LED chip-based lighting products and methods of building

• US 8,058,659 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2010
• Issued: 11/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Current Lighting Solutions, LLC (f/k/a GE Lighting Solutions, LLC) (American Industrial Partners)
• Original Assignee: Albeo Technologies (Savant Systems, LLC)
• Inventors: Bisberg, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Hoai V
• Application Number:
  US12/857,472
• Publication Number:
  US 20100308350A1
• Time in Patent Office: 456 Days
• Field of Search: 257/88, 257/98, 257/99, 257/100, 257/E33.056
• US Class Current: 257/88
• 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 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2933/0033 relating to semiconductor body packages
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/54 having a particular shape
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/58 Optical field-shaping elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/60 Reflective 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
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/056 the metal substrate being covered by an organic insulating layer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4913 Assembling to base an electrical component, e.g., capacitor, etc.

Abstract

Light-emitting diode (LED) chip-based lighting products and methods of manufacture include patterning conductors on an inside surface of a panel, mounting a plurality of unpackaged LED chips directly on the conductors, and integrating the panel with support structure to form the lighting product such that an outside surface of the panel forms an exterior surface of the lighting product. A light emitting diode (LED)-based lighting product includes a panel having an inner surface and an outer surface, the outer surface forming an external surface of the lighting product, conductors patterned on the inner surface, and a plurality of LEDs mounted directly to the conductors.

Claims

1. A light emitting diode (LED) chip-based lighting product, comprising:

a panel having a first surface and a second surface counterfacing the first surface, at least part of the second surface forming an external surface of the lighting product;

first and second conductors patterned on the first surface,

a plurality of unpackaged LED chips mounted directly to the first conductors; and

a diffuser coupled with the panel such that a distance from the diffuser to the LED chips is at least twice an average spacing between adjacent ones of the LED chips.

2. The LED chip-based lighting product of claim 1, further comprising power conversion electronics coupled with the conductors.

3. The LED chip-based lighting product of claim 2, wherein the power conversion electronics regulate power for the LED chips.

4. The LED chip-based lighting product of claim 1, further comprising one or more materials applied to one or more of the LED chips.

5. The LED chip-based lighting product of claim 4, wherein the one or more materials include one or more phosphors.

6. The LED chip-based lighting product of claim 1, further comprising electrical connections between top sides of one or more of the LED chips and the second conductors.

7. The LED chip-based lighting product of claim 6, the electrical connections comprising wirebonds.

8. The LED chip-based lighting product of claim 1, further comprising one or more reflectors to reflect light from the LED chips.

9. The LED chip-based lighting product of claim 1, further comprising support structure of the lighting product that is mechanically coupled to the panel.

10. The LED chip-based lighting product of claim 1, wherein the panel forms a housing for the lighting product.

11. The LED chip-based lighting product of claim 1, wherein the lighting product forms a direct thermal interface between one or more of the LED chips to ambient air.

12. The LED chip-based lighting product of claim 1, wherein attachment sites for the LED chips on the conductors form a stochastic arrangement such that no lines, grids or other regular patterns are evident in the attachment sites.

13. A light emitting diode (LED)-based lighting product, comprising:

a panel having a first surface and a second surface counterfacing the first surface, at least part of the second surface forming an external surface of the lighting product;

conductors patterned on the first surface;

a plurality of LEDs mounted directly to the conductors; and

a diffuser coupled with the panel such that a distance from the diffuser to the LEDs is at least twice an average spacing between adjacent ones of the LEDs on the panel.

14. The LED-based lighting product of claim 13, further comprising power conversion electronics coupled with the conductors.

15. The LED-based lighting product of claim 13, wherein the lighting product forms a direct thermal interface from one or more of the LEDs to ambient air.

16. A light emitting diode (LED) chip-based lighting product, comprising:

a panel having a first surface and a second surface counterfacing the first surface, at least part of the second surface forming an external surface of the lighting product;

first and second conductors patterned on the first surface;

a plurality of unpackaged LED chips mounted directly to the first conductors;

a cover plate having third conductors formed thereon, and arranged such that light emitted from the one or more LED chips passes through the cover plate; and

electrical connections between top sides of one or more of the LED chips and the second conductors, including (a) electrical connections of the top sides of the one or more LED chips with the third conductors and (b) electrical connections of the third conductors with the second conductors.

17. The LED chip-based lighting product of claim 16, wherein the third conductors are transparent such that light emitted from the LED chips passes through the third conductors.

18. A light emitting diode (LED) chip-based lighting product, comprising:

a panel having a first surface and a second surface counterfacing the first surface, at least part of the second surface forming an external surface of the lighting product;

conductors patterned on the first surface;

a plurality of unpackaged LED chips mounted directly to the conductors;

a cover plate arranged such that light emitted from the one or more LED chips passes through the cover plate; and

reflectors positioned between the first surface and the cover plate such that a portion of light emitted from the one or more LED chips is reflected by the reflectors through the cover plate.

19. A light emitting diode (LED) chip-based lighting product, comprising:

a panel having a first surface and a second surface counterfacing the first surface, at least part of the second surface forming an external surface of the lighting product;

first and second conductors patterned on the first surface, and

a plurality of unpackaged LED chips mounted directly to the first conductors, each LED chip being between 0.25mm² and 4mm² in area, the unpackaged LED chips dissipating power of 6 to 10 Watts per square foot of area of the panel.

20. The LED chip-based lighting product of claim 19, wherein attachment sites for the LED chips on the conductors form a stochastic arrangement such that no lines, grids or other regular patterns are evident in the attachment sites.

21. The LED chip-based lighting product of claim 19, the panel comprising an aluminum troffer, the plurality of unpackaged LED chips comprising 500 unpackaged LED chips.

22. A light emitting diode (LED) chip-based lighting product, comprising:

a panel having a first surface and a second surface counterfacing the first surface, at least part of the second surface forming an external surface of the lighting product;

conductors patterned on the first surface;

a plurality of unpackaged LED chips mounted directly to the conductors; and

reflectors positioned such that a portion of light emitted from the one or more LED chips is reflected by the reflectors away from the first surface, the reflectors comprising one of metal-coated plastic and micromachined silicon.