Series connected flip chip LEDs with growth substrate removed

• US 8,062,916 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2008
• Issued: 11/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lumileds LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Philips Lumileds Lighting (Apollo Global Management, Inc.), Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Krames, Michael R., Epler, John E., Steigerwald, Daniel A., Margalith, Tal
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, MINH LOAN
• Application Number:
  US12/266,162
• Publication Number:
  US 20100109030A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,111 Days
• Field of Search: 438/33, 438/34, 257/E21.002, 257/E33.057
• US Class Current: 438/33
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/2654 in AIIIBV compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/153 in a repetitive configuration, e.g. LED bars
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/0093 Wafer bonding; Removal of the growth substrate

Abstract

LED layers are grown over a sapphire substrate. Individual flip chip LEDs are formed by trenching or masked ion implantation. Modules containing a plurality of LEDs are diced and mounted on a submount wafer. A submount metal pattern or a metal pattern formed on the LEDs connects the LEDs in a module in series. The growth substrate is then removed, such as by laser lift-off. A semi-insulating layer is formed, prior to or after mounting, that mechanically connects the LEDs together. The semi-insulating layer may be formed by ion implantation of a layer between the substrate and the LED layers. PEC etching of the semi-insulating layer, exposed after substrate removal, may be performed by biasing the semi-insulating layer. The submount is then diced to create LED modules containing series-connected LEDs.

Claims

1. A method for fabricating a light emitting diode (LED) structure comprising:

forming LED layers by epitaxially growing an N-type layer over a growth substrate, epitaxially growing an active layer over the N-type layer, and epitaxially growing a P-type layer over the active layer;

electrically isolating areas of the LED layers to create substantially electrically isolated LEDs by forming isolation regions between individual LEDs;

mounting the LEDs on a submount, the LEDs being mechanically coupled together by the isolation regions, wherein the submount includes a metal pattern for interconnecting groups of individual LEDs to form at least a plurality of LEDs in series, while the LEDs are mechanically coupled together by the isolation regions; and

removing the growth substrate

wherein electrically isolating areas of the LED layers to create substantially electrically isolated LEDs by forming isolation regions between individual LEDs comprises;

growing a semi-insulating epitaxial layer over the growth substrate prior to growing the N-layer; and

forming trenches through the P-layer, active layer, and N-layer down to the semi-insulating epitaxial layer to create the individual LEDs, such that the semi-insulating epitaxial layer continues to mechanically couple together the individual LEDs.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the isolation regions are semi-insulating.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the isolation regions are formed by ion implantation.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the isolation regions are formed by doping.

5. The method of claim 1 including implanting ions into the first epitaxial layer to make at least a surface of the first epitaxial layer semi-insulating.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the individual LEDs are flip chips.

7. A method for fabricating a light emitting diode (LED) structure comprising:

forming LED layers by epitaxially growing an N-type layer over a growth substrate, epitaxially growing an active layer over the N-type layer, and epitaxially growing a P-type layer over the active layer;

electrically isolating areas of the LED layers to create substantially electrically isolated LEDs by forming isolation regions between individual LEDs;

mounting the LEDs on a submount, the LEDs being mechanically coupled together by the isolation regions;

interconnecting groups of individual LEDs by a metal pattern to form at least a plurality of LEDs in series, while the LEDs are mechanically coupled together by the isolation regions;

removing the growth substrate; and

separating the submount to form modules of interconnected LEDs,

wherein the step of electrically isolating areas of the LED layers is performed after the growth substrate is removed.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the isolation regions are semi-insulating.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the isolation regions are formed by ion implantation.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the isolation regions are formed by doping.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein electrically isolating areas of the LED layers to create substantially electrically isolated LEDs by forming isolation regions between individual LEDs comprises:

forming trenches through the P-layer and active layer, and only partially through the N-layer to create the individual LEDs, such that a portion of the N-layer continues to mechanically couple together the individual LEDs; and

after the growth substrate is removed, implanting ions in a surface of the N-layer to form isolation regions between the individual LEDs.

12. The method of claim 7 including:

forming a further metal pattern on the submount that interconnects the isolation regions and connects the isolation regions to a bias voltage via the N-layer;

performing a photo-electrochemical etch of the isolation regions and any other exposed biased surface while biasing at least the isolation regions; and

disabling the further metal pattern from interconnecting the isolation regions.

13. A method for fabricating a light emitting diode (LED) structure comprising:

forming LED layers by epitaxially growing an N-type layer over a growth substrate, epitaxially growing an active layer over the N-type layer, and epitaxially growing a P-type layer over the active layer;

electrically isolating areas of the LED layers to create substantially electrically isolated LEDs by forming isolation regions between individual LEDs;

mounting the LEDs on a submount, the LEDs being mechanically coupled together by the isolation regions;

interconnecting groups of individual LEDs by a metal pattern to form at least a plurality of LEDs in series, while the LEDs are mechanically coupled together by the isolation regions;

removing the growth substrate; and

separating the submount to form modules of interconnected LEDs,

wherein the isolation regions are semi-insulating and are part of an isolation layer, the method further comprising;

applying a bias voltage to the isolation layer through the N-type layer; and

performing a photo-electrochemical etch of the isolation layer while biasing the isolation layer.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the isolation regions are formed by ion implantation.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the isolation regions are formed by doping.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein electrically isolating areas of the LED layers to create substantially electrically isolated LEDs by forming isolation regions between individual LEDs comprises implanting ions through the P-layer, active layer, and N-layer down to the growth substrate to create semi-insulating boundary regions between the individual LEDs, such that the individual LEDs continue to be mechanically coupled together by the boundary regions.

17. A method for fabricating a light emitting diode (LED) structure comprising:

forming LED layers by epitaxially growing an N-type layer over a growth substrate, epitaxially growing an active layer over the N-type layer, and epitaxially growing a P-type layer over the active layer;

electrically isolating areas of the LED layers to create substantially electrically isolated LEDs by forming isolation regions between individual LEDs;

mounting the LEDs on a submount, the LEDs being mechanically coupled together by the isolation regions;

interconnecting groups of individual LEDs by a metal pattern to form at least a plurality of LEDs in series, while the LEDs are mechanically coupled together by the isolation regions;

removing the growth substrate; and

separating the submount to form modules of interconnected LEDs,

wherein electrically isolating areas of the LED layers to create substantially electrically isolated LEDs by forming isolation regions between individual LEDs comprises;

implanting ions through the P-layer, active layer, and N-layer down to the growth substrate to create semi-insulating boundary regions between the individual LEDs, such that the individual LEDs continue to be mechanically coupled together by the boundary regions.

18. A method for fabricating a light emitting diode (LED) structure comprising:

forming LED layers by epitaxially growing an N-type layer over a growth substrate, epitaxially growing an active layer over the N-type layer, and epitaxially growing a P-type layer over the active layer;

electrically isolating areas of the LED layers to create substantially electrically isolated LEDs by forming isolation regions between individual LEDs;

mounting the LEDs on a submount, the LEDs being mechanically coupled together by the isolation regions;

interconnecting groups of individual LEDs by a first metal pattern to form at least a plurality of LEDs in series, while the LEDs are mechanically coupled together by the isolation regions;

removing the growth substrate; and

separating the submount to form modules of interconnected LEDs

wherein the isolation regions are semi-insulating, the method further comprising;

forming a second metal pattern on the submount that interconnects the isolation regions and connects the isolation regions to a bias voltage via the N-layer;

applying a bias voltage to at least the isolation regions through the N-type layer;

performing a photo-electrochemical etch of the isolation regions and any other exposed biased surface while biasing at least the isolation regions; and

disabling the second metal pattern from interconnecting the isolation regions.