Patent Document

TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to an LED module constructed by mounting a plurality of LED elements on a circuit substrate along with other electronic components. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Lighting equipment using LED elements has come into wide use. Here, if it is desired to shorten the design lead time for lighting equipment such as desk lamps and other lighting lamps, it is recommended to modularize light source units. For example,  FIG. 2  in patent document 1 shows an LED module constructed by mounting a plurality of LED chips (LED elements) and a lighting circuit on the same substrate. 
         [0003]      FIG. 7  is a diagram redrawn from  FIG. 2  given in patent document 1, showing a cross-sectional view of an LED lamp that uses a lamp base (GX53 type) conforming to the IEC standard. 
         [0004]    The LED module shown in  FIG. 7  comprises a circuit substrate  2 , a driver circuit  4  (lighting circuit), and LEDs  3  (LED elements). The driver circuit  4  is mounted on the upper surface of the circuit substrate  2 , while the LEDs  3  are mounted on the lower surface of the circuit substrate  2 . The LED module shown in  FIG. 7  is fitted into the housing of a lamp base  1 , and is held in place by means of a lamp cover case  5 . If it is desired to reduce the thickness of the module, the LEDs  3  should be mounted using a technology known as COB (Chip on Board). COB is a technology that mounts LED elements in bare chip form (hereinafter called the LED dies unless specifically designated otherwise) directly on the circuit substrate  2 . 
         [0005]    When mounting the LED dies using the COB technology, at least the area where the LED dies are mounted on the surface of the circuit substrate must be made to have a high reflectance. For example, in  FIG. 3  given in patent document 2, there is shown a light-emitting module  1   a  (LED module) in which the LED die mounting area on the surface of the circuit substrate is made to have a high reflectance. 
         [0006]      FIG. 8  is a diagram redrawn from  FIG. 3  given in patent document 2, showing a plan view of the light-emitting module  1   a  as viewed from the light-emitting side thereof (hereinafter called the upper surface side). 
         [0007]    No electronic components other than the light-emitting elements  21  (LED dies) are mounted on the module substrate  5   b  (circuit substrate) of the light-emitting module  1   a . Further, the light-emitting module  1   a  has a COB-type structure. A reflective layer  11 , a positive electrode power feed conductor  12 , and a negative electrode power feed conductor  13  are formed on the upper surface of the module substrate  5   b . The plurality of light-emitting elements  21  (LED dies) are arranged in the form of an array on the surface of the reflective layer  11 , and the plurality of light-emitting elements  21  are connected in series on a row-by-row basis by bonding wires  23 . The light-emitting elements  21  in each row are supplied with power via edge bonding wires  24 . A sealing hole  25   a  formed in a frame member  25  is filled with a sealing member  28 . The module substrate  5   b  has a structure in which a thin insulating layer is formed on the surface of a metal base plate such as aluminum for enhanced heat dissipation. 
         [0008]    The reflective layer  11  and the power feed conductors  12  and  13  are patterned on the surface of the insulating layer  7  of the module substrate  5   b  by plating and etching. The power feed conductors  12  and  13  are formed in such a manner as to sandwich the reflective layer  11  from both sides thereof. The upper surfaces of the reflective layer  11  and power feed conductors  12  and  13  are formed from Ag to provide a higher reflectance than that of the insulating layer (not shown) formed on the surface of the module substrate  5   a . The total reflectance of each of the reflective layer  11  and power feed conductors  12  and  13  is about 90.0%. Two power feed terminals  14  and  15  are also patterned on the surface of the insulating layer, and the light-emitting module  1   a  is connected to a lighting apparatus via insulating coated wires not shown. The reflective layer  11  also serves as a heat spreader which spreads out the heat generated by the plurality of light-emitting elements  21 . 
       PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS 
     Patent Documents 
       [0000]    
       
         Patent document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-157690 (FIG. 2) 
         Patent document 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-14878 (FIG. 3) 
       
     
       SUMMARY 
       [0011]    Since the LED module design shown in  FIG. 7  was originally intended to reduce the thickness of the LED lamp, patent document 1 makes no specific mention of the way of improving the light-emitting efficiency of the LED elements (LEDs  3 ). By contrast, in the case of the LED module (light-emitting module  1   a ) shown in  FIG. 8 , the light-emitting efficiency can be enhanced because the reflectance of the area surrounding the LED dies (light-emitting elements  21 ) is increased. However, since the LED module is separate from the lighting apparatus  121 , it cannot be said that the LED module shown in  FIG. 8  is easier to use than the LED module shown in  FIG. 7 . 
         [0012]    In an LED module constructed by mounting a plurality of LED elements on a circuit substrate along with other electronic components, it is an object of the present invention to provide an LED module wherein provisions are made to facilitate the fabrication of the LED module while ensuring good reflectance characteristics. 
         [0013]    There is provided an LED module includes a submount substrate for mounting a plurality of LED elements, a module substrate for mounting the submount substrate and for also mounting other electronic components than the plurality of LED elements, a dam member which is disposed on the module substrate so as to surround a mounting area where the submount substrate is mounted, and a covering material which is filled into an area inside the dam member so as to cover upper faces of the plurality of LED elements, wherein the reflectance of a surface of the submount substrate is set higher than the reflectance of a surface of the module substrate. 
         [0014]    There is also provided an LED module includes a submount substrate for mounting a plurality of LED elements, a module substrate for mounting the submount substrate and for also mounting other electronic components than the plurality of LED elements, and a covering material which covers upper faces of the plurality of LED elements, wherein the reflectance of a surface of the submount substrate is set higher than the reflectance of a surface of the module substrate, each of the plurality of LED elements has an electrode face with two protruding electrodes formed thereon, a phosphor layer as the covering material is formed on a face opposite from the electrode face or on a side face, and the protruding electrodes are connected directly to electrodes formed on the submount substrate. 
         [0015]    Preferably, in the LED module, the covering material is a phosphor resin and covers the wire. 
         [0016]    Preferably, in the LED module, the submount substrate is a circular plate. 
         [0017]    Preferably, in the LED module, the dam member is constructed by forming a strip of uniform width in the shape of a ring. 
         [0018]    Preferably, in the LED module, the dam member is spaced a certain distance away from an outer periphery of the module substrate. 
         [0019]    Preferably, in the LED module, the plurality of LED elements are mounted face up on the submount substrate, and the plurality of LED elements are connected to each other by a wire. 
         [0020]    Preferably, in the LED module, the plurality of LED elements are flip-chip mounted on the submount substrate. 
         [0021]    Preferably, in the LED module, a wiring pattern on the module substrate is connected by a wire to a wiring pattern on the submount substrate or to the plurality of LED elements. 
         [0022]    Preferably, in the LED module, the submount substrate has a surface comprising an enhanced reflective film formed on a metal surface. 
         [0023]    Preferably, in the LED module, the submount substrate has a surface formed from a white ceramic material. 
         [0024]    Preferably, in the LED module, the module substrate is a metal substrate comprising a metal base and an insulating layer. 
         [0025]    Preferably, in the LED module, the submount substrate is mounted on the insulating layer. 
         [0026]    Preferably, in the LED module, the insulating layer has an opening, and the submount substrate is mounted inside the opening and is connected directly to the metal base of the module substrate. 
         [0027]    Preferably, in the LED module, the wiring pattern on the module substrate and the wiring pattern on the submount substrate are connected to each other by an elastic metal member. 
         [0028]    Since the area surrounding the LED elements is made to have a high reflectance, the LED module achieves high light-emitting efficiency. Further, since the module substrate as the circuit substrate and the submount substrate are separate from each other, and the kinds of the components to be mounted on the respective are different, the design and manufacturing conditions can be set differently for the respective components, and besides, there is no difficulty in mounting them separately on the module substrate and the submount substrate. That is, the LED module of the present invention is made easier to fabricate while ensuring good reflectance characteristics. 
         [0029]    Further, in the LED module, since the LED elements are not mounted on the module substrate, the wiring pitch, land surface treatment conditions, etc. can be set appropriately according to the other electronic components to be mounted thereon. Similarly, since no other components other than the LED elements are mounted on the submount substrate, the mounting conditions can be set appropriately according to the LED elements to be mounted thereon. That is, if the mounting conditions are significantly different between the module substrate and the submount substrate, the design and manufacturing conditions can be set independently of each other, and besides, the submount substrate can be mounted on the module substrate with no difficulty; hence, the advantage that the LED module is easy to fabricate. 
         [0030]    At least the upper faces of the LED elements are covered with the covering material which is a resin or like material, but since the dam member for limiting the flow of the covering material is not provided on the submount substrate, the dam member does not interfere with the reflection from the submount substrate. In this case, there is no need to increase the surface reflectance of the module substrate, since the electronic components other than the LED elements are mounted on the module substrate and these components have no direct relevance to the light emission. That is, in the LED module, despite that fact that the submount substrate having a relatively small area is mounted on the module substrate having a relatively large area, a high reflectance can be obtained from the area surrounding the LED elements, and high light-emitting efficiency can be achieved because of the absence of the dam member on the submount substrate. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0031]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing the external appearance of an LED module  100 . 
           [0032]      FIG. 2  is a diagram showing one of the halves into which the LED module  100  has been cut after assembly. 
           [0033]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA′ in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0034]      FIG. 4  is an enlarged view of a portion of the cross section of the LED module  100  shown in  FIG. 3 . 
           [0035]      FIG. 5  is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a portion of an alternative LED module  200 . 
           [0036]      FIG. 6(   a ) is a cross-sectional view of an LED element  321  used in a further alternative LED module  300 , and  FIG. 6(   b ) is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a portion of the LED module  300 . 
           [0037]      FIG. 7  is a diagram redrawn from  FIG. 2  given in patent document 1. 
           [0038]      FIG. 8  is a diagram redrawn from  FIG. 3  given in patent document 2. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
       [0039]    LED modules will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, it will be noted that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited by any particular embodiment described herein but extends to the inventions described in the appended claims and their equivalents. It will also be noted that throughout the drawings, the same or corresponding component elements are designated by the same reference numerals and the description of the component elements, once given, will not be repeated thereafter. Further, since LED elements take a number of forms, an LED element in the form of a bare chip diced from a wafer will be referred to as an LED die, to distinguish it from a packaged LED which refers to an LED element constructed by encapsulating an LED die with a phosphor-containing resin or the like. 
         [0040]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing the external appearance of an LED module  100 . 
         [0041]    The LED module  100  includes a housing  101  having an opening in the center thereof, and a phosphor resin  102  (covering material) can be seen through the opening. The housing  101  has two mounting holes  109 . 
         [0042]      FIG. 2  is a diagram showing one of the halves into which the LED module  100  has been cut after assembly. 
         [0043]    The LED module  100  comprises the housing  100  and a circuit substrate  110 , and the circuit substrate  110  includes a submount substrate  103  and a module substrate  104 . The submount substrate  103  is a circular plate whose upper surface is covered with the phosphor resin  102 . LED dies  121  (LED elements), shown in  FIG. 3 , are mounted on the upper surface of the submount substrate  103 . The module substrate  104  is a circular plate having two mounting holes  107 , and is fitted into the housing  101 . A dam member  105  is provided on the upper surface of the module substrate  104 , and the area inside the dam member  105  is a mounting area  106  where the submount substrate  103  is mounted, while the area outside the dam member  105  is an area for mounting electronic components  108  (other electronic components). The dam member  105  is constructed by forming a strip of substantially uniform width in the shape of a ring. 
         [0044]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA′ in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0045]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , the submount substrate  103  is placed on the module substrate  104  along with the dam member  105  and the electronic components  108 . The LED dies  121  are mounted on the submount substrate  103  and connected to each other by a wire  122 . The LED dies  121  mounted at both edges of the submount substrate  103  are each connected by a wire  123  to a wiring pattern  125  (see  FIG. 4 ) formed on the module substrate  104 . The dam member  105  is provided so as to enclose the submount substrate  103 , and the phosphor resin  102  is filled into the area inside the dam member  105 . The phosphor resin  102  covers the LED dies  121  as well as the wires  122  and  123 . The housing  101  includes the opening  130  in which the phosphor resin  102  is exposed and a hollow portion  131  in which the electronic components  108  are enclosed, and is fitted onto the module substrate  104 . 
         [0046]      FIG. 4  is an enlarged view of a portion of the cross section of the LED module  100  shown in  FIG. 3 , with the housing  101  omitted from illustration. 
         [0047]    As shown in  FIG. 4 , the submount substrate  103  comprises an enhanced reflective film  103   a  and an aluminum base  103   b . The enhanced reflective film  103   a  is a multilayer film formed from a transparent oxide such as SiO2, while the aluminum base  103   b  is formed from high-purity aluminum. The module substrate  104  comprises an insulating layer  104   a  and a metal base  104   b . The insulating layer  104   a  is formed from a PI (polyimide) resin, but use may be made of some other suitable organic film, the material being selected by considering the dielectric breakdown voltage and thermal conductivity. The metal base  104   b  is formed from aluminum having good thermal conductivity, but the material need not have high purity since there is no need to account for reflectivity. 
         [0048]    The LED dies  121  are mounted face up on the submount substrate  103 . The face-up mounting means that the LED dies  121  are each mounted with the electrode side facing the direction (the upward direction in  FIG. 4 ) opposite from the mounting side, and their electrodes are connected by the wires  122  and  123 . The LED dies  121  are die-bonded to the enhanced reflective film  103   a  by an adhesive material not shown. The submount substrate  103  is bonded to the module substrate  104  by an adhesive material  126 . The wiring pattern  125  is formed on the module substrate  104 , and the electronic components  108  are connected to the wiring pattern  125  by solder  108   a.    
         [0049]    The LED dies  121  each measure, for example, 500 μm by 290 μm, and the submount substrate  103  is about 0.15 to 0.30 mm in thickness. The adhesive material  126  is selected from among materials that cure when heat and pressure are applied. The thickness of the insulating layer  104   a  on the module substrate  104  is determined by considering the breakdown voltage, as earlier described; for example, if a breakdown voltage of 4 kV is needed, a thickness of about 0.1 mm is sufficient in the case of a PI resin. The wiring pattern  125  on the module substrate  104  is formed by depositing Ni or Au on Cu. The dam member  105  is formed from a silicone resin, and has a width of 0.7 to 1.0 mm and a height of 0.5 to 0.8 mm. The phosphor resin  102  is a phosphor-containing silicone resin, and is formed to a thickness of about 400 to 800 μm. 
         [0050]    Next, a fabrication method for the LED module  100  will be described with reference to  FIGS. 2 to 4 . 
         [0051]    First, the electronic components  108  are mounted on the module substrate  104  by solder reflow. At the same time, the LED dies  121  are die-bonded to the submount substrate  103  and thereafter wire-bonded. 
         [0052]    Then, the submount substrate  103  is bonded to the module substrate  104  by the adhesive material  126 , and the LED dies  121  are connected to the wiring pattern  125  by the wires  123 . 
         [0053]    Next, a curable material for forming the dam member  105  is dispensed using a dispenser to form a strip of substantially uniform width in the shape of a ring surrounding the submount substrate  103 , and is cured at about 150° C. to complete the formation of the dam member  105 . 
         [0054]    Next, the phosphor resin  102  is filled into the area inside the dam member  105  by using a dispenser, and cured at about 150° C. 
         [0055]    Finally, the housing  101  is attached to the module substrate  104  to complete the fabrication of the LED module  100 . 
         [0056]    As described above, the LED module  100  is constructed by bonding the expensive submount substrate  103  having high reflectance onto the inexpensive module substrate  104 . Since the submount substrate  103  can be made small in size, the LED module  100  offers the advantage of reducing the manufacturing cost while ensuring high reflectance. Further, since the dam member  105  is provided on the module substrate  104  side, there are no reflection-interfering members, other than the LED dies  121  and wires  122 , on the submount substrate  103 , which serves to further increase the reflectance. Furthermore, the circular shape of the submount substrate  13  facilitates the design of a lens and reflector for uniformly dispersing the emitted light. A further advantage is that the electronic components  108  can be arranged in an area (the hollow portion  131 ) provided between the dam member  105  and the outer circumference of the module substrate  104 . 
         [0057]      FIG. 5  is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a portion of an alternative LED module  200 . 
         [0058]    The LED module  100  described above exhibits a high breakdown voltage because the submount substrate  103  is bonded to the insulating layer  104   a  formed on the module substrate  104 . However, the presence of the insulating layer  104   a  may result in a degradation of heat dissipation efficiency. If priority is to be given to the heat dissipation efficiency, the insulating layer  104   a  underlying the submount substrate  103  should be removed. Further, in the LED module  100 , the submount substrate  103  is constructed from a high-reflectance Al substrate, and the LED dies  121  are mounted thereon by die bonding and wire bonding (face-up mounting). However, the submount substrate need not be limited to a high-reflectance aluminum substrate, and the LED die mounting method also need not be limited to the face-up mounting. In view of this, in the LED module  200 , priority is given to the heat dissipation efficiency, and the submount substrate is formed from ceramic, with provisions made to mount the LED dies thereon using flip-chip technology. 
         [0059]    The external view, assembly view, and cross-sectional view of the LED module  200  are the same as those given in  FIGS. 1 to 3  of the LED module  100 , and therefore will not be redrawn here. In  FIG. 5 , only a cross-sectional view showing a portion of the LED module  200  in enlarged form is presented. The housing  101  is omitted from illustration in  FIG. 5 . 
         [0060]    The LED module  200  differs from the LED module  100  in the LED dies  221  used and their mounting method, the material for the submount substrate  225  and its upper surface structure, and the opening formed in the insulating layer  104   a  of the module substrate  104  and the connecting structure in the opening (see  FIGS. 4 and 5 ). 
         [0061]    In the case of the LED dies  221 , the bottom face is the electrode face on which protruding electrodes  222  are formed. The protruding electrodes  222  are connected to the wiring pattern  224  formed on the upper surface of the submount substrate  225 . The mounting method in which the electrode face of a substrate and the electrode face of a semiconductor device are placed facing each other and their electrodes are connected directly is called the flip-chip mounting (also called the face-down mounting). 
         [0062]    The wiring pattern  224  on the submount substrate  225  is connected to the wiring pattern  125  on the module substrate  104  by a wire  223 . The submount substrate  225  is formed from a white ceramic material, and achieves high reflectance with the white surface exposed everywhere except where the mounting areas of the LED dies  221  and the interconnecting wiring pattern  224  are provided. 
         [0063]    In the module substrate  104  of the LED module  200 , the area (opening) where the insulating layer  104   a  is not formed is used as the mounting area  106  (see  FIG. 2 ) where the submount substrate  225  is mounted. Therefore, the bottom face of the submount substrate  225  is connected directly via the adhesive material  126  to the metal base  104   b  of the module substrate  104 . As a result, the heat generated by the LED dies  221  is conducted from the submount substrate  225  directly to the metal base  104   b , thus increasing the heat dissipation efficiency of the LED module  200 . 
         [0064]    In the above LED module  200 , the submount substrate  225  is formed from a white ceramic material, but instead, a white ceramic layer may be formed only on the surface of the submount substrate to increase its reflectance. For example, the submount substrate may be constructed by using low-reflectance aluminum nitride as the base material and by applying thereon a material that turns into a white glass-like state when sintered. Further, the wiring lines may be formed on the aluminum nitride base, and a material that turns into a white glass-like state when sintered may be applied to fill the spacing between the wiring lines on the substrate. A material that turns into a white glass-like state when sintered is, for example, a material prepared by mixing fine reflective particles such as titanium oxide or alumina and a catalyst into organopolysiloxane, and this material cures at about 150° C. 
         [0065]      FIG. 6(   a ) is a cross-sectional view of an LED element  321  used in a further alternative LED module  300 , and  FIG. 6(   b ) is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a portion of the LED module  300 . 
         [0066]    The LED modules  100  and  200  use the LED dies  121 ,  221  as the LED elements. Therefore, the area inside the dam member  105  is filled with the phosphor resin  102  to cover the LED dies  121 ,  221  and the wires  122 ,  123 ,  223 . However, the LED elements used need not be limited to LED chips. The following therefore describes the LED module  300  which uses LED elements assembled into chip-size packages (hereinafter called the packaged LEDs). 
         [0067]    Each individual LED element contained in the LED module  300  is provided with a phosphor layer  321   a  (see  FIG. 6(   a )) formed so as to encapsulate it, as will be described later. If an external view corresponding to  FIG. 1  is drawn for the LED module  300 , the packaged LEDs  321  each encapsulated with the phosphor layer  321   a  (see  FIG. 6(   a )) and the surface of the submount substrate  225  (see  FIG. 6(   b )) exposed between the packaged LEDs  321  will be seen through the opening of the housing  101 . Otherwise, the external view of the LED module  300  is the same as that of the LED module  100 . 
         [0068]    If the assembly view corresponding to  FIG. 2  is drawn for the LED module  300 , it will be seen that the need for the dam member  105  (see  FIG. 2 ) is eliminated. Otherwise, the assembly view of the LED module  300  is the same as that of the LED module  100 . Therefore, the LED module  300  will be described below with reference to the enlarged cross-sectional view ( FIG. 6(   b )) showing a portion of the cross section of the LED module  300 . The housing is omitted from illustration in  FIG. 6(   b ). 
         [0069]    As shown in  FIG. 6(   a ), the LED die is provided with a semiconductor layer  321   c  formed on the lower surface of a transparent insulating substrate  321   b  of sapphire or the like, and two protruding electrodes  322  are formed on the lower surface of the semiconductor layer  321   c . The protruding electrodes  322  are an anode and a cathode, respectively. The phosphor layer  321   a  is formed by mixing phosphor particles into a silicone resin, kneading the mixture, and curing the mixture, and is deposited to a thickness of about 100 μm on the side and upper faces. The phosphor layer  321   a  is also formed on the bottom face of the packaged LED  321 , but is thinner than the phosphor layer  321   a  formed on the side and upper faces, since the bottom phosphor layer  321   a  is only provided to protect the bottom face. 
         [0070]    As in the LED module  200 , the submount substrate  225  in the LED module  300  is a ceramic substrate, and the wiring pattern  224  is formed on the upper surface thereof. Similarly, the module substrate  104  is the same as that used in the LED module  100 . In the LED module  300 , the packaged LEDs  321  are flip-chip mounted on the submount substrate  225 , and the wiring pattern  224  on the submount substrate  225  is connected to the wiring pattern  125  on the module substrate  104  by a small metal piece  323  (elastic metal member). The small metal piece  323  is rigidly fastened to the wiring pattern  125  on the module substrate  104  by solder  108   a . The submount substrate  225  is bonded to the module substrate  104  by the adhesive material  126 . 
         [0071]    The submount substrate  225  of the LED module  300  achieves high reflectance because the white ceramic surface is exposed everywhere except where the wiring pattern  224  and the packaged LEDs  321  are formed. That is, in the LED module  300 , the reflectance of the surface of the submount substrate  225  is set higher than the reflectance of the surface of the module substrate  104 . More specifically, the submount substrate  225  constructed from a ceramic substrate has a reflectance of 90 to 95%, whereas the module substrate  104  has a reflectance of 70 to 80% even when it is painted white. The description given of the reflectance difference between the module substrate and the submount substrate also applies to the LED modules  100  and  200 . 
         [0072]    The LED module  300  is easier to fabricate because of the elimination of the dam member. The connection between the wiring pattern  224  on the submount substrate  225  and the wiring pattern  125  on the module substrate  104  may be accomplished by soldering or by using a connector. In this case, there is no need to set up a wire bonder in the fabrication process. 
         [0073]    In the LED modules  100 ,  200 , and  300  described above, the high-reflectance area is limited to the mounting area where the LED elements (LED dies  121 ,  221  or packaged LEDs  321 ) are mounted. The reason is that the high-reflectance member using ceramic, aluminum, or like material is generally costly and, therefore, from the standpoint of reducing the cost, it is preferable to limit the high-reflectance area and thus reduce the size of the high-reflectance member used. Further, in the LED modules  100 ,  200 , and  300 , the module substrate  104  has been described as comprising the protective film  104   a  and the metal base  104   b , but instead, the module substrate  104  may be formed, for example, from a resin or a ceramic material such as aluminum nitride. Furthermore, the housing  101  shown in the description of the LED module  100  is not necessarily an essential component, because the casing or the like of lighting equipment into which the LED module is to be assembled can be substituted for the housing. 
       DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERENCE NUMERALS 
       [0000]    
       
           100 ,  200 ,  300  . . . LED MODULE 
           101  . . . HOUSING 
           102  . . . PHOSPHOR RESIN 
           103 ,  225  . . . SUBMOUNT SUBSTRATE 
           103   a  . . . ENHANCED REFLECTIVE FILM 
           103   b  . . . ALUMINUM BASE 
           104  . . . MODULE SUBSTRATE 
           104   a  . . . INSULATING LAYER 
           104   b  . . . METAL BASE 
           105  . . . DAM MEMBER 
           106  . . . MOUNTING AREA 
           107 ,  109  . . . MOUNTING HOLE 
           108  . . . ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS (OTHER ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS) 
           108   a  . . . SOLDER 
           110  . . . CIRCUIT SUBSTRATE 
           121 ,  221  . . . LED DIE (LED ELEMENT) 
           125  . . . WIRING PATTERN 
           126  . . . ADHESIVE MATERIAL 
           222 ,  322  . . . PROTRUDING ELECTRODE 
           224  . . . WIRING PATTERN 
           321  . . . PACKAGED LED (LED ELEMENT) 
           321   a  . . . PHOSPHOR LAYER 
           321   b  . . . TRANSPARENT INSULATING SUBSTRATE 
           321   c  . . . SEMICONDUCTOR LAYER 
           323  . . . SMALL METAL PIECE (ELASTIC METAL MEMBER)

Technology Category: 2