Patent Abstract:
A beam shutter is disclosed that is affixed to an LED die submount or circuit board to sharply define the emitted pattern. The beam shutter may be a solid piece of aluminum or any other opaque material to block a portion of the light emitted from the LED die. The beam shutter is particularly advantageous for shaping the LED light for car headlamps.

Full Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This invention relates to light emitting diodes (LEDs) and, in particular, to a technique for controlling the beam of the LED.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0002]     LED dies typically emit light in a lambertian pattern. It is known to use a lens over the LED die to narrow the beam or to make a side-emission pattern. It is difficult to form lenses for certain patterns, and typical LED lenses cannot sharply define a light beam. In some applications, such as headlights, a sharply defined non-symmetrical emission pattern may be desired, which cannot be adequately produced with a conventional lens.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0003]     A beam shutter is disclosed that is affixed to the LED die submount or circuit board to sharply define the emitted pattern. The beam shutter may be a solid piece of aluminum or any other opaque material to block a portion of the light emitted from the LED die. The beam shutter is particularly advantageous for shaping the LED light for car headlamps. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0004]      FIG. 1  is a side view of a phosphor-coated LED die with a beam shutter mounted next to the die.  
         [0005]      FIG. 2  is a top down view of the structure of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0006]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of an LED die with a different shaped beam shutter mounted next to the die.  
         [0007]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of an LED die with a beam shutter mounted on a support surface such as a circuit board, heat sink, or other surface.  
         [0008]      FIG. 5  is a top down view of a curved (e.g., parabolic) shutter.  
         [0009]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of a beam shutter next to an LED die with a lens.  
         [0010]      FIG. 7  is an abstract view of an array of LED dice, each having an associated beam shutter for shaping the overall light pattern of the array. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0011]     As a preliminary matter, a conventional LED is formed on a growth substrate. In the example used, the LED is a GaN-based LED, such as an AlInGaN or InGaN LED, for producing blue light. Typically, a relatively thick n-type GaN layer is grown on a sapphire growth substrate using conventional techniques. The relatively thick GaN layer typically includes a low temperature nucleation layer and one or more additional layers so as to provide a low-defect lattice structure for the n-type cladding layer and active layer. One or more n-type cladding layers are then formed over the thick n-type layer, followed by an active layer, one or more p-type cladding layers, and a p-type contact layer (for metallization).  
         [0012]     Various techniques are used to gain electrical access to the n-layers. In a flip-chip example, portions of the p-layers and active layer are etched away to expose an n-layer for metallization. In this way the p contact and n contact are on the same side of the chip and can be directly electrically attached to the package substrate contact pads. Current from the n-metal contact initially flows laterally through the n-layer. In contrast, in a vertical injection (non-flip-chip) LED, an n-contact is formed on one side of the chip, and a p-contact is formed on the other side of the chip. Electrical contact to one of the p or n-contacts is typically made with a wire or a metal bridge, and the other contact is directly bonded to a package substrate contact pad.  
         [0013]     Other types of LEDs that can be used in the present invention include AlInGaP LED, which can produce light in the red to yellow range.  
         [0014]     Examples of forming LEDs are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,649,440 and 6,274,399, both assigned to Lumileds and incorporated by reference.  
         [0015]     A flip-chip LED is used in the examples of  FIGS. 1-4 ; however, a wire bond LED may be used instead.  
         [0016]     After the LEDs are diced, they may be tested for parameters such as color and brightness and then binned (grouped with LEDs having similar attributes).  
         [0017]     The diced LEDs may be optionally coated with a phosphor by various known methods. The phosphor is energized by the light emitted by the LED die and emits a different wavelength. In one embodiment, the LED die emits blue light, and the phosphor emission in conjunction with the blue light results in a white light being generated. For example, the phosphor may contribute a yellow component or red and green components to the blue light to create white light. Such an LED structure can be used as a car headlamp if the light output energy is sufficient. Such a headlamp can be realized using an array of high power LEDs. The shape of a headlamp beam is mandated by industry and government standards.  
         [0018]     To efficiently shape the light beam emitted from an LED, such as for a headlamp, one or more beam shutters are affixed proximate to the LED die to selectively block the emitted light to achieve the desired emission pattern. If the beam shutter material is reflective, such as aluminum, the beam shutter also reflects the impinging light in the desired direction of emission.  
         [0019]      FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view of an LED die  10  coated with a phosphor  12  so that the light emitted is white light.  FIG. 2  is a top down view of the structure of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0020]     LED die  10  is mounted on a submount  14 . Submount  14  may be a silicon slab having metal contact pads and leads formed thereon using conventional plating or lithographic processes. N and P metal contacts on the bottom of LED die  10  (for a flip-chip example) are bonded (e.g., soldered) to corresponding metal pads on the top of submount  14 . The top metal pads are electrically coupled to metal pads on the bottom of submount  14  by vias through submount  14 . Such a structure is well known in the art. Alternatively, all electrical contacts to submount  14  may be made from the top of submount  14 .  
         [0021]     The bottom metal pads of the submount  14  are bonded to metal leads  16 , which are coupled to a power supply or to other LEDs. Leads  16  may be traces on a circuit board  18  or other support structure. Circuit board  18  may include an insulated aluminum substrate so as to conduct heat away from the LED die  10 . An array of LED dice may be mounted on board  18  to provide the desired light output. Multiple LED dice may be mounted on a single submount  14 , which may interconnect the LED dice in series and/or parallel.  
         [0022]     A beam shutter  20 , of any shape, is affixed to submount  14  by any suitable adhesive or by any other means. In one embodiment, beam shutter  20  is soldered, brazed, or ultrasonically welded to a metal pad on submount  14 . In another embodiment, beam shutter  20  is glued, using an epoxy, to submount  14 . Beam shutter  20  may be formed of aluminum or any other material.  
         [0023]      FIG. 1  shows beam shutter  20  limiting the emitted beam  21  to an angle of α off the vertical line. The LED light emission that is not blocked by shutter  20  is unimpeded so that the light pattern will be asymmetrical. If an LED array using beam shutter  20  for each LED die were employed as a card headlamp, the light would be directed forward and downward, with any upward light limited by the beam shutter.  
         [0024]     The height, shape, angle, and location of the beam shutter determine the emission pattern. The height may range from slightly thicker than the LED die (e.g., 1/10 mm) to several millimeters, depending on the desired pattern. The shutter should be adjacent to the LED die or submount for best control over the light pattern. The angle of the shutter may be other than perpendicular to the emitted light so as to reflect the light in a certain direction. Typical widths of the shutter are 1-15 mm. Typical heights of the shutter are 0.1-10 mm. And typical distances of the shutter from the die (or LED lens) are 0-5 mm.  
         [0025]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of another shape of beam shutter  22  affixed to submount  14 . Beam shutter  22  has an angled edge. Such an angled edge sharpens the definition of the light pattern.  
         [0026]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of another shape of beam shutter  24  affixed to the circuit board  18  or any other support structure. Beam shutter  24  may be affixed with solder, brazing, an ultrasonic weld, an epoxy, or using any other suitable means.  FIG. 4  illustrates in dashed outline the use of a second beam shutter  26  for further defining the light emission pattern.  
         [0027]      FIG. 5  is a top down view of a structure, similar to  FIG. 2 , having a beam shutter  28  that is curved. The curve may act to intercept more light or may act to focus the light like a parabolic lens. The curve may even be in the reverse direction to reflect the light in a sideways pattern.  
         [0028]      FIG. 6  illustrates how an LED die may have a lens  30  formed over it or affixed to it. Beam shutter  32  may be inside or outside of lens  30 . Lens  30  further shapes the emitted light. Lens  30  may be a collimating lens, a side-emitting lens, or any other design. A phosphor material for converting the LED light to white light (or any other color light) may be deposited over lens  30  or may form part of the lens material itself, such as by mixing phosphor powder in the liquid lens material prior to forming the lens. Such phosphors are well known.  
         [0029]      FIG. 7  illustrates an array  34  of LED dice  10  along with their associated beam shutter  20 . The array may be mounted on a circuit board using an aluminum substrate. Such an array may be useful for a car headlamp, where the beam shutters  20  limit the upward emission of light. The array may be housed in a cup-shaped mirror with a single lens, similar to a conventional headlamp. In another embodiment, a single beam shutter may selectively block light emitted from multiple LED dice. The beam shutters may also be used in conjunction with LED dies having lenses.  
         [0030]     While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention in its broader aspects and, therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

Technology Classification (CPC): 5