Thermally managed LED arrays assembled by printing
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An electronic device comprising:
- a substrate; and
an array of light emitting diodes (LEDs) supported by said substrate, said array of LEDs comprising;
a plurality of printable LEDs, wherein each LED in said array of LEDs is a unitary structure having one or more lateral dimensions less than or equal to 1000 μ
m and a thickness dimension less than or equal to 50 μ
m, and wherein a spacing between adjacent LEDs in said array of LEDs is greater than or equal to at least one lateral dimension of the adjacent LEDs in said array; and
a plurality of electrical interconnects, wherein each LED in said array of LEDs is positioned in electrical communication and thermal communication with at least two of said plurality of electrical interconnects, wherein each of said electrical interconnects physically connects two LEDs and has lateral dimensions and an average thickness large enough such that the electrical interconnects act as a heat sink to provide dissipation of heat from said array of LEDs at a rate greater than or equal to 5 μ
J s−
1 at room temperature.
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Abstract
Provided herein are electronic devices including arrays of printable light emitting diodes (LEDs) having device geometries and dimensions providing enhanced thermal management and control relative to conventional LED-based lighting systems. The systems and methods described provide large area, transparent, and/or flexible LED arrays useful for a range of applications in microelectronics, including display and lightning technology. Methods are also provided for assembling and using electronic devices including thermally managed arrays of printable light emitting diodes (LEDs).
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Citations
40 Claims
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1. An electronic device comprising:
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a substrate; and an array of light emitting diodes (LEDs) supported by said substrate, said array of LEDs comprising; a plurality of printable LEDs, wherein each LED in said array of LEDs is a unitary structure having one or more lateral dimensions less than or equal to 1000 μ
m and a thickness dimension less than or equal to 50 μ
m, and wherein a spacing between adjacent LEDs in said array of LEDs is greater than or equal to at least one lateral dimension of the adjacent LEDs in said array; anda plurality of electrical interconnects, wherein each LED in said array of LEDs is positioned in electrical communication and thermal communication with at least two of said plurality of electrical interconnects, wherein each of said electrical interconnects physically connects two LEDs and has lateral dimensions and an average thickness large enough such that the electrical interconnects act as a heat sink to provide dissipation of heat from said array of LEDs at a rate greater than or equal to 5 μ
J s−
1 at room temperature. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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15. A method of making an electronic device, the method comprising the steps of:
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providing a substrate; assembling a plurality of printable LEDs onto said substrate by transfer printing said printable LEDs onto a receiving surface of said substrate, thereby making an array of LEDs, wherein each LED is a unitary structure having one or more lateral dimensions less than or equal to 1000 μ
m and a thickness dimension less than or equal to 50 μ
m and wherein a spacing between adjacent LEDs in said array of LEDs is greater than or equal to at least one lateral dimension of the adjacent LEDs in said array of LEDs; andproviding a plurality of electrical interconnects to said array of LEDs, wherein each LED in said array of LEDs is positioned in electrical communication and thermal communication with two or more of said plurality of electrical interconnects, wherein each of said electrical interconnects physically connects two LEDs and has lateral dimensions and an average thickness large enough such that the electrical interconnects act as a heat sink to provide dissipation of heat from said array of LEDs at a rate greater than or equal to 5 μ
J s−
1 at room temperature, thereby making said electronic device. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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19. A method of generating electromagnetic radiation, the method comprising the steps of:
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providing an electronic device comprising; a substrate; and an array of light emitting diodes (LEDs) supported by said substrate, said array of LEDs comprising; a plurality of printable LEDs, wherein each LED in said array of LEDs is a unitary structure having one or more lateral dimensions less than or equal to 1000 μ
m and a thickness dimension less than or equal to 50 μ
m, and wherein a spacing between adjacent LEDs in said array of LEDs is greater than or equal to at least one lateral dimension of the adjacent LEDs in said array; anda plurality of electrical interconnects, wherein each LED in said array of LEDs is positioned in electrical communication and thermal communication with at least two of said plurality of electrical interconnects, wherein each of said electrical interconnects physically connects two LEDs and has lateral dimensions and an average thickness large enough such that the electrical interconnects act as a heat sink to provide dissipation of heat from said array of LEDs at a rate greater than or equal to 5 μ
J s−
1 at room temperature; andproviding a voltage across two or more of said plurality of electrical interconnects, thereby generating electromagnetic radiation from at least a portion of said array of LEDs. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
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22. An electronic device comprising:
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a substrate; and an array of light emitting diodes (LEDs) supported by said substrate, said array of LEDs comprising; a plurality of printable LEDs, wherein each LED in said array of LEDs is a unitary structure having one or more lateral dimensions less than or equal to 1000 μ
m and a thickness dimension less than or equal to 50 μ
m, and wherein a spacing between adjacent LEDs in said array of LEDs is greater than or equal to 10 μ
m; anda plurality of electrical interconnects, wherein each LED in said array of LEDs is positioned in electrical communication with at least two of said plurality of electrical interconnects, wherein each of said electrical interconnects physically connects two LEDs and is characterized by lateral dimensions and an average thickness such that the electrical interconnects act as a heat sink to provide dissipation of heat from said array of LEDs at a rate greater than or equal to 5 μ
J s−
1 at room temperature.
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23. A method of making an electronic device, the method comprising the steps of:
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providing a substrate; assembling a plurality of printable LEDs onto said substrate by transfer printing said printable LEDs onto a receiving surface of said substrate, thereby making an array of LEDs, wherein each LED is a unitary structure having one or more lateral dimensions less than or equal to 1000 μ
m and a thickness dimension less than or equal to 50 μ
m and wherein a spacing between adjacent LEDs in said array of LEDs is greater than or equal to 10 μ
m; andproviding a plurality of electrical interconnects to said array of LEDs, wherein each LED in said array of LEDs is positioned in electrical communication with two or more of said plurality of electrical interconnects, wherein each of said electrical interconnects physically connects two LEDs and is characterized by lateral dimensions and an average thickness, thereby making said electronic device such that the electrical interconnects act as a heat sink to provide dissipation of heat from said array of LEDs at a rate greater than or equal to 5 μ
J s−
1 at room temperature.
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24. A method of generating electromagnetic radiation, the method comprising the steps of:
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providing an electronic device comprising; a substrate; and an array of light emitting diodes (LEDs) supported by said substrate, said array of LEDs comprising; a plurality of printable LEDs, wherein each LED in said array of LEDs is a unitary structure having one or more lateral dimensions less than or equal to 1000 μ
m and a thickness dimension less than or equal to 50 μ
m, and wherein a spacing between adjacent LEDs in said array of LEDs is greater than or equal to 10 μ
m; anda plurality of electrical interconnects, wherein each LED in said array of LEDs is positioned in electrical communication with at least two of said plurality of electrical interconnects, wherein each of said electrical interconnects physically connects two LEDs and is characterized by lateral dimensions and an average thickness such that the electrical interconnects act as a heat sink to provide dissipation of heat from said array of LEDs at a rate greater than or equal to 5 μ
J s−
1 at room temperature; andproviding a voltage across two or more of said plurality of electrical interconnects, thereby generating electromagnetic radiation from at least a portion of said array of LEDs.
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Specification