Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H01L25/00—Assemblies consisting of a plurality of semiconductor or other solid state devices
  • H01L25/03—Assemblies consisting of a plurality of semiconductor or other solid state devices all the devices being of a type provided for in a single subclass of subclasses H10B, H10D, H10F, H10H, H10K or H10N, e.g. assemblies of rectifier diodes
  • H01L25/04—Assemblies consisting of a plurality of semiconductor or other solid state devices all the devices being of a type provided for in a single subclass of subclasses H10B, H10D, H10F, H10H, H10K or H10N, e.g. assemblies of rectifier diodes the devices not having separate containers
  • H01L25/075—Assemblies consisting of a plurality of semiconductor or other solid state devices all the devices being of a type provided for in a single subclass of subclasses H10B, H10D, H10F, H10H, H10K or H10N, e.g. assemblies of rectifier diodes the devices not having separate containers the devices being of a type provided for in group H10H20/00
  • H01L25/0753—Assemblies consisting of a plurality of semiconductor or other solid state devices all the devices being of a type provided for in a single subclass of subclasses H10B, H10D, H10F, H10H, H10K or H10N, e.g. assemblies of rectifier diodes the devices not having separate containers the devices being of a type provided for in group H10H20/00 the devices being arranged next to each other
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B27/00—Optical systems or apparatus not provided for by any of the groups G02B1/00 - G02B26/00, G02B30/00
  • G02B27/10—Beam splitting or combining systems
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B19/00—Condensers, e.g. light collectors or similar non-imaging optics
  • G02B19/0004—Condensers, e.g. light collectors or similar non-imaging optics characterised by the optical means employed
  • G02B19/0028—Condensers, e.g. light collectors or similar non-imaging optics characterised by the optical means employed refractive and reflective surfaces, e.g. non-imaging catadioptric systems
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B19/00—Condensers, e.g. light collectors or similar non-imaging optics
  • G02B19/0033—Condensers, e.g. light collectors or similar non-imaging optics characterised by the use
  • G02B19/0047—Condensers, e.g. light collectors or similar non-imaging optics characterised by the use for use with a light source
  • G02B19/0061—Condensers, e.g. light collectors or similar non-imaging optics characterised by the use for use with a light source the light source comprising a LED
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B27/00—Optical systems or apparatus not provided for by any of the groups G02B1/00 - G02B26/00, G02B30/00
  • G02B27/10—Beam splitting or combining systems
  • G02B27/106—Beam splitting or combining systems for splitting or combining a plurality of identical beams or images, e.g. image replication
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H01L25/00—Assemblies consisting of a plurality of semiconductor or other solid state devices
  • H01L25/03—Assemblies consisting of a plurality of semiconductor or other solid state devices all the devices being of a type provided for in a single subclass of subclasses H10B, H10D, H10F, H10H, H10K or H10N, e.g. assemblies of rectifier diodes
  • H01L25/04—Assemblies consisting of a plurality of semiconductor or other solid state devices all the devices being of a type provided for in a single subclass of subclasses H10B, H10D, H10F, H10H, H10K or H10N, e.g. assemblies of rectifier diodes the devices not having separate containers
  • H01L25/075—Assemblies consisting of a plurality of semiconductor or other solid state devices all the devices being of a type provided for in a single subclass of subclasses H10B, H10D, H10F, H10H, H10K or H10N, e.g. assemblies of rectifier diodes the devices not having separate containers the devices being of a type provided for in group H10H20/00
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F21—LIGHTING
  • F21K—NON-ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES USING LUMINESCENCE; LIGHT SOURCES USING ELECTROCHEMILUMINESCENCE; LIGHT SOURCES USING CHARGES OF COMBUSTIBLE MATERIAL; LIGHT SOURCES USING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES AS LIGHT-GENERATING ELEMENTS; LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F21K9/00—Light sources using semiconductor devices as light-generating elements, e.g. using light-emitting diodes [LED] or lasers
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H01L2924/00—Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
  • H01L2924/0001—Technical content checked by a classifier
  • H01L2924/0002—Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H10H—INORGANIC LIGHT-EMITTING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES HAVING POTENTIAL BARRIERS
  • H10H20/00—Individual inorganic light-emitting semiconductor devices having potential barriers, e.g. light-emitting diodes [LED]
  • H10H20/80—Constructional details
  • H10H20/85—Packages
  • H10H20/855—Optical field-shaping means, e.g. lenses
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H10H—INORGANIC LIGHT-EMITTING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES HAVING POTENTIAL BARRIERS
  • H10H20/00—Individual inorganic light-emitting semiconductor devices having potential barriers, e.g. light-emitting diodes [LED]
  • H10H20/80—Constructional details
  • H10H20/85—Packages
  • H10H20/855—Optical field-shaping means, e.g. lenses
  • H10H20/856—Reflecting means
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10S362/00—Illumination
  • Y10S362/80—Light emitting diode

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a light emitting diode (LED) device comprising a plurality of LED chips.
• LED light emitting diode
• LED chips are increasingly being used for illumination and lighting purposes.
• LED devices comprising arrays of LED chips are used, for example as disclosed in the document US6325524.
• US6325524 as well as in many other known multi LED chip devices, several LED chips are positioned besides each other on a substrate. The light from the LED chips is then collected by an optical system covering the LED chips.
• due to the wide extension of the optical system covering all the LED chips there is a low amount of light per unit of surface area, resulting in low brightness.
• an LED device comprising a plurality of LED chips placed on a substrate, and a plurality of light guiding elements each having an entrance window and an exit window, wherein the elements are arranged for allowing light from at least one LED chip to be transferred from the entrance window to the exit window, and wherein the elements are further arranged so that the exit windows form several inner side surfaces of a cavity, which cavity further has an exit aperture for allowing extraction of light from the device.
• the invention is based on the understanding that by guiding light from a plurality of LED chips to a common cavity, the luminance of the exit aperture of the cavity can be higher than the luminance of a single LED chip. This without the size of the exit aperture significantly exceeding the size of one of the LED chips. Thus, a high brightness LED device can be achieved.
• At least one additional LED chip is placed on the substrate for emitting light at the bottom surface of the cavity opposite the exit aperture.
• the at least one additional LED chip can for example be positioned at the bottom surface of the cavity, in case the cavity is reasonably in level with the substrate.
• the at least one additional LED chip can be provided with an additional light guiding element for transferring light from the additional LED chip(s), from an entrance window to an exit window of the additional light guiding element, wherein the bottom surface of the cavity is essentially formed by the exit window.
• the additional light-guiding element is useful for example in case the cavity is not in level with the substrate.
• the cavity has four inner side surfaces, each inner side surface with one exit window transferring light from one LED chip.
• a fifth LED chip is placed at the bottom surface of the cavity.
• the size of the bottom surface and the size of the exit aperture preferably correspond to the area of the bottom LED chip. In such a case, for a loss less system, the brightness could be five times larger than for a single LED chip, with maintained light emitting area.
• each light guiding element is a triangular prism having a first, second and third side face, wherein the first and second side faces are arranged at an essentially right angle. That is, the area of the base of the prism is a right-angled triangle.
• the entrance window can be formed on at least a portion of one of the right-angled side faces, and the exit window can formed on at least a portion of the other right-angled side face.
• the size of the entrance and exit windows corresponds to the size of the LED chip. In a case where the entrance window and exit window cover essentially the entire right-angled side faces, respectively, the LED chips can be positioned closed together on the substrate, which allows a compact LED device.
• the LED chips can be positioned further away from each other on the substrate, which facilitates manufacturing.
• the side face accommodating the exit window and the third side face are arranged at an angle of about 45°.
• the side face accommodating the exit window and the third side face could alternatively be arranged at an acute angle. This improves the total internal reflection inside the prism.
• the light guiding elements further comprises a rectangular parallelepiped extending the triangular prism at one of the right-angled side faces of the prism, wherein the entrance window is formed on at least a portion of the other right-angled side face, and the exit window is formed on at least a portion of the face of the rectangular parallelepiped opposite the face towards the prism.
• the triangular prism and the rectangular parallelepiped can be formed in one piece, i.e. they are created and formed integrally in one and the same piece or bit of material, as opposed to two separate parts joined together.
• the LED device can further comprise phosphor for converting the wavelength of at least part of the light or radiation from the LED chips.
• the cavity can for example be provided internally with a phosphor coating. That is, the exit windows of the light guiding elements and the additional LED chip placed at the bottom of the cavity can be provided with a phosphor coating.
• the entire cavity can be filled with a phosphor material.
• the phosphor in combination with blue or UV LED chips, allows an LED device emitting for example white light.
• a filter is interposed between each LED chip and light guiding element, or between each light guiding element and the phosphor, which filter is adapted to transmit unconverted light from the LED chips and reflect converted light.
• the filters offer the advantage of preventing light losses and they direct all converted light forward towards the cavity. This results in efficient light extraction and increased brightness.
• Another filter can be placed on top of the phosphor, which filter is adapted to reflect unconverted light. Thus, any unconverted light from the LED chips is reflected back for conversion or mixing. This also results in efficient light extraction and increased brightness.
• the cavity of the LED device can further be filled with a clear resin, such as silicone resin, to enhance the out coupling efficiency of the device.
• a clear resin such as silicone resin
• the LED device can further comprise an optical element, such as a collimator, an out coupling lens or a compound parabolic concentrator (CPC), arranged to receive any light emitted from the exit aperture.
• an optical element such as a collimator, an out coupling lens or a compound parabolic concentrator (CPC), arranged to receive any light emitted from the exit aperture.
• the collimator offers the advantage that the emission angle can be reduced to any desired value, while the out coupling lens and CFC can enhance the out coupling of light from the device.
• the optical element is in optical contact with the clear resin.
• Fig. Ia is a schematic cross-sectional side view of an LED device according to an embodiment of the invention
• Fig. Ib is a schematic perspective view of the LED device of Fig. Ia;
• Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a variant of the LED device of Figs. Ia-Ib;
• Figs. 3a-3b are schematic cross-sectional side views of other variants of the LED device of Figs. Ia-Ib.
• Fig. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of another variant of the LED device of Figs. Ia-Ib;
• Fig. 5a is a schematic cross-sectional side view of an LED device according to another embodiment of the invention.
• Fig. 5b is a schematic perspective view of the LED device of Fig. 5a
• Fig. 6a is a schematic cross-sectional side view of an LED device according to yet another embodiment of the invention.
• Fig. 6b is a schematic perspective view of the LED device of fig 6a; and Fig. 7 is a schematic perspective view of an LED device having a rectangular shaped cavity.
• Figs. Ia and Ib show an LED device 10 according to an embodiment of the invention.
• the LED device 10 comprises five LED chips 12 placed on a flat substrate 14 in a cross formation.
• the LED chips 12 are positioned adjacent or almost adjacent to each other on the substrate 14.
• Each LED chip 12, except for the centrally positioned LED chip 12a, is provided with a light guiding triangular prism 16.
• Each prism 16 has a first 18a, second 18b and third 18c side face. The first 18a and the second 18b side faces are arranged at an essentially right angle. The first side face 18a faces the LED chip 12, while the second side face 18b forms an inner side surface 20 of a cavity 22. Further, an entrance window 24 is formed on the first side face 18a, and an exit window 26 is formed on the second side face 18b. All faces of the prisms 16, except for the entrance and exit windows 24 and 26, are covered with a reflective coating (not shown), for allowing transfer of light from the entrance window 24 to the exit window 26.
• the reflective coating on the prisms is preferably in non- optical contact with the prism to preserve the loss less total internal reflections.
• each of the four exit windows 22 forms one of the four inner side surfaces 20 of the cavity 22.
• the size of the entrance and exit windows 24 and 26 corresponds to the size of the square LED chips 12, resulting in a cubic cavity 22.
• the cavity 22 further has a bottom surface 28, where the central LED chip 12a is positioned, and an exit aperture 30 opposite the bottom surface 28.
• the LED device 10 Upon operation of the LED device 10, light from the LED chips 12 provided with prisms 16 is coupled into the respective prism 16 through the entrance window 24. The light is then guided through the prism 16 to the exit window 26, and into the cavity 22. At the same time, light from the LED chip 12a at the bottom surface is emitted into the cavity 22. The light can finally exit the cavity 22 through the exit aperture 30.
• the exit aperture's size corresponds to the size of a single LED chip, it emits light originating from five LED chips, resulting in a high-brightness LED device.
• the LED chips 12 are adapted to emit blue light or UV radiation.
• the exit windows 26 forming the inner surfaces of the cavity 22, as well as the bottom LED chip 12a can be provided with a phosphor coating 32.
• the phosphor coating converts part of the blue light emitted from the LED chips 12 to for example yellow light, which yellow light together with unconverted blue light can generate white light.
• the cavity 22 can be completely filled with a phosphor material 34, as illustrated in Fig. 2. In such a case, more of the blue light will be absorbed by the phosphor, thereby generating more yellow light.
• a filter which transmits blue light or UV radiation and reflects converted light can optionally be placed between each LED chip and prism or between the prisms and the phosphor or phosphor coating, as well as between the LED chip 12a and the phosphor or phosphor coating. In this way, converted light can be forwarded towards the cavity.
• the filter can for example be a dichroic mirror.
• blue or UV reflecting filters can be positioned on top of the phosphor coatings or on top of the phosphor material at the exit aperture, in order to reflect back any unconverted light and give it another chance to be converted or mixed. The above-mentioned filters contribute to improve the brightness of the LED device.
• the cavity 22 of the LED device can be filled with a clear resin 46, such as silicone resin, as illustrated in Figs. 3a-3b.
• a clear resin 46 such as silicone resin
• the clear resin is in optical contact (at the exit aperture) with an out coupling lens 48, and in Fig. 3b with a CPC 50, to further enhance the out coupling.
• FIG. 4 Another variant of the LED device in Figs. Ia-Ib is illustrated on Fig. 4.
• Fig. 4 there is an acute angle between the second side face 18b accommodating the exit window 26 and the third side face 18c, compared to the about 45° angle in Figs. Ia-Ib.
• the sharper angle improves the amount of total internal reflection inside the prisms 16.
• FIG. 5a- 5b An LED device 10 according to another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Figs. 5a- 5b.
• each triangular prism 16 is extended, at the side face 18b, by a rectangular parallelepiped 36, forming a single light guiding structure.
• the entrance window 24 is formed on the side face 18a of the prism portion
• the exit window 26 is formed on the face 38a of the rectangular parallelepiped portion opposite the face 38b towards the prism.
• Each prism 16 and rectangular parallelepiped 36 is preferably formed in one piece.
• the LED chips 12 can be positioned further apart compared to the LED device of Figs. 1-4, which facilitates manufacturing.
• FIG. 6a-6b An LED device 10 according yet another embodiment is illustrated in Figs. 6a- 6b.
• the LED device comprises triangular prisms 16 as in for example Fig. 1, however the entrance window 24 is formed on only a portion of the first side face 18a, and the exit window 26 is formed on only a portion the second side face 18b.
• the central LED chip 12a preferably is provided with an additional light guiding element 40 having an entrance window 42 and an exit window 44, wherein the exit window 44 forms the bottom surface of the cavity.
• the prisms 16 and the additional light guiding element 40 are formed in one piece, which facilitates manufacturing of the LED device.
• a rectangular shaped cavity with several LED chips arranged at the bottom surface, several LED chips 12 and prisms 16 arranged along the long side of the cavity, and a single LED chip 12 and prism 16 arranged at each short side of the cavity.
• a single elongated prism 16 can support several of the LED chips 12 placed at one of the long sides of the cavity.

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• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Optics & Photonics (AREA)
• Power Engineering (AREA)
• Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
• Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
• Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
• Led Device Packages (AREA)
• Planar Illumination Modules (AREA)
• Light Guides In General And Applications Therefor (AREA)

Priority Applications (6)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

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Cited By (2)

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• 2006
  • 2006-09-15 ES ES06821092T patent/ES2379984T3/es active Active
  • 2006-09-15 JP JP2008532919A patent/JP5096346B2/ja active Active
  • 2006-09-15 US US12/088,434 patent/US7806577B2/en active Active
  • 2006-09-15 KR KR1020087010024A patent/KR101315083B1/ko active Active
  • 2006-09-15 CN CNB2006800360316A patent/CN100565872C/zh active Active
  • 2006-09-15 AT AT06821092T patent/ATE545153T1/de active
  • 2006-09-15 WO PCT/IB2006/053318 patent/WO2007036829A2/en not_active Ceased
  • 2006-09-15 EP EP06821092A patent/EP1932178B1/en active Active
  • 2006-09-25 TW TW095135303A patent/TW200717882A/zh unknown

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