Method of and cassette structure for burn-in and life testing of multiple LEDs and the like

• US 6,597,195 B1
• Filed: 07/28/2000
• Issued: 07/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Labsphere, Inc. (Halma PLC)
• Original Assignee: Labsphere, Inc. (Halma PLC)
• Inventors: Durell, Christopher N., Beaudry, David N., Kulacz, James F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuneo, Kamand
• Assistant Examiner(s): KOBERT, RUSSELL MARC
• Application Number:
  US09/628,093
• Time in Patent Office: 1,089 Days
• Field of Search: 324/767, 324/556, 324/142, 324/67, 324/750, 324/752, 356/41, 250/205, 250/239
• US Class Current: 324/750.05
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/08 Arrangements of light sources specially adapted for photometry standard sources, also using luminescent or radioactive material
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2001/4252 for testing LED's

Abstract

A novel cassette structure technique for enabling simultaneous burn-in of pluralities of LEDs plugged into the cassettes, and then, with the cassettes mounted within a light integrating sphere system, separately measuring the spectral flux emitted by each successive individual LED plugged into the cassette to determine optical and electrical characteristics of each LED separately from the others.

Claims

1. A method of holding multiple LEDs for burn-in and optical and electrical life testing measurements, that comprises, providing a cassette with contacts rated for multiple insertions and adapted to receive a plurality of LEDs with leads thereof plugged therein;

inserting said cassette holding the plurality of LEDs into a fixture board and electrically energizing the LEDs within the cassette to light all the LEDs simultaneously for burn-in;

following said burn-in, thereupon inserting the cassette holding the plurality of LEDs within a light-integrating sphere system and successively lighting each LED individually while conducting optical and electrical life-testing related measurements thereof within the sphere system, and wherein the forward voltage and leakage current is measured for each LED individually at each stage f the testing sequence.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the cassette is sufficiently large to permit the marking thereon of identification numbers, with the use of the cassette eliminating the need repeatedly to plug LED leads in and out for burn-in and life-testing measurements.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the optical testing measurements include separately measuring the spectral flux emitted by each individual LED.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein, from such spectral radiant flux emission, one or more of the total radiant flux, the total photopic flux, the spectrum, and chromaticity is determined.

5. A cassette structure for holding multiple LEDs for burn-in and optical and electrical life testing measurements, having, in combination, a longitudinally extending cassette provided with a row of electrical contacts adapted to receive the leads of successive LEDs plugged therein;

means for powering the cassette to light all the LEDs in the cassette simultaneously for burn-in;

means for subsequently mounting the cassette within a light integrating sphere system and for separately powering successive LED'"'"'s individually therein to enable the light integrating sphere system separately to measure the spectral flux emitted by each individually illuminated LED for determining one or more of radiant and photopic flux, spectrum and chromaticity, and wherein means is provided for enabling measuring forward voltage and leakage current for each LED individually at each stage of the testing sequence.

6. The cassette structure of claim 5 wherein multi similar cassettes are parallely mounted on a burn-in rack board to which power is supplied by interface connections to all the cassettes to enable simultaneous burn-in lighting of all the cassette-mounted LEDs.

7. The cassette structure of claim 6 wherein each row of cassette contacts is adapted to receive of the order of 20 sets of LED leads.

8. The cassette structure of claim 5 wherein multi similar cassettes are mounted in the integrating sphere, in turn connected to a power switching module for enabling the successive individual lighting of successive LED'"'"'s for individual testing thereof.