Light emitting devices with improved light extraction efficiency

• US 8,049,234 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2007
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lumileds LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Philips Lumileds Lighting Company LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Trottier, Troy A., Hofler, Gloria E., Uebbing, John J., Lowery, Christopher H., Snyder, Wayne L., Pocius, Douglas W., Krames, Michael R., Mueller-Mach, Regina B., Mueller, Gerd O., Steranka, Frank M., Camras, Michael D., Taber, Robert C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Tan N
• Application Number:
  US11/868,903
• Publication Number:
  US 20080023719A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,485 Days
• Field of Search: 257/98, 257/99, 257/100, 257/102, 257/103, 257/E33
• US Class Current: 257/98
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/20 with a particular shape, e.g. curved or truncated substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/32 containing nitrogen
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/405 Reflective materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/502 Wavelength conversion materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/58 Optical field-shaping elements
• 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

Light emitting devices with improved light extraction efficiency are provided. The light emitting devices have a stack of layers including semiconductor layers comprising an active region. The stack is bonded to a transparent optical element.

Claims

1. A structure comprising:

a light emitting device die comprising an active region disposed between a semiconductor layer of n-type conductivity and a semiconductor layer of p-type conductivity;

an optical element comprising a transparent material and a luminescent material bonded to the light emitting device die; and

a bonding material disposed between the light emitting device die and the optical element;

wherein the bonding material directly bonds, and does not encapsulate, the optical element to a single surface of the light emitting device die.

2. The structure of claim 1, wherein the optical element including a recess in a bottom surface of the optical element;

and

the light emitting device die is disposed within the recess.

3. The structure of claim 2 wherein a refractive index of the optical element for light emitted by the active region is greater than 1.5.

4. The structure of claim 1 wherein the light emitting device die comprises a transparent substrate.

5. The structure of claim 1 further comprising n- and p-type contacts electrically connected to the semiconductor layer of n-type conductivity and a semiconductor layer of p-type conductivity, wherein both the n- and p-type contacts are formed on a bottom surface of the light emitting device die.

6. The structure of claim 1 wherein:

the light emitting device die is bonded to a surface of a recess in the optical element.

7. The structure of claim 1 wherein the optical element comprises a lens.

8. The structure of claim 1 wherein the optical element is formed from a material having a thermal expansion coefficient approximately matching a thermal expansion coefficient of the light emitting device die.

9. The structure of claim 8 wherein a refractive index of the optical element for light emitted by the active region is greater than 1.5.

10. The structure of claim 1 wherein the luminescent material is disposed in the bonding material.

11. The structure of claim 1 wherein a refractive index of the optical element for light emitted by the active region is greater than 1.5.

12. The structure of claim 1, wherein the optical element comprises zinc.

13. The structure of claim 1, wherein at least one of the optical element and the bonding material comprises chalcogenide glass.

14. The structure of claim 13 wherein at least one of the optical element and the bonding material comprises (Ge,Sb,Ga)(S,Se) chalcogenide glass.

15. The structure of claim 13 wherein at least one of the optical element and the bonding material comprise one of a metal fluoride and a metal oxide.

16. The structure of claim 1, including a contact element on a bottom surface of the light emitting device die, the contact element providing electrical contact to the active region of the light emitting device die.

17. The structure of claim 1, wherein the luminescent element comprises yttrium aluminum garnet.

18. A structure comprising:

a light emitting device die comprising an active region disposed between a semiconductor layer of n-type conductivity and a semiconductor layer of p-type conductivity;

a luminescent element bonded to the light emitting device die;

a bonding material disposed between a single surface of the light emitting device die and the luminescent element; and

an optical element coupled to the luminescent element so that the luminescent element is between the optical element and the bonding material, wherein the optical element is one of a lens and an optical concentrator, and wherein the bonding material directly bonds, and does not encapsulate, the luminescent element to the light emitting device die.

19. The structure of claim 18 wherein the bonding material comprises an inorganic material.

20. The structure of claim 18 wherein the bonding material comprises a metal oxide.

21. The structure of claim 20, wherein the metal oxide is at least one of tungsten oxide, titanium oxide, nickel oxide, titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, indium tin oxide, and chromium oxide.

22. The structure of claim 18, further comprising a coating of wavelength converting material on the optical element.

23. The structure of claim 18, wherein the optical element includes wavelength converting material.

24. structure of claim 18, wherein the optical element comprises yttrium aluminum garnet.

25. The structure of claim 18, wherein the light emitting device die comprises a stack of semiconductor layers, at least one of which is the active region that emits lights, and a first contact and a second contact electrically coupled to apply a voltage across the active region;

the first contact and the second contact disposed on a same side of the stack.

26. The structure of claim 18, wherein at least one of the luminescent element and the bonding material comprises chalcogenide glass.

27. The structure of claim 18, wherein at least one of the luminescent element and the bonding material comprise one of a metal fluoride and a metal oxide.

28. The structure of claim 18, wherein the luminescent element is formed from a material having a thermal expansion coefficient approximately matching a thermal expansion coefficient of the light emitting device die.

29. A structure comprising:

a light emitting device die comprising an active region disposed between a semiconductor layer of n-type conductivity and a semiconductor layer of p-type conductivity;

a luminescent element bonded to the light emitting device die, wherein the luminescent element is one of a lens and an optical concentrator; and

a bonding material disposed between the light emitting device die and the luminescent element;

wherein the bonding material directly bonds, and does not encapsulate, the luminescent element to a single surface of the light emitting device die.

30. The structure of claim 29, wherein the luminescent element comprises yttrium aluminum garnet.

31. The structure of claim 29, wherein the luminescent element includes a recess in a bottom surface of the luminescent element;

and the light emitting device die is disposed within the recess.

32. The structure of claim 29, wherein a refractive index of the luminescent element for light emitted by the active region is greater than 1.5.

33. The structure of claim 29, wherein the light emitting device die comprises a transparent substrate.

34. The structure of claim 29, further comprising n- and p-type contacts electrically connected to the semiconductor layer of n-type conductivity and a semiconductor layer of p-type conductivity, wherein both the n- and p-type contacts are formed on a bottom surface of the light emitting device die.

35. The structure of claim 29, wherein the luminescent element is formed from a material having a thermal expansion coefficient approximately matching a thermal expansion coefficient of the light emitting device die.

36. The structure of claim 29, wherein the luminescent element comprises zinc.

37. The structure of claim 29, wherein at least one of the luminescent element and the bonding material comprises chalcogenide glass.

38. The structure of claim 29, wherein at least one of the luminescent element and the bonding material comprises (Ge, Sb, Ga)(S, Se) chalcogenide glass.

39. The structure of claim 29, wherein at least one of the luminescent element and the bonding material comprise one of a metal fluoride and a metal oxide.