AC/DC LIGHT EMITTING DIODES WITH INTEGRATED PROTECTION MECHANISM

• US 20080083929A1
• Filed: 03/07/2007
• Published: 04/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AC Led Lighting, LLC
• Original Assignee: III-N Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Li, Jing, Jiang, Hongxing, Lin, Jingyu, Fan, Zhaoyang
• Granted Patent: US 7,714,348 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/79
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48247 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48257 connecting the wire to a die pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/15 including semiconductor components having potential barriers, specially adapted for light emission
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/156 two-dimensional arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/62 Arrangements for conducting electric current to or from the semiconductor body, e.g. lead-frames, wire-bonds or solder balls
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/00 Circuit arrangements for operating light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/395 Linear regulators
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/40 Details of LED load circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/42 Antiparallel configurations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/30 Semiconductor lamps, e.g. solid state lamps [SSL] light emitting diodes [LED] or organic LED [OLED]

Abstract

A highly reliable, high voltage AC/DC LED device with integrated protection mechanism is disclosed. The protection element can be a current-limiting resistor, monolithically integrated on LED chip, or a discrete resistor assembled in the lamp package or submount. The protection elements may also include other parts integrated on a submount.

Claims

1. An illumination device including:

one or more LED devices integrated on a chip; and

an integrated protection element in connection with said one or more LED devices, said element protecting against at least one of voltage and current overages.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said element is a resistor.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein said chip comprises a semiconductor material and said element is also comprised of said semiconductor material on said chip.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein said semiconductor material includes an n-type semiconductor material.

5. The device of claim 3 wherein said semiconductor material includes a p-type semiconductor material.

6. The device of claim 3 wherein said semiconductor material includes an undoped semiconductor material.

7. The device of claim 3 wherein said semiconductor material comprises two or more of (i) an n-type semiconductor material, (ii) a p-type semiconductor material, and (iii) an undoped semiconductor material.

8. The device of claim 3 wherein said semiconductor material includes one of:

(i) III-Nitride materials GaN, InN, AlN, and their alloys AlGaN, InGaN, AlInN and AlGaInN;

(iii) III-V materials GaAs, InP, AlGaAs, AlGaInP;

(iv) ZnO, SiC;

(v) organic semiconductors;

(vi) organic electroluminescent materials; and

(vii) polymer electroluminescent materials.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein an extension formed of a semiconductor material layer in an individual LED of said one or more LED devices is adapted to function as said integrated protection device.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein said integrated protection element is comprised of separately deposited materials on said chip.

11. The device of claim 10 wherein said integrated protection element comprises at least one of tantalum nitride and nichrome.

12. The device of claim 1 wherein said one or more LEDs comprise a plurality of LED devices which are connected in series one to the other.

13. The device of claim 12 wherein said integrated protection element is one of a plurality of protection elements, each of said plurality of said protection elements being electrically interposed between two of said plurality of LED devices, and the total resistance offered by said plurality of said protection elements protects said plurality of LEDs from excessive amperages.

14. The device of claim 1 wherein said chip is flip-mounted onto a submount

15. The device of claim 14 wherein said integrated protection element and said one or more LED devices are connected using conductive devices which are included on said submount.

16. The device of claim 14 wherein said protection element is one of a resistor, a positive temperature coefficient (“

PTC”

) thermistor, a varistor, and a capacitor.

17. The device of claim 14 wherein said protection element is an integrated circuit chip which is one of constructed and mounted on the submount.

18. The device of claim 14 wherein said protection element is deposed on said submount.

19. The device of claim 1, wherein said chip and said element are adapted to be includable in a common package.

20. The device of claim 1 wherein said chip has a size of less than about 0.5 mm by 0.5 mm and is, along with said protection element, able to be incorporated into a standard package for indicator-lamp purposes.

21. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is adapted to be operable using one of a 100VAC, a 120VAC, and a 220VAC power source.

22. An illumination device including:

an LED array including one or more electrically connected LED devices and included in a package; and

a package-integrated protection element, said protection element being electrically connected with said one or more LED devices, said element protecting against one of voltage and current overages.

23. The device of claim 22 wherein said protection element is a bare resistor chip electrically interposed between said one or more serially-connected LED devices and an electrode by conductive elements.

24. The device of claim 22 wherein said protection element is a thin-film resistor deposed on said electrode and said conductive element is a wire bonding pad on a top surface of said thin-film resistor.

25. A method of making an LED device, said device being adapted for an alternating source of voltage, said method comprising:

fabricating one or more LED arrays by including one or more LED devices on a chip;

establishing two current paths on said chip to accommodate said alternating source of voltage;

integrating a protective element into said device;

electrically connecting said protective element with said one or more LED devices; and

creating a resistance in said element such that said element is sufficient to protect against at least one of voltage and current overages.

26. The method of claim 25 comprising:

causing said device to have a package portion; and

accomplishing said integrating step by incorporating said element inside said package.

27. The method of claim 25 comprising:

accomplishing said integrating step by monolithically incorporating said element on said chip.

28. The method of claim 27 comprising:

creating an additional portion of said semiconductor material in the electrical flow path on said chip to create said protection element.

29. The method of claim 28 comprising:

forming said additional portion according to specifications generated by multiplying a resistivity for said semiconductor material by a cross sectional area of said additional portion and then dividing by a length of said additional portion.