TWI569477B - Micro-channel-cooled high heat load light emitting device - Google Patents

Description

Microchannel cooling high heat load illuminating device

Embodiments of the invention generally relate to light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for microchannel cooling. In particular, embodiments of the present invention relate to high power density, high fill factor, microchannel cooled ultraviolet (UV) LED lamp head modules that provide high brightness, high illumination, and high energy density.

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13/014,069, filed on Jan. 26, 2011, which claims the priority of the following provisional patent application: US Provisional Application, filed on January 27, 2010 U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/341,594, filed on Apr. 1, 2010, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/456,426, filed on November 5, 2010, The provisional patent applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes for all purposes.

Copyright Notice

The content contained herein is the material protected by copyright. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the disclosure of this patent appearing in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or file, but otherwise retains all copyrights. Copyright © 2010-2012,Fusion UV Systems,Inc.

Today's UV LEDs are still relatively inefficient (typically operating at about 20% efficiency when operating at high current densities). Such inefficiencies result in a large amount of waste heat, and therefore at least air cooling is required and liquid cooling (eg, heat exchangers and/or chillers) is typically required to remove undue waste heat, which is within the pn junction of the semiconductor device. A by-product of the electro-optical conversion process. If Without the heat being removed in an extremely efficient and efficient manner, LED devices can suffer from loss of efficiency, reduced light output, and even catastrophic failure.

Liquid cooled UV LED lamps (or light engines) are currently being used in a variety of curing applications; however, existing systems have several limitations. For example, while industry literature acknowledges the need for high brightness/high illumination arrays, currently available UV LED lamps provide sub-optimal performance.

Specific examples of prior art UV LED arrays are illustrated in Figures 1A and 1B. In this example, which is taken from US Publication No. 2010/0052002 (hereinafter "Owen"), the LED array 100 claimed to be "dense" is depicted for applications where "high optical power density" is said to be required. The array 100 is constructed by forming a micro-reflector 154 within the substrate 152 and mounting the LEDs 156 within each of the micro-reflectors 154. LED 156 is electrically coupled to a power source (not shown) via leads 158 to wire bond pads on substrate 152. The micro-reflectors 154 each include a reflective layer 162 to reflect light generated by the associated LEDs 156. Significantly, although characterized as a "dense" LED array, the LED array 100 is actually an array of very low fill factor, low brightness, low heat flux, because the individual LEDs 156 are separated by a considerable distance, centered to The distance between the centers is about 800 microns. At best, it appears that the LEDs are between approximately 10% and 20% of the surface area of the LED array 100 and are undoubtedly less than 50%. This low fill factor LED array can produce a non-uniform illumination pattern that can result in uneven solidification and visually detectable anomalies such as aliasing and pixelation. In addition, the micro-reflector 154 cannot capture and control a large amount of light due to its lower angular extent. Thus, array 100 produces a low illumination beam that rapidly loses illumination as the distance from reflector 154 increases. It should be further noted that Since the beam ultimately projected onto the workpiece cannot be brighter than the source (in this case, LED array 100), even the best configured reflector cannot compensate for the low brightness of LED array 100. This is due to the well-known brightness conservation theory. In addition, Irving also does not teach the use of a giant reflector (due to its size) and the perceived need to associate a reflector with each individual LED 156.

In addition to the foregoing limitations, the relatively large channel liquid cooling techniques used in prior art cooling designs are not capable of being removed from the LEDs in a manner that effectively keeps the junction temperature low enough when the current per square millimeter exceeds about 1.5 amps. Waste heat.

Oxygen inhibition is the competition between ambient oxygen and photoinitiator (PhI) interactions with a solidified material at a rate comparable to the chemical cross-linking induced by UV light. It is known that higher irradiance produces a clear cure more quickly, and that higher irradiance is known to at least partially solve the oxygen suppression problem. It is now believed that ultra-high irradiance may overcome oxygen suppression problems in certain process configurations even in the absence of nitrogen-laden gas. However, in order to produce ultra-high irradiance to overcome oxygen suppression, the heat flux removal rate needs to keep the junction temperature low enough in this high fill factor LED array environment operating at very high current densities, and not at all by current The UV LED array architecture and UV LED array cooling technology used were obtained.

A UV curing system and its components that describe microchannel cooling for photochemical curing of materials and other high brightness applications. According to an embodiment, a base module has an array of light emitting devices (LEDs) and a base. The array has A high aspect ratio wherein the length of the array is greater than the width of the array. The LEDs are closely spaced to create a high fill factor. The array includes a plurality of electrically parallel connected groups of electrically series LEDs. The submount is monolithically constructed and includes a plurality of L-shaped patterned circuit material layers. Each of the L-shaped patterned circuit material layers includes an arm portion and a pillar portion. The arm portion acts as an LED bond pad and the post portion acts as a wire bond pad and a circuit trace. Each of the LEDs in an electrical series LED group is affixed to a respective arm portion of the one of the base stations. The pillar portions are substantially located outside the region defined by the length of the array and the width, substantially parallel to the length of the array, and collectively perform for adjacent LEDs in the group of electrically connected LEDs A primary current carrying function between the currents.

In another embodiment, a base module includes an array of light emitting devices (LEDs) and a pair of optical giant reflectors. The array has a high aspect ratio wherein the length of the array is greater than the width of the array. The pair of optical giant reflectors direct photons emitted by the array and produce a beam pattern having a top hat profile on one of the surfaces of the workpiece.

In still another embodiment, a base module includes a lamp body, a power source, a high brightness and high aspect ratio light emitting device (LED) array, a base, and a flex circuit. The power supply includes an anode output connection and a cathode output connection. The array has a light emitting surface. The base station is configured to electrically couple the plurality of LEDs in the array electrically in series and includes a plurality of LED bond pad regions and a plurality of wire bond regions. The flex circuit is mounted to the lamp body and has a high aspect ratio in terms of its length and height. The flex circuit has a positioning aperture formed therein, the base is mounted in the positioning aperture, and the flex circuit package An electrically conductive patterned layer of opposite polarity is included, the patterned layer comprising an anode layer and a cathode layer. a first end of the flex circuit exposes a first portion of the anode layer to form an electrical connection with one of the anode output connections of the power source, and exposes a first portion of the cathode layer to form the cathode output with the power source Connect one of the electrical connections. A second end of the flex circuit exposes a second portion of the anode layer, the second portion being electrically coupled to an LED bond pad region associated with a first one of the electrical series LED groups. A second end of the flex circuit exposes a second portion of the cathode layer, the second portion being electrically coupled to a cathode portion of a line junction region associated with a last LED of the group.

Other features of the embodiments of the present invention will be apparent from the accompanying drawings.

The embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example, and not in the

A microchannel cooled UV curing system and components thereof configured for photochemical curing of materials and other applications requiring high fill factor, high current density, and high brightness properties, which ultimately result in high illumination properties, are described. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, an LED in a high fill factor LED array of one of the ultra high illumination UV curing systems is placed in series/parallel with one or more groups of series LEDs operated by respective power sources. For example, multiple groups of series LEDs can be operated by a single power source, each group can be operated by its own power source, or a combination thereof. UV curing systems offer a wide range of wavelengths from 100 nm to 10,000 nm.

In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, in order to accommodate the heat flux/heat requirements of high fill factor, high current density, and high brightness UV LED lamp head modules, practical ways to achieve isothermal substrate behavior are also provided. According to an embodiment, an array of LEDs is directly bonded to a microchannel cooler, and the coolant flows through and under the LED array in a direction substantially parallel to the shortest dimension of the LED array. In one embodiment, the coolant flowing through the microchannels extending under the LEDs is substantially equal (eg, balanced) such that the p-n junctions of the LEDs of the LED array are substantially isothermal. In one embodiment, the high aspect ratio substrate is substantially isothermal from side to side and from end to end. This can be achieved via the use of a substantially copper microchannel cooler having microchannels that are guided under the LED array in a substantially lateral direction relative to the longitudinal axis of the LED array. Coolant flow while maintaining a tight flow balance between each channel. In one embodiment, this flow balance is achieved by designing a primary coolant inlet and outlet coolant fluid passage extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the LED array to achieve a nearly uniform pressure drop level along the length of the passage.

In various embodiments, a multilayer flex circuit coupled to a microchannel cooler is used to power a group of LEDs in an array of LEDs to allow a pair of giant non-imaging optical reflectors to be positioned adjacent to the array of LEDs. This maintains the illumination by maximizing the number of emitted photons controlled by the pair of reflectors.

In some embodiments, the LED array is driven by an AC/DC power supply (sometimes referred to as a rectifier) available from Niskayuna, NY. General Electric (GE) and It is preferred to have a high voltage swing, while a typical 48 V DC output has a range of about 1%. For example, in one embodiment, a power supply having a voltage swing of about +/- 20% to 25% with high efficiency (eg, about 97% or greater), tightness, and low cost. GE/Lineage of Plano, Texas, manufactures a range of 12, 24 and 48 V AC-DC power supplies that are high MTBF and highly efficient and are intended primarily for data storage and telecommunications industries. . Advantageously, embodiments of the present invention use a preferred 48 V "large voltage swing" model, such as the CP2000, which effectively outputs an output voltage selected by a user below and above the nominal 48 V series. Most power supplies do not have this large voltage swing feature - especially OTS, efficient and cost effective. The voltage can be selected by the user via an input of +/- 5 V. This voltage swing ultimately allows easy control of the optical power emitted by the LED array.

In some embodiments, factory and/or field replaceable giant reflectors are used that can provide different performance characteristics (eg, high illumination, high focus; short working distance for focusing, long working distance; large focus required) Depth while maintaining high illumination levels; and a very wide angle, more uniform illumination application) is customized for specific applications.

Numerous specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art, however, that the embodiments of the invention may be practiced without some of the specific details.

Notably, although embodiments of the invention may be described in the context of the content of a UV LED system, embodiments of the invention are not limited thereto. For example, other wavelengths outside the UV range (including deep UV, visible, infrared, micro) Spreading x-rays, either alone or in combination with one or more UV wavelengths, may also benefit from the architecture described herein. Furthermore, by using UV A, B or C illumination devices and visible and/or IR illumination devices, different wavelengths can be used in the same illumination device lamp to mimic the output of the mercury lamp. The high fill factor characteristics of embodiments of the present invention also allow for inter-disbursement of various wavelengths while avoiding pixelation effects on the surface of the workpiece, which is likely to result in adverse process effects. Additionally, according to various embodiments, wavelength mixing within a giant non-imaging optical reflector results in a uniform (non-pixelated) output beam from a power density and wavelength mixing perspective.

For the sake of brevity, embodiments of the invention may be described in the context of an LED having an anode side on the bottom, but those skilled in the art will recognize that the anode side may be on the top surface and/or the anode contact and cathode. The contacts can be on the top or bottom. Thus, references herein to anode/cathode structures may be reversed (or may be electrically neutral) depending on the particular implementation. Similarly, flip-chip non-wire bonded LEDs, conductive substrates, and non-conductive substrate LED wafers (such as having an EPI layer on sapphire, aluminum nitride, tantalum, zinc oxide, or gallium nitride (GaN)) can be considered. LED wafers), arrays and/or packaged devices. The EPI layer can be selected from the group of nitrides, oxides, tellurides, carbides, phosphides, arsenides, and the like.

the term

A short definition of the terms used throughout this application is given below.

The phrase "average illumination" generally refers to an illumination value that spans the width of the output beam pattern projected onto the workpiece, wherein the illumination value drops substantially to zero on each side of the output beam pattern. In an embodiment of the invention, the UV LED lamp head module produces an average top hat illuminance of about 80 W/cm ² (range 8 W/cm ² to 800 W/cm ² ) at a distance of 2 mm from the window. In an embodiment of the invention, the UV LED lamp head module produces an average illumination of about 10 W/cm ² (range 5 W/cm ² to 50 W/cm ² ) at 53 mm from the window. In an embodiment of the invention, a UV LED lamp head module produces an average illumination of about 32 W/cm ² (range 10 W/cm ² to 100 W/cm ² ) at a distance of 5 mm from the window, which has An output beam pattern with a width of about 8 mm and a "top hat" volume change curve. In other embodiments, a UV LED lamp head module produces an average illumination of about 7 W/cm ² (range 1 W/cm ² to 20 W/cm ² ) at a distance of 65 mm from the window, which has a width of One output beam pattern of 25 mm and a "top hat" volume change curve. In other embodiments, a UV LED lamp head module produces an average illumination of about 7 W/cm ² (range 0.5 W/cm ² to 10 W/cm ² ) at a distance of 170 mm from the window, which has a width of One output beam pattern of 50 mm and a "top hat" volume change curve. In some embodiments, an asymmetrical top cap volume change curve (inclined top cap) and an output beam pattern having a width of 25 mm can also be produced at a distance of 65 mm from the window, wherein the peak illumination is about 8 W/cm ² (range It is 1 W/cm ² to 20 W/cm ² ).

The terms "connected," "coupled," "installed," and related terms are used in an operational sense and are not necessarily limited to direct connection, coupling, or mounting.

The phrase "diffusion bonding" generally refers to a method of joining metal similar to soldering, but relies only on the surface diffusion to each other as a means of "welding". For example, a diffusion bonding process can be clamped together by laminating layers that are typically substantially similar materials, sometimes with an oxidation resistant coating such as nickel. And subjecting the layers to an extremely high temperature of about 1,000 degrees Celsius (ranging from 500 degrees Celsius to 5,000 degrees Celsius), and thereby bonding the surface molecules to each other and forming a substantially monolithic material to join the layers, wherein the particles are intermixed It is generally difficult to distinguish the bond wires from the bulk material, and the properties of the material for diffusion bonding are not substantially different from the material for non-diffusion bonding of the blocks in terms of thermal conductivity and strength. Diffusion bonding can have some similarities to sintering. A thin silver coating of about a few microns can also be used to facilitate the ease of bonding of the layers. The latter process can have some similarities to soldering.

The phrase "direct mounting" generally refers to the installation of a non-substantially intervening layer and/or a thermal barrier layer introduced between two things that are attached or fixed. In one embodiment, an array of LEDs is mounted to a common anode substrate provided by the surface of a microchannel cooler having a thin solder layer. This is an example of what is intended to be included in the phrase "Direct Installation". Therefore, the LED array will be considered to be mounted directly to the common anode substrate. Examples of thermal barrier layers will include bulk substrate materials, foils, films (dielectric or conductive), or other materials (other than a thin solder layer) that are introduced between two things that are attached or fixed.

The phrase "high illuminance" generally refers to an irradiance greater than 4 W/cm ² . According to an embodiment of the present invention, the level of peak illumination that can be achieved exceeds the current state of the art UV LED curing system by about one order of magnitude to several orders of magnitude while maintaining high efficiency and long life of the LED. As further described below, according to various embodiments, the degree of illumination on the workpiece is substantially free of unfavorable pixelation and/or gaps that are visible in current UV LED curing systems. At the same time, please note that most UV LED lamp manufacturers measure peak illuminance at the window, while in various embodiments described herein, measurements are taken at the workpiece surface. The measurement taken at the window is essentially meaningless, since the workpiece is usually not located at the window.

The phrase "high fill factor LED array" generally refers to an array of LEDs in which the LEDs are closely spaced and the illuminated area (acting area) exceeds 50% (typically over 90%) of the area (length x width) of the LED array. The fill factor of an LED array can be greater than 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, or 99%, depending on the particular implementation. In one embodiment of the invention, the LEDs within the LED array are spaced less than 20 microns (edge to edge) and in some cases 10 microns (edge to edge), with edge to edge distances ranging from 1 micron to 100 Micron (for fully monolithic LEDs, zero micron pitch can be considered). Covers inorganic LEDs and essentially organic LEDs.

The phrase "in an embodiment", "in accordance with an embodiment", and the like, generally mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic that follows the phrase is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. Included in one or more embodiments of the invention. Importantly, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment.

The term "irradiation" generally refers to the radiant power (e.g., watts or milliwatts per square centimeter (W/cm ² or mW/cm ² )) that reaches the surface per unit area.

The phrase "light-emitting region" generally refers to the active or epitaxial region of a light-emitting device or array.

The phrase "lighting device" generally refers to one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) that emit substantially incoherent light and/or a laser diode that emits substantially coherent light, whether it is edge emitting. Or surface emitter. In various embodiments of the invention, the light emitting device can be a packaged die or a bare die. The encapsulated die refers to a device that is composed not only of bare die but also typically consists of a substrate and components typically used to attach the lens and/or reflector, die mounted (usually soldered) to the substrate to facilitate use. Examples of electrical input and output current paths and traces of thermal paths will be available from Lexeon Rebel, Philips, USA. The bare light emitting device may have a vertical structure or a horizontal structure and have a conductive substrate or a non-conductive substrate. According to an embodiment, the bare illuminator die (ie, the die cut directly from the wafer having the epitaxially grown pn junction) is directly bonded (typically soldered) to high thermal conductivity (without additional significant thermal resistance) At least one diffusion bonding layer of a material (selected from the group of copper, Glidcop, BeO, Si, GaN, AlN, Al ₂ O ₃ , Al, Au, Ag, graphite, diamond, and the like), in various aspects of the invention The diffusion bonding layer itself in the embodiment is typically one of the multilayer laminates that form a monolithic diffusion bonded microchannel cooler structure. Since the bonding process can be selected from soldering, brazing, gluing, etc., the buildup is not necessarily diffusion bonded. In other embodiments, a base station can be used. LEDs include flip-chip non-wire bonded LEDs, conductive substrates, and non-conductive substrate LED wafers (such as LED chips with EPI layers on sapphire, aluminum nitride, tantalum, zinc oxide, or gallium nitride (GaN)), Arrays and/or packaged devices.

The phrase "light emitting diode" or "LED" generally refers to a pn junction containing a specific narrowband wavelength that is designed to emit within the electromagnetic spectrum via a process known as electroluminescence (in p-type semiconductors and A semiconductor device of a junction between n-type semiconductors. In an embodiment, the LED emits incoherent light.

The phrase "low fill factor LED array" generally refers to an LED array that is sparsely configured with LEDs and does not exceed about 50% of the surface area of the LED array.

The phrase "low illuminance" generally refers to an illuminance of about 20 W/cm ² or less. UV LED systems rated less than 4 W/cm ² are generally not sufficient for most curing applications except for fixed (eg, ink solidification).

The term "giant reflector" generally refers to a reflector having a height greater than or equal to 5 mm. In some embodiments, the giant reflector can be in the range of 5 mm to over 100 mm.

The term "optical power density" generally refers to the measurement of optical power per unit area. One of the optical power density measurements can be determined by measuring the optical power at the surface of the photon emitting region of an LED array and determining the ratio of the photon emitting region to the non-photon emitting region (dead region) of the LED array. In an embodiment, the optical power density at the emitting surface of the LED array is at least 100 W/cm ² . The optical power density may range from 1 W/mm ² to 10 W/mm ² depending on the particular implementation.

If the statement states that "may", "energy" or "may" include a component or feature or a component or feature "may", "can" or "may" have a characteristic, it is not necessary to include a particular component or feature or This feature is not required for a particular component or feature.

The phrase "patterned circuit material layer" generally refers to a layer of conductive material that typically contains a metal selected from the group consisting of copper, silver, gold, titanium, tungsten, nickel, and may also contain a conductive polymer. The isoelectric polymer is patterned (eg, directly or via lithographic means) onto a substrate (eg, ceramic, dielectric, semiconductor, and/or polymer).

The phrase "peak illuminance" generally refers to the maximum illuminance value across the width of the output beam pattern projected onto the workpiece. In an embodiment of the invention, a UV LED lamp head module achieves a peak illumination of about 84 W/cm ² (range 50 W/cm ² to 100 W/cm ² ) at a distance of 2 mm from the window. In an embodiment of the invention, a UV LED lamp head module achieves a peak illumination of about 24 W/cm ² (ranging from 10 W/cm ² to 50 W/cm ² ) at a distance of 53 mm from the window.

The phrase "radiation energy density", "total output power density" or "energy density" generally refers to the energy reaching the surface per unit area (eg, joules or millijoules per square centimeter (J/cm ² or mJ/cm ^{2 ).} )).

The term "response" includes a full response or a partial response.

The phrase "top hat beam cross-section variability curve", "top cap variability curve" and the like generally refer to a beam variability curve which, when projected onto a workpiece, will have a uniform intensity profile. A distinct point is applied to the workpiece and enables a clear and accurate transition on the workpiece being machined. The top cap volume change curve can also be asymmetrical. For example, there may be a positive or negative slope between steep boundaries, or there may be multiple peaks and valleys between the steep boundaries.

The phrase "top hat illuminating workpiece pattern", "top hat pattern" and the like generally refer to an illuminance pattern on a workpiece in which a higher illuminance value is within a certain distance. Uniform, with sharp edges on either side as the irradiance decreases toward a lower or negligible value. This is compared to a typical Gaussian or smooth tapered pattern in which the illumination decreases more smoothly from the center peak.

The phrase "total output power" generally refers to the aggregate power in watts per metric output beam pattern length. According to an embodiment, in the window At 2 mm, each UV LED lamp head module produces a total output power of approximately 20.5 W per cm of the output beam pattern length. According to one embodiment, each UV LED lamp head module produces a total output power of about 21.7 W per cm of output beam pattern length 53 mm from the window.

The phrase "ultra-high irradiance" generally refers to an illumination of greater than 50 W/cm ² at the workpiece. In one embodiment, the UV LED lamp head module achieves a peak illumination of greater than 100 W/cm ² at short working distances (eg, ~2 mm, ranging from 0.1 mm to 10 mm). Given the rapidly increasing power output and efficiency of LEDs, it is reasonable to expect that the achievable peak illumination will improve by more than an order of magnitude over the next few decades. Therefore, some of today's high-illumination applications will be implemented with air-cooled LED arrays, and other applications will use these higher irradiances or due to such higher irradiance to achieve faster, harder More or more curing and / or use less photoinitiator. In the context of the various embodiments of the present invention, it is also unique to provide ultra-high peak illumination, ultra-high average illumination, ultra-high total illumination (dose), and concentration delivered to the workpiece (eg, prior to The ability of technology compared to).

The phrase "UV curing process" generally refers to a process in which a photoinitiator (PhI) will first absorb UV light to cause it to enter an excited state. PhI breaks down the self-excited state into free radicals, which then begin photopolymerization. However, a certain amount of oxygen (1 mM to 2 mM) is always present in the UV curable formulation. Therefore, the initial free radical from PhI photodecomposition will first react with oxygen rather than with the double bond of the (usually acrylate) monomer, because the reaction rate of PhI radicals with oxygen is higher than that of acrylate double bonds. The reaction rate is about 105 to 106 times faster. In addition, in the very early days of UV curing, oxygen in the air will also diffuse into the cured film and also react with PhI, which leads to major oxygen inhibition. Photoinitiated polymerization can occur only after the oxygen in the UV curable film is consumed. Therefore, in order to overcome the oxygen suppression, a large amount of radicals are required at the surface of the cured film in a very short period of time; that is, a high-intensity UV light source is required. The absorption of UV light intensity by a particular formulation depends on the wavelength of the UV light. Mathematically, the absorbed UV light intensity (Ia) is given by Ia = I0 x [PhI], where I0 is the UV light intensity from the UV source and [PhI] is the photoinitiator concentration. At the same [PhI] content, increasing I0 will increase Ia and thereby reduce oxygen inhibition. In other words, less [PhI] can be used by using a high I0 source, which is usually the most expensive part of the formulation. The absorption of UV light follows the well-known Lambert-Beier law: A (absorption) = €cd, where € is the PhI extinction or absorption coefficient, c is the concentration of PhI, and d is the thickness of the sample (the film to be cured). As seen from the table below, the efficiency of PhI light absorption varies greatly with wavelength. In this case, at 254 nm, the efficiency of absorbing light is 20 times higher than that at 405 nm. Therefore, if the UV LED light intensity at 400 nm can be provided at 100 times the typical curing power (~100 W/cm ² ) at a shorter wavelength, the poor efficiency of the photoinitiator in terms of light absorption can reduce oxygen inhibition.

1.95 × 104, at 254 nm, 1.8 × 104, at 302 nm, 1.5 × 104, at 313 nm, 2.3 × 103, at 365 nm, 8.99 × 102, at 405 nm; Figure 2A to 2C An isometric view, a front view, and a side view of an ultra-high brightness UV LED lamp head module 200 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention are provided, respectively. according to In one embodiment, the ultra-high brightness UV LED lamp head module 200 produces ultra-high illumination. The ultra-high brightness UV LED lamp head module 200 can be used to photopolymerize or cure inks, coatings, adhesives, and the like. Depending on the application, a UV curing system (LED UV emission system) (not shown) may be formed that includes one or more UV LED lamp head modules 200 and other components including, but not limited to, LED drivers ( One or more cooling systems, one or more primary AC/DC power supply systems within the UV LED base module 200 (eg, available from Lineage (now Niskayuna, NY) GE's branch office) or US Power-One, which has approximately 90% (or even about 97%) efficiency and weighs approximately 1 kg), one or more control modules, one or more cables, and one or more Connectors (not shown).

According to an embodiment, the high brightness of the UV LED lamp head module 200 allows for a series of possible optical properties of the output beam (not shown), including: narrow width (eg, ~0.65 cm (range 0.1 cm to 2 cm)) And high power density (for example, ~20.5 W per cm output beam pattern length (range 10 W to 30 W)), wider width (for example, ~3.65 cm (range 3 cm to 10 cm) and larger) Focus depth, or short or long working distance (with or without a large depth of focus), or even an extremely wide angle/large area beam output pattern (with or without a large depth of focus). Consider crossing beam patterns The width (and the length of the beam pattern) has an output beam pattern with uniform illumination (eg, top hat) and an output beam pattern with asymmetric illumination.

As discussed further below, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention, high brightness is caused by a high fill factor (more than 50% and typically more than 90%) LED array (not shown), and the LED array operates at high electrical power densities, Lead to high light The output beam of the radiance. The high electrical power density results in a high thermal density (due to electro-optical conversion losses) that is effectively managed via various novel methods described in detail below.

Ultimately, due to the unique high illumination and flexible optical output beam properties allowed by high brightness sources, the UV LED lamp head module 200 is intended to replace not only the current state of the art UV LED lamps, but also to replace current state of the art technology. Mercury lamp. Because the UV LED lamp head module 200 does not contain mercury and is electrically efficient, it is also considered "green technology." This efficiency is derived in part from the inherent efficiency of the LED compared to mercury-containing lamps, and is also derived in part from the cooling methods described below, which are provided at the LED junction and cooling fluid (via the inlet cooling tube 203 to the UV) The extremely low thermal resistance between the LED lamp head module 200 and the UV LED lamp head module 200 via the outlet cooling tube 204, thereby creating the low junction temperature required for efficient and long life operation of the LED device.

In this depiction, the outer casing 202 and reflector 201 of the UV LED base module 200 are illustrated. According to various embodiments, the outer casing 202 of the UV LED base module 200 is about 80 mm (length) x 38 mm (width) x 125 mm (height). The length of the novel, easily interchangeable and field replaceable reflector 201 selected for a given application will be substantially in the range of tens to hundreds of millimeters in length, but the length of such reflectors will typically be about 100 mm, and Working distances from 0 to 1000 mm are available, but are usually between 2 mm and 65 mm (2 mm and 65 mm included).

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the UV LED lamp head module 200 is designed to be used alone or in combination with one or more other UV LED lamp head modules. Use. As further described below, it is easy to configure multiple UV LED lamp head modules 200 in series over a length, from one base (module) (eg, 80 mm) to possibly 100 bases (modules) (eg, 8,000 mm in length) ). A plurality of UV LED lamp head modules 200 can also be configured in series across the width. According to an embodiment, the unique combination of the lengthwise combination of the lengths of the UV LED lamp head module 200 is that even in short working distance (eg, ~2 mm) applications, the output beam does not contain substantially at each interface point. The illuminance loss can be discerned, at which point the caps (modules) end-to-end in series with each other to form a long output beam pattern at the surface of the workpiece.

As described in more detail below, in one embodiment, the reflector 201 is factory replaceable and preferably also field replaceable. The reflector 201 may be processed from aluminum and polished, cast, extruded metal or polymer, or the like, or injection molded. The reflector 201 can have a silver coating and can have a dielectric stack of coatings. The reflector 201 can have a single layer of protective dielectric coating using a deposition process (eg, ALD, CVD, sputtering, evaporation, sol gel). The reflector 201 can be mechanically or electrolytically polished. It is contemplated that in long length applications (like wide format printing) it may be desirable to place multiple UV LED lamp head modules 200 end to end. In such cases, the projected and/or focused beam generated by the reflector 201 is required to have an almost uniform illumination along the entire beam path, particularly in the end-to-end configuration of the UV LED lamp head module 200 and/or Or in the region between the LED arrays to uniformly cure the coating of the workpiece, ink, adhesive, and the like. It should be noted that due to the high degree of illumination provided by embodiments of the present invention, there may be a greatly reduced photoinitiator or substantially no photoinitiator in the coating and ink, and the like, and in a substance similar to an electron beam. Curing, where A sufficient dose of electromagnetic energy should be used to cure the material without the aid of any appreciable photoinitiator.

In various embodiments, the illumination of the UV LED lamp head module 200 can exceed 100 W/cm ² in short working distances (eg, ~2 mm) such as inkjet printing, in long work such as clear coating curing. More than 25 W/cm ^{2 in} applications (eg, above 50 mm). According to an embodiment, the beam width may vary from about 1 mm wide to 100 mm wide or wider to meet various applications and operating conditions, and as previously described, the length may be associated with a base (module) The width (for example, 80 mm) is as short as 100 heads (modules) (for example, 8,000 mm). Note that the length of the beam can be shorter than the length of the UV LED lamp head module 200 (if a focusing reflector or optics is used as such to achieve this beam shape). End caps that are bent or extended may also be considered. External refraction or diffractive optics are also covered. Depending on the particular implementation, the length of the UV LED lamp head module 200 can range from a few tens of millimeters to a few hundred millimeters. The LEDs can range from about 0.3 mm ² to 4 mm ² or more, and they can be rectangular, oriented in a single long column, long columns, or monolithic.

In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, the efficiency of the LED array 330 of Figure 3A is typically well over 10% to 20%, and total system efficiency (including heat exchanger or chiller, pump and power supply losses) is typically over 5% to 10%. In the future, more than 50% efficiency is expected.

Return briefly to the inlet cooling tube 203 and the outlet cooling tube 204, which may be constructed, for example, by extrusion of polyurethane, vinyl ester, PVC (available from Hudson Extrusions, USA), and the like, and may be For ~5/16吋ID and ~7/16吋OD. In one embodiment, tubes 203 and 204 are polyurethanes having high tensile strength and low moisture absorption. Pipe fittings available from Swagelok, USA, or accessories available from John Guest, USA, may be used. Depending on the environment of use, more than one inlet cooling tube 203 and outlet cooling tube 204 may be preferably used, such as ~4 smaller inlet lines and ~4 smaller outlet lines (not shown). This may facilitate less bulky cells with smaller bend radii and may allow for a slightly more evenly distributed coolant flow through the microchannel cooler (not shown); however, within the UV LED lamp head module 200 The deep main inlet and outlet channels (not shown) substantially eliminate the pressure gradient at the point of entry into the preferred microchannel cooler channel (not shown). In an embodiment, the coolant is between 1 PSI and 100 PSI, and preferably between about 15 PSI and 20 PSI, between about 5 degrees Celsius (C) and 50 degrees Celsius, preferably between 1 PSI and 100 PSI. The UV LED lamp head module 200 is entered at a temperature of about 20 degrees Celsius and exits via an outlet cooling tube 204 at a temperature of between about 10 degrees Celsius and 100 degrees Celsius, and preferably about 24 degrees Celsius.

According to an embodiment, waste heat from various internal components of the UV curing system (eg, LED driver PCB and LED array) may be dissipated into the lamp body (not shown) and from the heat exchanger and/or the freezer The coolant flow is taken away. An exemplary freezer is available from Whaley, USA. In one embodiment, the freezer utilizes a high efficiency scroll compressor (available from Emmerson, USA). Depending on the model used, the freezer can be of the "split" type, where the reservoir, pump, evaporator and control device are located inside the building housing the UV curing system, and the remaining components (such as scroll compressors, fans) , condenser, etc.) located outside the building (for example, on the roof of a building or in a building On the edge of the object). Note that for one or more of the UV LED lamp head modules 200 and/or supply assemblies, many or all of the chiller or heat exchanger assemblies can be operated in series or in parallel or a combination of both. For example, a large freezer can be used for multiple UV curing systems that may have one or more pumps and or reservoirs. Exemplary water to air heat exchanger elements are commercially available from Lytron, USA. Any cooling solution can use a bypass configuration so that different pressures or flow rates can pass through both the evaporator and the microchannel cooler.

According to an embodiment, the cooling liquid (coolant) comprises water. The coolant may also contain one or more biofouling inhibitors, fungicides, corrosion inhibitors, antifreeze materials (eg, ethylene glycol), and/or nanoparticles (eg, alumina, diamonds, ceramics, metals (eg, Nano copper), polymer or some combination) to achieve enhanced heat transfer, and the coolant system can contain a membrane retractor, an oxygen absorber, and a microfilter. Nanoparticles, such as titanium dioxide, are excited by UV lamp energy to achieve the dual purpose of enhancing thermal conductivity and/or heat transfer and eliminating biological material due to the resulting Photo-Fenton process (eg, Fungi and the like). The diaphragm retractor effectively reduces CO _{2 in the} water and helps maintain optimum pH to achieve optimum corrosion resistance of the copper microchannel surface.

In an embodiment, a flap pump (available from Italian Fluidotech) can be used. The vane pump has a flow rate greater than ~4 GPM and a pressure of up to ~60 PSI. This flow rate is well suited for joining the microchannel cooler architecture described in various embodiments of the present invention (e.g., a series connection of four or more 80 mm UV LED lamp head modules 200). The pump is also extremely quiet, compact, durable and efficient (since it consumes only ~0.25 KW). In various embodiments, redundant cooling The agent pump can be used to reduce the chance of a single point of failure. The average flow rate can be about 0.75 GPM per head (range 0.1 GPM to 10 GPM).

3A-3B provide a cross-sectional view of the UV LED lamp head module 200 of FIG. 2A. From this view, it can be seen that the optical reflector layer 350 comprising the reflector 201 is mounted to the body 305 that surrounds the outer casing 202. According to an embodiment, the body 305 is made of copper or a dielectric polymer material (eg, PEEK; Torlon; LCP; acrylic; polycarbonate; potentially filled with a filler (such as graphite, ceramic, metal, carbon, PPS) construction of carbon nanotubes, graphene, nanometer or micron-sized flakes, tubes, fibers, etc.). Some of these filled resins are available from Cool Polymers (North Kingstown, RI). The lamp body 305 can be machined or injection molded by 5-axis milling. Alternatively, body 305 can be injection molded and optionally milled or drilled as appropriate. As further described below, various components can be mounted directly or indirectly to body 305, including but not limited to housing 202, reflector 201, LED array 330, microchannel cooler (preferably forming LED array 330) a portion of the common anode substrate), the cathode jaws 321 and the anode busbars 315a-b, and one or more LED driver printed circuit boards (PCBs) 310, preferably the one or more LED driver printed circuit boards (PCBs) 310 It is a metal core PCB (MCPCB) and the anode busbars 315a-b can serve as a metal core of the MCPCB (also referred to as a common anode backplane). A molded or glued thermal pad can be inserted between the MCPCB and the coolant flowing in the outer sidewall of the lamp body.

In this non-limiting example, a main inlet lamp body cooling fluid passage 360 and a main outlet lamp body cooling fluid passage 361 have been formed in the body 305, both extending along the length of the body 305. The main inlet lamp body cooling fluid Channel 360 is in fluid communication with inlet cooling tube 203 via a first coolant inlet (not shown) formed in the base of body 305. The primary exit lamp body cooling fluid passage 361 is in fluid communication with the outlet cooling tube 204 via a second coolant inlet (not shown) formed in the base of the body 305. Channels 360 and 361 are sized such that the coolant flows substantially uniformly through a microchannel cooler (not shown) disposed between channels 360 and 361. In an embodiment, the first coolant inlet and the second coolant inlet may be on opposite ends of the base of the body 305, opposite each other, staggered, or some combination thereof to promote coolant cooling fluid passage from the main inlet lamp body. 360 flows equally and uniformly to the main exit lamp body cooling fluid passage 361 via the microchannel cooler. In an alternate embodiment, a plurality of inlet lamp body cooling fluid channels and a plurality of outlet lamp body cooling fluid channels may be used.

In one embodiment, a substantially uniform pressure drop along the length of the channel is achieved by designing a primary coolant inlet and outlet manifold passage extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the LED array 330 by extending the channel depth to a point. To achieve flow balance through the microchannel cooler, at which point the coolant pressure difference near the top of the channel (closest to the microchannel cooler (not shown) has been passed through the inlet through the deep channel The ends spread or converge to the exit end to a point that is nearly constant along the entire length of the channel. In other words, the extremely deep channels 360 and 361 give the coolant sufficient time, fluid resistance and surface drag to spread along the length of the microchannel cooler and achieve a small pressure differential near the top of each channel, resulting in a The balanced flow of each microchannel under the LED array 330.

According to an embodiment, the subassembly assembly of the LED driver PCB 310 includes (but not limited to) LED driver controller IC (not shown in the figure, which can also be part of a DC/DC converter system), FET 312, gate (not shown), inductor 311, capacitor (not shown) Shown), resistors (not shown) and cathode bus bars 304a-b. As indicated above, in one embodiment, the LED driver PCB 310 is a multilayer metal foil (eg, copper)/dielectric layer (eg, MCPCB) on a metal (core) substrate (available from Cofan, Canada). And coupled (eg, via a screw) to the body 305 in the presence of an intervening thermally conductive compound to dissipate waste heat from the driver assembly into the body 305 where waste heat is passed through the main inlet lamp body The coolant flow of the cooling fluid passage 360 and the main outlet lamp body cooling fluid passage 361 is carried away. In the present example, channels 360 and 361 extend deep enough in body 305 to provide cooling to areas substantially under FET 312 and inductor 311 where a significant amount of waste heat is generated. The multilayer metal foil layer can be electrically connected using a via hole.

In one embodiment, the LED driver assembly PCBs 310a-b (containing surface mount components and other semiconductor components) have an efficiency of at least 90%. An exemplary high current and high efficiency LED driver IC (not shown) is commercially available from National Semiconductor USA (eg, part LM 3434 or LM 3433 or substantially equivalent). Linear and Maxim (USA) also manufacture similar parts. The LED driver IC (not shown) is a lower voltage and higher current that allows a buck to convert a higher voltage/lower current input for conversion to high current LED driving conditions that are required in various embodiments of the present invention. The device of the semiconductor containing the junction pn (preferably based on 矽). PWM can be used.

Individual LEDs or groups of LEDs of LED array 330 are LED driver PCBs The corresponding segment of 310a-b is driven. For example, the UV LED lamp head module 200 has 4 groups of 17 LEDs on each side of about 3 A (ranging from 0.5 A to 30 A) and about 4.5 V to 5 V (range 2 V to 10 V) per LED. drive. In this embodiment, LED array 330 includes two columns of LED columns of 68 LEDs (136 in total), wherein the opposing LED groups are electrically driven and/or controlled by respective LED driver ICs at approximately 3 A per LED, resulting in each The UV LED lamp head module 200 has an input of about 2 kW. Another non-limiting example would be 15 groups of 16 LEDs x 2, which can be driven by approximately 4 V and 40 A per group (range 1 V to 10 V and 1 A to 500 A) and have LED drivers Only about 12 V of input to the PCB 310a-b.

In some embodiments, a custom metal core PCB (MCPCB) can be constructed such that it can be fixed (preferably by screws or other components) to the body due to the high efficiency of surface mount components and other semiconductor components. Conductive cooling is performed on the side of 305 and through the interface material and into the thermally conductive body 305. Waste heat is ultimately removed by convective transport of the coolant stream through body 305. For example, two LED driver PCBs 310a-b (one on each side of body 305) can be constructed on a 2.5 mm (range 0.1 mm to 10 mm) thick copper core board having about 4 mils Ear to 12 mil layer of thermally conductive dielectric material (available from Thermagon USA and/or Cofan, Canada). In one embodiment, a high thermal conductivity dielectric layer is interposed between the copper metal layers of the LED driver PCBs 310a-b (eg, 1 ounce to 4 ounce copper foil layers), and the LED driver PCBs 310a-b are secured to the body. 305. Each of the LED driver PCBs 310a-b (eg, x2) may have four electrically isolated cathode segments corresponding to the locations of the four groups of LEDs isolated by the flex circuit segments (four of which are shown in cross-section of FIG. In the exploded view - two of which are driven by the opposite LED driver PCB 310a-b move). In an embodiment, the LED driver PCBs 310a-b and the flex circuit segments are arranged orthogonal to one another. Another non-limiting example is that each side of the body 305 has one LED driver PCB 310a-b fixed to each side, with four separate LED driver controller ICs located on each PCB (a total of eight LED driver controls) The ICs, in combination, can be driven up to about 2 kW or more per (eg, 80 mm long) UV LED lamp head module 200. Moreover, by securing the LED driver PCB 310 to the side of the body 305, waste heat from the LED driver PCBs 310a-b can be dissipated into the body 305 and carried away by the coolant flow to the heat exchanger or chiller. In one embodiment, a thermally conductive grease or other compound can be placed between the LED driver PCBs 310a-b and the body 305. In an alternate embodiment, LED driver PCBs 310a-b may be attached to body 305 in a manner that is not thermally efficient and may be convectively cooled via a fan.

According to an embodiment, a common anode substrate layer 317 is clamped between the cathode jaws 320a-d and 321a-d and the anode busbar bodies 315a-b. A single U-shaped common anode is formed by anode busbar bodies 315a-b (which are substantially parallel to each other) and a common anode substrate layer 317 (which is substantially orthogonal to anode busbar bodies 315a-b). In another embodiment, the common anode substrate 317 and the anode busbar bodies 315a-b can form a common anode of a single rectangular or square shape.

In one embodiment, one of the surfaces of the cathode claws 320a-d and 321a-d is substantially parallel to the cathode portion of the common anode substrate 317, and the other surface is substantially parallel to the top surface of the LED driver PCBs 310a-b, thereby Electrical contact between the two layers is allowed. Additional details regarding the assembly of the common anode substrate layer 317 are provided below, including mounting mechanisms for securing the cathode jaws 320a-d 321a-d, anode busbar bodies 315a-b.

In the present example, reflector 201 is a large (mega: for example, tens of millimeters in height), modular, non-imaged reflector structure having an intermediate portion 352 that is significantly wider than inlet 351 or outlet aperture 353. This structure is well suited for printing applications where a short gap distance (eg, 2 mm) from the reflector 201 and high illumination (eg, greater than ~50 W/cm ² ) are beneficial for high processing. Speed, cure hardness and cure completeness (no adhesion). According to an embodiment, the reflector has a region of the inlet aperture (e.g., inlet aperture 351) that is as large as 110% of the area of the illumination surface of the LED array (range 100% to 150%).

In one embodiment, the reflector 201 captures and controls about 90% or more of the light emitted by the LED array 330 (range 50% to 99%), and each half of the elongated reflector 201 is projected onto the workpiece. The elliptical shape with the focus on the opposite side of the centerline of the optical pattern results in an increase in peak illumination compared to the conventional shared focus (along the projected beam centerline) design approach. Composite elliptical or other compound parabolic shapes are also contemplated. In an embodiment, the reflector 201 is designed to have a high angular range of about 80 degrees (range 45 degrees to 90 degrees).

Because photoinitiators can be toxic (and expensive) and uncured inks, coatings or adhesives are undesirable, various embodiments of the present invention seek to produce high peak illumination and high total output power ( For example, approximately 184 W per UV LED lamp head module 200 produces high quality cure (eg, 100% or close to 100%). As noted above, high illumination results in a faster, deeper, and harder cured material. Thus, embodiments of the present invention seek to achieve the levels disclosed in current state of the art UV LED (and mercury lamp) curing systems. The peak illumination level is about ten times (or ten times higher) while maintaining the high efficiency and long life of the LED.

According to an embodiment, the reflector 201 is factory-replaceable and preferably field replaceable, thereby allowing other reflectors to be attached to the body 305 of the UV LED lamp head module 200 for different applications, which may result in different processes. Target/parameter. In the present example, reflector 201 is shown as having a two-piece construction of an elliptical reflector in which the two main components are opposite sides of one or more elliptical shapes. The reflector 201 can be machined on a five-axis milling machine and then polished with sandblasting, or it can be extruded metal and post-polished, or it can be an extruded polymer and attributed to the cavity/extrusion die. Pre-polished without post-polishing. As described above, the reflector 201 can be modularly designed such that an application (such as ink curing) on a flat substrate that requires a narrow projection focus beam "line" of high illumination (output power density) can be used. A bolt is used on a reflector that produces ultra-high-strength lines (not shown), and an application that requires a longer depth of field on a rough topology substrate may require a specific design for this longer depth of field (or longer depth of focus) The pair of reflectors (not shown) can be easily interchanged with high intensity reflectors by simply unscrewing the previous reflector pair and tightening the new reflector in place, as described in more detail below. Similarly, a reflector pair can be specifically configured for long working distances and high or long working distances and wide area smooth intensity beam patterns (eg, top hat beam patterns) on the workpiece. A locating pin between the reflector 201 and the common anode substrate layer 317 can be used.

In one embodiment, the inner surface of the preferred injection molded polymeric reflector 201 is a silver vacuum deposited coating having an ALD (atomic layer deposition) protective overcoat due to the ALD process. It is corrosion-resistant without pinhole properties. The silver coating can be deposited using a variety of deposition processes (eg, ALD, CVD, sputtering, evaporation, sol gel). Since polycarbonate is an inexpensive polymeric reflector resin, a vapor barrier should be placed on the polycarbonate prior to depositing the silver so that the side of the silver coating facing the polymeric reflector substrate does not allow corrosive vapors (molecules) Corrosion of silver inside and outside. Low vapor permeability resins are contemplated (e.g., E48R (Zeon Chemicals, USA). High temperature resins such as Ultem and Extem are available from Sabic, USA. In addition, vapor barriers (eg, copper, ALD oxide coatings) may be additionally considered and deposited onto the reflector prior to silver or aluminum coating. The ALD dielectric overcoat is selected from the group of oxides (eg, Al ₂ O ₃ ) or fluorides (eg, MgF ₂ ) or some combination thereof. Alternatively, the HR coating on the reflector 201 can also be a dielectric overcoated aluminum coating on the injection molded polymeric reflector. The dielectric coating is preferably a single layer of magnesium fluoride or cerium oxide adjusted for peak reflectance around the wavelength most suitable for the application. A dielectric interference based dielectric stack can be used for any of the above configurations to increase peak illumination in a selected wavelength range.

Embodiments of the invention may use auxiliary optics (not shown) for beam steering and/or windows (e.g., lenses) 340 having an anti-reflective (AR) coating. Since the angle of exit from the exit aperture 353 can exceed 45 degrees, the AR coating is preferably a BARAR (wide angle anti-reflective) coating because this high angle will be subject to the window when the BAAR coating is not used. Significantly harmful reflections on the surface. A high UV resistant acrylic resin for use in a tanning bed is contemplated, but for window 340 and auxiliary optics, borosilicate glass is preferred. In an embodiment, the window mount 341 holds the window 340 The appropriate location is further described below. According to an embodiment, an O-ring (not shown) is located between the window 340 and the reflector 201. In an embodiment, the outer casing of the reflector 201 can be injection molded. In various embodiments, inert gas or microporous spheres (commercially available from Zeolite, USA) can be used to control water vapor. In the absence of an encapsulant on the LED, this vapor can be a problem for LED life. Since yellowing due to high photon energy of short UV wavelengths is a problem, current state of the art standards do not allow the use of LED encapsulants (such as high purity polyfluorene). It is known that a low carbon content polyxanthene encapsulating agent from Schott (Germany) is the existing encapsulating agent with minimal yellowing.

To achieve the purpose of measuring the distance from window 340 to the surface of the workpiece, it will be understood that window 340 has an inner surface (the surface closest to LED array 330) and an outer surface (the surface closest to the workpiece). Here, the distance from the workpiece is typically measured relative to the outer surface of the window 340.

4A-4B provide an enlarged cross-sectional view of the bottom portion of the reflector 201 of the UV LED lamp head module 200 of FIG. 2A and the top portion of the body 305. In these views, various aspects of LED array 330 and common anode substrate layer 317 become apparent. Additionally, in these views, the separator gasket 314 is depicted as being formed from a plurality of O-rings 420, and the preferred multilayer construction of the LED driver PCBs 310a-b becomes visible.

As described in more detail below, in one embodiment, a microchannel cooler 410 provides a common anode substrate layer 317. According to an embodiment, the microchannel cooler 410 is a diffusion bonded etched foil microchannel cooler comprising a heat spreader layer (not shown) that is diffusion bonded to a foil layer (not shown), Various main inlet/outlet microchannels 411 and internal microchannels (not shown) have been etched in the foil layers. While microchannel cooling does have a layered component in which the boundary layer is compressed, in embodiments of the invention, impact cooling (e.g., perturbation) may result from changes in the shape and/or direction of the etched coolant flow path. An exemplary microchannel cooler is described in U.S. Patent No. 7,836,940, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. Microchannel coolers that meet the cooling requirements described herein are available from Micro-Cooling Concepts, USA. Those skilled in the art will recognize that a variety of other cooling schemes can be used. For example, megachannel cooling and other turbulent cooling paths (eg, shock, jet shock) or two-phase/nuclear boiling (or some combination) and cooling schemes may be considered.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present invention, one objective is to create and maintain a relatively isothermal state of the end-to-end of the LED array 330 (eg, a junction temperature that is biased by about ±1 degree Celsius and also typically a maximum average junction of 40 degrees Celsius). Temperature (range 30 degrees Celsius to 200 degrees Celsius)). To achieve this goal, embodiments of the present invention attempt to balance the coolant flow through the microchannel cooler 410 from front to back, top to bottom, end to end, and/or side to side. In alternative embodiments, the flow may be balanced or unbalanced to accommodate design needs. The coolant may flow through the primary and secondary channels (not shown) of the interior of the microchannel cooler 410 in either direction, either direction selected from the LEDs relative to the LED array 330 (and the LEDs in the LED array 330) The bottom surface of the lower) is vertical, horizontal, orthogonal, parallel, etc., or any combination thereof. Another way to describe the orientation of the channels is relative to the p-n junction plane, which (in most LEDs) is substantially parallel to the bottom surface of the LED.

Similarly, the internal primary and / or secondary channels can be compared to virtually any orientation Manifold interconnects, the orientations being selected from vertical, horizontal, orthogonal, parallel, diagonal, angular, bypassed, partially bypassed, etc., again relative to the bottom of the LED (or the pn junction of the LED) , or any combination thereof. Preferably, all or nearly all (nearly 100%) of the coolant ultimately cools the fluid channel 360 from the primary inlet lamp body in a direction orthogonal or perpendicular to the long axis of the LED array 330 and/or the microchannel cooler 410. The top portion (eg, primary inlet microchannel cooler cooling fluid channel 430b) flows via microchannel cooler 410 to a top portion of primary outlet lamp body cooling fluid channel 361 (eg, primary outlet microchannel cooler cooling fluid channel 430a). In one embodiment, the microchannel cooler 410 utilizes a flow path optimized by CFD to reduce the flow rate to a level that greatly reduces erosion. In one embodiment, a coolant velocity of about 2 meters per second is preferred to reduce erosion of the passage. Ceramic materials can be used for the channel substrate to further eliminate the likelihood of erosion.

As described earlier, the primary inlet lamp body cooling fluid passage 360 and the main outlet lamp body cooling fluid passage 316 are sized such that the coolant flows uniformly through the etched foil internal microchannel and preferably results in almost all of the coolant ultimately Flowing in a direction substantially perpendicular to the long axis of the LED array 330, because any given molecule of coolant starting in the primary inlet lamp body cooling fluid channel 360 eventually reaches the primary exit lamp body cooling fluid channel 361, And, therefore, as the coolant passes through the microchannel cooler 410 and flows under the LED, substantially each molecule of the coolant ultimately flows substantially perpendicular to the long axis of the LED array 330 (substantially parallel to the LED array 330) axis). By making the primary inlet lamp body cooling fluid passage 360 extremely narrow (eg, about 1 mm to 4 mm and preferably about 2.3 mm) and extremely deep (eg, about 1 mm to 10,000 mm and preferably about 100 mm), the resulting fluid resistance contributes to substantially all or most of the internal passages of the microchannel cooler 410 in terms of equilibrium flow (regardless of whether it is the primary channel, the cross channel, the secondary channel, the manifold) Uniform microchannel flow of tube channels, etc.). It should be understood that such channels may have curves for the perturbations, S-bends, protrusions, and may be narrow, and traverse the LED array 330 in a direction substantially transverse to or parallel to the minor axis of the LED array 330. Space is widened and/or deepened. Again, the orientation of any given microchannel can be in any orientation (and flow direction) relative to the orientation of the p-n junction of the LED.

As described in more detail below, LED array 330 (comprising a light emitting device, such as an LED or a laser diode) is mounted to microchannel cooler 410. In one embodiment, the number of LEDs along the length of the microchannel cooler ranges from 2 to 10,000, and the size of each LED is about 1.07, 1.2, 2, 4 square millimeters (2 x 4 mm) (range 0.1 mm to 100 mm). The width to length aspect ratio is preferably from about 1:68 to 1:200, but the range may be from 1:10 to 1:1,000. Note that the LED array may not have a high aspect ratio and may be substantially square, substantially rectangular, substantially circular, or other geometric shape. Exemplary LEDs are available from US SemiLEDs. The LED of SemiLED has a unique (usually electroplated) copper substrate that is advantageously bonded to a copper (or ceramic) microchannel cooler 410, thereby maintaining the thermal and cost advantages of this highly thermally conductive material. According to an embodiment, the size of the LED used is 1.07 x 1.07 square millimeters, and the LED array 330 comprises an array of 68 LEDs long by 2 LEDs wide.

Japan Nichia is also an exemplary LED provider, its general manufacturing level The LEDs are designed to compete with the common vertical structure LEDs of SemiLED. In one embodiment, one or more of the LED series groups or the entire LED array can be implemented with horizontally structured LEDs having an anode pad and a cathode pad on top of the surface, such as on a non-conductive substrate (eg, Sapphire on top of it. For example, a cathode line can be coupled to the multilayer flex circuit 1403 at one end of the series, and an anode line can be coupled to the multilayer flex circuit 1403 at the other end of the series without the need for a particular series connection of the LEDs. The group uses a base station.

In one embodiment of the invention, the LEDs of LED array 330 are placed substantially electrically in parallel, or have at least two LEDs in parallel on a preferred common anode substrate. Since the heat-resistant dielectric layer is not required to be added between the substrate of the LED and the substrate as required in the conventional series configuration or the conventional series/parallel configuration to achieve electrical isolation, the connection is extremely thermally efficient. The connection method. However, it is noted that any of these configurations may be considered in various embodiments, as well as a pure series configuration or a series/parallel configuration. Although the dielectric layer can substantially increase the total thermal resistance, thereby increasing the junction temperature of the device and adversely affecting the output power and/or efficiency, it is expected that it can be grown by a few microns or more by, for example, atomic layer deposition. A thin, very thin dielectric layer and a very low thermal resistance layer on a material such as copper for electrical insulation in a series/parallel configuration. The dielectric may be selected from the group of oxides, nitrides, carbides, ceramics, diamonds, polymers (ALD polyimine), DLC, and the like.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present invention, one objective is to maintain an extremely low thermal resistance between the epitaxial pn junctions of the LEDs or at least the bottom of the preferred die, which is about 0.015 K-cm ² /W, but The range can be from 0.0010-15 K-cm ² /W and is typically about 0.024 K-cm ² /W. Considering very thin layers of foils, bond pads, traces, etc. of metals, dielectrics, ceramics or polymer layers, but due to the increased thermal resistance caused by such additional layers (which inevitably leads to junction temperatures) The increase is accompanied by a corresponding decrease in efficiency, and the layers are not preferred. Various components (such as thicker n or p cap layers) for reducing current drops associated with epitaxial structure growth and design, as well as recently published and employees by Philips (Netherlands) and RPI (USA), may be used. The latest state-of-the-art components found in scientific journals (eg, new quantum barrier design, reduced non-radiative re-bonding centers, etc.), and other components (see, for example, Rensselaer Magazine, "New LED Drops the 'Droop'" 2009 In March and Compound Semiconductor Magazine, "LED Droop: Do Defects Play A Major Role?" on July 14, 2010, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes. Epitaxial growth on homogeneous GaN wafers and even on polar GaN wafers is currently considered to reduce or eliminate current drops.

Thus, according to various embodiments, because the LEDs are directly mounted (preferably 2.5 μm thick SnCu solder), and the heat spreader (if used) and the foil layer are thin, and preferably do not require the use of intervening dielectric The layer thus has a very low thermal resistance path between the LED junction and the etched (e.g., chemically etched) foil layer containing the liquid flowing in the preferably chemically etched microchannel. Other etching or photolithography or processing processes may also be considered in the fabrication of microchannels.

According to an embodiment, the LEDs of the LED array 330 are directly bonded (ie, except for, for example, preferably pre-coated (eg, by sputtering deposition) There is no substantial intervening layer (whether bulk material, foil, film or other material) between the LED and the microchannel cooler 410 beyond the thin pre-sputtered solder layer on the underside of the LED.

As described in more detail below, a separator gasket 314 can be formed by one or more O-rings 420 to seal the common anode substrate layer 317 to the body 305 and also prevent coolant from substantially bypassing directly below the LED array 330. . Although O-rings 420a-c are not rendered compressive in this and other figures, it should be understood that in real world operation, they will actually be compressed to perform their prevention of fluid bypassing or entering between channels. The established function of the external environment. In the present example, the separator gasket 314 is substantially parallel to the bottom surface of the diffusion bonded foil layer (not shown) of the microchannel cooler (either vertically or horizontally layered) (as opposed to the direction of illumination) and The bottom surface is in the same Z-axis plane. The cross section of the separator gasket 314 is preferably substantially circular, can be made of a soft durometer, and can be manufactured by Apple Rubber USA. In an alternate embodiment, the cross section of the separator washer 314 can be square or rectangular.

Referring to the multilayer construction of the LED driver PCBs 310a-b illustrated in this example, in one embodiment, copper (or aluminum, polymer) of about 2.5 mm thick (range 0.1 mm to 10 mm) and available from Cofan Canada The metal core PCB board is constructed of multiple layers to keep the size of the PCB to a minimum. High power FET and gate drivers and inductors and resistors and capacitors can be mounted on the preferred Thermogon USA layer closest to the metal core. In fact, in some embodiments, this layer can be windowed or cored such that the FET (or other driver PCB assembly) can be mounted directly to the metal core with or without attachment screws. Also as close as possible to the metal core A series of LED common anode drivers available from National Semiconductor USA, LM 3434 or LM 3433 (for example only), means that a minimum dielectric layer thickness, if any, may be present between the components and the metal core. Equal trace path lengths and tight component spacing should also be considered for efficient electrical operation and stable operation. Custom wound inductors can greatly increase drive assembly efficiency. The inductors can be oriented in a manner such that the magnetic fields of individual drivers (e.g., 8 or 15) having a preferred common backplane (e.g., anode bodies 315a-b) advantageously interact with each other to increase the efficiency of the preferred constant current driver ( However, a constant voltage driver, especially a special circuit, can be considered, and the preferred common substrate can also be shared with the common anode substrate 317 of the micro-cooler deflection circuit assembly. Pulse width modulation (PWM) constant current drivers can be considered, but PWM is detrimental to LED lifetime due to current chopping at high currents, and additional capacitors between the inductor and the LED should be considered. Alternatively, an iron substrate can be placed between the inductors to reduce undesired interactions between the inductors or other components that can be oriented and pitch dependent. Optimally, an off-the-shelf (OFS) inductor from VASHAY, India can be considered.

On the back side of the lamp body 306 (on the side where the main input water and power input/output sources are located), a preferred metal (copper, aluminum, composite) MCPCB core can have two MCPCBs (available from Cofan, Canada). a screw or soldered connecting rod (or anode cross plate) between the cores of the metal core to create a space and/or a sturdy mounting plate for the single wire connection of the anode, the single wire connection will then extend To the main AC/DC front-end power supply connected to AC power.

In an embodiment, the metal core of the LED driver PCB 310a-b is grounded Plane - There may be more than one ground plane on each LED driver PCB 310a-b. Therefore, the edge of the PCB is preferably clamped or soldered to the ground plane of the common anode substrate layer 317. This is preferably accomplished by allowing the common anode substrate layer 317 to extend or hang over each side of the body 305 such that the anode side of the common anode substrate layer 317 can touch the anode side (edge) of the LED driver PCBs 310a-b and The anode side is in electrical communication, and the cathode side of the common anode substrate layer 317 (eg, the top foil layer) can preferably touch the appropriate top cathode region of the individual cathode segments in electrical communication with the LED driver PCBs 310a-b and with the top The cathode regions are in electrical communication.

5A-5B provide further enlarged views illustrating the interface of LED array 330 and its common anode substrate 317 with UV LED lamp head module 200 of FIG. In these views, the high fill factor of the LED array 330, the electrical coupling of the individual LEDs, the proximity of the substrate of the reflector 201 to the surface of the LED, and the various layers of the flex circuit 510 become apparent. Additionally, in these views, the preferred vertically oriented foil layers of the microchannel cooler 410 become visible.

According to an embodiment, the common anode substrate layer 317 can include a microchannel cooler 410 for transferring heat from the LED array 330, an integrated etched cap layer 525, and a solid cap layer 530. In one embodiment, the width of the microchannel cooler 410 is only slightly wider than the LED array 330 (eg, less than about 400 microns (range 50 microns to 2,000 microns)). In one embodiment, the total width of the microchannel cooler 410 is about 1.2 times the total width of the LED array 330 (ranges 1, 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.9, 2, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4 to 2.5 times). In the context of the current content, computer modeling indicates that the overall width of the microchannel cooler 410 is increased to the width of the LED array 330. Almost twice (2 times) the width of the degree reduces the peak thermal resistance by only about 5%.

The microchannel cooler 410 can include a heat spreader layer 540 (also referred to as a thermal diffusion layer or a heat sink top) below the top surface of the microchannel cooler 410 (eg, about 125 microns thick (ranging from less than 500 microns) , less than 250 microns, less than 200 microns, less than 150 microns, less than 100 microns, less than 50 microns to less than 25 microns, a plurality of main inlet/outlet microchannels (eg, main inlet microchannels 411), and various inlet manifold pathways, The heat transfer path and the exit manifold path. Significantly, in the context of the current content, the heat spreader layer 540 actually provides very little true heat spread; however, it does provide a very short heat spread length (bottom and micro of the LED) The distance between the heat transfer channels of the channel cooler 410 (not shown) that is closest to the bottom.) Exemplary heat transfer channels, their orientation, flow direction, and dimensions are incorporated herein by reference. U.S. Patent No. 7,836,940 is provided.

The top surface of the microchannel cooler 410 can couple the microchannel cooler 410 to the LED array 330. A main inlet microchannel (not shown) can be configured to receive fluid and direct the fluid into internal passages (including heat transfer passages) within the microchannel cooler 410. The heat transfer passages can be configured to receive fluid and direct the fluid in a direction substantially parallel to the top and substantially vertical input and output manifold passages. The outlet manifold passages can be configured to receive fluid and direct the fluid to one or more main outlet microchannels (eg, main outlet microchannels 411).

In an embodiment, the microchannel cooler 410 may be formed from a plurality of etched foils (eg, foil 520) having internal passages and manifolds therein for directing coolant flow. In the current example, by etching the combination The cap layer 525 and the solid cap layer 530 are diffusion bonded to the microchannel cooler 410 to form a monolithic microchannel cooler body. As shown in FIG. 5A, the foil layer of the etched cap layer 525 is preferably thicker than the foil layer 520 of the microchannel cooler 410. In an embodiment, the cover layers 525 and 530 can be processed.

In embodiments where the diffusion bonded foil layer (eg, foil layer 520) is vertically stacked (and diffusion bonded together) in such a manner that its edges are below the bottom portion of the LED (as illustrated in Figures 5A and 5B), The LEDs are preferably directly bonded to a vertically oriented micro-cooler (with or without a coating such as ENIG or ENEPIG (Superior plating, USA)) and bonded to preferably two processed pure (C101 or C110) copper The block, having a mirrored (matched) giant coolant stream and/or a coolant guiding channel, "squeezes" the vertically placed etched diffusion bonded microchannel cooler. Each copper block (which may itself be a stack of diffusion bonded foils or a solid block) may be diffusion bonded to the opposite side of the vertically stacked foil microchannel cooler 410 in one step. In other words, the foil layer and the block are preferably all diffusion bonded in one step. The resulting stack is then preferably mechanically ablated, and then the assembly can be referred to as a microchannel cooler assembly, and portions of the microchannel cooler assembly can be referred to as outer cover portions (525 and 530) and micro Channel cooler portion 410. The microchannel cooler assembly (e.g., outer cover portions 525 and 530) is preferably drilled prior to performing the mechanical ablation process and prior to the surface finishing process (e.g., electroplating process). If an electroplating process is utilized to achieve the purpose of providing a solderable surface for the LED and/or a wire bondable surface for attaching to the LED bond pad on the top side of the preferred LED, it is preferred to provide for O. a machined polymer panel with a ring groove (preferably using the same separator washer/O-ring design described above), The O-ring groove allows the microchannel cooler assembly to be clamped to the polymer block and placed into the plating bath without the solution entering the ID of the microchannel. This process may also allow for the plating of non-corrosive surfaces in a plurality of zones in which the anode and/or cathode busbars 304a-b may be eventually clamped or soldered to the plurality of zones. The LED driver PCBs 310a-b can also be edge plated for corrosion reduction and low voltage drop.

The microchannel cooler assembly can be subjected to a quenching or annealing or precipitation hardening process such that pure hardened copper, which has a thermal conductivity about 10% higher than Glidcop, can be used in the foil layer (eg, foil layer 520). Pure copper will enhance solder wetting.

In embodiments where the diffusion bonded foil layer (eg, foil layer 520) is oriented horizontally, the microchannels of microchannel cooler 410 may be etched in the same plane as the bottom of the LED (eg, LED 531) such that The main inlet/outlet microchannel (eg, channel 411) is etched or even processed in the foil layer. The inner microchannels of the microchannel cooler 410 may be formed through all or substantially all of the diffusion bonded foil layers (eg, foil layer 520) substantially as deep as the total thickness of all layers, and/or may be considered to cease to be thermally dispersed. Near or at the bottom of the layer 540.

Turning now to the location of the reflector 201, a dielectric spacer layer 514, such as a polyimide film, is preferably placed between the bottom surface of the reflector 201 and the microchannel cooler 410. This thermally insulates and electrically insulates the reflector from the microchannel cooler 410, and provides a space for a line (eg, line 530) from the LED (eg, LED 531) to be mounted under the reflector 201 and to cause the line The crescent shaped end is secured to a preferably gold-containing electroplated copper foil layer 513 that is part of the flex circuit assembly 510 that is bonded directly to the microchannel cooler 410. therefore, In an embodiment, the dielectric spacer layer 514 is at least as thick as the thickness of the line (eg, line 530).

Using an automatic die bonder with a tamping tool or even a capillary tool (such as Austria Datacon, US MRSI, or Palomar, USA), the wire (eg, line 530) can be automatically tamped (bent) down in a manner to reduce Wire loop until it is substantially parallel (and may even touch the foil layer on top of the polyimide layer before the end of the crescent) to the flex circuit 510-polyimine/copper foil layer (also Called, the layer of conductive circuit material). The flattening line does not touch the edge of the anode or the edge of the LED (eg, LED 531) because it may otherwise cause a short circuit. Other manual and/or automatic means may be considered, such as a long tamping tool that tampers all of the wires in one step, or may be achieved using the edge reflector itself with or without a dielectric coating. The primary purpose of this line bending step is to allow the reflector to be placed in close proximity to the LED (e.g., within at least one wire diameter) and to eliminate wear, touch, or shorting of the reflector 201. Preferably, the reflector (e.g., reflector 201) can be designed by a non-imaging software tool, such as Photopia, available from LTI Optics, USA. The reflector can have different operational characteristics, such as a short to long working distance or a short to long depth of field. The reflector should be easy to replace, making it modular and interchangeable, and providing it with maximum operational flexibility for the end user. In an embodiment, the outer dimensions of the reflector 201 do not substantially change for reflectors configured for different gap distances. For example, as further described below, a reflector optimized for a 2 mm focal plane can have an outer dimension that is substantially similar to a reflector optimized for a 53 mm, 65 mm, or 170 mm focal plane.

The reflectors (e.g., reflector 201) may be injection molded from an acrylic resin, polyfluorene, polyolefin, polyetherimide, or the like. The reflector can be coated with aluminum and/or silver, as well as a dielectric enhancement layer of DSI, USA. It can also be extruded from polymers or metals. Note that a single-piece reflector half 201 extending along the length of the entire assembly of all of the UV LED base modules 200 placed end-to-end (in series in the length direction) can be used. This isometric reflector can have a polished and coated end cap at each end. The reflector can be machined from the 6061 A1 5 axis and polished by diamond and stirrup brush (when the reflector can be polished) and coated with, for example, (as in all previous examples) optimized at 390 nm to 400 nm. (for example) a single layer of MgF ₂ or SiO ₂ .

Any length of LED array 330, reflector 201, and lamp body 305 are contemplated by those skilled in the art. As described above, one of the lamp bodies 305 may have a length of about 80 mm. This allows for approximately 60 45 mil LEDs per side or 68 40 mil LEDs per side, which are preferably in two columns with a gap of about 15 microns (range 5 μm to 50 μm) between the two columns (eg , gap 532). Single or multiple column (1 to n) LEDs can be considered. Even rectangular LEDs having a longer length along the long axis of the LED array can be considered. Along the long axis, it preferably has a gap (e.g., gap 533) of less than 25 microns (range 5 μm to 100 μm). In one embodiment, the center-to-center distance between the LEDs of LED array 330 is about 10 microns to 20 microns greater than the combined edge length of adjacent LEDs.

Embodiments of the present invention contemplate the overall z-axis stacking of the metal and dielectric layers of the flex circuit 510 (subtracting the dielectric spacer layer 514), plus extending over the preferred cathode flex circuit layer 513 and extending to a rectangular shape The thickness of the line layer of the cathode wire bond pad 534 (the diameter of each line or the thickness of each line strip), the line bonding Pad 534 is shown below the solder balls of the line (e.g., line 530) on the preferred top surface of the LED.

In one embodiment, the total z-axis stack is not much thicker than the thickness of the LED (also referred to as the LED layer). In various embodiments of the invention, the LED layer can have a thickness of about 145 microns and a thickness ranging from about 250 microns or less, 200 microns or less, 150 microns or less, 100 microns or less, 50. Micron or less to 25 microns or less.

In various embodiments of the invention wherein the flex circuit layer 510 includes a dielectric spacer layer 514, the flex circuit layer can have a thickness of about 7.8 mils or less and a thickness range of about 20 mils, 15 mils, 12 mils or less, 10 mils or less, 5 mils or less to 3 mils or less.

In various embodiments of the invention in which the flex circuit layer 510 does not include the dielectric spacer layer 514, the flex circuit layer can have a thickness of about 5.3 mils or less and a thickness range from about 10 mils. Or less, 8 mils or less, 2.5 mils or less to 0.5 mils or less.

In one embodiment, the total z-axis stack is not much thicker than the thickness of the LED (also referred to as the LED layer), which may be the thickness of the bare LED or packaged LED. In various embodiments of the invention, the LED layer can have a thickness of about 145 microns and a thickness ranging from about 250 microns or less, 200 microns or less, 150 microns or less, 100 microns or less, 50. Micron or less to 25 microns or less.

In one embodiment, the bottom surface of the optical reflector 201 is between about 1-1.5 times the thickness of the line layer above the top surface of the array of light-emitting devices. In another embodiment, the bottom surface of the optical reflector 201 is between about 0.33 of the thickness of the LED layer. Between 0.5 and 0.5 times. This allows the reflector 201 to be mounted in close proximity to either or both edges of the LED or mounted relative to the top surface of the LED, which in turn minimizes the number of emitted photons controlled by the reflector 201. The degree of illumination is maintained by the number of emitted photons that escape the reflector 201 below the reflector 201. Positioning the reflector 201 near the edge of the LED also allows for a more compact reflector in height. This proximity of the reflector 201 to the LED array 330 also allows the shorter length cathode layer 513 of the flex circuit 510, which also allows the cathode layer 513 to be thin and still carry high current without excessive impedance. According to the generally known optical principle, the farther the reflector edge is from the LED, the higher the reflector needs to be. While higher reflectors may achieve slightly higher illumination, in some implementations, higher reflectors may be impractical.

In addition, the flex circuit 510 is inexpensive to manufacture and extremely compact and thin, and thus, it is well suited for use in the context of embodiments of the present invention in which the overall z-axis of the metal and dielectric layers of the flex circuit Cascading needs to be minimized. Lenthor (USA) is an example of a manufacturer of excellent flex circuit. In an embodiment, as further described below, the flex circuit 510 can extend beyond the microchannel cooler assembly and can be connected (directly or indirectly) to an external DC/DC and/or power supply.

As described earlier, another novel feature of an embodiment of the present invention includes the use of a preferred diffusion bonding (but solderable or adhesive or brazing of the layers), preferably an etched foil microchannel cooler 410, which is cooled. The device 410 preferably has a high aspect ratio of at least one short laterally etched channel (crossing the short direction (width) of the LED array 330), the channels being thermally parallel and preferably over long lengths arranged side by side. Wherein the coolant is preferably substantially parallel to the array 330 The short dimension (typically the width rather than the length dimension) traverses and under the LED array 330 in the direction of the LED array 330. In other embodiments, the coolant may flow in a direction along the length of the LED array 330 and/or the cooler 410, and it may flow vertically (toward the bottom surface of the LED) in some regions. In one embodiment, a plurality of channels can flow below the bottom of the LED and in close proximity to the bottom of the LED, separated by only about 125 μm of copper (ranging from 1 μm to 1,000 μm) plus a thin layer of solder. A solder layer is used to bond the LEDs directly to the common anode substrate 317. In addition, multi-directional etched coolant paths and orientations (individually or in groups) may be considered, which are also described as internal heat transfer channels that extend parallel, at right angles, vertically or horizontally, with or without connection, or both. Some combination is oriented relative to the length or width of the LED array 330 or some combination or both and/or the underside of the LED.

According to an embodiment, the internal heat transfer channels can be oriented such that (i) two or more adjacent LEDs in the shortest dimension of the LED array have substantially independent heat transfer channels under each LED, And (ii) independently cooling the LEDs above the channels (ie, the groups of channels under each LED are not substantially convectively connected to each other or convectively communicating with groups of channels under adjacent LEDs). Thus, two or more adjacent LEDs are said to be cooled in a thermal parallel rather than a thermal series. If the channels flowing substantially below the LED are mixed, or if a common channel is flowing substantially directly below the two LEDs, this will result in thermal series.

The foil layer of microchannel cooler 410 (e.g., foil layer 520) is preferably substantially copper, and preferably has about 1% (range 0.1% to 10%) such as Al ₂ O ₃ and is generally referred to as As a Glidcop interpenetrating ceramic material, Glidcop is known to maintain its rigidity, strength and shape after being subjected to high diffusion bonding temperatures. Glidcop now has almost the same thermal conductivity as pure copper.

In one embodiment, the microchannel cooler 410 is constructed to correspond to a high aspect ratio high aspect ratio device of the direct mount LED array 330. That is, the length of the cooler 410 is longer than its width, the LED array 330 is mounted along the length, and the cooler 410 itself typically has a plurality of short channels side by side and has a width generally parallel to the LED array 330 and with the cooler 410 The coolant flowing in the vertical direction in the long axis (longest dimension), and the cooler 410 may have 1 to n channels positioned side by side with each other. The inner microchannels can be oriented to form a manifold that is parallel, at right angles, horizontally, and/or perpendicular to either or both of the major axis (length) or minor axis (width) of the LED array 330. The foils (e.g., foil layer 520) are then preferably stacked on top of each other (or stacked together), wherein each channel is preferably located on a foil that is adjacent the foil directly above or in the foil, regardless of such Whether the foils are stacked in any vertical or horizontal orientation or in other three-dimensional orientations with angular or rotational orientation. In an embodiment, the LEDs are mounted directly to a surface (eg, a common anode substrate) formed by the edges of a plurality of diffusion bonded stacked foil stacks (when the foils are stacked vertically). Preferably, the surface formed by the edges of the foil laminate is first flattened prior to soldering the LED array 330 to the surface.

As a non-limiting example, LEDs can be mounted in two (1-n) columns across the width and from about 50 to 300 LEDs along the length of the column. The length of the column is preferably about 90% (10% to 100%) or more of the length of the cooler 410. That is, the LED array 330 extends as close as possible to the edge of the microchannel cooler 410. In this way, there is no significant photo in the series connected UV LED lamp head module 200. The radiance gap. This configuration is most beneficial in the context of short working distances (~2 mm).

Preferably, the internal microchannels extending below the LEDs of LED array 330 have substantially equal flow such that the junctions of the LEDs are substantially at the same temperature. For some specialized applications, especially when the LEDs have different wavelengths, the flow may be different in some channels to make the LEDs operate hotter or colder, as short wavelength LEDs may require more cooling. Please note that not all embodiments require that the coolant flowing through the microchannel cooler flow 100% through the heat transfer channel of the microchannel cooler.

According to an embodiment, the CFD is preferably used to design the primary inlet and outlet coolant manifolds formed in the substrate of the body 305 to enhance or contract the coolant flow as needed to achieve the aforementioned almost equal in the microchannels. flow. CFD is preferably performed by MicroVection USA. The enhancement can be accomplished by making the channel deeper or wider or both, or conversely, by making the channel shallower or narrower or both. All of these geometries can be three-dimensional, with simple or composite contours or almost straight or sharp geometries. Again, referring to microchannels, which may have different sizes, shapes, depths, widths, numbers, center-to-center spacing, and etched foil required to balance the flow and or reduce the thermal resistance between the channels and the LED junctions. Number of layers, curves, protrusions, undulations, gull wings, etc.

6 is an exploded enlarged isometric cross-sectional view of the top portion of the body 305 of the UV LED lamp head module 200 of FIG. 2 and illustrating the various layers of the UV LED lamp head module 200 of FIG. In this example, the LED array package 318 includes a dielectric spacer layer 514, a cathode layer 513, a dielectric separator layer 512, an adhesive layer 511, and a common Anode substrate layer 317. The flex circuit 510 can also include an anode layer (not shown). As described above, layers 511 through 514 can collectively form flex circuit 510 from the Pyralux family of products. In an embodiment, the flex circuit 510 may not include a dielectric spacer layer 514 that may be bonded to the bottom surface of the reflector 201 or simply to the top surface of the reflector and the top surface of the flex circuit 510. Free floating or bonding between the top surfaces of the flex circuit 510. In an alternate embodiment, a rigid flex or rigid circuit having a hard dielectric (eg, FR4, ceramic, glass, or the like) can replace the flex circuit 510.

In one embodiment, dielectric spacer layer 514 and dielectric separator layer 512 comprise a polyimide (eg, Kapton, available from DuPont, USA), a PEN or PET layer. The cathode layer 513 is preferably a copper foil. Cathode layer 513 and dielectric separator layer 512 preferably form an integrated layer of cathode foil and dielectric (which is referred to as "non-adhesive" in the Pyralux series of products available from DuPont, USA). As described above, the layers forming the LED package 318 are pinched between the cathode jaws 320a-d and 321a-b and the anode bodies 315a-b.

One design option is to sort individual UV LED lamp head modules as opposed to LED sorting within the UV LED lamp head module (which would typically require the connection of lamps within the same sorting level when forming a series array). The ability to sort within individual UV LED lamp head modules means that we do not need to sort individual lamps. As described above, in one embodiment in which sorting is performed within the UV LED lamp head module 200, a flex circuit 510 (eg, a cathode layer 511 comprising electrically isolated (segmented), a dielectric separator layer 512, and Electrical spacer layer 514) to potentially individually address each LED or group of LEDs of LED array 330 such that the LEDs can be divided into 1 to n groups for Vf, wavelength, size, power, etc. This, in turn, substantially reduces the need for LED manufacturers to supply LEDs with only one sorting level or several sorting levels. According to an embodiment, the sorting levels may be about 0.1 Vf or less; and preferably 0.05 Vf or less or even 0.01 Vf or less. Depending on the particular implementation, the LEDs of LED array 330 may be in only one or two large Vf sorting levels such that one or both of the LEDs in the array are from substantially the same Vf sorting level. Instead, the sorting levels can be as strict as 0.00001 Vf. In this example, the segmentation of the flex circuit layer 510 and or the LED driver PCBs 310a-b can be reduced or even eliminated. This situation can be achieved when a very large volume and or large LED wafer is produced and there are a large number of LEDs available from the manufacturer in Vf close to 0.001 Vf or less.

However, the segments of LED driver PCBs 310a-b and flex circuit 510 allow for numerous options to be sorted by Vf value or not. In the present example, the LEDs are divided into eight individually addressable locations by positioning the LEDs of the LED array 330 in eight flex circuit segments (four of which are visible in this view, ie, segments 611a-d). Group of. In one embodiment, the segments 611a-d are formed by photolithographic patterning of the cathode layer 513 and etching away the metal foil to form electrically isolated traces (eg, electrically isolated traces 610). The dielectric layer 512 in the area under the LED is removed by laser processing, routing or stamping.

In general, the most suitable UV LED wavelength is in the range of about 360 nm to 420 nm, and most preferably ~395 nm. Please note that a mixture of wavelengths can be used in each UV LED lamp head module 200, and a smaller group and/or even individual LEDs or some combination of the two can be wire bonded to the cathode layer on the flex circuit 510. Individual conductive strips of 513 (patterned conductive circuit material layer) Individually addressed (not shown), the conductive strip (conductive circuit material layer) is preferably photolithographically imaged and etched, with a preferred polyimine (underlying layer, also referred to as Dielectric layer). Cathode layer 513 is typically copper.

According to an embodiment, a separator washer 314 (eg, a single piece O-ring 420) is mounted in a groove that is machined or molded into the body 305. As depicted in this example, the shape of the groove (or seal tube) machined into the body 305 can be roughly described as having a small radius in the corner and an "O" extending in the direction of the major axis through the middle of the washer. shape. This preferred single planar gasket design is possible by a unique foil layer design in which the etched internal passage for the coolant of the microchannel cooler 410 is only found substantially in the LED array 330. In the lower portion, it is not found in the portion substantially around the area under the peripheral portion of the heat spreader. This allows the bottom of the preferred monolithic microchannel cooler assembly to be flat and substantially parallel to the mating portion of the lamp body 305, the mating portion containing the recess for the separator washer 314.

The peripheral regions of the microchannel cooler assembly described above are best interpreted as regions that are substantially present outside of the coolant flow region and/or regions that are present under the preferred "O" shaped cross-sectional seals. The benefit of this design is to avoid multiple seals or a seal with different z-axis planes. Essentially, since a relatively simple flat two-dimensional (z-axis on one plane) seal will suffice, there is no need for a three-dimensional (z-axis on two or more planes) configured seals. The diffusion bonded foil layer (e.g., foil 520) is not only etched with a heat transfer path prior to diffusion bonding, but may also be etched with a main inlet/outlet microchannel (e.g., main exit microchannel 411) in embodiments of the invention. Thus, when the foil 520 (eg, 200 microns thick) that makes up the microchannel cooler 410 is formed with the microchannel cooler 410 When the foils of portions that typically do not have heat transfer paths (eg, solid cap layer 530 and etched cap layer 525) are joined together, result in a single microchannel cooler assembly (including microchannel cooler 410) ) having a flat bottom side for compressing a uniquely shaped seal present between the preferred monolithic microchannel cooler assembly and the preferred monolithic lamp body 305.

An optional monolithic diffusion bonded thermal spreader layer (e.g., about 0.5 mm thick (range 0.1 mm to 1 mm)) is shown that can span the top surface of the common anode substrate 317.

7 is an enlarged isometric view of the reflector 201 of the UV LED lamp head module 200 of FIG. 2 with the end cap removed. This view is intended to illustrate the modularity of the reflector 201. In this example, two of the four screws 715 that secure the reflector 201 to the lamp body 305 are shown. Instead of the reflector 201, a new reflector having different optical properties can be replaced by simply removing the screws 715. In the current example, the integral injection molded mount (e.g., mount 716) can be used as a small reflector (discussed below) or an alignment feature of the end cap. If, for example, the small reflector contains magnets whose magnetic field is properly oriented relative to the screw 715, the steel screws 715 can be used to orient, align, and/or hold the small reflectors in place.

In addition, a locating pin or mating male/female feature extending from the bottom of the reflector into the microchannel cooler 410 or extending through the microchannel cooler 410 and extending into the lamp body or vice versa can be used to cause the reflector 201 It is easy to align with respect to the LED array 330. Such pin or mating features may be part of an injection molded reflector or part of an injection molded (e.g., insert molded) lamp body.

In an embodiment, a locating pin (such as pin 705) can be used to align small Reflector or end cap reflector. A screw 710 can be used to secure the end cap reflector to the reflector 201.

A protective outer casing 202 that is preferably injection molded and each half can be mirrored by the other half is shown.

Figure 8A conceptually illustrates a cross section of two giant reflectors 810a-b and 820a-b stacked on top of one another in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In this example, the giant reflectors 810a-b and 820a-b have substantially the same outer height and width, but are optimized for different working distances. From a manufacturing point of view, it is efficient to have a single deep grooved giant reflector length and then have different internal curved surfaces for different focal points, since only a single outer mold is needed and the different curves are only different mold inserts.

In the present example, the giant reflectors 810a-b are optimized for a 53 mm focal plane 840, and the giant reflectors 820a-b are optimized for a 2 mm focal plane 830. Each curved portion shown is a mirror image of another portion (assuming it has the same focal length) and represents a portion of a complete ellipse, parabola, and/or a combination of both. The parabola is a special case of an ellipse and is commonly used to collimate light.

The ellipse has two focal points, the main focus and the secondary focus. In the current example, the primary focus is in the LED plane 870 and the secondary focus is in the workpiece plane 830 or 840.

In various embodiments of the invention, the edge ray 811 (representing the first ray captured by the reflector 810a) and the last ray (not shown) captured by the reflector 810a and exiting the LED array are defined to be substantially between 60 degrees to An angular range of 850 between 89 degrees and preferably between 80 degrees and 85 degrees, by way of example (simplified use) 2D analysis) The 53 mm giant reflectors 810a-b control more than about 80% of the photons exiting the LED array. In fact, 3-D computer analysis indicates that this deep trench reflector design (when the end caps (e.g., end caps 207a-b) are in place) controls more than 90% of the photons exiting the LED array. The larger the angular range, the more control the photons exiting the LED. Therefore, the angular extent can be increased, but practical considerations regarding reflector size (length and width) need to be considered.

Referring to Figure 8B, it can be seen that edge rays 821a-b exiting LEDs 850a and 850b and reflecting away from reflector 820a (representing the first rays captured by reflector 820a and captured by reflector 820a, respectively, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention) The last ray) defines an angular range 860 that is generally between 65 degrees and 89 degrees and preferably between 82 degrees and 87 degrees, thereby exemplifying (using a simplified 2-dimensional analysis) 2 mm giant reflector 820a-b to control the departure More than 82% of the photons of the LED array. In fact, 3-D computer analysis indicates that this deep trench reflector design (when the end caps (e.g., end caps 207a-b) are in place) controls more than 96% of the photons exiting the LED array.

9 shows a portion of a giant reflector 910 optimized for a 2 mm focal plane 940, wherein each side of the reflector has a focus 920 relative to the workpiece (not shown), in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The center line 931 of the focused beam 930 (having a total pattern width of about 7 mm and a high illumination center portion of about 0.65 cm) is offset. As depicted in this figure, in this configuration, the light rays reflected from the right hand side reflector move inwardly from the left side of the center line 931 toward the center, and the light rays reflected from the left hand side reflector are from the center line 931. The right side moves inward toward the center. In this manner, the two sets of reflected light rays overlap to produce a high illumination beam 930. Computer modeling The indication illuminance level is about 10% higher than the illuminance level in the case where the two sets of reflected light rays do not overlap. Significantly, in one embodiment, at longer focal plane distances (e.g., ~53 mm), there is no significant loss of illumination (less than 5%) at a plane +/- 3 mm from the focus.

Figure 10 is a graph illustrating estimated convective thermal resistance for various channel widths. This figure graphically depicts the thermal resistance decreasing linearly as the width of individual microchannels decreases. Of note is the fact that embodiments of the invention typically use channels having a width of less than 0.1 mm and typically 0.05 mm, 0.025 mm or less. In another embodiment, a microchannel that is wider than 0.1 mm up to about 0.5 mm is also contemplated. This contrasts with the width of the channels used in prior art UV LED lamp devices, such as those manufactured by Phoeseon (USA) and Integration Technology (UK), which use about 0.5 for the prior art UV LED lamp devices. Mega channel of mm or larger.

As can be seen from this figure, in all other equal cases, a reduction in the magnitude of the thermal resistance from the 0.55 mm channel to the 0.025 mm channel will itself result in an order of magnitude reduction in the junction temperature of the LED. However, everything else is not equal. As the inventors currently understand, the prior art has only one thermal related factor that is beneficial to it. This factor is the use of an array of low brightness, low fill factor (LED packing density) that spreads the heat source and results in a low heat density, requiring a correspondingly lower heat transfer coefficient for the same junction temperature.

The embodiment of the present invention minimizes bulk heat through the copper substrate due to the minimum (typically about 125 μm (range 5 μm to 5,000 μm)) thickness between the bottom surface of the LED and the heat transfer path (microchannel) Resistance loss. .

Figure 11 is a graph illustrating the output power of various junction temperatures. This exhibition The UV LED efficiency is severely degraded as the junction temperature increases. A 40% decrease in inefficiency was noted when the junction temperature increased from 20 degrees Celsius to 88 degrees Celsius. UV LEDs are much more sensitive to heat than some longer wavelength blue and green LEDs. Therefore, superior thermal management is required to keep the junction temperature low to achieve long life and maintain reasonable efficiency.

According to an embodiment of the invention, an LED junction temperature of from about 40 degrees Celsius to 45 degrees Celsius is obtained, even when operating at current densities in excess of 2.5 A/mm ² and sometimes in excess of 3 A/mm ² . This can be contrasted with Phoseon and Integration Technology's UV LED heads, which may operate at current densities less than 1.5 A/mm ² with LEDs spaced further apart (low fill factor / low packing density), which of course leads to Low peak illumination and lower total energy delivered to the workpiece.

12 is a graph illustrating an illumination metric curve of a UV LED lamp head having a reflector optimized for a focal plane of 2 mm, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. According to the present example, a maximum (peak) illumination of about 84.8 W/cm ² is achieved by an output beam pattern width of about 0.65 cm, and an average illumination of about 31.6 W/cm ² across the width of the output beam pattern is produced. The total output power is about 20.5 W per degree and output beam pattern length. This example was generated using a computer model that assumes a ~1.07 x 1.07 mm LED using SemiLED, each of which produces a 300 mW output at 350 mA. It is noted that embodiments of the present invention can operate each LED at about 0.75 W to 1.25 W at higher currents (e.g., about 2.5 A or more).

13 is a graph illustrating an illumination metric curve of a UV LED lamp head having a reflector optimized for a focal plane of 53 mm, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. According to the present example, a maximum (peak) illumination of about 24 W/cm ² is achieved by an output beam pattern width of about 3.65 cm, and an average illumination of about 5.9 W/cm ² across the width of the output beam pattern is produced. The total output power of the beam and the output beam pattern per cm length is approximately 21.7 W. This example was generated using a computer model that assumes a ~1.07 x 1.07 mm LED using SemiLED, each of which produces a 300 mW output at 350 mA. It is noted that embodiments of the present invention can operate each LED at about 0.75 W to 1.25 W at higher currents (e.g., about 2.5 A or more).

According to an embodiment in which the LED driver is integrated into the UV LED lamp head module, an off-the-shelf AC/DC power supply designed for a high capacity "server cluster" can be used. An exemplary front-end power supply is available from the Lineage Power USA model CAR2512FP series 2500 W power supply. The preferred power supply is the Power-One LPS100 12 V 1100 W single-fan servo power supply, which is a high-efficiency platinum-grade front-end AC/DC power supply with power factor correction, electrical parallel connection and GUI i2C interface. There are four subsystems of these off-the-shelf (OTS) units to obtain these Lineage power supplies. In 2011, these Lineage units will be similar but have conduction cooling (no fans).

In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, in addition to cooling the integrated drive, the coolant water may advantageously be used to simply dissipate heat through the coolant line in communication with the components (or substrate plates) of the supply to be cooled. Chips to cool these power supplies. Since these Lineage power supplies are more efficient at a percentage of their maximum power, lowering their rating is optimal. borrow By way of non-limiting example, if each PCB is operated with ~15 amps at ~40 amps and ~4-5 volts, approximately 60% of the available ~10000 W will be used. Best designed for ~50 A or greater and ~5.5 V to operate at ~4 A per LED or ~48 per group (only by way of non-limiting example) in all four now and in the future Preferably, each side of the side is about ~1000 square microns to 1200 square microns of preferred ~16 LEDs (but it can be any size and shape, such as a rectangle, or a larger size, such as ~2000 μm per side or ~ When it is 4000 μm or more, it has a certain margin. In one embodiment, the cathode bus bars 313a-b on each of the PCBs 310a-b near the back side of the lamp body 305 can extend almost along the length of a preferably ~300 mm long plate (not shown). And the solder pads extend almost along the length of the PCB. In one embodiment, the cathode cross plate 375 represents a connecting rod that is fixed across the cathode bus bars 313a-b. The connecting rod provides an effective attachment point for the preferred single main cathode line 205, which is preferably a single main cathode line 205. Preferably, it is similar to a preferred single major large AWG range ~1 to 10 and preferably ~2 AWG core anode wire from the preferred constant current (CC) DC PCB board of the UV LED lamp head module 200 to preferably connected to the AC mains. The power supply is from the UV LED lamp head module 200 to the AC/DC power supply to provide a high efficiency power supply to the LED with a low chopping of preferably less than 10% to maximize LED life. On the PCB, there may be some common components of the aforementioned non-limiting examples of ~15 CC drivers such that there will be no deterministic requirements for ~15 individual components that may not be cathodically isolated. Please note again that 1 to n cathode and anode cables can feed the lamp with power from 1 to n power supplies or mains. Use four Lineage USA 2500W power supplies per lamp and make it drop for efficiency Operating at a power level may be preferred. It can be obtained through the common back end for ~4 power supplies. With or without a back end, four separate anode and cathode wires/cables per lamp can be considered to allow the use of smaller diameter cables (USmethod/cableco) and or larger cables and less resistance losses.

In view of the foregoing, it can be seen that embodiments of the present invention are based on closely spaced LED arrays (also referred to as high fill factor arrays) such that maximum brightness is achieved. That is, the optical power per solid angle per unit area is maximized because the brightness can be roughly defined as the power per solid angle per solid area in the current situation. Since the waste heat from electrical power to optical power conversion becomes denser as the array density increases, this high brightness is also almost linearly related to the heat flux/heat demand. Embodiments of the present invention preferably utilize LED arrays having a fill factor equal to or greater than 90% but having a range of 30% to 100%. In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, the application of a high fill factor array results in an extremely high and extremely dense thermal load of about 1000 W/cm ² or more (ranging from 100 W/cm ² to 10,000 W/cm ² ). This high heat flux is caused by high brightness, that is, the LEDs are very close to each other (1 μm to 1000 μm), and the current is 2 amps to 3 amps per square millimeter or more (range 0.1 A to 100 A). Lower operation, which results in extremely high heat flux requirements, and of course with the need for extremely low thermal resistance cooling techniques that combine extremely high levels of cooling (eg, convective cooling and/or conduction cooling (eg, , a thin and highly conductive layer between the LED and the flowing gas or liquid)) to achieve a junction temperature as low as 40 degrees Celsius or lower to achieve long life and high efficiency at very high output power Operation.

An alternate embodiment of a UV LED lamp head module 1400 is now described with reference to Figures 14A-14D , wherein the LED array includes a plurality of groups of electrically parallel connections of series LEDs. 14A is an isometric view of a UV LED lamp head module 1400 in accordance with an alternate embodiment of the present invention. 14B is a side, exploded view of the UV LED lamp head module 1400 of FIG. 14A depicting the unassembled components of the lamp head module 1400 subsystem and its various components. Figure 14C is a rear, exploded isometric view of the UV LED lamp head module of Figure 14A depicting the rear connection. 14D is an exploded view of flex circuit subsystem 1450 and cooling subsystem 1470, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

In the present example, the base module 1400 includes a reflector subsystem 1460, a flex circuit subsystem and a lighting subsystem 1450, and a cooling subsystem 1470. These subsystems work together to emit UV light intended for use as a curing (eg, photochemical curing) mechanism for certain materials such as, but not limited to, coatings, coatings, inks, adhesives, laminates, and the like. By. Cooling subsystem 1470 (including microchannel cooler 1401 and lamp body 1404) is intended to cool a light emitting component, such as an LED array, a laser diode, or a similar one that allows for high power density light output of the lighting subsystem. Cooling system 1470 can also include components (eg, mounting interface 1475) for mounting cap module 1400 or a plurality of cap modules (not shown) to an external device (eg, an outer frame, bracket, or rail). This rail provides the means to integrate the lamp module into manufacturing, printing or other processes.

Reflector subsystem 1460 is comprised of a pair of reflectors 1418, a pair of reflector end caps 1417, an optical window 1421, and a magnetic window mount 1424. The reflector 1418 can be coupled to the reflector end cap 1417 by a screw 1427 to form an inner portion A reflective chamber (not shown) for focusing the light emitted by the illumination subsystem (preferably, according to non-imaging physical principles). The inner surface of the internal reflection chamber (not shown) is highly reflective. According to an embodiment, high reflectivity is achieved via a combination of polishing and coating of the inner surface.

Window 1421 is placed at the top of the reflective chamber and is held in place by an array of window mounts 1422 and magnets or screws 1423.

Reflector subsystem 1460 is attached to cooling subsystem 1470 by a series of locating pins 30 by a flex circuit subsystem 1450 interposed between it and cooling subsystem 1470, and is held in place by mounting screws. Optionally, a spacer layer (not shown - see Figure 16B) can be placed directly below the reflector subsystem 1460 to provide adjustment (e.g., z height adjustment) and an auxiliary assembly process.

A primary exit lamp body cooling fluid passage 1461/1462 and a main inlet lamp body cooling fluid passage 1461/1462 are formed in the lamp body of the cooling subsystem 1470.

The microchannel cooler 1401 is hidden in the pocket 1434 of the lamp body 1404. This recessed pocket 1434 allows the flex circuit 1403 (which can be joined to the top of the microchannel cooler 1401 and extends across one or more sides of the microchannel cooler 1401) to smoothly bend around the edge 1435 of the lamp body 1404. The microchannel cooler 1401 can be constructed as described above with reference to Figures 4A-4C and 5A-5B; however, in the case of the present example, the microchannel cooler 1401 need not be electrically conductive. As noted above, microchannel coolers that meet the cooling requirements described herein are available from Huntington Beach, California. CA) Micro-Cooling Concepts.

As described in more detail below, in one embodiment, flex circuit 1403 is a multi-conductor flex circuit that preferably includes two conductors of opposite polarity. The flex circuit 1403 has a high aspect ratio that relates to its height along the long axis of the LED array 1401 versus the LED array/base combination. This allows a large amount of current to flow to the LED array 1407 in a tight Z height thickness stack. The LED/stack stack is almost identical to the flex circuit stack (as illustrated in Figure 16B) and the optional free floating unattached spacer layer, which is a free floating unattached spacer layer that constitutes any z-height difference Or intentionally increasing the z height difference and establishing a base for the bottom of the reflector subsystem 1460.

In the depicted example, one of the elongated openings 1440 (eg, voids, windows, gaps, holes, or apertures) in the flex circuit 1403 serves the dual purpose of bringing the anode and cathode bond pads close to having a low thickness (height) The LED and the base 1406 can also serve as a mechanical guide when the base 1406 is soldered into place. Indium Corp. of America, USA, provides both of the above uses. Flux (e.g., WS-3622) and indium containing preforms can have about 3% silver for better wetting and preform rigidity. The elongated opening 1440 can be rectangular or any other geometric shape.

In the depicted embodiment, the flex circuit 1403 is formed substantially on the edge 1435, and the flow of current in the flex circuit 1403 is substantially redirected from a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the pn junction of the LED array 1407. It is substantially perpendicular to the direction of the plane of the pn junction. The flex circuit 1403 is mounted under the reflector subsystem 1460 and is further held in place by the cover 1415. Zener diodes (eg, Zener diodes available from Littel Fuse, Inc., USA) 1402) as shown in a recess (eg, pocket 1436) formed in flex circuit 1403, and soldered to a suitable location and plated through via according to conventional surface mount technology (SMT) fabrication techniques Connected to the cathode layer of flex circuit 1403. As noted above, the lamp body 1404 can be machined or injection molded or some combination.

The flex circuit subsystem 1450 is coupled to the cooling subsystem 1470 by a hardware 1426. According to an embodiment, a fluid tight barrier is formed between the microchannel cooler 1401 and the lamp body 1404 of the base module 1400 by using a custom shaped O-ring 1405 available from Apple Rubber Products of Lancaster, New York. seal. Pin 1428 positions reflector subsystem 1460 to cooler subsystem 1470.

In the present example, the lamp body 1404 provides a fluid cooling path for entry and return and a mechanical structure for mating and securing all of the subsystems together. The cooling fluid enters the lamp body 1404 from the input tube 1420. The input tube 1420 is coupled to the lamp body 1404 by the inlet tube clamp 1432 and its associated hardware 1431. Fluid flows from the fluid inlet chamber through the microchannel cooler 1401 where it is thermally warmed by the waste heat generated by the LED array 1407. The temperature-changing fluid then travels through the discharge chamber (typically having the same geometry) to an outlet chamber where the fluid is then returned to the cooling member (not shown) via the output tube (eg, a freezer) , heat exchanger or the like). The output tube can be secured to the lamp body 1404 in much the same way as the inlet side, but with a differently configured (eg, wedged) clip 1416.

The cover 1415 is attached to the lamp body 1404 by a hardware 1424. Cover 1415 covered And the flex circuit 1403 and the connector of the flex circuit subsystem 1450 are protected. Cover 1415 also maintains the shape of flex circuit 1403.

In one embodiment, the lamp body 1404 has an integral protrusion (eg, inlet clip 1432) onto which the inlet hose 1420 fits. A similar connection can be provided for the outlet hose. Preferably, a captured and/or wedged machined hose clamp (e.g., 1432) is used. The wedged position prevents unwanted rotation of the hose clamp, while the capture feature makes the installation hose less troublesome. The hose clamps preferably have "t" shaped slots that can be electrically wire wound (EDM), preferably 120 degrees apart, to achieve a more uniform hose clamping action.

Cathode electrode 1413 and anode electrode 1412 are shown in Figure 14D. These electrodes clamp or clamp the flex circuit 1403 between itself and the lamp body 1404. There is an exposed area of the flex circuit anode layer or the flex circuit cathode layer under each electrode to achieve electrical contact and continuity between the respective electrodes and the flex circuit surface.

In the case of the present example, flex circuit subsystem 1450 preferably includes a high density array of LEDs 1407, a multi-layer, multi-conductor flexible circuit 1403, a microchannel cooler 1401, and an electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection. Device 1402, a power supply cable 1421, and a power return cable 1422. The cables are attached to their respective electrodes (e.g., mounting blocks) 1412 and 1413. These mounting blocks connect each cable to its respective conductor layer in the flex circuit 1403. This enables power to travel from the remote power source (not shown) to the base module 1400 via the power cables 1419 and 1420 and to the LED array 1407 via the flex circuit 1403.

According to an embodiment and as described in more detail below, LED array 1407 is comprised of a plurality (eg, three) of smaller arrays of series LED arrays placed in parallel, each of the plurality of arrays (one for each array) Each of the "groups" includes a plurality of (eg, twelve) LEDs. In one embodiment, the smaller arrays are constructed by soldering and wire bonding the LEDs to the submount 1406.

The LEDs are arranged along the base 1406 in the long direction to form an LED array 1407. The last edge of the first LED is followed by the beginning edge of the next LED, and so on (eg, edge to edge placement). In an embodiment, there is no intervening metallization and/or bond pad or circuit trace material between any two LEDs. This allows the LEDs to be placed as close as possible to each other, thereby maximizing the illumination area in the long direction of the LED array 1407 by minimizing the dead space between the LEDs. If there are elongated bond pads, wire bond pad areas between the LEDs, and/or circuit trace metallization, the LEDs will have to be placed far apart, which would jeopardize the light-emitting area along the long direction of the LED array 1407. In an embodiment, it is desirable to maximize the illuminating surface with a minimum area (length x width). In addition, the high aspect ratio (length longer than the width) is also used by the elongated reflector half/clamshell to control the emitted photons in a pattern on the workpiece, preferably having the same geometry as the emission area, In order to eliminate photons scattered around the edges (also known as blurring).

In various embodiments and as described in more detail below, there may be three different wire bond connections for each of the LED arrays 1407. For example, a wire bond connection (eg, wire bond 1708) can be at the positive power path layer (also referred to as a power supply or anode) of flex circuit 1403 and the first of a group Formed between the anode pads of the LED. A second wire bond type (eg, wire bond 1709) occurs from each LED in a group (except for the last LED in the group) that joins the LED cathode pad to the abutment A post on 1406 that electrically connects the LED cathode pad to the anode of the next LED in the group. The cathode pad of the last LED is connected to the cathode or return layer of flex circuit 1403 by a third type of wire bond (not shown - see wire bond 1710 of Figure 16C). Wire bonds 1708, 1709, and 1710 are shown in more detail in Figures 16C and 17D through 17F.

According to an embodiment, a plurality of group edges of the series LEDs are aligned in a row to produce a high density array. In one embodiment, LED array 1407 is an array of multiple (eg, three) parallel paths each containing a plurality (eg, twelve) of LEDs connected in series.

According to an embodiment, the submount 1406 is bonded to the microchannel cooler 1401 using a thin solder preform 1410 (about 20 microns or less) to minimize the interaction between the LED and the cooling fluid flowing through the microchannel cooler 1401. Thermal resistance.

According to an embodiment, the LED array 1407 comprises three groups of 12 electrically spliced 80 mil x 80 mil LEDs available from Taiwan SemiLEDs. The three groups are electrically connected in parallel. Depending on the particular implementation, more or fewer parallel groups may be used, and each of the series LED groups may also include more or less than 12 series LEDs. The individual LEDs of LED array 1407 can be large wafer variants having about 2019 μm (80 mils) per side and 145 μm thick. In one embodiment, a UV luminescent thin film material (eg, GaN) can be deposited on a homogeneous GaN substrate available from Inlustra Technologies, Inc. of Santa Barbara, CA. on. This will achieve extreme current densities, for example, 3+ amps per square millimeter of LED wafer area with little or no current drop, current drop common in GaN thin film devices deposited on heterogeneous substrates (eg, sapphire, SiC) in. Other reasons for achieving extreme current densities are near-perfect lattice matching between GaN and GaN and high thermal conductivity of GaN. Such extreme current densities produce extreme heat fluxes that are best managed and/or improved by the use of microchannel coolers, as described in the context of various embodiments described herein.

According to an embodiment, the length to width of the LED array 1407 is preferably 1:36, but may range from 1:5 to 1:1,000.

Preferably, twelve series LEDs (ranging from 1 to 100) are shown on each of the base stations (e.g., base station 1406). The parallel LED groups can be sorted such that each group has approximately the same impedance to reduce unwanted current disturbance effects. Load balancing resistors are yet another means for accomplishing impedance matching (again reducing the chance of current disrupting the group), but pre-sorting may be more cost effective and cost effective. An off-the-shelf power supply from GE/Lineage, CP200, from Plano, Texas, is a preferred AC-DC power supply (also known as a rectifier) for powering the UV LED lamp of this embodiment. The power supply is currently available as a 2000 W or 2700 W unit with an efficiency of ~97%. The power supply also has a very tight form factor and has a very small output voltage swing that is rare. This large output voltage swing allows 3 groups of 12 LEDs to control from 100% full power variation of approximately 3 A/mm ² of LED current density to 0-75% by using only 0-5 V input. The level of full power. Therefore, there is no need for a cumbersome, expensive, and inefficient DC-DC converter, and it can rely on the full efficiency of a tight, long-life (2 M Hr. MTBF) power supply (rectifier) available from GE.

The base 1406 is now described with reference to Figures 15A-15D. Figure 15A is a top plan view of a submount 1406 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 15B is an isometric view of the base of Figure 15A showing the raised high current carrying electrodeposition characteristics of the top surface of the base 1406. Figure 15C is a side elevational view of the base 1406 of Figure 15A illustrating various layers of the base 1406 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 15D is an enlarged view of section D of Figure 15A illustrating the unique interlocking geometry configuration of bond pads 1511 and 1512 for two intermediate LEDs in a group of one series LED array. For accuracy and clarity, the solder barrier 1530 is shown, but it is the topmost layer and current flows thereunder. Although only a single base may be described below for the sake of brevity, it should be understood that a plurality of base stations (e.g., three) may be electrically connected in parallel in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

According to an embodiment, the base station 1406 has two main functions: (i) providing a means for electrically connecting one of the LEDs in a series group to the next LED in the series group and in each group The beginning and the end are electrically connected to the flex circuit 1403 (the flex circuit 1403 connections are shown in more detail in Figure 17F); and (ii) provide a spatially accurate geometric mounting for the LEDs for the LEDs Position and form it into a linear array of high aspect ratios.

The LEDs in the LED array 1407 are soldered to a gold layer of about 5 micro turns on the bond pad portion (e.g., bond pad portion 1511) of the submount 1406. Those skilled in the art will recognize that various other ways of securing the LED to the bond pad are possible. For example, a diffusion bonded epoxy can be used to secure the LED.

According to an embodiment, the solder used is deposited on the underside of the LED SnCu. Alternatively, a paste available from Indium Corp. of America can be used, which can be used to attach LEDs using a flux carrier (eg, WS-3622). In yet another embodiment, a solder preform can be used.

Returning to this example, there is a Ni diffusion barrier and a Ti adhesion layer under the thin gold under bond pad region 1511 (and as further described below with reference to Figure 15C). Finally, there is a copper current conducting layer that forms an interlocking L-shaped structure (eg, 1510 and 1520) thick (eg, 1 mil to 2 mils), one of the L-shaped structures having a thick "arm" portion (eg, , 1511 and 1521) extend completely under the soldered portion of the LED and extend around to form a circuit trace (eg, 1513 and 1523) and a line bond pad region (eg, 1512 and 1522), the circuit trace and The wire bond pad regions together represent the "pillars" of their respective L-shaped structures 1510 and 1520. In an embodiment, the base 1406 includes a plurality of alternating L-shaped structures that are oppositely oriented. The L-shaped patterned circuit material layer can be patterned on the submount in an interlocking configuration, wherein the interlocking L-shaped patterned circuit material layer of the plurality of L-shaped patterned circuit material layers The struts are located on opposite sides of the array and extend substantially parallel to each other.

Since the pillar portion 1512 of the L-shaped copper current conducting layer 1510 serves as a wire bonding region to form a reliable wire bond, it is desirable to have a thicker 125 micron gold. In addition, it is desirable to avoid solder spreading or flow to the bond pad regions (eg, 1511 and 1521). Thus, in one embodiment, a solder bank or solder barrier (e.g., solder barrier 1530) is implemented at the beginning of the elongated portion starting from the right angle edge of bond pad 1511 and extending about 2 mils toward the wire pad trace region. The solder bank is preferably TiW which is sputtered onto the wafer via a mask before the substrate is cut into individual wafers. This solder levee works because of TiW It is easily oxidized in the air and the solder will not flow on the oxidized surface.

Although the bond pads (eg, 1511), circuit traces (eg, 1513), and wire bond pad regions (eg, 1512) all share substantially the same monolithic conductive current carrying layer, the current carrying layer essentially has L" describes the same geometry, but the bond pad area can still be considered to be elongated because it extends beyond the area substantially below the LED. The elongated shape is orthogonal to the long axis of the LED array 1407 and an array of abutments whose edges are edge-arranged into an elongated pattern.

The circuit trace (e.g., 1513) is elongated along the long axis of the LED array 1407 because it not only traverses the gap between the leading edge and the starting edge of each LED in the array, but also crosses the last The distance between the edge and the starting edge, whereby it is longer than an LED edge. The elongated portion of the circuit trace is a thin "pillar" having a long "L" shape. The length of the individual circuit traces (e.g., circuit traces 1513) including the distance between the edges of the LEDs plus the length of one of the LED edges themselves preferably has an approximate ratio of 8:1, ranging from 4:1 to 16:1. Preferably, the thickness of the circuit trace (including all layers, whether adhesive, current carrying, or protective) is preferably 50 microns (2 mils thick), ranging from about 10 microns to 100 microns, and width. It is preferably at least 250 microns (10 mils) wide and ranges from 50 microns to 500 microns. In one embodiment, the cross section is about 5:1, but the range can be from 2:1 to 20:1.

Since embodiments of the present invention are directed to high current flux devices, materials of sufficient conductivity (e.g., copper) are typically used to carry current without excessive resistance loss. In a conventional series circuit arrangement, the current from one LED to the next is typically carried via a plurality of small conductors. The wire is conventionally bonded to the top surface of one LED and then bonded to the extended (or elongated) bond pad of the next LED, wherein the bond pad is in electrical communication with the bottom surface of the next die. As previously described, this type of conventional series circuit layout may occupy an undesirable amount of area along the length of the elongated array that does not emit photons (e.g., non-illuminated areas), thus, in one embodiment, Instead of using wires to carry current between the LEDs, a circuit trace parallel to the outer edge of the LED array 1407 (see, for example, 1801 of Figure 18C) is used.

According to an embodiment, the base 1406 is comprised of a substrate material (eg, beryllium oxide (BeO)). In an embodiment, this layer is kept as thin as possible in order to minimize thermal resistance while still maintaining manufacturability. In this example, the bottom surface of the BeO wafer can be composed of three layers: (i) a titanium adhesive layer 1506b, a nickel barrier 1504b for preventing absorption and diffusion of the gold cover 1502b, and a gold cover 1502b for providing bondability. surface. These layers allow solder to bond to the gold layer and bond to the microchannel cooler 1401.

The top surface of the wafer has another isolation barrier that is topped by a copper layer 1505. The copper layer 1505 operates in much the same way as a copper etch on a conventional printed circuit board to provide electrical traces and pads that form mountable components. In one embodiment, the thickness of the copper layer 1505 is selected to maximize thermal conductivity and minimize electrical resistance while maintaining reasonable manufacturing costs. The top surface of the copper layer 1505 is coated with a nickel barrier 1504a to prevent diffusion of the gold coating described above. In the area where the solder 1699 is applied and the SMT component (in this case, the anode pad of the LED), a thin gold cover 1502a can be applied. A thicker gold pad 1501 can be applied to the area where the wire bonds will be joined. In areas where solder is not desired, there is An insulating or solder stop layer 1503 composed of TiW. In one embodiment, the solder stop layer 1503 serves as a "solder bank." The solder stop layer 1503 also helps to ensure that the LEDs are still centered on the bond pads and do not float during the soldering process while maintaining electrical continuity with the other pads via the underlying copper layer 1505. In this manner, all of the top layers can be formed to create a plurality (eg, 12) of electrically isolated segments, one for each LED in the group.

In one embodiment, to maintain pad continuity between the bond pads and the circuit trace regions, the segments have a monolithic configuration. The structure may be fabricated by a photolithography process on a homogeneous substrate wafer, preferably BeO or a group selected from certain materials, preferably thermally and electrically insulating, for example, AlN, diamonds, tantalum, GaN and the like.

In the case of the present example, the first seed layer of metal may be sputtered by a conventional sputtering method through a mask having an interlocking "L" pattern, the "L" shape The pattern is found to repeat along the long axis of the base 1406. This pattern is built through an electroplating process. A metal having high conductivity (for example, copper) is preferred. The seed layer may have an adhesive layer that is first sputtered, such as titanium 1506. After plating the thick, preferably copper, layer, a diffusion layer 1504a, such as nickel, is deposited by sputtering or electroplating. Finally, the protective layer 1501 can be deposited by sputtering or electroplating. This protective layer is typically a sputtered precious metal such as silver or gold. These metal systems are commonly used because the wires are conventionally and easily joined to the protective layer 1501. This protective layer also prevents oxidation of the current carrying layer 1505. In one embodiment of the invention, a layer of solder bank (or solder barrier) (eg, solder barrier 1503) is provided. The solder bank separates the bond pad region 1511 from the circuit trace/wire bond region 1513 and prevents from The solder 1699 below the die (on top of the bond pad) migrates into or onto the area where the wire is bonded (wire bond pad area). The solder in this area can adversely affect wire bonding reliability. The solder bank (e.g., solder bank 1503) is preferably deposited by sputtering through a mask and is preferably a highly oxidizing material, such as TiW.

In the case of Figure 15D, two exemplary electrically isolated L-shaped structures are shaded 1510 and 1520. Each of the shaded L-shaped structures 1510 and 1520 represents an electrical connection arrangement of an arm (bond pad) in combination with the post. Solder bank (eg, solder bank 1530). This unique geometry allows the LEDs to be placed in an array with an absolute minimum between them. This density allows for excellent power output with minimal separation. The solder bank also allows for efficient removal of heat from the LEDs with minimal spacing.

As described above, the solder barrier 1530 between the bond pad region 1511 and the wire bond/circuit trace region 1513 prevents solder between the bond pad and the LED from spreading onto the wire bond region 1513 and contaminating the surface that may interface with the wire bond. . Solder bank 1530 is preferably deposited by sputtering a highly oxidizable metal or metal combination (e.g., TiW). The TiW will be susceptible to oxidation and thereby prevent any solder from spreading over it. Depending on the particular embodiment, the thickness of the TiW can be about a few angstroms or a few nanometers.

The flex circuit 1403 will now be described with reference to Figures 16A-16C. Figure 16A is a top plan view of the flex circuit 1403 of Figure 14B. 16B is an isometric exploded view of the flex circuit 1403 of FIG. 14B illustrating the vertical configuration of the flex circuit stack and its position and orientation relative to the microchannel cooler 1401, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 16C is a cross section of the flex circuit 1403 of FIG. 14B, which is said Know the layers of the stack once assembled.

In the present example, flex circuit 1403 is a multilayer flexible assembly comprised of two electrically isolating layers and associated polyimide barrier layers and an adhesive layer. An anode pad 1601 is present on the top edge of the flex circuit 1403 (as the cathode pad 1602). These pad regions provide separate wire mounting for a stable electrical contact region to a suitable copper conductive layer by, for example, removing all of the above layers of material from the stack in the desired region. Material can be removed from a series of three anode wire bond pads 1603 and regions above the cathode wire bond pads 1604 in the same manner. Such exposed copper regions may be coated with a nickel barrier and covered with gold to provide a bondable surface. In one embodiment, the flex circuit 1403 also provides a mounting area 1605 and a mat pair for ESD protection. In the configuration described, there are six such areas. Each zone has a cathode and anode pad and is located on the upper conductive layer. The other layer is connected to a pad that is isolated from the remainder of the layer by a capture plated through hole.

According to the present example, the center of the flex circuit 1403 is comprised of an electrically insulating polyimide core 1615 made of a dielectric material (e.g., Dupont available from Wilmington, DE). Made of Kapton). In one embodiment, a copper layer is additionally grown on the bottom of the core and a cathode conductor layer 1614 is formed. The same process can be applied to the top of the core and this layer forms an anode conductor layer 1616. The thickness of the copper can vary, but should be as thick as possible to maximize current carrying capacity while still maintaining a proper bend radius to accommodate the geometric constraints of the cap module as a whole. Ideally, all other layers should be maintained at a minimum manufacturable thickness so as not to further reduce the flexibility of the flex circuit 1403.

In the case of this example, an adhesive layer 1617 is placed on top of the surface of the anode layer 1616. The purpose is to allow the polyamine protective cover layer 1618 to be on the top surface of the flex stack. As shown in Figure 16A, the two layers are removed in the area where it is desired to be close to the anode conductor. The same process is applied to the exposed surface of the cathode conductor layer having the adhesive layer 1613 and the cover layer 1612.

An adhesive layer 1610 having substantially the dimensions of the microchannel cooler 1401 can be used to bond the microchannel cooler 1401 to the flex circuit 1403 during the final lamination process.

Referring to Figure 16C, note that if the giant reflector is set too high above the emission layer of the LED, the output efficiency will be compromised because the photons will impinge on the bottom surface of the reflector without entering the giant reflector inlet aperture. The effective capture of the photons emitted by the reflector by the LED is referred to as capture efficiency. Photons impinging on the bottom side of the reflector will be wasted and it will only warm the reflector without acting on the workpiece. On the other hand, if the giant reflector is set too close to the emitting surface of the LED, it is possible that it can touch the wire and cause short circuit, ESD or lifetime problems. Thus, in one embodiment, the spacer layer 1611 is used to position the substrate of the reflector at a desired distance from the emitting surface of the LED array 1407. According to an embodiment, the inlet aperture of the reflector pair is located within 0 to 25 microns (range 0 to 250 microns) above or below the light emitting surface of LED array 1407. Note that in this example, the spacer layer 1611 does not extend as far as the other layers, so as not to unnecessarily add thickness to the curved regions, and adding thickness will make the flex circuit 1403 more difficult to bend around the edges of the lamp body.

Although in the present example, flex circuit 1403 is shown wrapped around one side of lamp body 1404, in an alternate embodiment, one of the anode layer and the cathode layer Or both may be wound around both sides, and the anode and cathode layers may be continuous between the two sides or have electrical discontinuities between the two sides.

Referring to Figures 17A through 17F, the novel features of LED array 1407 will now be described. 17A is an isometric view of an LED array assembled to a flex circuit and a microchannel cooler, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 17B is a top plan view of the LED array of Figure 17A. Figure 17C is an enlarged view of section A of Figure 17A showing the wire bond connections for the series LED groups of the LED array of Figure 17B. Figure 17D is another enlarged view of section AA of Figure 17B showing the first LED of the series of LEDs in series.

In the case of this example, each LED or package is constructed with an anode pad 1701 on the underside of the LED or package for SMT soldering and placement. Cathode pads 1702 (shown in Figure 17E) are located on the top surface toward the common edge of the LED. Preferably, the cathode pad 1702 is designed for the ball to be secured by the wire to be secured. In particular, the wire-bonded abutment or wedge end that is attached when the wire is terminated on the surface of the LED will require excessive downward pressure and damage the LED epitaxial layer. The anode support 1799 of line 1709 is affixed to the struts of the formed anode trace (where the trace forms a line bond pad). These two pads provide an electrical connection to the LEDs. The alternate orientation of the LEDs is illustrated by Figure 17B. This alternate orientation promotes the formation of a high density array because it allows for a series configuration where the resistance between the LEDs is minimal, as opposed to prior art configurations.

Figure 17C is an enlarged view of section A of Figure 17A showing the wire bond connection for the beginning of one base and the next base, the next base being electrically connected in parallel with the first base. An ESD guard is also shown, in this case an SMT Zener diode.

17D is another enlarged view of section AA of FIG. 17B showing the first LED of a series of LEDs and the wire bonding of the anode to the flex circuit (eg, wire bond 1708), wherein the ball is sourced from the base The stage is connected to the anode pad 1603 of the flex circuit 1403.

Figure 17E is another enlarged view of section AB of Figure 17B showing the intermediate LED of a series LED group and the wire bond 1709 of the LED cathode pad 1702 to the base. In one embodiment, there are four such cathode pads 1702 and wire bonds per LED.

Figure 17F is another enlarged view of section AC of Figure 17B showing the last LED of a series of LEDs in series. Wire bonding of an exemplary LED cathode pad to a flexing cathode pad (eg, wire bond 1710) is shown. In one embodiment, the wire bonds are the longest wire bonds in the system. It is important to minimize its length to prevent excessive voltage drops. Multiple wires can be considered to a single pad, as well as rectangular or other geometric shapes and such as copper, silver. Materials for gold and its like. The starting LEDs and their respective engagement with the next LED base are also shown.

According to an embodiment, the base module 1400 has three base arrays. By sharing the anode layer and the cathode layer provided by the flex circuit 1403, a plurality of bases can be connected in parallel. In the case of this example, this produces a final electrical assembly of three parallel arrays (ranging from 2 to 20) of 12 (range 2 to 200) series LEDs.

All wire bonds can consist of a single wire or multiple wires. These lines can be installed in a straight line (as shown) or in a stacked configuration. The diameter of the wire can be varied as needed to achieve the current capacity required for a particular application. Larger diameters may require larger wire loops; therefore, in applications with severe mechanical constraints It may be desirable to use multiple smaller diameter joints.

Figure 18A conceptually illustrates a power path for a series of LED groups in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 18B is an enlarged view of the first four LEDs of the series LED group of Figure 18A. Figure 18C is a cross section of the series LED group of Figure 18A taken along section line A. In Fig. 18A, three of the plurality of L-shaped structures described with reference to Fig. 15D are shaded. Figure 18D is the same as Figure 18A, but with the shadow of an exemplary L-shaped structure removed.

According to the present example, the current is serially routed from one of the anode layers of the flex circuit 1403 via wire bonding to a wire bond pad of the base 1406 that is connected to the anode pad of the first LED, the anode pad being at the LED On the lower side. Figure 18C shows a cross section of the first of the series of LEDs. The current path is bonded through the wire, through the LED to the base, where most of the electrical energy is converted into light energy. Waste heat energy is also produced as a by-product. The colder the LED p-n junction, the more effective its light emission. The cooling subsystem 1470 is intended to cool the LED array 1407 while operating at substantial current levels and still maintain the junction temperature low enough to give reasonably efficient operation of the LED array 1407. Power then travels from the cathode of the LED via wire bond 1709 to a "L" post and bond pad below the base. This pattern continues until the end of the series LED group is reached.

Figure 18A shows how the above process repeats in a zigzag pattern before reaching the last of the series of LEDs. When the last LED is reached, the wire bonding of type 1710 is used instead of the wire bonding of type 1709 to bring the last LED. The cathode pad is connected to the cathode layer 1604 of the flex circuit 1403 as illustrated in the context of Figures 17A-17F. Important department to pay attention to Thus, although this example uses twelve series LEDs, a longer or shorter series of groups can be used for visual applications. Similarly, the LED array 1407 can be composed of a single base or a plurality of bases and is limited only by the current carrying capacity of the flex circuit 1403 and the heat of the microchannel cooler being transferred away from the LED array 1407 and maintained. The ability to accept the junction temperature.

19 illustrates an illuminance pattern from an exemplary 80 mm long reflector that produces an illuminated area of approximately 25 mm width focused at 65 mm below the reflector window 1910, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The plane 1930a-i of the display illuminance pattern 1920a-i is increased from 5 mm below the reflector to 65 mm below the reflector in increments of 5 mm. The closer the illuminance pattern at different depths is to the narrower the reflector, however, since the focal length of this reflector design is relatively far (65 mm), the illuminance pattern width will not be significant from the lower part to the upper part of the light field. change. Therefore, this means that the beam width remains relatively constant within an increased "field depth" at this focal length, and this effect increases as the focal plane distance increases. According to an embodiment, the distance from the exit aperture to the surface of the workpiece during operation is from about 0.01 to 0.1 (range 0.01 to 10) times the length of the reflector (ie, the distance from the inlet aperture to the exit aperture).

The core of an embodiment of the invention is a high density LED array (e.g., LED array 1407) that results in the smallest possible radiation area with the highest possible illumination ("brightness"). This high-density radiation source allows for precise optical control in a minimum possible size reflector system due to the extremely low thermal resistance substrate design that effectively mitigates high thermal densities (eg, microchannel cooler 1401) ) is possible. The high density radiation source also allows A reflector with high capture efficiency is achieved. In other words, a high percentage of the radiant energy emitted from the source can be captured and controlled by the reflector. Due to the increased optical control of this level, one desired illumination pattern is referred to as a "top hat" pattern. The "top hat" illuminance pattern is a uniform pattern of higher illuminance values over a distance with steep edges on either side as the irradiance decreases toward a lower or negligible value. This is compared to a typical Gaussian or smooth tapered pattern in which the illumination decreases more smoothly from the center peak. Such illuminance patterns can be advantageous for practical industrial applications, such as UV curing. In this particular example, the high density radiation area has been configured as a line source of high aspect ratio such that the top hat distribution is formed perpendicular to the length of the reflector. Other aspects of the illuminance pattern (eg, large working distance, large depth of field pattern, increased uniformity, and reduced utilization of underutilized light) are desirable, and are more efficient with high-density radiation sources. This is achieved due to the improved optical control provided by the high density radiation source.

Embodiments of the present invention produce a cap variability curve by shaping a giant reflector profile into a shape that approximates or represents in a linear groove on each reflector half (e.g., 1901a and 1901b) Multiple (eg, 5, 6, 7, ..., 10) elliptical profiles. According to one embodiment, the giant reflector profile is optimally designed using Photopia, a non-imaging ray tracing kit software available from LTI Optics, Westminster, Colorado, USA. One or more mathematical equations can be used to define such contours if desired.

Each ellipse manipulates or controls the photons impinging on it and causes it to be on one side Deflection (reflection) to finally "push" more photons from the center of the pattern on the workpiece to the edge of the pattern on the workpiece. This can facilitate photocuring of the polymer for a number of reasons. Illumination patterns at large working distances allow for longer periods of time between output window cleaning and less likely to cause window damage. The increase in uniformity also allows for better use of photons to achieve the goal of not over-illuminating (wasting) or under-irradiation (under-curing) of any part of the workpiece. An illuminance pattern having a greater depth of field is beneficial when curing a 3D object that needs to be cured on a surface at a distance from the output window. A real-world example of such a 3D object is ink curing on a beer can or soda can.

Figure 20 is a diagram showing various illumination metrics at the center of the workpiece surface for a gap distance of 5 mm, 25 mm, and 50 mm (i.e., the distance between the window of the giant reflector and the surface of the workpiece) in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. A graph of the cross section of the curve. The x-axis represents the distance from the center of the beam in millimeters. The y-axis represents the illuminance in watts per square centimeter (W/cm ² ).

As can be seen with reference to this example, high density LED arrays allow for a wide variety of beam illumination patterns that can be projected onto a workpiece, including: high center peaks, flat top hats, and asymmetrical top hats. This example illustrates a high-illumination beam 2010 at a 5 mm gap, a top hat beam at 25 mm (2020) and at 50 mm (2030), and an asymmetrical top hat beam at 25 mm The quantitative curve of 2040. Advantageously, the asymmetrical amount curve can be used in photocuring where oxygen inhibition causes non-stick curing problems. The entire power portion of the asymmetric beam pre-cures the top surface of the non-sticky workpiece polymer and also inhibits more oxygen from the atmosphere from diffusing into the uncured polymer on the workpiece. This graph shows an asymmetrical amount curve with higher intensity on the right hand side, which It is best to run from the right side of the diagram to the conveyor on the left. The conveyor can be operated in either direction. There may also be a dip in the asymmetry, or an asymmetrical amount curve may have a higher intensity on the left hand side. Note that the plurality of lamps may also be sequentially arranged along the length of the conveyor or orthogonal to the length of the conveyor. Each of the lamp head modules can produce different or identical beam volume curves (eg, high center peaks, flat top hats, and asymmetrical top hats).

The integration of the area under the curve of the quantitative curve gives the approximate degree of energy in the beam. In a row of continuous reflectors, the 25 mm wide variable curve 2020 has the same total energy as the 50 mm wide variable curve 2030, but the 50 mm wide beam 2030 has a peak intensity of about 25 mm wide beam 2020. Half of the peak intensity.

The high peak illuminance, near Gaussian beam variability curve can be beneficial for curing applications requiring a large amount of energy into the moving conveyor on a short period of time, while the top cap variability curve can facilitate energy input for a longer period of time. Their applications, such as those limited by reaction kinetics.

Many photochemical reactions have a surface cure inhibition related aspect that requires photons to be injected into the material for a period of time sufficient to allow the reaction to occur. If a photon arrives too quickly, it may not be utilized because the chemical reaction required to obtain proper curing occurs over a longer period of time than the photon's arrival period. Thus, it may be advantageous to spread the beam over a relatively wide area such that the cured material spends a relatively long time under the beam without having to slow the conveyor moving the material under the UV illumination device. In addition, the top hat distribution provides the minimum amount of curing energy required without excessively illuminating other portions of the material, thus wasting energy. Achieve more efficiently with high-density LED arrays The top hat distribution is due to the small cross section of the linear (high aspect ratio) radiation area, thus providing better optical control. Note that in the case of high density LED arrays (eg, LED array 1407), the top cap variation curve is extremely uniform and does not exhibit the shower head effect of a pixelated or lower density LED array.

While the embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it is understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments. Numerous modifications, changes, variations, substitutions and equivalents will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

100‧‧‧LED array

152‧‧‧Substrate

154‧‧‧Microreflector

156‧‧‧Lighting diode

158‧‧‧ lead

201‧‧‧ reflector

202‧‧‧Shell

203‧‧‧Inlet cooling tube

204‧‧‧Export cooling tube

205‧‧‧main cathode line

207a-b‧‧‧ end cap

304a-b‧‧‧cathode bus bar

305‧‧‧Light body

306‧‧‧Light body

310a‧‧‧LED driver PCB

310b‧‧‧LED driver PCB

311‧‧‧Inductors

312‧‧‧FET

313a‧‧‧Cathode bus bar

313b‧‧‧cathode bus bar

314‧‧‧Separator washer

315a-b‧‧‧Anode busbar body

316‧‧‧Main exit lamp body cooling fluid passage

317‧‧‧Common anode substrate layer

318‧‧‧LED array package

320a-d‧‧‧cathode claw

321a-d‧‧‧cathode claw

330‧‧‧LED array

340‧‧‧ window

341‧‧‧Window frame

350‧‧‧Optical reflector layer

351‧‧‧ Import

352‧‧‧ middle part

353‧‧‧Export pores

360‧‧‧Main inlet lamp body cooling fluid passage

361‧‧‧Main exit lamp body cooling fluid passage

375‧‧‧Cathode cross board

410‧‧‧Microchannel cooler

411‧‧‧Main entrance microchannel

420a-c‧‧‧O-ring

430a‧‧‧Main export microchannel cooler cooling fluid channel

430b‧‧‧Main inlet microchannel cooler cooling fluid channel

510‧‧‧Flex circuit

511‧‧‧Adhesive layer

512‧‧‧Dielectric separator layer

513‧‧‧ cathode layer

514‧‧‧ dielectric spacer

520‧‧‧Foil

525‧‧‧ Cover layer

530‧‧‧solid cover

531‧‧‧Lighting diode

532‧‧‧ gap

533‧‧‧ gap

534‧‧‧Cathode wire bonding pads

540‧‧‧heat spreader layer

610‧‧‧Electrical isolation trace

611a-d‧‧‧

705‧‧ ‧ sales

710‧‧‧ screws

715‧‧‧ screws

716‧‧‧Support

810a-b‧‧‧Super reflector

811‧‧‧Edge ray

820a‧‧‧ reflector

821a-b‧‧‧Edge ray

830‧‧2 mm focal plane/work plane

840‧‧‧53 mm focal plane/work plane

850a‧‧‧Lighting diode

850b‧‧‧Lighting diode

870‧‧‧LED plane

910‧‧‧Super reflector

920‧‧ ‧ focus

930‧‧‧Focus beam

931‧‧‧ center line

940‧‧2 mm focal plane

1400‧‧‧UV LED lamp head module

1401‧‧‧Microchannel cooler

1402‧‧‧Zina diode

1403‧‧‧Flex circuit

1404‧‧‧Light body

1405‧‧‧O-ring

1406‧‧‧Abutment

1407‧‧‧LED array

1410‧‧‧Thin solder preforms

1412‧‧‧Anode electrode

1413‧‧‧Cathode electrode

1415‧‧‧ Cover

1416‧‧‧clip

1417‧‧‧ reflector end cap

1418‧‧‧ reflector

1419‧‧‧Power cable

1420‧‧‧Input pipe/power cable

1421‧‧‧Optical window

1422‧‧‧Window frame

1423‧‧‧ Magnet or screw

1424‧‧‧Magnetic window frame

1426‧‧‧Hardware

1427‧‧‧ screws

1428‧‧ ‧ sales

1431‧‧‧Hardware

1432‧‧‧Inlet pipe clamp

1434‧‧‧ recess

1435‧‧‧ edge

1436‧‧‧ recess

1440‧‧‧Slim opening

1450‧‧‧Flex circuit subsystem

1460‧‧‧ reflector subsystem

1461‧‧‧Main exit lamp body cooling fluid passage

1462‧‧‧Main exit lamp body cooling fluid passage

1470‧‧‧ Cooling subsystem

1501‧‧‧ thicker gold pad

1502a‧‧‧ gold cover

1502b‧‧‧ gold cover

1503‧‧‧Insulation or solder stop layer

1504a‧‧‧ Nickel Barrier

1504b‧‧‧ Nickel Barrier

1505‧‧‧Bronze/current carrying layer

1506b‧‧‧Titanium adhesive layer

1510‧‧‧Interlocked L-shaped structure

1511‧‧‧"arm" part/join pad

1512‧‧‧ wire bond pad area

1513‧‧‧Circuit trace

1520‧‧‧ interlocking L-shaped structure

1521‧‧‧"arm" part/join pad

1522‧‧‧ wire bond pad area

1523‧‧‧Circuit trace

1530‧‧‧ solder barrier

1601‧‧‧Anode pad

1602‧‧‧ cathode mat

1603‧‧‧Anode wire bonding pad

1604‧‧‧Cathode wire bonding pads

1605‧‧‧Installation area

1610‧‧‧Adhesive layer

1611‧‧‧ spacer layer

1612‧‧‧ Coverage

1613‧‧‧Adhesive layer

1614‧‧‧Cathode conductor layer

1615‧‧‧Electrically insulated polyamine core

1616‧‧‧Anode conductor layer

1617‧‧‧Adhesive layer

1618‧‧‧ Polyamide protective cover

1699‧‧‧ solder

1701‧‧‧Anode pad

1702‧‧‧ cathode pad

1708‧‧‧ wire bonding

1709‧‧‧ wire bonding

1710‧‧‧ wire bonding

1799‧‧‧Anode support

1801‧‧‧Outer edge

1901a‧‧‧ reflector half

1901b‧‧‧ reflector half

1910‧‧‧ reflector window

1920a-i‧‧‧ illuminance pattern

1930a-i‧‧‧ plane

1A is a top plan view of a portion of a prior art LED array.

FIG. 1B is a view of the LED array of FIG. 1A taken along section line 1B-1B.

2A is an isometric view of a UV LED lamp head module in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

2B is a front elevational view of the UV LED lamp head module of FIG. 2A.

2C is a side view of the UV LED lamp head module of FIG. 2A.

3A is a top level isometric view of the UV LED lamp head module of FIG. 2A.

3B is a front cross-sectional view of the highest level of the UV LED lamp head module of FIG. 2A.

4A is an enlarged isometric cross-sectional view of the bottom portion of the reflector of one of the UV LED lamp head modules of FIG. 2A and the top portion of a body.

4B is an enlarged front elevational view of the bottom portion of the reflector of one of the UV LED lamp head modules of FIG. 2A and the top portion of a body.

5A is another enlarged isometric cross-sectional view illustrating the interface of an LED array and its common anode substrate layer with one of the UV LED lamp head modules of FIG. 2A.

5B is another enlarged front cross-sectional view illustrating the interface of an LED array and its common anode substrate layer with one of the UV LED lamp head modules of FIG. 2A.

6 is an exploded, isometric, isometric view of the top portion of the body of the UV LED lamp head module of FIG. 2A and illustrating the various layers of the UV LED lamp head module of FIG. 2A.

Figure 7 is an enlarged isometric view of the reflector of the UV LED lamp head module of Figure 2A with the end cap removed.

Figure 8A conceptually illustrates two giant reflectors having substantially the same height for different working distances in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 8B is an enlarged view of Figure 8A illustrating edge rays of a 2 mm giant reflector in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

9 shows a giant reflector optimized for a 2 mm focal plane, wherein each side of the reflector has a focus offset relative to a centerline of a beam focused on the workpiece, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 10 is a graph illustrating estimated convective thermal resistance for various channel widths.

Figure 11 is a graph illustrating the output power of various junction temperatures.

12 is a graph illustrating an illumination metric curve of a UV LED lamp head having a reflector optimized for a focal plane of 2 mm, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 13 is a graph showing the illumination metric curve of a UV LED lamp head having a reflector optimized for a focal plane of 53 mm, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Graph.

14A is an isometric view of a UV LED lamp head module in accordance with an alternate embodiment of the present invention.

14B is a side elevation, exploded view of the UV LED lamp head module of FIG. 14A.

14C is a rear, exploded isometric view of the UV LED lamp head module of FIG. 14A.

14D is an exploded view of a flex circuit subsystem and a cooling subsystem in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 15A is a top plan view of a submount in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 15B is an isometric view of the base of Figure 15A.

Figure 15C is a cross section of the base of Figure 15A.

Figure 15D is an enlarged view of section D of Figure 15A.

Figure 16A is a top plan view of the flex circuit of Figure 14B.

Figure 16B is an isometric exploded view of the flex circuit of Figure 14B.

16C is an enlarged front cross-sectional view illustrating an LED array and its interface with a submount and respective flex circuit layers, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

17A is an isometric view of an LED array assembled to a flex circuit and a microchannel cooler, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 17B is a top plan view of the LED array of Figure 17A.

Figure 17C is an enlarged view of section A of Figure 17A showing the wire bond connections for the electrical series LED groups of the LED array of Figure 17B.

Figure 17D is another enlarged view of section AA of Figure 17B showing the first of the electrically series LED groups.

Figure 17E is another enlarged view of section AB of Figure 17B. Figure 17F is another enlarged view of the section AC of Figure 17B.

Figure 18A conceptually illustrates the power path of an electrical series LED group in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 18B is an enlarged view of the first four LEDs of the electrical series LED group of Figure 18A.

Figure 18C is a cross section of the electrical series LED group of Figure 18A taken along section line A.

Figure 18D conceptually illustrates the power path of an electrical series LED group in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 19 illustrates an illumination pattern from an 80 mm long reflector that produces an illuminated area of approximately 25 mm width focused at 65 mm below the reflector opening, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

20 is a graph illustrating cross-sections of various illumination metric curves on a workpiece surface for 5 mm, 25 mm, and 50 mm gap distances, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

201‧‧‧ reflector

202‧‧‧Shell

304a-b‧‧‧cathode bus bar

305‧‧‧Light body

306‧‧‧Light body

310a-b‧‧‧LED driver PCB

311‧‧‧Inductors

312‧‧‧FET

315a-b‧‧‧Anode busbar body

317‧‧‧Common anode substrate layer

320a‧‧‧cathode claw

321a‧‧‧cathode claw

330‧‧‧LED array

340‧‧‧ window

341‧‧‧Window frame

Claims (29)

A lamp head module comprising: an array of light emitting devices having a high aspect ratio, wherein one of the arrays has a length greater than a width of the array, wherein the light emitting devices are closely spaced to produce a high fill factor and include a plurality of groups of electrically connected light-emitting devices, wherein the plurality of groups are electrically connected in parallel; a monolithically configured abutment comprising a plurality of L-shaped patterned circuit material layers, wherein the plurality of L Each of the patterned circuit material layers includes an arm portion and a pillar portion, wherein the arm portion functions as a light emitting device bonding pad, and the pillar portion functions as a wire bonding pad and a circuit trace; wherein the electrical series illumination Each of the plurality of electrically connected light-emitting device groups of the plurality of groups of devices is fixed to a respective one of the bases; and wherein the plurality of post portions are substantially located by the length of the array And extending beyond the one of the width definitions, substantially parallel to the length of the array, and collectively performing for the adjacent illumination package in the group of electrically connected light-emitting devices a primary current carrying function of the current between the two; and a multilayer flex circuit comprising an anode layer and a cathode layer, the multilayer flex circuit having a rectangular aperture formed therein, the base and the array being located in the aperture The anode layer of the multilayer flex circuit is electrically coupled to a light emitting device bonding pad associated with the first one of the electrical series light emitting devices; The cathode layer of the multilayer flex circuit is electrically coupled to a circuit trace associated with the last one of the group of electrically connected light emitting devices. The lamp cap module of claim 1, wherein the plurality of L-shaped patterned circuit material layers are patterned on the submount in an interlocking configuration, wherein the plurality of L-shaped patterned circuits are in the interlocking configuration The struts of adjacent layers of L-shaped patterned circuit material in the layer of material are located on opposite sides of the array and extend substantially parallel to each other. The lamp cap module of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of arm portions has a solder barrier, the solder barrier preventing from inadvertently fixing one of the electrically connected light-emitting device groups to the illuminating device bonding pad The solder is spread over the wire bond pads and the circuit traces. The lamp cap module of claim 1, further comprising a microchannel cooler having a heat dissipating top surface, wherein the submount is fixed to the heat dissipating top surface by a polymer adhesive or a metal solder. The lamp cap module of claim 1, wherein the high fill factor is greater than 70%, such as by dividing a total area defined by the length of the array and the width by a light emitting surface area of the array and multiplying by 100 And measured. The light head module of claim 5, wherein the light emitting surface area has a light output power density greater than one watt per square millimeter. The lamp base module of claim 1, further comprising a second base in a single piece configuration, wherein one of the plurality of groups of the electrical series light-emitting devices is powered by the second base Electrically connected in series, and wherein the base is electrically connected in parallel with the second base. The light head module of claim 1, wherein at least one of the light emitting devices is a light emitting device that emits ultraviolet light. The light head module of claim 1, wherein at least one of the light emitting devices emits in a region other than the ultraviolet spectrum. The cap module of claim 1, wherein two or more of the illuminating devices emit at different wavelengths. A lamp head module comprising: an array of light emitting devices, the array having a high aspect ratio, wherein one of the arrays has a length greater than a width of the array; and a multilayer flex circuit comprising an anode layer and a cathode layer The multilayer flex circuit has a rectangular aperture formed therein, the array and a submount serving as both a bond pad and a circuit trace for the illumination devices being located within the aperture; wherein the multilayer flex circuit The anode layer is electrically coupled to a light emitting device bonding pad associated with a first one of the group of electrically series light emitting devices in the array; and wherein the cathode layer of the multilayer flex circuit is electrically coupled to a circuit trace associated with the last illumination device in the group of electrically connected light-emitting devices; and a pair of optical giant reflectors for directing photons emitted by the array, the pair of optical giant reflectors being configured A beam pattern having a cap variation curve is produced on a surface of one of the workpieces. The lamp cap module of claim 11, wherein the pair of optical giant reflectors form an inlet aperture and an outlet aperture, wherein the inlet aperture is located in the array In the vicinity of one of the illuminating surfaces, wherein the exit aperture is located at a distal end of one of the pair of optical giant reflectors, and wherein the inlet aperture has a region that is as large as 101% of one of the regions of the illuminating surface. The lamp cap module of claim 11, wherein the pair of optical giant reflectors form an inlet aperture and an outlet aperture, wherein the inlet aperture is located adjacent one of the illumination surfaces of the array, wherein the exit aperture is located in the pair of optical giant reflectors At a distal end, and wherein the inlet aperture has a region that is as large as 110% of one of the regions of the illumination surface. The lamp cap module of claim 11, wherein the inlet aperture is above the illumination surface and is between 0 microns and 25 microns from the illumination surface. The lamp cap module of claim 11, wherein a distance from the exit aperture to the surface of the workpiece is about 0.01 to 3 times a distance between the inlet aperture and the outlet aperture. The lamp head module of claim 11, wherein the inner surface of each of the pair of optical giant reflectors has different shaped segments to form a different elliptical profile. The lamp cap module of claim 11, wherein the top cap variable curve is asymmetrical. The lamp head module of claim 11, wherein the lighting device is electrically coupled in a series/parallel configuration. The lamp head module of claim 11, wherein the illumination devices are closely spaced to produce a fill factor greater than 70%, such as by dividing the total area defined by the length of the array and the width by the array One of the illuminated surface areas is multiplied by 100 and measured. The light head module of claim 11, wherein at least one of the light emitting devices is a light emitting device that emits ultraviolet light. A lamp head module comprising: a power source having an anode output connection and a cathode output connection; an array of light emitting devices, the array having a light emitting surface, the array having high brightness and a high aspect ratio; a base, The base station is configured to electrically couple the plurality of light emitting devices in the array electrically, the base station includes a plurality of light emitting device bond pad regions and a plurality of wire bonding regions; a lamp body; a flex circuit; The flex circuit is mounted to the lamp body, the flex circuit having a high aspect ratio in terms of its length and height, the flex circuit having a positioning aperture formed therein, the base being mounted in the positioning aperture, and the flexing The curved circuit comprises an electrically conductive patterned layer of opposite polarity, the patterned layer comprising an anode layer and a cathode layer; wherein a first end of the flex circuit exposes a first portion of the anode layer to form a power source One of the anode output connections is electrically connected and exposing a first portion of the cathode layer to form an electrical connection with one of the cathode output connections of the power source; wherein the flex circuit is one of the second ends Exposing a second portion of the anode layer, the second portion electrically coupled to the light emitting device in the plurality of light emitting device bond pad regions and associated with a first one of the plurality of light emitting devices a device bonding pad region; and wherein the second end of the flex circuit exposes one of the cathode layers And the second portion is electrically coupled to a cathode portion of the plurality of wire bonding regions that is associated with a last one of the plurality of light emitting devices. The lamp head module of claim 21, wherein the high aspect ratio is between about 100:1 and 200:1. The lamp head module of claim 22, wherein the high aspect ratio is about 150:1. The lamp cap module of claim 21, wherein the flex circuit is wound around the lamp body such that the first end of the flex circuit is substantially perpendicular to a plane perpendicular to a plane of the light emitting surface of the array And wherein the second end of the flex circuit is substantially parallel to a plane of the light emitting surface of the array. The base module of claim 21, further comprising a microchannel cooler assembly having a top surface, the base and the second end of the flex circuit being coupled to the top surface. The base module of claim 21, further comprising a pair of optical giant reflectors secured to the flex circuit for directing photons emitted by the array. The light head module of claim 21, wherein at least one of the light emitting devices is a light emitting device that emits ultraviolet light. A lamp head module comprising: an array of light emitting devices having a high aspect ratio, wherein one of the arrays has a length greater than a width of the array, wherein the light emitting devices are closely spaced to produce a high fill factor and include a plurality of groups of electrically connected series light-emitting devices, wherein the plurality of groups are electrically connected in parallel; A multilayer flex circuit comprising an anode layer and a cathode layer, the multilayer flex circuit having a rectangular aperture formed therein, serving as the array for both the bond pads and a circuit trace of the illumination devices And a submount is located in the aperture; wherein the anode layer of the multilayer flex circuit is electrically coupled to a light emitting device bonding pad associated with a first one of the group of electrically series light emitting devices in the array And wherein the cathode layer of the multilayer flex circuit is electrically coupled to a circuit trace associated with a last one of the group of electrically connected light emitting devices; and a lamp body having an inlet coolant flow a passage and an outlet coolant flow passage, wherein the inlet coolant flow passage and the outlet coolant flow passage are separated by a spacer having a thickness substantially similar to the width of the array. The lamp cap module of claim 28, wherein the thickness is within about 10% of the width of the array.