (e.g., as in FIG. 15B), electrode 450 may be a single, continuous layer spanning most or substantially all of device 100.

In other examples (e.g., as in FIGS. 15C and 15D), adjacent regions of electrode layer 450 are formed by arranging electrode layer 450 as multiple individual regional segments separated by electrically insulating material or voids. It may be desirable to substantially prevent transverse electrical conduction between segments. In some examples including such an arrangement, each area segment of electrode layer 450 may be connected to at most one corresponding contact 420 by one or more corresponding vias 430; In other examples involving such an arrangement, each area segment of electrode layer 450 may be connected to a number of different contacts 420 by corresponding vias 430 . As mentioned above, segmentation of electrode layer 450 directs the lateral movement of charge carriers to or from any given via 430 into the area occupied by the corresponding area segment of electrode layer 450. By limiting it somewhat, the spatial resolution of the carrier recombination spatial distribution provided by vias 430 can be improved. In the examples of FIGS. 15A-15C, first doped semiconductor 410 may be a single continuous layer spanning most or substantially all of device 100 (excluding other vias, if present, e.g., through it). there is. In some examples (e.g., as in Figure 15D), further improvement in spatial resolution is achieved by dividing the first doped semiconductor layer 410 into multiple individual area segments separated by electrically insulating material. It can be. As noted above, in such an arrangement, movement of charge carriers between a given contact 420 and the junction separates corresponding area segments of the first doped semiconductor layer 410 and electrode layer 450 from adjacent segments. It is laterally limited by an insulating material that If suitable or desirable, in some examples, second doped semiconductor layer 419 may be similarly divided into individual area segments (not shown).

In some cases, the arrangements of Figures 14A-14D may be advantageous over the arrangements of Figures 15A-15D for a number of reasons. The arrangements of FIGS. 15A-15D require vias 430 to pass through the active layer 415 between the doped semiconductor layers 410/419 and allow carrier recombination and transport from the regions occupied by vias 430. Because they exclude light emission, such arrangements necessarily include dark spots in the emission intensity distribution corresponding to the positions of vias 430. Because vias 430 are not required to intersect active layer 415 in the arrangements of Figures 14A-14D, such dark spots can be reduced or eliminated. Additionally, vias 430 formed in the arrangements of FIGS. 15A-15D must pass completely through one of the doped semiconductor layers, through active layer 415, and into the other doped semiconductor layer. Such vias 430 must also be electrically isolated from those layers. In contrast, vias 430 in the arrangements of FIGS. 14A-14D typically pass through fewer layers (in some cases only a single layer of insulating material) and do not pass through active layer 415. As a result, compared to the manufacturing process for forming vias 430 for the arrangements of Figures 14A-14D, the manufacturing process for forming vias 430 for the arrangements of Figures 15A-15D is necessarily more complex and Includes additional deposition, mask, and etch steps. In particular, the formation of vias 430 through one or more active layers of active layer 415 or quantum well between doped semiconductor layers 410/419 can be particularly problematic.

In addition to vias 430 connected to contacts 420, in some examples the first set of contacts 420 may include one or more edge contacts located around the perimeter (not shown) of device 100. there is. In some examples, the second set of contacts 429 includes one or more edge contacts located around the perimeter of device 100 (e.g., as in FIGS. 15A-15D) or may include one or more area contacts 429 on the same side (not shown) as contacts 420 or on the opposite side of device 100 (e.g., as in FIGS. 14A-14D). You can. The arrangements shown in FIGS. 14A-14D and 15A-15D are chosen for convenience only, as they result in less cluttered drawings; Similarly, additional conductive or insulating layers that may be employed to establish connections between doped semiconductor layers 410/419, contacts 420/429 or drive circuit 302 are omitted from the figures for clarity. do.

In some examples, device 100 may include a second array of multiple electrically conductive vias (not shown) arranged across device 100. In such examples, the second array of vias may connect contacts 429 to the second doped semiconductor layer 419, with each such via connecting a corresponding contact 429 to the second doped semiconductor layer 419. ), providing corresponding separate, localized, circumscribed electrical connections. In some examples comprising a second array of vias, the second set of contacts 429 can include a number of independent electrically conductive contacts 429, with each via in the second array being a second set of vias. may connect at most one corresponding contact 429 to the second doped semiconductor layer; In other words, in these examples, contacts 429 and vias of the second array may be arranged as described above for vias 430 and contacts 420 of the first array.

The various arrangements described above for multiple independent contacts 420 and multiple vias 430 conduct different corresponding via currents through each of vias 430, thereby generating by device 100. can be employed to result in the corresponding position-dependent optical emission intensity and position-dependent carrier recombination density. To achieve that result, the light emitting device 100 of the present invention includes a drive circuit 302 connected to the first and second sets of contacts 420/429 by corresponding electrical traces or interconnects 238. ) may include. The traces or interconnects 238 connecting the independent contacts 420 to the drive circuit 302 are themselves also independent of each other (“independent” as defined above). In some examples, multiple contacts 420 may be connected to a single common trace or interconnect 238; Note that in such a case, the commonly connected contacts 420 collectively act as a single contact independent of other contacts 420 that are not connected to the same trace 238. Drive circuit 302 may be arranged in any suitable manner and may include analog components, digital components, active components, passive components, ASICs, computer components (e.g., processors) , memory, or storage media), analog-to-digital or digital-to-analog converters, etc. Drive circuit 302 provides an electrical drive current that flows through device 100 and causes device 100 to emit light. Drive circuit 302 is configured such that (i) corresponding portions of the electrical drive current flow through one or more of the vias 430 as corresponding via currents, and (ii) each via current magnitude is at least one of the vias 430. It is further structured and connected such that the corresponding via current magnitude of one other via is different. In other words, via current sizes may differ between different vias 430, and the spatial distribution of those via current sizes determines the local carrier recombination density, which in turn determines the local light emission intensity.

Drive circuit 302 may be structured, connected, and operated in any suitable manner. The behavior or performance of some inventive devices of this disclosure is based on different via current magnitudes flowing through different corresponding vias 430 . In some examples, drive circuit 302 may operate as a current source, with a corresponding designated current flowing from the drive circuit along each independent trace 238. The current flowing along each trace 238 may then flow through a single via 430 connected to that trace 238, or may be divided among multiple vias 430 connected to that trace 238. there is. In such examples, the current delivered along a given trace 238 will be scaled according to the desired via current through each connected via 430 and the number of such vias 430 connected to that trace 238. In other examples, the drive circuit may operate as a voltage source, with a corresponding designated voltage applied to each independent trace 238. Assuming identical vias 430, the current flowing through each trace will be proportional to the applied voltage and the number of vias 430 connected to that trace. In current source or voltage source arrangements, various series or parallel connections can be made between drive circuit 302 and vias 430, or between vias 430, resulting in different via current distributions. Such circuit or wiring arrangements can vary widely and are within the scope of this disclosure and appended claims. As already mentioned, this disclosure focuses on the different via currents delivered to vias 430 and is not concerned with the specific circuitry or wiring arrangement that contributes to providing those different via currents.

In some examples, traces or interconnects 238, contacts 420, and vias 430 may be connected one-to-one, independent of via current magnitudes flowing through other vias 430 in the array. , enabling individual control of the size of the via current flowing through each via 430. Such fine-grained control may not be necessary in all cases, so in some examples, some or all of the contacts 420 may each be connected to a number of corresponding vias 430, with some of the vias 430 Or all may be connected to corresponding contacts 420, along with one or more other vias 430. Similarly, in some examples, some or all of the traces or interconnects 238 may each be connected to multiple corresponding electrodes 420, and some or all of the electrodes 420 may be connected to one or more other electrodes. Together with 420, they may be connected to corresponding traces or interconnects 238. In such arrangements, the current flowing through contact 420 will be split substantially equally among the vias 430 connected to it (assuming vias 430 are substantially equal), thus resulting in substantially equal via currents. Sizes flow through each of those multiple vias 430 connected to the same contact 420 .

In one particular such example, vias 430 may be arranged in multiple rows, each containing multiple vias 430 . A “row” is defined as a subset of vias 430 that are all the same distance from one edge of device 100, or within a relatively narrow range of distances. Examples of such rows include, for example, a number of vias arranged along a single straight line or along a zigzag line (as may occur, for example, if the row contains multiple vertices of a row of hexagonal unit cells). may include 430. Whatever the detailed arrangement, each row extends across device 100 along a first lateral dimension, and multiple rows may be arranged across device 100 along a second orthogonal lateral dimension. . Each via 430 in a given row may be connected to a single corresponding contact 420 that is different from the corresponding contacts 420 connected to one or more other rows of vias 430. Each row current is the sum of the via current magnitudes flowing through the corresponding vias 430 in that row. In some examples, rows and contacts 420 may be connected one-to-one; In other examples, one or more of the contacts 420 may be connected to a group of multiple rows. In some examples, vias 430 do not connect contacts 420 directly to multiple vias 430, but rather connect vias that make up a given row through corresponding independent contacts 420. 430 can be organized into rows by configuring the drive circuit 302 to deliver the same via drive current magnitude to all.

Such grouping of vias 430 into rows may be accomplished by direct connection to common contacts 420 or common traces or interconnects 238, or by combination of specific groups of independent vias 430. A so-called sloping light emission intensity distribution is created, which has a maximum at or relatively close to the first edge of the device and monotonically decreases towards the opposite edge of the device 100, whether by operation of the drive circuit 302 for driven driving. may be suitable for generating (discussed further below). To achieve such an emission intensity distribution, the drive circuit may provide each row with a corresponding row current that monotonically decreases across device 100 along the second transverse dimension (i.e., perpendicular to the rows).

There are several ways in which different via current magnitudes can be applied between multiple vias 430. In many examples, the via current magnitude will have minimum and maximum values that can be delivered by the drive circuit 302; In many of those examples, the minimum via current magnitude may be approximately equal to zero. In some examples, each via 430 (or a group of vias 430 connected to the same contact 420) is either “off” (carrying the minimum via current magnitude) or “off” (carrying the maximum via current magnitude). It may be “on.” In some other examples, each via 430 or a group of connected vias 430 may also be formed between a minimum and a maximum (e.g., with discrete steps in some examples or across a continuous range in other examples). It can carry via current magnitudes (percentage or fraction of the maximum via current magnitude). The drive circuit 302 may, in some examples, be arranged to deliver such intermediate via current levels as DC currents to each of the vias 430; In other examples, the drive circuit 302 may have a voltage value between zero and 1 that can be selected for each via 430 (or group of connected vias 430) to achieve a desired time-averaged via current magnitude. Specified minimum and maximum vias alternating with corresponding duty cycles and frequencies above the subjective flicker fusion threshold (e.g., above about 60 Hz, above about 90 Hz, above about 120 Hz, or above about 200 Hz). It can be arranged to apply current magnitudes.

The drive circuit may be arranged to provide one or more specified spatial distributions across device 100 of different via current sizes provided to corresponding vias 430 of the array. Each given via current magnitude distribution between vias 430 results in a corresponding spatial distribution of carrier recombination and light emission intensity across device 100. For a desired optical emission intensity spatial distribution, in combination with the spatial arrangement of vias 430, a corresponding distribution of via current magnitudes can be specified that results in an acceptable approximation of the desired emission distribution. Whether a given approximation is “acceptable” may depend on the particular use of light emitting device 100; Some uses may have more stringent requirements than others. Various emission distributions can be advantageously employed in automotive applications (eg, headlight low or high beams), or in other non-automotive applications. A method for using the light emitting device 100 of the present invention includes operating the drive circuit 302 to provide a defined spatial distribution of via current magnitudes to the vias 430, causing the device 100 to emit a corresponding emission intensity. It includes a step of emitting light according to distribution.

One example of a desired light emission intensity distribution is the sloped distribution mentioned above, where the light emission intensity is maximum along or near a first edge of the device and decreases in one dimension toward the opposite edge of the device. Such an emission intensity distribution may be advantageously employed in low beam automobile headlights, for example (as in the example of Figures 11A/11B). A sloped emission intensity distribution can be approximated by configuring the drive circuit 302 to provide via current magnitudes distributed between vias 430 that result in the desired carrier recombination distribution, which is similar to that of the same vias 430. This can be achieved in a number of ways using a regular array. In some examples, the via current magnitude for each via 430 is applied continuously or in steps, using variable duty cycle or variable DC currents between a fixed minimum via current magnitude and a maximum via current magnitude. It may monotonically decrease as the distance from it increases. In one particular example, for device 100 with a 5x5 array of vias 430, a maximum via current magnitude is applied to each via 430 in the first row, and 80% of the maximum is applied to each via 430 in the first row. , 60% of the maximum is applied to the third row, 40% of the maximum is applied to the fourth row, and 20% of the maximum is applied to the fifth row (illustrated schematically in Figure 16A; other arrays Sizes and other positional dependencies may be employed).

In some examples, each via 430 receives a minimum or maximum via current magnitude but no intermediate value, and the number of vias 430 receiving a maximum via current magnitude decreases row by row across device 100. do. In another specific 5x5 example, the maximum via current magnitude is: 5 vias in the first row, 4 vias in the second row, 3 vias in the third row, 2 vias in the fourth row, and is applied to one via in row 5, while all other vias 430 receive the minimum via current magnitude (illustrated schematically in Figure 16B; other array sizes and other position dependencies may be employed). Between the first edge of device 100 and the vias 430 closest to the first edge, the light emission intensity typically ranges from zero just beyond the edge to near the first row of vias of device 100. Note that the intensity will increase to maximum. Such an initial increase typically has no practical effect, and devices exhibiting an initial increase may nevertheless be considered to have a monotonically decreasing light emission intensity profile.

Another example of a desired optical emission intensity distribution is the so-called 1D peak distribution, where the emission intensity has a maximum along a line spanning the central region of device 100 and along one transverse dimension towards opposite edges of device 100. decreases in both directions. The 1D peak emission intensity distribution can be approximated by configuring the drive circuit 302 to provide via current magnitudes distributed between vias 430 that result in the desired carrier recombination distribution, which is similar to that of the same vias 430. This can be achieved in a number of ways using a regular array. In some examples, the via current magnitude for each via 430 is offset from the center, continuously or in steps, using variable duty cycle or variable DC currents between a fixed minimum via current magnitude and a maximum via current magnitude. It can decrease towards the edges. In the specific 5x5 example, the maximum via current magnitude is applied to each via 430 in the third row, two-thirds of the maximum is applied to the second and fourth rows, and one-third of the maximum is applied to the first and fourth rows. Applied to row 5 (illustrated schematically in Figure 17A; other array sizes and other position dependencies may be employed). In some examples, each via 430 receives a minimum or maximum via current magnitude but no intermediate value, and the number of vias 430 receiving a maximum via current magnitude varies from a center row across device 100. Decrease by row. In the specific 5x5 example, the maximum via current magnitude is applied to the 5 vias in the third row, the 3 vias in the 2nd and 4th rows, and the 2 vias in the 1st and 5th rows, while the other All vias 430 receive a minimum via current magnitude (illustrated schematically in Figure 17B; other array sizes and other position dependencies may be employed).

Another example of a desired optical emission intensity distribution is the so-called 2D peak distribution, where the emission intensity has a maximum in the central region of device 100 and decreases in both directions along both transverse dimensions towards the edges of device 100. Such an emission intensity distribution can be advantageously employed, for example, in high beam automobile headlights. The 2D peak sloped emission intensity distribution can be approximated by configuring the drive circuit 302 to provide via current magnitudes distributed between vias 430 that result in the desired carrier recombination distribution, which results in the same vias 430 ) can be achieved in a number of ways using a regular array of In some examples, the via current magnitude for each via 430 can be varied from the center, continuously or in steps, using variable duty cycle or variable DC currents between a fixed minimum via current magnitude and a maximum via current magnitude. It can decrease towards the edges. In a particular 5x5 example, the maximum via current magnitude is applied to the center via 430 in the third row, and two-thirds of the maximum is applied to the second through fourth vias 430 in the second and fourth rows and to the central via 430 in the third row. is applied to the second and fourth vias 103, and 1/3 of the maximum is applied to the first and fifth vias of the first and fifth rows and the second to fourth rows (illustrated schematically in Figure 18A ; other array sizes and other positional dependencies may be employed). In some examples, each via 430 receives a minimum or maximum via current magnitude, but no intermediate value, and the number of vias 430 receiving a maximum via current magnitude is divided by the number of central vias across device 100 ( 430), it decreases with distance. In a particular 5x5 example, the maximum via current magnitudes are: the center via 430 in the third row, the second and fourth vias 430 in the second and fourth rows, and the first and fifth vias 430 in the third row. ), and the third via 430 in the first and fifth rows, while all other vias 430 receive the minimum via current magnitude (illustrated schematically in Figure 18B; other array sizes and Other location dependencies may be employed).

Note that all of the different via current distributions described and shown herein, and countless others, can all be achieved using a single light emitting device 100, or by a set of identically arranged light emitting devices 100. Should be. Such different via current distributions, and corresponding different emission distributions, illustrate the usefulness of various arrangements of the light emitting device 100 of the present invention, as further described below. It comes from modes.

In some examples, drive circuit 302 provides only a single, specified spatial distribution across device 100 of corresponding magnitudes of via currents, thereby causing the device to provide only a single, corresponding spatial distribution of light emission intensity. are arranged. Although each device 100 produces only a single emission intensity distribution, a manufacturer may provide a variety of different light-emitting devices that produce a variety of correspondingly different emission intensity distributions but all comprising the same light-emitting device 100. Differences in emission intensity distributions arise from differences between the configuration of the drive circuit 302 and its connections between the number of contacts 420. For example, the six different examples described above can all be accomplished using the same device 100 with the same 5x5 array of vias 430 because the independence of contacts 420 allows each via current This is because the size allows it to be applied through the corresponding contact 420 independently of other via currents applied through the other contacts 420. The differences between the respective emission intensity distributions of the preceding examples can all be implemented by differences in the configuration or operation of their respective driving circuits 302. In a variation, subsequent processing of device 100 to disable certain vias 430 (i.e., make them non-conductive) while leaving others intact results in different static current distributions between different devices 100. can be employed to do so. Such processing may be implemented in any suitable manner, for example, by ablation of specific vias 430 by a laser or ion beam.

In other examples, drive circuit 302 may be arranged to enable dynamic switching between two or more different specified spatial distributions of via current magnitudes provided by drive circuit 302. That dynamic switching, in turn, enables dynamic alteration of the spatial distribution of light emission intensity across device 100, which can be advantageously employed in a variety of ways. Referring back to the 5x5 device examples above, the drive circuit 302 can achieve any two of those emission intensity distributions by simply rerouting or altering the via currents between vias 430 of device 100 as appropriate. Or it can be configured to enable switching between all three. In automobile headlights, for example, instead of having two separate sets of conventional devices 10 (one slanted and one 2D peak) and switching between them for low and high beams. Alternatively, a single set of devices 100 of the invention can be employed and the drive circuit 302 can be used to vary the emission distribution between a sloped distribution (for low beams) and a 2D peak distribution (for high beams). can be used to Such dynamic control of the emission intensity distribution could also be employed, for example, for lateral or vertical headlight beam steering when the car turns or climbs a hill, or for any number of other automotive and non-automotive purposes. .

The method of the present invention includes: (A) selecting a first specified spatial distribution of via current magnitudes; (B) providing the vias 430 with a first specified spatial distribution of via current magnitudes and operating the drive circuit 302 to cause the device 100 to emit light according to a corresponding first emission intensity distribution. ; (C) selecting a second designated spatial distribution of via current magnitudes that is different from the first designated spatial distribution of via current magnitudes; and (D) providing a second specified spatial distribution of via current magnitudes to vias 430 and causing device 100 to emit light according to a corresponding second emission intensity distribution that is different from the first emission intensity distribution. and activating circuit 302.

A method for making the light emitting device 100 of the present invention includes: (A) first and second doped structures having a junction or active layer 415 therebetween, using any one or more suitable spatially selective material processing techniques; forming semiconductor layers 410/419; (B) forming an array of vias 430 connected to the first doped semiconductor layer 410 using any one or more suitable spatially selective material processing techniques; (C) forming a first set of contacts 420 connected to the first doped semiconductor layer 410 by an array of vias 430, using any one or more suitable spatially selective material processing techniques. ; and (D) forming a second set of contacts 429 connected to the second doped semiconductor layer 419 using any one or more suitable spatially selective material processing techniques. Another method for manufacturing a light emitting device of the present invention includes connecting drive circuitry 302 to first and second sets of contacts 420/429 of light emitting device 100, and vias 430. and arranging the drive circuit 302 to provide a defined spatial distribution of via current magnitudes.

In some examples, multiple devices 100 may be arranged in array 200, each having a corresponding array of independent contacts 420 and vias 430. Such array 200 may include multiple devices 100 formed on corresponding individual semiconductor dies and mounted on a common substrate or circuit board, or may include multiple devices 100 formed monolithically on a single semiconductor die. It may include devices 100. The example of FIG. 19 includes three light emitting devices 100 arranged as in FIG. 14A. Array 200 may be arranged in any of the ways illustrated in FIGS. 14A-14D or 15A-15D. Any suitable or desired number of arrays of light emitting devices 100 may be employed. The drive circuit 302 may be configured to control one or more specified spatial distributions of via current magnitudes (among those discussed above) across each device 100 of the array 200 and across the array 200 of devices 100. may be structured and connected to provide (including any) to corresponding vias 430 of the via array of each device 100 of device array 200. The spatial distribution of the light emission intensity is determined by the arrangement of the array of vias 430 across each device 100 of the array 200 and across the array 200 of devices 100 and The via current magnitudes provided by the drive circuit 302 may vary depending on the specified distribution between the devices 100 of the device array 200 and the vias 430 of each via array.

In some examples, the specified spatial distributions of via current magnitudes are between adjacent edges of adjacent devices in the array by less than about 30.%, less than about 20.%, or less than about 10.% of the peak emission intensity of the devices in the array. and a specified spatial distribution resulting in corresponding spatial distributions of different light emission intensities. In other words, the emission intensity distributions are “stitched together” to form a desired emission distribution that varies relatively smoothly across the devices 100 of the array 200 (low emission intensity at adjacent edges of adjacent devices 100 narrow areas are ignored). FIG. 20 shows an example where the array 200 of FIG. 19 is driven to produce a sloped emission intensity distribution that extends relatively smoothly across the three devices 100 of the array 200 (again, devices 100 ) and ignore the steep and narrow intensity minima that occur between them). FIG. 21 shows an example where the array 200 of FIG. 19 is driven to produce a 1D peak emission intensity distribution that extends relatively smoothly across the three devices 100 of the array 200 (again, devices 100 ) and ignore the steep and narrow intensity minima that occur between them). For example, an array with devices 100 having lateral dimensions from a few millimeters to less than 100 microns, or from a small number of devices 100 to up to approximately 10s, 100s, 1000s or more. Any suitable size or arrangement of array 200 may be employed, including those. For relatively small device sizes (e.g., in a microLED array), in some cases the number of individual vias 430 per device may be limited by the small size of the individual devices 100. Nonetheless, independently controlled via currents to each device can smooth the overall intensity distribution produced by the array (eg, reducing the appearance of pixilation in LED displays).

Like the individual devices 100, the array 200 of devices 100 with independently controlled contacts 420 and vias 430 can be operated in any of the ways described above. there is. In some examples, the arrangement of drive circuit 302, traces or interconnects 238, and contacts 420 and 430 may produce a fixed emission distribution intensity for a given array 200. The same array 200 may provide different emission distributions using different arrangements of the drive circuit 302. In some examples, the arrangement of drive circuit 302, traces or interconnects 238, and contacts 420 and 430 can be used to create an emission distribution that can vary dynamically for a given array 200 (as described above). Strength can be created.

The examples of FIGS. 1-6B as shown do not include any of the inventive arrangements of FIGS. 12B, 14A-14D, 15A-15D, or 19. 1-6B illustrates a device in which the inventive arrangements of any of FIGS. 12B, 14A-14D, 15A-15D, or 19 may be advantageously employed and such implementations fall within the scope of this disclosure and the appended claims. These are examples.

In addition to the foregoing, the following exemplary embodiments are within the scope of this disclosure or the appended claims:

Example 1. A semiconductor light emitting device (LED) comprising: (a) first and second doped semiconductor layers—the first and second doped semiconductor layers at a junction or active layer between the first and second doped semiconductor layers; arranged to emit light resulting from carrier recombination -; (b) a first set of a plurality of independent electrically conductive contacts each electrically connected to a first doped semiconductor layer; (c) a second set of one or more electrically conductive contacts each electrically connected to a second doped semiconductor layer; (d) an array of a plurality of electrically conductive vias arranged across the device, wherein the vias of the array connect a first set of contacts to a first doped semiconductor layer, each via connected to at least one other via. Connecting at most one corresponding contact of the first set that is different from the corresponding contact of the first set to the first doped semiconductor layer, each via having a corresponding separate contact between the first doped semiconductor layer and the corresponding contact of the first set. arranged to provide localized, circumscribed electrical connections -; and (e) a set of multiple independent electrically conductive traces or interconnects connected to the first set of contacts, where each contact in the first set is different from a corresponding trace or interconnect connected to at least one other contact in the first set. connected to a single corresponding one of the traces or interconnects.

Example 2. The device of example 1, where the first and second sets of contacts are metal contacts and the vias of the array are metal vias.

Example 3. The device of examples 1 or 2, wherein the array of vias is arranged across the device as a substantially regular grid of substantially identical vias.

Example 4. The device of Example 1 or Example 2, wherein the array of vias is arranged across the device such that either or both the via local number density or via transverse area varies depending on location across the device.

Example 5. The device of any one of examples 1-4, wherein each contact of the first set is connected to at most one corresponding via of the array.

Example 6. The device of any one of examples 1-4, wherein the one or more contacts of the first set are each connected to a plurality of corresponding vias of the array.

Example 7. The device of any of Examples 1-6, wherein (i) the first doped semiconductor layer is between the first set of contacts and the second doped semiconductor layer, and (ii) the device has the first doped semiconductor layer. further comprising an electrically insulating layer between the doped semiconductor layer and the first set of contacts, and (iii) vias connecting the first set of contacts to the first doped semiconductor layer through the insulating layer.

Example 8. The device of Example 7, wherein the first doped semiconductor layer is a p-doped layer and the second doped semiconductor layer is an n-doped layer.

Example 9. The device of examples 7 or 8, wherein the first set of contacts are metal contacts and the first set of contacts and the insulating layer are arranged to act as a composite optical reflector for light emitted by the device.

Example 10. The device of any one of Examples 7-9, further comprising an electrode layer between the first doped semiconductor layer and the insulating layer and in contact with the first doped semiconductor layer, wherein the electrode layer is Substantially transparent to emitted light, the vias in the array connect the first doped semiconductor layer to the first set of contacts by connecting the electrode layer to the first set of contacts.

Example 11. The device of Example 10, wherein (i) the electrode layer is arranged as a plurality of individual area segments separated by an electrically insulating material such that lateral electrical conduction between adjacent area segments is substantially prevented, and (ii) the electrode Each area segment of the layer is connected to at most one corresponding contact of the first set.

Example 12 The device of Example 10 or Example 11, wherein the electrode layer comprises indium tin oxide or indium zinc oxide.

Example 13. The device of any of Examples 1-6, wherein (i) the second doped semiconductor layer is between the first set of contacts and the first doped semiconductor layer, and (ii) the device has the second doped semiconductor layer. further comprising an electrically insulating layer between the doped semiconductor layer and the first set of contacts, (iii) vias connecting the first set of contacts to the first doped semiconductor layer through the insulating layer and the second doped semiconductor layer; , (iv) the vias are electrically isolated from the second doped semiconductor layer.

Example 14 The device of Example 13, wherein the first doped semiconductor layer is an n-doped layer and the second doped semiconductor layer is a p-doped layer.

Example 15. The device of Example 13 or Example 14, further comprising an electrode layer positioned on and in contact with the first doped semiconductor layer, wherein the electrode layer is substantially transparent to light emitted by the device, and the array The vias connect the first doped semiconductor layer to the first set of contacts by connecting the electrode layer to the first set of contacts.

Example 16. The device of Example 15, wherein (i) the electrode layer is arranged as a plurality of individual area segments separated by an electrically insulating material such that lateral electrical conduction between adjacent area segments is substantially prevented, and (ii) the electrode Each area segment of the layer is connected to at most one corresponding contact of the first set.

Example 17 The device of Example 15 or Example 16, wherein the electrode layer comprises indium tin oxide or indium zinc oxide.

Example 18 The device of any one of Examples 7-17, wherein the insulating layer comprises doped or undoped silica.

Example 19. The device of any one of Examples 1-18, wherein the first doped semiconductor layer comprises one or more doped III-V semiconductor materials or alloys thereof, and the second doped semiconductor layer comprises one or more III-V semiconductor materials or alloys thereof. V includes semiconductor materials or alloys thereof.

Example 20. The device of any one of Examples 1-19, wherein the first doped semiconductor layer is arranged as a continuous layer substantially spanning the device, and the second doped semiconductor layer is a continuous layer substantially spanning the device. It is arranged as.

Example 21. The device of any one of Examples 1-19, wherein (i) the first doped semiconductor layer has a plurality of layers separated by an electrically insulating material such that lateral electrical conduction between adjacent region segments is substantially prevented. arranged as individual area segments, and (ii) each area segment of the first doped semiconductor layer is connected to at most one corresponding contact of the first set.

Example 22. The device of example 21, wherein the second doped semiconductor layer is arranged as a plurality of individual area segments separated by an electrically insulating material such that lateral electrical conduction between adjacent area segments is substantially prevented.

Example 23 The device of any one of Examples 1-22, further comprising at least one active semiconductor layer at the active layer or junction between the first and second doped semiconductor layers.

Example 24 The device of any of Examples 1-23, further comprising one or more quantum wells in the active layer or junction between the first and second doped semiconductor layers.

Example 25. The device of any one of examples 1-24, wherein the first set of contacts includes one or more edge contacts.

Example 26 The device of any of examples 1-25, wherein the second set of contacts includes one or more edge contacts or area contacts.

Example 27 The device of any one of examples 1-26, further comprising a second array of a plurality of electrically conductive vias arranged across the device, wherein the vias in the second array dope the second set of contacts with a second doping. Connecting to the doped semiconductor layer, each via of the second set is arranged to provide a corresponding discrete, localized, circumscribed electrical connection between the second doped semiconductor layer and the corresponding contact of the second set.

Example 28. The device of Example 27, wherein the second set of contacts comprises a plurality of independent electrically conductive contacts, and each via in the second array connects at most one corresponding contact in the second set to a second doped semiconductor. Connect to the floor.

Example 29. The device of any one of Examples 1-28, further comprising a drive circuit connected to the first and second sets of contacts by electrical traces or interconnects, the drive circuit flowing through the device. Structured and connected to provide an electrical drive current that causes the device to emit light, (i) corresponding portions of the electrical drive current flow through one or more vias of the array as corresponding via currents, and (ii) each of the It is further structured and connected such that a via current magnitude is different from a corresponding via current magnitude of at least one other via of the vias in the array.

Example 30. The device of example 29, wherein each electrical trace or interconnect is connected to at most one contact of the first set.

Example 31. The device of example 29, wherein one or more electrical traces or interconnects are each connected to a plurality of corresponding contacts in the first set.

Example 32. The device of any one of examples 29-31, wherein each contact in the first set has a corresponding via current magnitude flowing through each via, independent of the via current magnitudes flowing through the other vias in the array. Connected to at most one via in the array to enable flow.

Example 33. The device of any one of examples 29-31, wherein the one or more contacts of the first set are each connected to a plurality of corresponding vias in the array, such that the contacts are substantially connected through each of the plurality of vias connected to the same contact. The same via current magnitudes flow.

Example 34. The device of example 33, wherein (i) the vias in the array are arranged in a plurality of rows, each row including a plurality of vias, and (ii) each row extending to the device along a first lateral dimension. extending across the device, the plurality of rows being arranged across the device along a second orthogonal lateral dimension, (iii) each via in a given row is connected to the same corresponding contact of the first set, and (iv) the vias Each row is connected to a first set of corresponding contacts that are different from the first set of corresponding contacts connected to at least one other row of vias.

Example 35. The device of example 34, wherein the drive circuit is structured and connected such that the corresponding sum of via current magnitudes flowing through each row of vias monotonically decreases across the device along a second transverse dimension.

Example 36. The device of any one of Examples 29-35, wherein the drive circuit is configured to have each via current magnitude (i) substantially equal to the specified minimum via current magnitude or (ii) specified maximum via current magnitude greater than the specified minimum via current magnitude. Structured and connected to be substantially equal to the via current magnitude.

Example 37. The device of any one of Examples 29-35, wherein the drive circuit is configured to have each via current magnitude (i) substantially equal to the specified minimum via current magnitude, or (ii) greater than the specified minimum via current magnitude. (iii) substantially equal to a maximum via current magnitude, or (iii) substantially equal to one of one or more distinct specified intermediate via current magnitudes between a specified minimum current magnitude and a specified maximum via current magnitude.

Example 38. The device of any one of Examples 29-35, wherein the drive circuit is structured such that each via current magnitude is within a continuous range from a specified minimum via current magnitude to a specified maximum via current magnitude that is greater than the specified minimum current magnitude. and connected.

Example 39. The device of Example 37 or Example 38, wherein the drive circuit is configured to achieve the specified minimum and maximum via current magnitudes alternating at a frequency greater than about 60 Hz and with a corresponding duty cycle between zero and 1. Structured and connected to provide each via of the array with a corresponding designated via current magnitude between the current magnitudes.

Example 40. The device of any one of examples 36-39, wherein the drive circuit is structured and connected such that the minimum specified via current magnitude is substantially equal to zero.

Example 41 The device of any one of Examples 29-40, wherein (i) the drive circuit is configured to provide corresponding vias of the array with one or more specified spatial distributions across the device of via current magnitudes provided by the drive circuit. structured and connected, and (ii) the spatial distribution of the light emission intensity varies across the device according to the arrangement of the array of vias across the device and a specified distribution among the vias of the array of via current magnitudes provided by the drive circuit.

Example 42. The device of example 41, wherein the one or more specified spatial distributions of via current magnitudes decrease along one lateral dimension across the device from vias in the array closest to one edge of the device toward an opposite edge of the device. contains a specified spatial distribution, which results in a corresponding spatial distribution of the light emission intensity.

Example 43. The device of Example 41 or Example 42, wherein the one or more specified spatial distributions of via current magnitudes exhibit a maximum intensity along a line extending across a central region of the device and one lateral dimension toward opposite edges of the device. and a specified spatial distribution resulting in a corresponding spatial distribution of the emitted light intensity decreasing in both directions.

Example 44. The device of any one of Examples 41-43, wherein the one or more specified spatial distributions of via current magnitudes exhibit a maximum intensity in a central region of the device and extend in both directions along both lateral dimensions toward the edges of the device. and a specified spatial distribution resulting in a corresponding spatial distribution of the emitted light intensity decreasing with .

Example 45. The device of any one of Examples 41-44, wherein the drive circuit is arranged to provide only a single defined spatial distribution across the device of corresponding magnitudes of via currents, whereby the device emits light across the device. It is arranged to provide only a single corresponding spatial distribution of intensity.

Example 46. The device of any one of Examples 41-44, wherein the drive circuit enables dynamic switching between two or more different specified spatial distributions of via current magnitudes provided by the drive circuit, thereby reducing light emission across the device. It is arranged to enable dynamic change of the spatial distribution of intensity.

Example 47. A method for using the device of example 46, the method comprising: (A) selecting a first specified spatial distribution of via current magnitudes; (B) providing a first specified spatial distribution of via current magnitudes to the vias of the array, operating the drive circuit to cause the device to emit light according to a corresponding first spatial distribution of light emission intensity across the device. ; (C) selecting a second designated spatial distribution of via current magnitudes that is different from the first designated spatial distribution of via current magnitudes; and (D) providing a second specified spatial distribution of via current magnitudes to the vias of the array and causing the device to emit light according to the first spatial distribution of light emission intensity and the corresponding second spatial distribution of light emission intensity across the different devices. and operating the drive circuit to emit.

Example 48. A method for using the device of Example 45 or Example 46, wherein the method provides a defined spatial distribution of via current magnitudes to vias in an array, causing the device to adjust to a corresponding spatial distribution of light emission intensity across the device. and activating the driving circuit to emit light accordingly.

Example 49. An array of multiple light emitting devices of any of Examples 29-46.

Example 50. The device of Example 49, wherein (i) the drive circuit is configured to: structured and connected to provide one or more specified spatial distributions of the optical emission intensity, (ii) the spatial distribution of the light emission intensity is determined by the arrangement of the array of vias across each device and across the array of devices, and The via current magnitudes provided by the drive circuitry vary according to a specified distribution between the devices of the array and the vias of each array.

Example 51. The device of example 50, wherein the one or more specified spatial distributions of via current magnitudes are less than about 30.%, less than about 20.% of the peak emission intensity of devices in the array between adjacent edges of adjacent devices in the array, and or a specified spatial distribution resulting in corresponding spatial distributions of light emission intensity that differ by less than about 10.%.

Example 52. The device of example 50 or 51, wherein the one or more specified spatial distributions of via current magnitudes are (i) across the device array from the vias closest to one edge of the device array toward an opposite edge of the device array. (ii) exhibits a maximum intensity along a line extending across the central region of the device array and decreases in both directions along one transverse dimension toward opposing edges of the device array, or (iii) ) a defined spatial distribution resulting in a corresponding spatial distribution of light emission intensity that exhibits a maximum intensity in the central region of the device array and decreases in both directions along both transverse dimensions towards the edges of the device array.

Example 53. The device of any one of examples 50-52, wherein the drive circuit is arranged to provide only a single specified spatial distribution of via currents across each device and across the array of correspondingly sized devices, whereby , the devices are arranged to provide only a single corresponding spatial distribution of light emission intensity across the array of devices and across each device.

Example 54 The device of any one of Examples 50-53, wherein the driving circuitry enables dynamic switching between two or more different specified spatial distributions of via current magnitudes provided by the driving circuitry across the array of devices. and is arranged to enable dynamic variation of the spatial distribution of light emission intensity across each device.

Example 55. A method for using the device of example 54, the method comprising: (A) selecting a first specified spatial distribution of via current magnitudes; (B) providing a first defined spatial distribution of via current magnitudes to the vias of the array of vias of each device of the array of devices, causing the array of devices to have a correspondence of light emission intensity across the array of devices and across each device; operating the driving circuit to emit light according to a first spatial distribution; (C) selecting a second designated spatial distribution of via current magnitudes that is different from the first designated spatial distribution of via current magnitudes; and (D) providing a second defined spatial distribution of via current magnitudes to the vias of the via array of each device of the array of devices and causing the array of devices to emit light emission intensity across each device and across the array of devices. and operating the drive circuit to emit light according to a corresponding second spatial distribution of light emission intensity that is different from the first spatial distribution of .

Example 56. A method for using the device of Example 53 or Example 54, wherein the method provides a defined spatial distribution of via current magnitudes to the vias of each via array, allowing the device to provide a defined spatial distribution of via current magnitudes across the array of devices and into each device. and operating the drive circuit to emit light according to a corresponding spatial distribution of light emission intensity over .

Example 57. A method for manufacturing the light emitting device of any of Examples 1-28, the method comprising: (A) forming first and second doped semiconductor layers having a junction or active layer therebetween; (B) forming an array of vias connected to the first doped semiconductor layer; (C) forming a first set of contacts connected to the first doped semiconductor layer by an array of vias; and (D) forming a second set of contacts connected to the second doped semiconductor layer.

Example 58. A method for manufacturing the light emitting device of any of Examples 29-46, the method comprising connecting a drive circuit to first and second sets of contacts of the light emitting device, and to vias of the array. and arranging the drive circuit to provide a defined spatial distribution of via current magnitudes.

Example 59. An array of multiple light emitting devices of any of Examples 1-46.

Example 60. A semiconductor light emitting device comprising: (a) an n-doped semiconductor layer and a p-doped semiconductor layer arranged to emit light resulting from carrier recombination in an active layer or junction between the n-doped semiconductor layer and the p-doped semiconductor layer. -Doped semiconductor layer; (b) a first set of one or more electrically conductive contacts each electrically connected to a p-doped semiconductor layer and a second set of one or more electrically conductive contacts each electrically connected to an n-doped semiconductor layer; and (c) an array of a plurality of electrically conductive vias arranged across the device, wherein the vias in the array connect the first set of contacts to the p-doped semiconductor layer, each via connecting the p-doped semiconductor layer to the first set of vias. arranged to provide corresponding discrete, localized, circumscribed electrical connections between corresponding contacts of the set, and (d) the array of vias is either a via local number density or via transverse area, or Both are arranged across the device to result in a corresponding spatial distribution of light emission intensity that varies with position across the device and varies across the device depending on the arrangement of the array of vias.

Example 61. The device of example 60, further comprising an electrically insulating layer between the p-doped semiconductor layer and the first set of contacts, wherein the vias connect the first set of contacts to the p-doped semiconductor layer through the insulating layer. Connect.

Example 62. The device of example 61, wherein the first set of contacts are metal contacts and the first set of contacts and the insulating layer are arranged to act as a composite optical reflector for light emitted by the device.

Example 63. The device of Example 62, further comprising an electrode layer between the p-doped semiconductor layer and the insulating layer and in contact with the p-doped semiconductor layer, wherein the electrode layer is substantially insensitive to light emitted by the device. The array of vias, which are transparent, connect the p-doped semiconductor layer to the first set of contacts by connecting the electrode layer to the first set of contacts.

Example 64. The device of example 63, wherein the electrode layer comprises indium tin oxide or indium zinc oxide.

Example 65 The device of any one of Examples 60-64, wherein the insulating layer comprises doped or undoped silica.

Example 66. The device of any one of Examples 60-65, wherein the p-doped semiconductor layer comprises one or more doped III-V semiconductor materials or alloys thereof, and the n-doped semiconductor layer comprises one or more III- V includes semiconductor materials or alloys thereof.

Example 67. The device of any one of examples 60-66, wherein the first set of contacts includes one or more edge contacts.

Example 68 The device of any of examples 60-67, wherein the second set of contacts includes one or more edge contacts or area contacts.

Example 69. The device of any one of Examples 60-68, further comprising a second array of a plurality of electrically conductive vias arranged across the device, wherein the vias of the second array n-dope the second set of contacts. Connecting to the doped semiconductor layer, each via of the second set is arranged to provide a corresponding discrete, localized, circumscribed electrical connection between the n-doped semiconductor layer and the corresponding contact of the second set.

Example 70. A method for using the device of any one of Examples 60-69, wherein the method applies a common drive signal to a first set of one or more contacts and causes the device to adjust the corresponding level of light emission intensity across the device. It includes a step of emitting light according to spatial distribution.

Example 71. A method for manufacturing the light emitting device of any of Examples 60-69, comprising: (A) forming n-doped and p-doped semiconductor layers having a junction or active layer between them. ; (B) forming an array of vias connected to the p-doped semiconductor layer; (C) forming a first set of one or more contacts connected to the p-doped semiconductor layer by an array of vias; and (D) forming a second set of one or more contacts coupled to the n-doped semiconductor layer.

The present disclosure is illustrative and not restrictive. Additional modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of this disclosure and are intended to be within the scope of this disclosure or the appended claims. Equivalents of the disclosed exemplary embodiments and methods, or modifications thereof, are intended to fall within the scope of this disclosure or the appended claims.

In the foregoing detailed description, various features may be grouped together in various example embodiments for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. The methods of the present disclosure should not be construed as reflecting an intention that any claimed embodiment require more features than are explicitly recited in the corresponding claim. Rather, as the appended claims reflect, inventive subject matter may lie in less than all features of a single disclosed example embodiment. Therefore, this disclosure does not cover any suitable subset of one or more features that may be shown, described, or claimed in this application, including those subsets that may not be explicitly disclosed herein. It should be interpreted as implicitly disclosing an embodiment of. A “suitable” subset of features includes only those features that are compatible and non-mutually exclusive with respect to any other feature in the subset. Accordingly, the appended claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description in their entirety, with each claim standing on its own as a separate disclosed embodiment. Additionally, each of the appended dependent claims is stated in its multiple dependent form and is to be construed as if it were dependent on all non-consistent preceding claims solely for the purposes of this disclosure by way of said incorporation of the claims into the Detailed Description. . It is further noted that the cumulative scope of the appended claims may, but need not, encompass the entire subject matter disclosed in this application.

The following interpretations will apply for the purposes of this disclosure and the appended claims. The words "including", "having" and variations thereof, wherever they appear, shall be construed as open-ended terms and, unless explicitly stated otherwise, the phrases "at least" shall be used after each instance. It has the same meaning as that attached to . Singular expressions shall be construed as "one or more" unless "only one", "single", or other similar limitation is explicitly stated or implied in a particular context; Similarly, singular expressions will be construed as "only one of", "only one of", or "one or more of" unless another similar limitation is explicitly stated or implied in a particular context. The conjunction “or” means (i) unless explicitly stated otherwise, for example, by use of “either,” “only one,” or similar language, or (ii) two of the listed alternatives. Unless the above are understood or disclosed (implicitly or explicitly) to be incompatible or mutually exclusive within a particular context, they should be construed inclusively. In the latter case, “or” will be understood to encompass only combinations involving non-mutually exclusive alternatives. In one example, “dog or cat”, “one or more of dogs or cats”, and “one or more dogs or cats” each refer to one or more dogs without any cats, or one or more cats without any dogs, or each It will be interpreted as more than one thing. In other examples, “dog, cat, or rat”, “one or more of a dog, cat, or rat”, and “one or more dogs, cats, or rats” each mean (i) one or more without any cat or rat; a dog, (ii) one or more cats without any dogs or rats, (iii) one or more rats without any dogs or cats, (iv) one or more dogs and one or more cats without any rats, (v) any (vi) one or more cats and one or more rats without any dogs, or (vii) one or more dogs, one or more cats, and one or more rats. In another example, “two or more of a dog, a cat, or a rat” or “two or more dogs, a cat, or a rat” each means (i) one or more dogs and one or more cats without any rats, (ii) any cat (iii) at least one cat and at least one rat without a dog, or (iv) at least one dog, at least one cat, and at least one rat; “Three or more,” “four or more,” etc. will be interpreted similarly.

For the purposes of this disclosure or the appended claims, when terms such as “about equal,” “substantially equal,” “about greater than,” “less than about,” etc. are employed in connection with numerical quantities, different interpretations are expressly implied. Unless otherwise specified, standard conventions regarding measurement precision and significant figures will apply. For quantities of harm described by phrases such as “substantially prevented”, “practically absent”, “substantially eliminated”, “approximately equal to zero”, “negligible”, etc., each such phrase shall mean , for practical purposes in the context of the intended operation or use of the disclosed or claimed device or method, the entire behavior or performance of the device or method has been substantially eliminated, is exactly equal to zero, or is otherwise exactly equivalent. This will indicate a case where the quantity is reduced or reduced to a degree that is not different from the overall behavior or performance that would have occurred had the quantity of the ball been held.

For the purposes of this disclosure and the appended claims, elements, steps, limitations, or other portions of an embodiment, example, or claim (e.g., first, second, third, etc., (a) , (b), (c), etc., or (i), (ii), (iii), etc.) are for purposes of clarity only, and any sort of ordering or prioritization of the parts so labeled. It should not be interpreted as implying. If any such ordering or priority is intended, this will be explicitly stated in the examples, examples, or claims, or in some cases, this will be implied based on the specific content of the examples, examples, or claims. Or it may be inherent. In the appended claims, if the provisions of 35 USC § 112(f) are required to apply to a device claim, the word “means” will appear in the device claim. If such provisions are required to apply in a method claim, the words “steps for” will appear in the method claim. Conversely, if the words “means” or “steps for” do not appear in a claim, the provisions of 35 USC § 112(f) are not intended to apply to that claim.

If any one or more disclosures are incorporated herein by reference and such incorporated disclosures conflict, in part or in whole, with, or are different in scope from, this disclosure, the broader disclosure, or the terms, to the extent of the conflict, is incorporated herein by reference. As far as broader definitions are concerned, this disclosure takes precedence. If such included disclosures conflict with each other, in part or in whole, the more recent disclosure shall control, to the extent of the conflict.

The abstract is provided as required as an aid to those searching for specific subject matter within this patent document. However, the Summary is not intended to imply that any elements, features, or limitations recited therein are necessarily covered by any particular claim. The scope of the subject matter covered by each claim will be determined by the recitation of that claim alone.

Claims (24)

As a semiconductor light emitting device (LED),
(a) first and second doped semiconductor layers, the first and second doped semiconductor layers arranged to emit light resulting from carrier recombination at the junction between the first and second doped semiconductor layers, ;
(b) a first set of a plurality of independent electrically conductive contacts each electrically connected to the first doped semiconductor layer;
(c) a second set of one or more electrically conductive contacts each electrically connected to the second doped semiconductor layer;
(d) an array of a plurality of electrically conductive vias arranged across the device, wherein the array of vias connects the first set of contacts to the first doped semiconductor layer, each via having a maximum of the first set of vias. Connecting one corresponding contact to the first doped semiconductor layer, each via having a corresponding separate, localized, circumscribed electrical connection between the first doped semiconductor layer and the first set of corresponding contacts. Arranged to provide connection -; and
(e) a drive circuit coupled to the first and second sets of contacts, structured and connected to provide an electrical drive current flowing through the device and causing the device to emit light, the drive circuit comprising: (i) Corresponding portions of the electrical drive current flow through one or more vias of the array as corresponding via currents, and (ii) each via current magnitude is greater than the corresponding via of at least one other of the vias of the array. More structured and connected for different via current sizes -
A device containing. According to paragraph 1,
wherein the array of vias is arranged across the device as a regular grid of identical vias. According to paragraph 1,
(i) the first doped semiconductor layer is between the first doped semiconductor layer and the first set of contacts, and (ii) the device is between the first doped semiconductor layer and the first set of contacts. and (iii) the vias connect the first set of contacts to the first doped semiconductor layer through the insulating layer. According to paragraph 3,
The device of claim 1, wherein the first set of contacts are metal contacts, and the first set of contacts and the insulating layer are arranged to act as a composite optical reflector for light emitted by the device. According to paragraph 3,
further comprising an electrode layer between the first doped semiconductor layer and the insulating layer and in contact with the first doped semiconductor layer, the electrode layer being transparent to light emitted by the device, and The vias connect the first doped semiconductor layer to the first set of contacts by connecting the electrode layer to the first set of contacts. According to clause 5,
(i) the electrode layer is arranged as a number of individual area segments separated by an electrically insulating material such that lateral electrical conduction between adjacent area segments is prevented, and (ii) each area segment of the electrode layer is A device connected to at most one corresponding contact in a set. According to paragraph 1,
(i) the second doped semiconductor layer is between the first set of contacts and the first doped semiconductor layer, and (ii) the device is between the second doped semiconductor layer and the first set of contacts. further comprising an electrically insulating layer, (iii) the vias connect the first set of contacts to the first doped semiconductor layer through the insulating layer and the second doped semiconductor layer, and (iv) the The device of claim 1, wherein the vias are electrically isolated from the second doped semiconductor layer. According to paragraph 1,
further comprising a second array of a plurality of electrically conductive vias arranged across the device, wherein the vias in the second array connect the second set of contacts to the second doped semiconductor layer, and the second array of vias connects the second set of contacts to the second doped semiconductor layer. wherein each via is arranged to provide a corresponding separate, localized, circumscribed electrical connection between the second doped semiconductor layer and the second set of corresponding contacts. According to clause 8,
wherein the second set of contacts includes a plurality of independent electrically conductive contacts, and each via of the second array connects at most one corresponding contact of the second set to the second doped semiconductor layer. device. According to paragraph 1,
Each contact of the first set connects to at most one via of the array to enable a corresponding via current magnitude to flow through each via, independent of via current magnitudes flowing through other vias of the array. A device. According to paragraph 1,
wherein the one or more contacts of the first set are each connected to a plurality of corresponding vias in the array, such that equal via current magnitudes flow through each of the multiple vias connected to the same contact. According to paragraph 1,
wherein the drive circuit is structured and connected such that each via current magnitude is (i) equal to a specified minimum via current magnitude or (ii) equal to a specified maximum via current magnitude that is greater than the specified minimum via current magnitude. According to paragraph 1,
The driving circuit is configured to have each via current magnitude (i) equal to the specified minimum via current magnitude, (ii) equal to the specified maximum via current magnitude greater than the specified minimum current magnitude, or (iii) equal to the specified minimum via current magnitude. or (iv) a continuous range of specified maximum via current magnitudes from the specified minimum via current magnitude to the specified maximum via current magnitude greater than the specified minimum via current magnitude. A device that is structured and connected to be within. According to paragraph 1,
(i) the drive circuit is structured and connected to provide one or more specified spatial distributions across the device of the via current magnitudes provided by the drive circuit to the corresponding vias of the array, and (ii) optical emission. A device, wherein the spatial distribution of intensity varies across the device according to the arrangement of the array of vias across the device and the specified distribution between the vias in the array of via current magnitudes provided by the drive circuit. According to clause 14,
The one or more specified spatial distributions of via current magnitudes (i) decrease along one lateral dimension across the device, from the vias of the array closest to one edge of the device, toward an opposite edge of the device. or (ii) exhibits a maximum intensity along a line extending across the central region of the device and decreases in both directions along one transverse dimension toward opposing edges of the device, or (iii) in the central region of the device. A device comprising a defined spatial distribution resulting in a corresponding spatial distribution of light emission intensity that represents a maximum intensity and decreases in both directions along both transverse dimensions towards the edges of the device. According to clause 14,
The drive circuit is arranged to provide only a single specified spatial distribution across the device of the corresponding magnitudes of the via currents, whereby the device provides only a single corresponding spatial distribution of light emission intensity across the device. A device arranged to do so. According to clause 14,
wherein the drive circuit enables dynamic switching between two or more different specified spatial distributions of via current magnitudes provided by the drive circuit, thereby enabling dynamic alteration of the spatial distribution of light emission intensity across the device. Arranged devices. A method for using the device of claim 17,
(A) selecting a first specified spatial distribution of via current magnitudes;
(B) providing the first defined spatial distribution of via current magnitudes to the vias of the array, thereby causing the device to emit light according to a corresponding first spatial distribution of light emission intensity across the device. activating the driving circuit to do so;
(C) selecting a second designated spatial distribution of via current magnitudes that is different from the first designated spatial distribution of via current magnitudes; and
(D) providing the second defined spatial distribution of via current magnitudes to the vias of the array, thereby causing the device to emit light emission intensity across the device that is different from the first spatial distribution of light emission intensity. operating the driving circuit to emit light according to a corresponding second spatial distribution of
Method, including. A method for using the device of claim 14,
operating the drive circuit to provide a defined spatial distribution of via current magnitudes to the vias of the array, thereby causing the device to emit light according to a corresponding spatial distribution of light emission intensity across the device. step
Method, including. As a semiconductor light emitting device,
(a) n-doped and p-doped semiconductor layers, wherein the n-doped and p-doped semiconductor layers absorb light resulting from carrier recombination at the junction between the n-doped and p-doped semiconductor layers. arranged to emit -;
(b) a first set of one or more electrically conductive contacts, each electrically connected to the p-doped semiconductor layer, and a second set of one or more electrically conductive contacts, each electrically connected to the n-doped semiconductor layer; and
(c) an array of a plurality of electrically conductive vias arranged across the device, wherein the vias in the array connect the first set of contacts to the p-doped semiconductor layer, each via arranged to provide a corresponding discrete, localized, circumscribed electrical connection between the semiconductor layer and the corresponding contacts of the first set -
Including,
(d) the array of vias is such that either or both the via local number density or via transverse area varies with position across the device, and the light emission intensity varies across the device depending on the arrangement of the array of vias. arranged across the device to result in a corresponding spatial distribution of According to clause 20,
further comprising an electrically insulating layer between the p-doped semiconductor layer and the first set of contacts, wherein the vias connect the first set of contacts to the p-doped semiconductor layer through the insulating layer. device. According to clause 21,
The device of claim 1, wherein the first set of contacts are metal contacts, and the first set of contacts and the insulating layer are arranged to act as a composite optical reflector for light emitted by the device. According to clause 22,
further comprising an electrode layer between the p-doped semiconductor layer and the insulating layer and in contact with the p-doped semiconductor layer, the electrode layer being transparent to light emitted by the device, and The vias connect the p-doped semiconductor layer to the first set of contacts by connecting the electrode layer to the first set of contacts. According to clause 20,
It further includes a second array of a plurality of electrically conductive vias arranged across the device, wherein the second array of vias connects the second set of contacts to the n-doped semiconductor layer, and the second array of vias connects the second set of contacts to the n-doped semiconductor layer. wherein each via is arranged to provide a corresponding separate, localized, circumscribed electrical connection between the n-doped semiconductor layer and the second set of corresponding contacts.

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