Package structure for light emitting diode and applications of the same

• US 7,547,115 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2006
• Issued: 06/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Inventors: Chou, Shen-Hong
• Primary Examiner(s): Negron; Ismael
• Application Number:
  US11/439,155
• Publication Number:
  US 20070274069A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,120 Days
• Field of Search: 362/800, 362/612, 362/555, 362/227, 362/231, 362/230, 362/234, 362/235, 362/236, 362/237, 362/240, 362/244, 257/89, 257/98, 257/100
• US Class Current: 362/244
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/00 Light sources using semiconductor devices as light-generating elements, e.g. using light-emitting diodes [LED] or lasers
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/69 Details of refractors forming part of the light source
• 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 33/54 having a particular shape

Abstract

A light emitting diode (LED) package structure. In one embodiment, the LED package structure includes at least three lenses, each lens having a body portion with at least a first surface, a second surface, a third surface and a fourth surface, and at least three LED chips, each LED chip being capable of emitting light in a unique color and having a first conductive lead and a second conductive lead and embedded in the body portion of a corresponding lens such that the first conductive lead and the second conductive lead extend out of the body portion from one of the third surface and the fourth surface of the corresponding lens. The at least three lenses and the at least three LED chips are assembled such that the first surface of a lens is in contact with the second surface of one of the rest of the at least three lenses and the at least three LED chips are positioned substantially proximate to each other.

Claims

1. A light emitting diode (LED) package structure, comprising:

a. at least three lenses, each lens having a body portion with at least a first surface, a second surface, a third surface, a fourth surface and a fifth surface that intersects with the first surface, the second surface and the fourth surface such that the fifth surface defines a concave portion in the body portion; and

b. at least three LED chips, each LED chip being capable of emitting light in a unique color and having a first conductive lead and a second conductive lead and embedded in the body portion of a corresponding lens such that the first conductive lead and the second conductive lead extend out of the body portion from one of the third surface and the fourth surface of the corresponding lens,

wherein the at least three lenses and the at least three LED chips are assembled such that the first surface of one of the at least three lenses is substantially in contact with the second surface of one of the rest of the at least three lenses so that a concave is defined by the fifth surfaces of the at least three lenses and the at least three LED chips are positioned substantially proximate to each other and the at least three lenses form a shape of a sphere, a rectangle or a quadrate.

2. The LED package structure of claim 1, wherein the at least three LED chips comprise at least a first LED chip capable of emitting light in a red color, a second LED chip capable of emitting light in a blue color, or a third LED chip capable of emitting light in a green color.

3. The LED package structure of claim 1, wherein the first surface and the second surface of each lens are capable of refracting light emitted from a corresponding embedded LED chip.

4. The LED package structure of claim 1, wherein each of the at least three lenses is made of a transparent material.

5. The LED package structure of claim 4, wherein the transparent material comprises glass, plastic, resin, or a combination of them.

6. The LED package structure of claim 1, wherein the first surface and the second surface of the i-th lens define an angle, θ

_i, therebetween, wherein i=1, 2, and 3.

7. The LED package structure of claim 6, wherein the angle θ

_i satisfies the relationship of 90°

≦

θ

_i≦

180°

.

8. The LED package structure of claim 7, wherein the body portion of each lens has a cross-sectional shape selected from the list of a sector, a closed loop, a triangle, a quadrilateral and a polygon.

9. The LED package structure of claim 8, wherein as assembled, the at least three lenses define an axis that is coincident with a cross line of the first surface and the second surface of each lens.

10. The LED package structure of claim 9, wherein as assembled, the at least three LED chips are aligned in an array with a geometrical center substantially at the axis.

11. A light emitting diode (LED) package structure, comprising:

a. at least three lenses, each lens having a body portion with at least a first surface, a second surface, a third surface, a fourth surface and a fifth surface that intersects with the first surface, the second surface and the fourth surface such that the fifth surface defines a concave portion in the body portion; and

b. at least three LED chips, each LED chip being capable of emitting light in a unique color and having a first conductive lead and a second conductive lead and embedded in the body portion of a corresponding lens such that the first conductive lead and the second conductive lead extend out of the body portion from one of the third surface and the fourth surface of the corresponding lens; and

c. a transparent medium;

wherein the at least three lenses and the at least three LED chips are assembled and the transparent medium is placed between the first surface of one of the at least three lenses and the second surface of one of the rest of the at least three lenses so that a concave is defined by the fifth surfaces of the at least three lenses and the at least three LED chips are positioned substantially proximate to each other.

12. A method for packaging light emitting diodes (LEDs), comprising the steps of:

a. forming a plurality of optical elements, each optical element having a lens and an LED chip, wherein the lens has a body portion with at least a first surface, a second surface, a third surface, a fourth surface and a fifth surface that intersects with the first surface, the second surface and the fourth surface such that the fifth surface defines a concave portion in the body portion, and the LED chip has a first conductive lead and a second conductive lead and embedded in the body portion of the lens such that the first conductive lead and the second conductive lead extend out of the body portion from one of the third surface and the fourth surface of the lens; and

b. assembling an LED package structure comprising at least a first optical element of the plurality of optical elements having an LED chip capable of emitting light in a red color, a second optical element of the plurality of optical elements having an LED chip capable of emitting light in a blue color and a third optical element of the plurality of optical elements having an LED chip capable of emitting light in a green color such that the first surface of the lens of one of the first, second and third optical elements is substantially in contact with the second surface of the lens of one of the rest of the first, second and third optical elements so that a concave is defined by the fifth surfaces of the first, second and third optical elements and the three LED chips are positioned substantially proximate to each other.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the forming step comprises the step of embedding the LED chip into the body portion of the lens such that the first conductive lead and the second conductive lead of the LED chip extend out of the body portion from one of the third surface and the fourth surface of the lens.