LIGHT EMITTING DIODE (LED) COMPONENTS INCLUDING CONTACT EXPANSION FRAME AND METHODS OF FABRICATING SAME

• US 20160005939A1
• Filed: 07/07/2014
• Published: 01/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CREE Led Incorporated (Smart Global Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: CREE Incorporated (Wolfspeed, Inc.)
• Inventors: Andrews, Peter S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,660,161 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16225 the item being non-metallic, e.g. insulating substrate with or without metallisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/32014 the layer connector being smaller than the bonding area, e.g. bond pad
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/32225 the item being non-metallic, e.g. insulating substrate with or without metallisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48227 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/73265 Layer and wire connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/97 the devices being connected to a common substrate, e.g. interposer, said common substrate being separable into individual assemblies after connecting
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/0753 the devices being arranged next to each other
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• 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 33/505 characterised by the shape, e.g. plate or foil
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/54 having a particular shape
• 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

Abstract

A Light Emitting Diode (LED) component includes an LED die and a contact expansion frame having an expanded anode contact and/or an expanded cathode contact. A patterned solder mask is provided on the contact expansion frame that exposes a portion of the outer face of the expanded anode contact and/or a portion of the outer face of the expanded cathode contact. A solder layer is provided on the portion of the outer face of the expanded anode contact and on the portion of the outer face of the expanded cathode contact. Multiple die components and related fabrication methods are also described.

Claims

1. A Light Emitting Diode (LED) component comprising:

an LED die that comprises first and second opposing faces and an anode contact and/or a cathode contact on the first face thereof, the anode and cathode contacts including outer faces remote from the LED die;

a contact expansion frame that comprises an expanded anode contact that is electrically connected to the anode contact remote from the LED die and/or an expanded cathode contact that is electrically connected to the cathode contact remote from the LED die, the expanded anode contact extending along the outer face of the anode contact and beyond the anode contact, the expanded cathode contact extending along the outer face of the cathode contact and beyond the cathode contact, the expanded anode and cathode contacts including outer faces remote from the anode and cathode contacts;

a patterned solder mask on the contact expansion frame remote from the anode and cathode contacts, that exposes a portion of the outer face of the expanded anode contact and/or a portion of the outer face of the expanded cathode contact; and

a solder layer on the portion of the outer face of the expanded anode contact and/or on the portion of the outer face of the expanded cathode contact.

2. An LED component according to claim 1 wherein the patterned solder mask comprises reflective material.

3. An LED component according to claim 1 wherein the contact expansion frame further comprises a first tab that extends away from the expanded anode contact and/or a second tab that extends away from the expanded cathode contact, the respective first and second tabs forming respective unitary conductive structures with the respective expanded anode contact and expanded cathode contact.

5. An LED component according to claim 1 wherein the solder layer is a first solder layer, the LED component further comprising a second solder layer that electrically connects the expanded anode contact to the anode contact remote from the LED die and that electrically connects the expanded cathode contact to the cathode contact remote from the LED die.

6. An LED component according to claim 1 further comprising:

a layer comprising luminophoric material on the second face of the LED die and extending onto sidewalls of the LED die and onto inner faces of the expanded anode and cathode contacts that are opposite the outer faces thereof.

7. An LED component according to claim 1 further comprising:

an optically transparent structure on the layer comprising luminophoric material, remote from the LED die.

8. An LED component according to claim 1 on a board along with other electronic components, wherein the LED component is free of a submount between the LED die and the board.

9. An LED component according to claim 2 wherein the reflective material comprises white paint.

11. An LED component according to claim 1 further comprising a first wire bond that electrically connects the anode contact to the expanded anode contact and/or a second wire bond that electrically connects the cathode contact to the expanded cathode contact.

12. An LED component according to claim 1 further comprising an encapsulation layer on the LED die and on the contact expansion frame that does not extend on the outer face of the expanded anode contact or on the other face of the expanded cathode contact.

13. An LED component according to claim 1 wherein the anode contact and the cathode contact are on the first face of the LED die.

14. An LED component according to claim 1 wherein only one of the anode contact or the cathode contact is on the first face of the LED die.

4. (canceled)

10. (canceled)

15. A Light Emitting Diode (LED) component comprising:

a first LED die that comprises first and second opposing faces and a first anode contact and a first cathode contact on the first face thereof, the first anode and cathode contacts including outer faces remote from the first LED die;

a second LED die that comprises first and second opposing faces and a second anode contact and a second cathode contact on the first face thereof, the second anode and cathode contacts including outer faces remote from the second LED die;

a contact expansion frame that comprises a first expanded anode contact that is electrically connected to the first anode contact remote from the first LED die and a first expanded cathode contact that is electrically connected to the first cathode contact remote from the first LED die, the first expanded anode contact extending along the outer face of the first anode contact and beyond the first anode contact, the first expanded cathode contact extending along the outer face of the first cathode contact and beyond the first cathode contact, the first expanded anode and cathode contacts including outer faces remote from the first anode and cathode contacts;

the contact expansion frame further comprising a second expanded anode contact that is electrically connected to the second anode contact remote from the second LED die and an expanded second cathode contact that is electrically connected to the second cathode contact remote from the second LED die, the second expanded anode contact extending along the outer face of the second anode contact and beyond the second anode contact, the second expanded cathode contact extending along the outer face of the second cathode contact and beyond the second cathode contact, the second expanded anode and cathode contacts including outer faces remote from the second anode and cathode contacts;

the contact expansion frame further comprising a linking portion that electrically connects the first expanded cathode contact to the second expanded anode contact or to the second expanded cathode contact, the linking portion forming a unitary conductive structure with the first expanded cathode contact and the second expanded anode contact or the second expanded cathode contact that are connected by the linking portion;

a patterned solder mask on the contact expansion frame remote from the anode and cathode contacts, that exposes a portion of the outer faces of the first and/or second expanded anode contacts and a portion of the outer faces of the first and/or second expanded cathode contacts; and

a solder layer on the portion of the outer faces of the first and/or second expanded anode contacts and/or on the portion of the outer faces of the first and/or second expanded cathode contacts.

16. An LED component according to claim 15 wherein the linking portion electrically connects the first expanded cathode contact to the second expanded anode contact so as to connect the first and second LED dies in series.

17. An LED component according to claim 15 wherein the linking portion electrically connects the first expanded anode contact to the second expanded anode contact and electrically connects the first expanded cathode contact to the second expanded cathode contact so as to connect the first and second LED dies in parallel.

18. An LED component according to claim 15 wherein the patterned solder mask comprises reflective material.

19. An LED component according to claim 15 wherein the contact expansion frame further comprises a first tab that extends away from the first expanded anode contact and a second tab that extends away from the second expanded cathode or anode contacts, the respective first and second tabs forming respective unitary conductive structures with the respective first expanded anode contact and second expanded cathode or anode contacts.

21. An LED component according to claim 15 wherein the solder layer is a first solder layer, the LED component further comprising a second solder layer that electrically connects a respective expanded anode contact to a respective anode contact remote from a respective LED die and that electrically connects a respective expanded cathode contact to a respective cathode contact remote from the respective LED die.

22. An LED component according to claim 15 further comprising:

a layer comprising luminophoric material on the second face of the first and second LED dies and extending onto sidewalls of the first and second LED dies and onto inner faces of the first and second expanded anode and cathode contacts that are opposite the inner faces thereof.

23. An LED component according to claim 15 further comprising:

an optically transparent structure on the layer comprising luminophoric material, remote from the first and/or second LED dies.

24. An LED component according to claim 15 on a board along with other electronic components, wherein the LED component is free of a submount between the first and second LED dies and the board.

25. An LED component according to claim 18 wherein the reflective material comprises white paint.

20. (canceled)

26. (canceled)

27. A method of fabricating a plurality of Light Emitting Diode (LED) components, the method comprising:

electrically connecting a plurality of discrete LED dies that comprise first and second opposing faces and an anode contact and a cathode contact on the first face thereof, the anode and cathode contacts including outer faces remote from the LED dies, to an expansion frame that comprises an array of pairs of closely spaced apart expanded anode contacts and expanded cathode contacts and a linking portion that selectively electrically connects the expanded anode and/or cathode contacts of adjacent pairs to one another such that a respective anode contact of a respective LED die faces and is electrically connected to a respective expanded anode contact of a respective closely spaced apart pair, a respective cathode contact of a respective LED die faces and is electrically connected to a respective expanded cathode contact of the respective closely spaced apart pair, a respective expanded anode contact extends along the outer face of the respective anode contact and beyond the respective anode contact and a respective expanded cathode contact extends along the outer face of the respective cathode contact and beyond the respective cathode contact, the respective expanded anode and cathode contacts including outer faces remote from the respective anode and cathode contacts;

forming a patterned solder mask on the expansion frame remote from the anode and cathode contacts, that exposes a portion of the respective outer faces of the respective expanded anode contacts and a portion of the respective outer faces of the respective expanded cathode contacts;

forming a solder layer on the portions of the outer face of the expanded anode contacts and on the portions of the outer face of the expanded cathode contacts; and

severing at least some of the linking portions to singulate the plurality of LED components.

28-35. -35. (canceled)

36. A Light Emitting Diode (LED) component comprising:

an LED die that comprises first and second opposing faces and an anode contact and/or a cathode contact on the first face thereof, the anode and cathode contacts including outer faces remote from the LED die;

a contact expansion frame that comprises an expanded anode contact that is electrically connected to the anode contact remote from the LED die and/or an expanded cathode contact that is electrically connected to the cathode contact remote from the LED die, the expanded anode contact extending along the outer face of the anode contact and beyond the anode contact, the expanded cathode contact extending along the outer face of the cathode contact and beyond the cathode contact, the expanded anode and cathode contacts including outer faces remote from the anode and cathode contacts; and

an encapsulation layer on the LED die and on the contact expansion frame that does not extend on the outer face of the expanded anode contact or on the other face of the expanded cathode contact.

37. An LED component according to claim 36 further comprising:

a solder layer on the outer face of the expanded anode contact and/or on the outer face of the expanded cathode contact.

38. An LED component according to claim 36 wherein the contact expansion frame further comprises a first tab that extends away from the expanded anode contact and/or a second tab that extends away from the expanded cathode contact, the respective first and second tabs forming respective unitary conductive structures with the respective expanded anode contact and expanded cathode contact.

39. An LED component according to claim 37 wherein the solder layer is a first solder layer, the LED component further comprising a second solder layer that electrically connects the expanded anode contact to the anode contact remote from the LED die and that electrically connects the expanded cathode contact to the cathode contact remote from the LED die.

40. An LED component according to claim 36 on a board along with other electronic components, wherein the LED component is free of a submount between the LED die and the board.

41. An LED component according to claim 36 further comprising a first wire bond that electrically connects the anode contact to the expanded anode contact and/or a second wire bond that electrically connects the cathode contact to the expanded cathode contact.

42. An LED component according to claim 37 wherein only one of the anode contact or the cathode contact is on the first face of the LED die.