Patent Grant
9851056
Field
Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a compact light emitting diode chip, and a light emitting device including the same.
Discussion of the Background
Light emitting diodes are used in various products such as large back light units (BLUs), general lighting, electric products, small home appliances, and interior products.
Light emitting diodes can be used not only as a light source, but also for various purposes including conveying of information, aesthetic applications, and the like. Therefore, products including the light emitting diodes are required to have freedom of design. For example, the light emitting diodes are mounted on a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) in order to allow free deformation of a product. Particularly, there is a need for products allowing free deformation of the products by consumers.
However, since the light emitting diode is produced using, for example, gallium nitride-based single crystal semiconductors, the shape of the light emitting diode cannot be changed. However, if a small light emitting diode is mounted on a flexible circuit board and the like, a product allowing free deformation thereof can be produced. Accordingly, there is a need for miniaturization of a light emitting diode in order to produce a deformable product.
Generally, most light emitting diodes are mounted on leads via solder. When the light emitting diodes are mounted on the leads using the solder, there can be a problem of tilting of the light emitting diodes due to flowability of the solder. In order to prevent the light emitting diodes from tilting due to the solder, grooves may be formed on the leads. However, it is difficult to form the grooves on the leads on a flexible substrate such as an FPCB, and when the leads include the grooves thereon, disconnection is likely to occur upon deformation of a product, thereby causing deterioration in reliability of the product. Moreover, when small light emitting diodes are arranged at narrow intervals, the grooves are formed in many regions on the leads, thereby further deteriorating product reliability.
Therefore, there is a need for development of a light emitting diode chip and a light emitting device, which can secure high production yield, freedom of design, and suitable durability for various designs while preventing generation of tilting.
Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide a light emitting diode chip configured to have a minimized area and thickness while securing high luminous efficacy and high production yields.
Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide a flip-chip type light emitting diode chip configured to prevent short circuit while reducing electrical characteristic deviation between produced chips.
Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide a light emitting device that includes a compact and slim light emitting diode chip mounted on a substrate via a bonding layer having a minimum thickness, thereby realizing a slim structure while securing good durability.
Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide a light emitting diode chip and light emitting device, which can prevent tilting upon mounting while securing product durability.
Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide an application that includes a compact and slim light emitting diode chip and/or a light emitting device including the same.
Additional aspects will be set forth in the detailed description which follows, and, in part, will be apparent from the disclosure, or may be learned by practice of the inventive concept.
In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a light emitting diode chip includes: a substrate including protrusions disposed on an upper surface thereof; a light emitting structure disposed on the substrate and including a first conductive type semiconductor layer, a second conductive type semiconductor layer disposed on the first conductive type semiconductor layer, and an active layer disposed between the first and second conductive type semiconductor layers, the light emitting structure having at least one hole through the second conductive type semiconductor layer and the active layer and exposing a portion of the first conductive type semiconductor layer; a contact electrode disposed on at least part of the second conductive type semiconductor layer and in ohmic contact with the second conductive type semiconductor layer and including an optically transparent conductive oxide; a light reflective insulation layer covering a side surface and an upper surface of the light emitting structure, and including a first opening exposing the first conductive type semiconductor layer exposed through the hole and a second opening partially exposing the contact electrode, the light reflective insulation layer including a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR); a first pad electrode disposed on the light reflective insulation layer and electrically connected to the first conductive type semiconductor layer through the first opening; and a second pad electrode disposed on the light reflective insulation layer and electrically connected to the contact electrode through the second opening, wherein a portion of an upper surface of the substrate is exposed around the light emitting structure, the light reflective insulation layer adjoins the upper surface of the substrate exposed through the light emitting structure, and an upper edge of the substrate is spaced apart from the light reflective insulation layer.
In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a light emitting device includes: a second substrate; a light emitting diode chip disposed on the second substrate; and a first substrate including a first bonding portion and a second bonding portion disposed between the light emitting diode chip and the second substrate, wherein the light emitting diode chip includes: a first substrate including protrusions disposed on a lower surface thereof; a light emitting structure disposed under the first substrate, and including a second conductive type semiconductor layer, a first conductive type semiconductor layer disposed above the second conductive type semiconductor layer and an active layer disposed between the first and second conductive type semiconductor layers, the light emitting structure including at least one hole through the second conductive type semiconductor layer and the active layer and partially exposing the first conductive type semiconductor layer; a contact electrode at least partially disposed under the second conductive type semiconductor layer and in ohmic contact with the second conductive type semiconductor layer; a light reflective insulation layer covering a side surface and a lower surface of the light emitting structure, and including a first opening exposing the first conductive type semiconductor layer exposed through the hole and a second opening partially exposing the contact electrode, the light reflective insulation layer including a distributed Bragg reflector; a first pad electrode disposed under the light reflective insulation layer and electrically connected to the first conductive type semiconductor layer through the first opening; and a second pad electrode disposed under the light reflective insulation layer and electrically connected to the contact electrode through the second opening, wherein a portion of the lower surface of the first substrate is exposed around the light emitting structure, the light reflective insulation layer adjoins the portion of the lower surface of the first substrate exposed around the light emitting structure, a lower edge of the first substrate is spaced apart from the light reflective insulation layer, and the first and second bonding portions are electrically connected to the first and second pad electrodes, respectively.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present disclosure, a light emitting diode chip includes: a substrate; a first conductive type semiconductor layer disposed on the substrate; a mesa disposed on the first conductive type semiconductor layer and including an active layer and a second conductive type semiconductor layer; an insulation layer covering the first conductive type semiconductor layer and the mesa, the insulation layer including at least one first opening exposing the first conductive type semiconductor layer and a second opening disposed on the mesa; a first pad electrode disposed on the insulation layer and electrically connected to the first conductive type semiconductor layer through the first opening; and a second pad electrode disposed on the insulation layer and electrically connected to the second conductive type semiconductor layer through the second opening, wherein the first opening of the insulation layer includes a first region covered by the first pad electrode and a second region exposed outside the first pad electrode.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a light emitting device includes: a base; conductive interconnections disposed on the base; the light emitting diode chip disposed on the base; and first and second bonding materials bonding the light emitting diode chip to the conductive interconnections.
The foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the claimed subject matter.
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the inventive concept, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the inventive concept, and, together with the description, serve to explain principles of the inventive concept.
In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various exemplary embodiments. It is apparent, however, that various exemplary embodiments may be practiced without these specific details or with one or more equivalent arrangements. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring various exemplary embodiments.
In the accompanying figures, the size and relative sizes of layers, films, panels, ici regions, etc., may be exaggerated for clarity and descriptive purposes. Also, like reference numerals denote like elements.
When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, connected to, or coupled to the other element or layer or intervening elements or layers may be present. When, however, an element or layer is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there are no intervening elements or layers present. For the purposes of this disclosure, “at least one of X, Y, and Z” and “at least one selected from the group consisting of X, Y, and Z” may be construed as X only, Y only, Z only, or any combination of two or more of X, Y, and Z, such as, for instance, XYZ, XYY, YZ, and ZZ. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
Although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers, and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers, and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, and/or section from another element, component, region, layer, and/or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer, and/or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer, and/or section without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure.
Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for descriptive purposes, and, thereby, to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the drawings. Spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of an apparatus in use, operation, and/or manufacture in addition to the orientation depicted in the drawings. For example, if the apparatus in the drawings is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. Furthermore, the apparatus may be otherwise oriented (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations), and, as such, the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms, “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Moreover, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and/or “including,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
Hereinafter, a light emitting diode chip, a light emitting device, and various applications thereof will be described. Herein, the term “light emitting diode chip” means a die separated from a wafer through an singulation process. Further, the light emitting diode chip may be provided with a wavelength conversion part before or after singulation. A structure wherein the wavelength conversion part is disposed on the light emitting diode chip can be referred to as the light emitting diode chip or a light emitting device, and will be classified as the light emitting diode chip in this specification. On the other hand, the term “light emitting device” means a structure wherein the light emitting diode chip is mounted on a secondary substrate or a base. A certain device including a certain application can be referred to as the light emitting device so long as the device includes the light emitting diode chip mounted on the base. Although a device including a single light emitting diode chip mounted on the base is generally referred to as the light emitting device in the detailed description, it should be understood that the light emitting device according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is not restricted to such narrow meanings, and can also refer to a light paper, a light strap, and a keyboard described below.
Various exemplary embodiments are described herein with reference to sectional illustrations that are schematic illustrations of idealized exemplary embodiments and/or intermediate structures. As such, variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result, for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, are to be expected. Thus, exemplary embodiments disclosed herein should not be construed as limited to the particular illustrated shapes of regions, but are to include deviations in shapes that result from, for instance, manufacturing. For example, an implanted region illustrated as a rectangle will, typically, have rounded or curved features and/or a gradient of implant concentration at its edges rather than a binary change from implanted to non-implanted region. Likewise, a buried region formed by implantation may result in some implantation in the region between the buried region and the surface through which the implantation takes place. Thus, the regions illustrated in the drawings are schematic in nature and their shapes are not intended to illustrate the actual shape of a region of a device and are not intended to be limiting.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure is a part. Terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense, unless expressly so defined herein.
A light emitting diode chip, a light emitting device, and an electronic apparatus according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be realized in various ways.
According to various exemplary embodiments, a light emitting diode chip includes: a substrate including protrusions disposed on an upper surface thereof; a light emitting structure disposed on the substrate and including a first conductive type semiconductor layer, a second conductive type semiconductor layer disposed on the first conductive type semiconductor layer, and an active layer disposed between the first and second conductive type semiconductor layers, the light emitting structure having at least one hole through the second conductive type semiconductor layer and the active layer and exposing a portion of the first conductive type semiconductor layer; a contact electrode disposed on at least part of the second conductive type semiconductor layer, in ohmic contact with the second conductive type semiconductor layer, and including an optically transparent conductive oxide; a light reflective insulation layer covering a side surface and an upper surface of the light emitting structure, and including a first opening exposing the first conductive type semiconductor layer exposed through the hole and a second opening partially exposing the contact electrode, the light reflective insulation layer including a distributed Bragg reflector; a first pad electrode disposed on the light reflective insulation layer and electrically connected to the first conductive type semiconductor layer through the first opening; and a second pad electrode disposed on the light reflective insulation layer and electrically connected to the contact electrode through the second opening, wherein a portion of an upper surface of the substrate is exposed around the light emitting structure, the light reflective insulation layer adjoins the upper surface of the substrate exposed through the light emitting structure, and an upper edge of the substrate is spaced apart from the light reflective insulation layer.
The light emitting diode chip may have a thickness of 40 μm to 90 μm.
The light emitting diode chip may have a horizontal cross-sectional area of 30,000 μm2 to 65,000 μm2.
Drive current for operation of the light emitting diode chip may be configured to have a current density of 7 mA/mm2 to 250 mA/mm2.
A total area of the first pad electrode and the second pad electrode may range from 80% to 95% of a horizontal cross-sectional area of the light emitting diode chip.
A shortest distance between the first pad electrode and the second pad electrode may range from 3 μm to 20 μm.
Some of the protrusions disposed on the upper surface of the substrate may be covered by the light reflective insulation layer.
The other protrusions disposed on the upper surface of the substrate may be exposed.
The contact electrode may cover an upper surface of the second conductive type semiconductor layer, and may include a third opening exposing the hole of the light emitting structure and at least one fourth opening partially exposing the second conductive type semiconductor layer.
The fourth opening may have a smaller width than the second opening and an upper surface of the contact electrode may partially adjoin the second pad electrode.
The substrate may include a patterned sapphire substrate.
The first pad electrode may include a depression on an upper surface thereof and disposed at a location corresponding to the first opening, and the second pad electrode may include a depression on an upper surface thereof and disposed at a location corresponding to the second opening.
According to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, a light emitting device includes: a second substrate; a light emitting diode chip disposed on the second substrate; and a first substrate including a first bonding portion and a second bonding portion disposed between the light emitting diode chip and the second substrate, wherein the light emitting diode chip includes: a first substrate including protrusions disposed on a lower surface thereof; a light emitting structure disposed under the first substrate, and including a second conductive type semiconductor layer, a first conductive type semiconductor layer disposed above the second conductive type semiconductor layer and an active layer disposed between the first and second conductive type semiconductor layers, the light emitting structure including at least one hole through the second conductive type semiconductor layer and the active layer and partially exposing the first conductive type semiconductor layer; a contact electrode at least partially disposed under the second conductive type semiconductor layer and in ohmic contact with the second conductive type semiconductor layer; a light reflective insulation layer covering a side surface and a lower surface of the light emitting structure, and including a first opening exposing the first conductive type semiconductor layer exposed through the hole and a second opening partially exposing the contact electrode, the light reflective insulation layer including a distributed Bragg reflector; a first pad electrode disposed under the light reflective insulation layer and electrically connected to the first conductive type semiconductor layer through the first opening; and a second pad electrode disposed under the light reflective insulation layer and electrically connected to the contact electrode through the second opening, wherein a portion of the lower surface of the first substrate is exposed around the light emitting structure, the light reflective insulation layer adjoins the portion of the lower surface of the first substrate exposed around the light emitting structure, a lower edge of the first substrate is spaced apart from the light reflective insulation layer, and the first and second bonding portions are electrically connected to the first and second pad electrodes, respectively.
A shortest distance between the first and second bonding portions may be greater than a shortest distance between the first and second pad electrodes.
At least one of the first and second bonding portions may at least partially cover the light reflective insulation layer covering the side surface of the light emitting structure.
At least one of the first and second bonding portions may at least partially cover the lower surface of the first substrate exposed around the light emitting structure.
At least one of the first and second bonding portions may at least partially cover a side surface of the first substrate.
The first and second bonding portions may include solder.
According to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, an electronic apparatus including an input device further includes at least one of light emitting diode chips and light emitting devices according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.
The input device may include a keyboard with a plurality of keys. The plurality of keys may include a luminous region disposed on upper surfaces thereof and light discharged through the luminous region may be emitted from the light emitting diode chip or the light emitting device.
The input device may include a keyboard with a plurality of keys. The plurality of keys may include a luminous region disposed on upper surfaces thereof, the light emitting diode chip may be disposed under at least some of the plurality of keys, and light emitted from the light emitting diode chip or the light emitting device may be discharged through the luminous region.
According to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, a light emitting diode chip includes: a substrate; a first conductive type semiconductor layer disposed on the substrate; a mesa disposed on the first conductive type semiconductor layer and including an active layer and a second conductive type semiconductor layer; an insulation layer covering the first conductive type semiconductor layer and the mesa, the insulation layer including at least one first opening exposing the first conductive type semiconductor layer and a second opening disposed on the mesa; a first pad electrode disposed on the insulation layer and electrically connected to the first conductive type semiconductor layer through the first opening; and a second pad electrode disposed on the insulation layer and electrically connected to the second conductive type semiconductor layer through the second opening, wherein the first opening of the insulation layer includes a first region covered by the first pad electrode and a second region exposed outside the first pad electrode.
Through addition of the second region, the first opening can be formed in a relatively large size, thereby stabilizing a process of forming the first opening in a limited design range. As a result, it is possible to facilitate manufacture of the light emitting diode chip. Furthermore, since the second region is placed outside the first pad electrode, the second region does not affect a contact area of the first pad electrode. Accordingly, even in the case where the size of the first opening is changed due to tolerance in the manufacturing process, change in the contact area of the first pad electrode can be relieved, thereby reducing deviation in electrical characteristics such as forward voltage between light emitting diode chips.
The insulation layer may include a plurality of first openings, and among the first openings, two first openings may be disposed at opposite side surfaces of the mesa, respectively. In addition, one of the first openings may be disposed at one side surface of the mesa between the opposite side surfaces thereof. With the first openings disposed at the side surfaces of the mesa, the light emitting diode chip can prevent reduction in area of the mesa while achieving uniform current spreading in the mesa.
The mesa may include a plurality of grooves depressed from side surfaces thereof, and the plurality of first openings may partially expose the first conductive type semiconductor layer exposed through the plurality of grooves, respectively.
In some exemplary embodiments, the mesa may further include a through-hole that exposes the first conductive type semiconductor layer, and the insulation layer may further include an opening exposing the first conductive type semiconductor layer in the through-hole. The first pad electrode may be electrically connected to the first conductive type semiconductor layer through the through-hole. The structure wherein the through-hole is formed in the mesa can aid current spreading in the mesa.
The through-hole may be disposed between the grooves disposed at the opposite side surfaces of the mesa. However, it should be understood that other implementations are also possible and the location of the through-hole can be changed.
The second region of the first opening may partially expose a side surface of the first conductive type semiconductor layer. Accordingly, the first opening may be formed in a relatively large size.
The light emitting diode chip may further include a contact electrode disposed between the mesa and the insulation layer to contact the second conductive type semiconductor layer, and the second pad electrode may be connected to the contact electrode.
The contact electrode may include a third opening, which may be placed inside the second opening. Accordingly, part of the contact electrode is exposed to the second opening and the second pad electrode may be connected to the contact electrode and the second conductive type semiconductor layer in the second opening.
In some exemplary embodiments, the contact electrode may be a transparent electrode through which light generated in the active layer passes. Furthermore, light generated in the active layer may be discharged through the substrate and through a region between the first and second pad electrodes. Accordingly, a light emitting diode chip capable of emitting light in opposite directions can be provided.
The light emitting diode chip may further include an extension electrode disposed on the first conductive type semiconductor layer, the first opening of the insulation layer may partially expose the extension electrode, and the first pad electrode may be connected to the extension electrode through the first opening.
In some exemplary embodiments, the light emitting diode chip may further include a wavelength conversion part disposed on the substrate. The wavelength conversion part may cover an upper surface and a side surface of the substrate.
According to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, a light emitting device includes: a base; conductive interconnections disposed on the base; the light emitting diode chip disposed on the base; and first and second bonding materials bonding the light emitting diode chip to the conductive interconnections, wherein the first and second bonding materials bond the first and second pad electrodes of the light emitting diode chip to the conductive interconnections, respectively.
The first bonding material may contact the first conductive type semiconductor layer exposed to the second region. Although the first bonding material contacts the first conductive type semiconductor layer, there is no problem of short circuit. Furthermore, the first bonding material may form Schottky contact with the first conductive type semiconductor layer, whereby the light emitting diode chip does not suffer from change in forward voltage even in the structure wherein the first bonding material contacts the first conductive type semiconductor layer.
A distance between the conductive interconnections may be greater than the distance between the first and second pad electrodes.
The first bonding material and the second bonding material may partially cover side surfaces of the conductive interconnections.
The base may be a flexible film, for example, a flexible transparent film. The base may have a variety of shapes, for example, a paper shape having a wide area or an elongated strap shape. With this structure, the light emitting device may be provided in the form of a light paper, a light strap or band, a keyboard, and the like.
According to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, various applications to which the light emitting diode chip is applied are provided.
Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments are provided by way of example so as to fully convey the spirit of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains. Accordingly, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments disclosed herein and can also be implemented in different forms. In the drawings, widths, lengths, thicknesses, and the like of elements can be exaggerated for clarity and descriptive purposes. When an element or layer is referred to as being “disposed above” or “disposed on” another element or layer, it can be directly “disposed above” or “disposed on” the other element or layer or intervening elements or layers can be present. Throughout the specification, like reference numerals denote like elements having the same or similar functions.
Referring to
The light emitting diode chip 50 may be a compact light emitting diode chip having a relatively small horizontal area. The light emitting diode chip 50 may have a horizontal cross-sectional area of about 65,000 μm2 or less, specifically about 30,000 μm2 to about 65,000 μM2. For example, the light emitting diode chip 50 may have a size of 230 μm×180 μm or 250 μm×200 μm. It should be understood that the size of the light emitting diode chip 50 according to exemplary embodiments is not limited thereto. In some exemplary embodiments, the light emitting diode chip 50 may be a compact light emitting diode chip having a relatively slim thickness. The light emitting diode chip 50 may have a thickness T1 of about 90 μm or less, specifically a thickness T1 of about 40 μm to 90 μm. Drive current for operation of the light emitting diode chip 50 may have a current density of 7 mA/mm2 to 250 mA/mm2. With the horizontal cross-sectional area and thickness as described above, the light emitting diode chip 50 according to the exemplary embodiments can be easily applied to various electronic apparatuses that require compact and/or slim light emitting devices.
The substrate 110 may be an insulating or conductive substrate. The substrate 110 may be a growth substrate for growth of the light emitting structure 120, and may include a sapphire substrate, a silicon carbide (SiC) substrate, a silicon (Si) substrate, a gallium nitride (GaN) substrate, an aluminum nitride (AlN) substrate, and the like. The substrate 110 may include a plurality of protrusions 110p disposed on some region of an upper surface thereof. On the substrate 110, the plurality of protrusions 110p may be disposed in a regular and/or irregular pattern. For example, the substrate 110 may include a patterned sapphire substrate (PSS) having a plurality of protrusions 110p disposed on an upper surface thereof.
Furthermore, the substrate 110 may include at least one modification region 111 having a band shape and extending from at least one side surface of the substrate 110 in the horizontal direction. The modification region 111 may be disposed during division of the substrate 110 for diode isolation. For example, the modification region 111 may be formed through internal machining of the substrate 110 using internal machining equipment (for example, a stealth dicing machine). A scribing plane may be formed inside the substrate 110 using an internal machining laser. In this exemplary embodiment, a distance from the modification region 111 to a lower surface of the substrate 110 may be smaller than a distance from the modification region 111 to an upper surface of the substrate 110. In consideration of light emitted through a side surface of the light emitting diode chip 50, laser machining is performed relatively near the lower surface of the substrate 110 such that the modification region 111 is disposed relatively near the lower surface of the substrate 110, thereby improving extraction of light from the light emitting structure 120. Further, the structure wherein the modification region 111 is disposed near the light emitting structure 120 can have problems with electrical characteristics due to damage to the nitride-based semiconductors upon laser machining. Accordingly, with the structure wherein the modification region 111 is disposed near the lower surface of the substrate 110, it is possible to prevent deterioration in reliability and luminous efficacy of the light emitting diode chip 50 due to damage to the light emitting structure 120.
The light emitting structure 120 is disposed on the substrate 110. A lower surface of the light emitting structure 120 may have a smaller area than the upper surface of the substrate 110, whereby the upper surface of the substrate 110 can be exposed in at least some region around the light emitting structure 120. Some of the plurality of protrusions 110p may be disposed between the light emitting structure 120 and the substrate 110, and the other protrusions 110p may be exposed around the light emitting structure 120.
With the structure wherein the upper surface of the substrate 110 is partially exposed around the light emitting structure 120, the light emitting diode chip 50 can prevent damage to the light emitting structure 120 by suppressing wafer bowing during fabrication thereof, thereby improving production yield. In addition, the light emitting diode chip can reduce stress applied to the light emitting structure 120 by suppressing wafer bowing, thereby allowing the substrate 110 to be machined to a slimmer thickness. As a result, the light emitting diode chip 50 can have a slim structure having a thickness of about 90 μm or less. This structure will be described in more detail in the following exemplary embodiments.
The light emitting structure 120 may include at least one hole 120h through the active layer 123 and the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125 and at least partially exposing the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121. The hole 120h exposes at least part of the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 and a side surface of the hole 120h may be surrounded by the active layer 123 and the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125. In addition, the light emitting structure 120 may include a mesa 120m that includes the active layer 123 and the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125. The mesa 120m is disposed on the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121. The hole 120h may be formed through the mesa 120m so as to be surrounded by the mesa 120m. It should be understood that the light emitting diode chip 50 according to this exemplary embodiment may have any structure wherein the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 is exposed through the hole 120h, and can omit the mesa 120m.
The contact electrode 130 is disposed on the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125. The contact electrode 130 may be in ohmic contact with the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125. The contact electrode 130 may include a transparent electrode. The transparent electrode may include at least one of, for example, optically transparent conductive oxides such as indium tin oxide (ITO), zinc oxide (ZnO), zinc indium tin oxide (ZITO), zinc indium oxide (ZIO), zinc tin oxide (ZTO), gallium indium tin oxide (GITO), gallium indium oxide (GIO), gallium zinc oxide (GZO), aluminum doped zinc oxide (AZO), fluorine tin oxide (FTO), and optically transparent metals such as Ni/Au. The conductive oxides may further include various dopants.
Particularly, the contact electrode 130 including the optically transparent conductive oxide has high efficiency in formation of an ohmic contact with the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125. That is, since contact resistance between a conductive oxide such as ITO or ZnO and the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125 is lower than contact resistance between a metallic electrode and the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125, the contact electrode 130 including the conductive oxide can reduce forward voltage Vf of the light emitting diode chip 50, thereby improving luminous efficacy. Particularly, in a compact light emitting diode chip driven by relatively low current density like the light emitting diode chip 50 according to this exemplary embodiment, the contact resistance between the contact electrode 130 and the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125 is reduced so as to improve ohmic contact characteristics, thereby more effectively improving luminous efficacy. Further, since the conductive oxide has a lower probability of peeling off of the nitride-based semiconductor layer than the metallic electrode, the light emitting diode chip 50 having the contact electrode 130 including the conductive oxide has high reliability. On the other hand, although the conductive oxide has lower lateral current spreading efficiency than the metallic electrode, the light emitting diode chip 50 according to this exemplary embodiment has a horizontal cross-sectional area of about 65,000 μm or less and thus suffers from insignificant or no deterioration in luminous efficacy caused by deterioration in current spreading efficiency. In this way, the contact electrode 130 including the conductive oxide is applied to the light emitting diode chip 50, thereby improving electrical characteristics and luminous efficacy.
The contact electrode 130 may have a thickness of about 2,000 Å to 3,000 Å, without being limited thereto. For example, the contact electrode 130 including ITO may have a thickness of about 2,400 Å. Within this thickness range of the contact electrode 130, the light emitting diode chip 50 can exhibit improved electrical characteristics by efficiently spreading electric current in the lateral direction.
In addition, the contact electrode 130 includes a first opening 130a exposing the at least one hole 120h. The first opening 130a may be disposed such that a side surface of the first opening 130a is separated from the at least one hole 120h while being surrounded by the at least one hole 120h. In this exemplary embodiment, the first opening 130a may have a greater size than the hole 120h. The contact electrode 130 may be disposed to cover substantially the entirety of an upper surface of the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125, thereby improving current spreading efficiency upon operation of the light emitting diode chip 50. Furthermore, the contact electrode 130 may further include at least one second opening 130b that partially exposes the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125. A structure wherein the second pad electrode 153 described below is disposed to fill at least part of the second opening 130b can increase a contact area of the second pad electrode 153. With this structure, the light emitting diode chip can effectively prevent the second pad electrode 153 from peeling off of the contact electrode 130 or the light emitting structure 120. This structure will be described in more detail below.
The light reflective insulation layer 140 covers an upper surface and a side surface of the light emitting structure 120 and also covers the contact electrode 130. In addition, the light reflective insulation layer 140 may extend to the exposed portion of the upper surface of the substrate 110 around the light emitting structure 120. In this structure, the light reflective insulation layer 140 may adjoin the upper surface of the substrate 110 and thus can be more stably disposed while covering the side surface of the light emitting structure 120. Here, the light reflective insulation layer 140 does not extend to an upper edge of the substrate 110 such that the upper surface of the substrate 110 near the upper edge of the substrate 110 is exposed. Further, the light reflective insulation layer 140 may include a third opening 140a that partially exposes the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 exposed through the at least one hole 120h, and a fourth opening 140b that partially exposes the contact electrode 130.
The third opening 140a of the light reflective insulation layer 140 partially exposes the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 exposed through the at least one hole 120h. In this structure, the side surface of the hole 120h is covered by the light reflective insulation layer 140 so as to prevent short circuit. The third opening 140a may be used as a passage for electrical connection between the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 and the first pad electrode 151. The fourth opening 140b of the light reflective insulation layer 140 partially exposes the contact electrode 130. The fourth opening 140b may be used as a passage for electrical connection between the contact electrode 130 and the second pad electrode 153. In some exemplary embodiments, the fourth opening 140b is positioned at a location corresponding to the second opening 130b of the contact electrode 130. The fourth opening 140b has a greater size than the second opening 130b such that an upper surface of the contact electrode 130 is partially exposed through the fourth opening 140b.
The light reflective insulation layer 140 may include a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR). The distributed Bragg reflector may be formed by repeatedly stacking dielectric layers having different indices of refraction and including, for example, TiO2, SiO2, HfO2, ZrO2, Nb2O5, MgF2, and the like. In some exemplary embodiments, the light reflective insulation layer 140 may have an alternating structure of TiO2/SiO2 layers. The distributed Bragg reflector may be composed of 4 to 20 pairs of layers each having an optical thickness equal to one-quarter of a particular wavelength. An uppermost layer of the light reflective insulation layer 140 may be formed of SiNX. The layer of SiNX has good moisture resistance to protect the light emitting diode chip from moisture.
In the structure wherein the light reflective insulation layer 140 includes the distributed Bragg reflector, a lowermost layer of the light reflective insulation layer 140 can act as a base layer or an interface layer capable of improving film quality of the distributed Bragg reflector. As shown in an enlarged view of
The distributed Bragg reflector may have a relatively high reflectivity with respect to visible light. The distributed Bragg reflector may be configured to have a reflectivity of 90% or higher with respect to light having an angle of incidence of 0° to 60° at a wavelength of 400 nm to 700 nm. The distributed Bragg reflector having this reflectivity can be provided by controlling the kinds, thickness and stacking cycle of the dielectric layers constituting the distributed Bragg reflector. As a result, it is possible to form a distributed Bragg reflector having high reflectivity with respect to light having relatively long wavelengths (for example, 550 nm to 700 nm) and light having relatively short wavelengths (for example, 400 nm to 550 nm).
In this way, the distributed Bragg reflector may include a multilayer structure so as to have high reflectivity with respect to light in a broad wavelength band. That is, the distributed Bragg reflector may include a first stack structure in which dielectric layers having a first thickness are stacked one above another and a second stack structure in which dielectric layers having a second thickness are stacked one above another. For example, the distributed Bragg reflector may include a first stack structure in which dielectric layers having a smaller thickness than an optical thickness equal to one-quarter of a central wavelength (about 550 nm) of visible light are stacked one above another and a second stack structure in which dielectric layers having a greater thickness than the optical thickness equal to one-quarter of the central wavelength (about 550 nm) of visible light are stacked one above another. In some exemplary embodiments, the distributed Bragg reflector may further include a third stack structure in which a dielectric layer having a greater thickness than the optical thickness equal to one-quarter of the central wavelength (about 550 nm) of visible light and a dielectric layer having a smaller thickness than the optical thickness equal to one-quarter of the central wavelength (about 550 nm) of visible light are repeatedly stacked one above another.
The light reflective insulation layer 140 may partially cover the exposed portion of the upper surface of the substrate 110. In this exemplary embodiment, the light reflective insulation layer 140 may partially cover the protrusions 110p on the exposed portion of the upper surface of the substrate 110. As shown in the enlarged view of
Luminous efficacy of the light emitting diode chip 50 can be improved through reflection of light by the distributed Bragg reflector of the light reflective insulation layer 140 covering substantially the entirety of the upper surface and the side surface of the light emitting structure 120. Particularly, light having passed through the contact electrode 130, which includes the conductive oxide capable of improving electrical characteristics of the light emitting diode chip 50, can be discharged through the lower surface of the substrate 110 through reflection by the light reflective insulation layer 140. Further, since the light reflective insulation layer 140 also covers the side surface of the light emitting structure 120, light traveling towards the side surface of the light emitting structure 120 is also reflected by the light reflective insulation layer 140 to be discharged through the lower surface of the substrate 110. Furthermore, since the upper surface of the substrate 110 around the light emitting structure 120 is exposed, the light reflective insulation layer 140 adjoins the upper surface of the substrate 110 such that the side surface of the light emitting structure 120 can be more stably covered by the light reflective insulation layer 140, thereby minimizing light loss through the side surface of the light emitting structure 120.
In the structure wherein the light reflective insulation layer 140 adjoins the upper surface of the substrate 110, the upper surface of the substrate 110 near the upper edge thereof is exposed. That is, the upper edge of the substrate 110 is separated from the light reflective insulation layer 140. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent damage (for example, peeling, breakage, and the like) to the light reflective insulation layer 140 by a laser beam upon division of the substrate 110 (for example, through internal dicing, scribing and/or breaking) in the course of dividing a wafer to form a plurality of light emitting diode chips 100. Particularly, in the structure wherein the light reflective insulation layer 140 includes the distributed Bragg reflector, damage to the light reflective insulation layer 140 can cause deterioration in light reflectivity. According to this exemplary embodiment, it is possible to prevent deterioration in light reflectivity due to such damage to the light reflective insulation layer 140. This will be described in more detail below in the following exemplary embodiments.
The first pad electrode 151 and the second pad electrode 153 are disposed on the light reflective insulation layer 140. The first pad electrode 151 may be in ohmic contact with the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 through the third opening 140a and the second pad electrode 153 may be electrically connected to the contact electrode 130 through the fourth opening 140b. In the structure wherein the contact electrode 130 includes the second opening 130b, the second pad electrode 153 may contact the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125. In this structure, however, since contact resistance between the second pad electrode 153 and the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125 is higher than contact resistance between the second pad electrode 153 and the contact electrode 130, electric current flowing through the second pad electrode 153 is highly likely to flow to the contact electrode 130. For example, the second pad electrode 153 and the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125 can form a Schottky contact. Accordingly, current crowding caused by contact between the second pad electrode 153 and the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125 can be minimized.
Each of the first pad electrode 151 and the second pad electrode 153 may have an upper surface profile corresponding to a lower surface profile thereof. Accordingly, the first pad electrode 151 may include a depression 151a disposed above the third opening 140a and the second pad electrode 153 may include a depression 153a disposed above the fourth opening 140b. In this way, since the lower surface of each of the first and second pad electrodes 151, 153 has a step, each of the first and second pad electrodes 151, 153 has an increased contact area and the step is disposed at a contact portion of each of the first and second pad electrodes 151, 153, thereby preventing peeling of the first and second pad electrodes 151, 153. Particularly, in the structure wherein the contact electrode 130 includes the second opening 130b, the depression 153a of the second pad electrode 153 has a step, thereby more effectively preventing peeling of the second pad electrode 153.
A shortest distance D1 between the first pad electrode 151 and the second pad electrode 153 may be a very small value, for example, about 3 μm to about 20 μm. Since the light reflective insulation layer 140 covering the side surface of the light emitting structure 120 can be stably formed, the light emitting diode chip 50 may be disposed so as to allow bonding portions 211, 213 bonded to a second substrate 300 to cover the side surface of the light emitting diode chip 50, as described in the following exemplary embodiments. In this structure, since there is no need for process margin through the shortest distance D1 between the first pad electrode 151 and the second pad electrode 153, the shortest distance D1 between the first pad electrode 151 and the second pad electrode 153 can be reduced as much as possible. In addition, since the compact light emitting diode chip 50 according to this exemplary embodiment can be operated by relatively low current density, the shortest distance between the first pad electrode 151 and the second pad electrode 153 can be further reduced. Within the above range of the shortest distance D1 between the first pad electrode 151 and the second pad electrode 153, the light emitting diode chip 50 can have further improved heat dissipation efficiency. In this exemplary embodiment, a total area of the first pad electrode 151 and the second pad electrode 153 may range from about 80% to 95% of a horizontal cross-sectional area of the light emitting diode chip 50.
Referring to
The second substrate 300 may provide a region on which the light emitting diode chip 50 will be mounted, and may include, for example, a substrate of a light emitting diode package or a substrate of a light emitting module. The second substrate 300 may include a base 310 and first and second conductive patterns 321, 323 disposed on the base 310. The second substrate 300 may include a conductive substrate, an insulating substrate, or a printed circuit board (PCB). For example, as shown in
The light emitting diode chip 50 is disposed on the second substrate 300 and electrically connected to the second substrate 300. The light emitting diode chip 50 may be the light emitting diode chip 50 according to the exemplary embodiments described with reference to
The first bonding portion 211 and the second bonding portion 213 are interposed between the light emitting diode chip 50 and the second substrate 300 so as to bond and electrically connect the light emitting diode chip 50 to the second substrate 300. The first bonding portion 211 may contact the first pad electrode 151 of the light emitting diode chip 50 and the first conductive pattern 321 of the second substrate 300. Likewise, the second bonding portion 213 may contact the second pad electrode 153 of the light emitting diode chip 50 and the second conductive pattern 321 of the second substrate 300. The first and second bonding portions 211, 213 may be formed of any material so long as the material can electrically connect the light emitting diode chip 50 to the second substrate 300 while bonding the same, and may include, for example, solder.
In addition, at least one of the first bonding portion 211 and the second bonding portion 213 may contact at least part of the side surface of the light emitting diode chip 50. In this exemplary embodiment, at least one of the first bonding portion 211 and the second bonding portion 213 may cover at least part of the side surface of the light reflective insulation layer 140 covering the side surface of the light emitting structure 120, may further cover at least part of the lower surface of the substrate 110 exposed around the light emitting structure 120, and may further cover at least part of the side surface of the substrate 110.
As such, since at least one of the first bonding portion 211 and the second bonding portion 213 is configured to contact at least part of the side surface of the light emitting diode chip 50, a shortest distance D2 between the first bonding portion 211 and the second bonding portion 213 may be shorter than the shortest distance D1 between the first pad electrode 151 and the second pad electrode 153. Thus, even in the case where D1 has a relatively small value (for example, about 3 μm to 20 μm), D2 can be set to a greater value than D1 so as to prevent short circuit upon mounting of the light emitting diode chip 50. Particularly, since the light reflective insulation layer 140 of the light emitting diode chip 50 stably covers the side surface of the light emitting structure 120, no electrical problem occurs even in the structure wherein the first bonding portion 211 and/or the second bonding portion 213 contact the side surface of the light emitting diode chip 50. Particularly, since the light reflective insulation layer 140 extends to the exposed portion of the upper surface of the substrate 110, the light reflective insulation layer 140 can more stably insulate the side surface of the light emitting structure 120, thereby preventing short circuit through the bonding portions 211, 213 and the side surface of the light emitting structure 120. In addition, since the contact areas between the bonding portions 211, 213 and the light emitting diode chip 50 increase, the light emitting diode chip 50 can be more stably mounted on the substrate, thereby improving mechanical stability of the light emitting device. Furthermore, the thickness of each of the bonding portions 211, 213 interposed between the light emitting diode chip 50 and the second substrate 300 (i.e, the separation distance between the light emitting diode chip 50 and the second substrate 300) can be reduced, thereby realizing a more compact and slimmer light emitting device.
Detailed description of substantially the same components as those of the above exemplary embodiments will be omitted. Although the drawings of the following exemplary embodiment show a method of fabricating two light emitting diode chips 100, it should be understood that other implementations are also possible. The method of fabricating the light emitting diode chip 50 according to the exemplary embodiment may also be applied to fabrication of a single light emitting diode chip 50 and to fabrication of three or more light emitting diode chips 100 on a large wafer. In each of the drawings, line L1 is defined as a boundary line between unit diode regions UD1. That is, light emitting structures 120 at both sides with reference to the line L1 are divided to provide two light emitting diode chips 100. In addition, each of the cross-sectional views is taken along line B-B′ of the corresponding plan view. For example, a cross-section taken along line B-B′ of
Referring to
Referring to
Specifically, first, referring to
The contact electrode 130 is disposed on a second conductive type semiconductor layer 125 of the light emitting structure 120 and may be in ohmic contact with the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125. The contact electrode 130 may include an optically transparent conductive oxide and/or an optically transparent metal. For example, formation of the contact electrode 130 may include depositing indium tin oxide (ITO) on the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125 through sputtering and/or e-beam evaporation. However, it should be understood that other implementations are also possible. Alternatively, the contact electrode 130 may include various kinds of optically transparent conductive oxides such as ZnO and may be formed by various processes depending upon the kind of conductive oxide.
Next, referring to
The light emitting structure 120 is divided by the isolation trench 120i into a plurality of light emitting structures 120 respectively disposed on a plurality of unit diode regions UD1. Accordingly, the isolation trench 120i may be disposed along line L1. In this way, the light emitting structure 120 is divided into the plurality of light emitting structures 120 respectively disposed on the plurality of unit diode regions UD1 by forming the isolation trench 120i, thereby relieving stress caused by difference in coefficient of thermal expansion between the substrate 110 and the light emitting structure 120. As a result, it is possible to suppress wafer bowing during fabrication of the light emitting diode chips 100.
The contact electrode 130 may be subjected to patterning and patterning of the contact electrode 130 may include forming first openings 130a that expose the at least one hole 120h. In addition, patterning of the contact electrode 130 may further include forming second openings 130b that partially expose the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125. Patterning of the contact electrode 130 may be performed by dry etching and/or wet etching.
Although the contact electrode 130 is illustrated as being formed prior to patterning of the light emitting structure 120 in the above exemplary embodiment, it should be understood that other implementations are also possible. In various exemplary embodiments, the contact electrode 130 may be formed on the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125 after patterning the light emitting structure 120.
Next, referring to
Formation of the light reflective insulation layer 140 may include forming a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) in which material layers having different indices of refraction are alternately stacked one above another. For example, formation of the light reflective insulation layer 140 may include alternately stacking a SiO2 layer and a TiO2 layer using a well-known method such as sputtering. In addition, formation of the light reflective insulation layer 140 may include forming the distributed Bragg reflector so as to cover the upper and side surfaces of the light emitting structure 120 and the isolation trench 120i, and patterning the distributed Bragg reflector so as to form the third openings 140a and the fourth openings 140b while exposing the upper surface of the substrate 110 in the isolation trench 120i. Accordingly, the light reflective insulation layer 140 covering the light emitting structure 120 in one unit diode region UD1 is separated from the light reflective insulation layer 140 covering the light emitting structure 120 in another unit diode region UD1.
Next, referring to
The first pad electrode 151 may be in ohmic contact with the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 through the third openings 140a of the light reflective insulation layer 140. Likewise, the second pad electrode 153 may contact and be electrically connected to the contact electrode 130 through the fourth openings 140b of the light reflective insulation layer 140. The first and second pad electrodes 151, 153 may be formed by the same processes, for example, through deposition and/or plating, followed by patterning through photolithography/etching technology or lift-off technology.
Next, referring to
Removal of the portion 110a of the substrate 110 may include partially removing the substrate 110 through physical and/or chemical methods. For example, the substrate 110 may be partially removed by lapping, grinding, and the like. Reduction in thickness of the substrate 110 can cause increase in stress while the substrate 110 supports a wafer in a bowed state due to difference in coefficient of thermal expansion. As a result, stress applied to the light emitting structure 120 increases, thereby causing a high probability of damage to the light emitting structure 120. However, according to this exemplary embodiment, the isolation trench 120i dividing the light emitting structure 120 into the plurality of light emitting structure 120 is formed before decreasing the thickness of the substrate 110, thereby preventing damage to the light emitting structure 120 caused by reduction in thickness of the substrate 110 by relieving wafer bowing and stress. Particularly, since stress can be further relieved due to the relatively small unit diode regions UD1, the thickness of each of the unit diode regions UD1 can be reduced to about 90 μm or less.
Division of the substrate 110 along line L1 may include dividing the substrate 110 through scribing and breaking. In some exemplary embodiments, scribing may include internal machining of the substrate 110 using an internal machining laser (for example, stealth laser). With the internal machining laser, at least one modification region 111 having a band shape extending in the horizontal direction may be formed on at least one side surface of the substrate 110.
According to this exemplary embodiment, the isolation trench 120i is disposed along line L1 and the light reflective insulation layer 140 is divided so as to expose the isolation trench 120i. Accordingly, the light reflective insulation layer 140 is not affected or damaged by a laser beam in the course of dividing the substrate 110, thereby preventing damage to the light reflective insulation layer 140 (for example, peeling, breakage, and the like). Particularly, in the structure wherein the light reflective insulation layer 140 includes the distributed Bragg reflector, damage to the light reflective insulation layer 140 can cause deterioration in reflectivity. The fabrication method according to this exemplary embodiment can prevent deterioration in luminous efficacy of the light emitting diode chip 50 caused by damage to the light reflective insulation layer 140.
In the light emitting diode chip 50 and the light emitting device according to the above exemplary embodiments, the upper surface of the substrate 110 includes an exposed portion, thereby suppressing wafer bowing during fabrication of the light emitting diode chip 50. As a result, since the degree of wafer bowing is relatively small, the thickness of the substrate 110 can be reduced while improving production yield of the light emitting diode chip 50, as described above. Thus, the light emitting diode chip 50 and the light emitting device have a compact and slim structure and high reliability. Further, since the light reflective insulation layer 140 extends to cover the side surface of the light emitting structure 120 and the exposed portion of the upper surface of the substrate 110, particularly, the protrusions 110p of the substrate 110, the light emitting diode chip 50 can have further improved luminous efficacy. Furthermore, with such a structure of the light reflective insulation layer 140, the bonding portions 211, 213 can cover the side surface of the light emitting diode chip 50, thereby achieving compactness of the light emitting device while improving mechanical stability thereof.
As such, with good properties in terms of mechanical stability and luminous efficacy and the compact and slim structure, the light emitting device according to the exemplary embodiments can be advantageously applied to portable electronic apparatuses. By way of example, the light emitting device or the light emitting diode chip 50 may be applied to a paper writing board that requires a slim thickness. In another example, the light emitting device may be applied to an input device such as a keyboard, in which the light emitting device is disposed under each key to allow light to be emitted through the keys. In such an input device, the keys are subjected to repeated external stress (for example, pressure applied for data input). In addition, a portable input device requires a slim thickness and a small size. The light emitting device according to the exemplary embodiments having such a compact and slim structure may be suitably applied to a portable input device having a slim structure while securing mechanical stability, thereby preventing failure of the light emitting device caused by operation of the keyboard (for example, pressure applied to the key).
Referring to
The light emitting diode chip 100 may be a compact light emitting diode chip having a relatively small horizontal area. The light emitting diode chip 100 may have a horizontal cross-sectional area of about 70,000 μm2 or less, specifically about 30,000 μm2 to about 70,000 μm2. For example, the light emitting diode chip 100 may have a size of 310 μm×180 μm or 330 μm×200 μm. It should be understood that the size of the light emitting diode chip 50 according to exemplary embodiments is not limited thereto. In some exemplary embodiments, the light emitting diode chip 50 may be a compact light emitting diode chip having a relative slim thickness. The light emitting diode chip 100 may have a thickness T1 of about 90 μm or less, specifically a thickness T1 of about 40 μm to 90 μm, for example, a thickness T1 of about 80 μm. With the horizontal cross-sectional area and thickness as described above, the light emitting diode chip 50 according to the exemplary embodiments can be easily applied to various electronic apparatuses that require compact and/or slim light emitting devices. Drive current for operation of the light emitting diode chip 50 may have a current density of 5 mA/mm2 to 400 mA/mm2. By operation of the light emitting diode chip 100 with such a current density, the light emitting diode chip 50 according to the exemplary embodiments can be suitably applied to various electronic apparatuses that require compact and/or slim light emitting devices.
The substrate 110 may be an insulating or conductive substrate. The substrate 110 may be a growth substrate for growth of the light emitting structure 120, and may include a sapphire substrate, a silicon carbide substrate, a silicon substrate, a gallium nitride substrate, an aluminum nitride substrate, and the like. The substrate 110 may include a plurality of protrusions 110p disposed on some region of an upper surface thereof.
Furthermore, the substrate 110 may include at least one modification region 111 having a band shape and extending from at least one side surface of the substrate 110 in the horizontal direction. The modification region 111 may be formed during division of the substrate 110 for diode singulation. For example, the modification region 111 may be formed through internal machining of the substrate 110. A scribing plane may be formed inside the substrate 110 using an internal machining laser, such as a stealth laser. Although the modification region 111 is illustrated as being disposed inside the substrate 110 in the cross-sectional views of
In this exemplary embodiment, a distance T2 from the modification region 111 to an upper surface of the substrate 110 may be smaller than a distance T4 from the modification region 111 to a lower surface of the substrate 110. Further, thickness T3 of the modification region 111 may be greater than T4. For example, the distance T2 may range from about 30 μm to about 35 μm, the thickness T3 may range from about 15 μm to about 20 μm, and the distance T4 may range from about 20 μm to about 25 μm.
In consideration of light emitted through a side surface of the light emitting diode chip 100, laser machining is performed relatively near the lower surface of the substrate 110 such that the modification region 111 is disposed relatively near the lower surface of the substrate 110, thereby improving extraction of light from the light emitting structure 120.
On the other hand, the structure wherein the modification region 111 is disposed near the light emitting structure 120 can cause a problem in electrical characteristics due to damage to nitride-based semiconductors upon laser machining. Particularly, when laser machining is performed on a portion within a distance of 40 μm from the nitride-based semiconductor layer, semiconductor layers disposed on the portion subjected to laser machining can be damaged. Conversely, for the light emitting diode chip 100 according to this exemplary embodiment, the upper surface of the substrate 110 may be exposed through isolation of the light emitting structure 120 before division of the substrate 110 and laser machining may be performed under the exposed portion of the upper surface of the substrate 110. Thus, it is possible to prevent damage to the nitride-based semiconductor layers, that is, the light emitting structure 120, during laser internal machining. Accordingly, the distance T2 from the modification region 111 to the upper surface of the substrate 110 can be set to a relatively small thickness in the above range of about 30 μm to 35 μm. In this way, since the distance T2 can be decreased, the modification region 111 can be disposed relatively near the upper surface of the substrate 110 and thus the thickness of the substrate 110 can be further decreased, whereby the light emitting diode chip 100 can have a slimmer structure.
A lower surface of the light emitting structure 120 may have a smaller area than the upper surface of the substrate 110, whereby the upper surface of the substrate 110 can be exposed in at least some region around the light emitting structure 120. The exposed regions around the light emitting structure 120 are referred to as isolation regions. Some of the plurality of protrusions 110p on the substrate 110 may be disposed between the light emitting structure 120 and the substrate 110, and the other protrusions 110p not covered by the light emitting structure 120 may be exposed around the light emitting structure 120.
With the structure wherein the upper surface of the substrate 110 is partially exposed at the isolation region around the light emitting structure 120, the light emitting diode chip 100 can prevent damage to the light emitting structure 120 by suppressing wafer bowing during fabrication thereof, thereby improving production yield. In addition, the light emitting diode chip 100 can reduce stress applied to the light emitting structure 120 by suppressing wafer bowing, thereby allowing the substrate 110 to be machined to a slimmer thickness. As a result, the light emitting diode chip 100 can have a slim structure having a thickness of about 90 μm or less. This structure will be described in more detail in the following exemplary embodiments.
The light emitting structure 120 includes a first conductive type semiconductor layer 121, a second conductive type semiconductor layer 125 disposed on the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121, and an active layer 123 interposed between the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 and the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125. The first conductive type semiconductor layer 121, the active layer 123 and the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125 may include a III-V nitride-based semiconductor, for example, a nitride-based semiconductor such as (Al, Ga, In)N. The first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 may include an n-type dopant (for example, Si, Ge, Sn) and the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125 may include a p-type dopant (for example, Mg, Sr, Ba), or vice versa. The active layer 123 may include a multi-quantum well (MQW) structure and the composition ratio of the nitride-based semiconductors may be adjusted to emit light having a desired wavelength. Particularly, in this exemplary embodiment, the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125 may be a p-type semiconductor layer.
The first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 may have a perpendicular side surface or an inclined side surface, as shown in
The light emitting structure 120 includes a mesa 120m. The mesa 120m may be disposed in some region of the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 and includes the active layer 123 and the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125. In this structure, the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 may be partially exposed around the mesa 120m. In addition, the mesa 120m may have side surfaces generally disposed along side surfaces of the light emitting diode chip 100, and thus has a similar shape to the shape of the light emitting diode chip 100 in plan view. For example, the mesa 120m may have a rectangular shape in plan view. It should be understood that other implementations are also possible. Further, the mesa 120m may include a first side surface 120a, a third side surface 120c disposed opposite the first side surface 120a, a second side surface 120b, and a fourth side surface 120d opposite the second side surface 120b.
The mesa 120m may include a first portion 120m1 and a second portion 120m2. The first portion 120m1 of the mesa 120m includes at least one groove 120g disposed on the side surface of the mesa 120m. In this exemplary embodiment, the mesa 120m may include a plurality of grooves 120g, which may be disposed on at least three side surfaces of the first portion 120m1. As shown in the drawings, the plurality of grooves 120g may be disposed on the second side surface 120b, the third side surface 120c and the fourth side surface 120d, respectively. The grooves 120g can provide a region in which the first pad electrode 151 and the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 form electrical contact and ohmic contact with each other.
In addition, the grooves 120g may have a width gradually decreasing from one side of the mesa 120m to the center of the mesa 120m. Accordingly, when the first pad electrode 151 is disposed to cover the side surfaces of the grooves 120g, the first pad electrode 151 can be more stably formed and can be prevented from being separated from the insulation layer 140. Obviously, the grooves 120g are not limited to the above structure and may include planar and/or curved side surfaces. In one exemplary embodiment, the grooves 120g may be regularly arranged. For example, the grooves 120g may be arranged such that one groove 120g is disposed substantially at the center of the third side surface 120c and grooves disposed on the second side surface 120b and the fourth side surface 120d are collinear with each other (for example, such that the centers of the grooves 120g are disposed along line B-B′). Accordingly, the grooves 120g are arranged in symmetry with respect to a linear line (imaginary line) extending from the first side surface 120a of the mesa 120m to the third side surface 120c. In this exemplary embodiment, the grooves 120g may be arranged in symmetry with respect to line A-A′ and the mesa 120m may have a symmetrical shape with respect to line A-A′ in plan view, as shown in the drawings.
In the structure wherein the mesa 120m includes the grooves 120g arranged as described above, the grooves 120g provide contact regions between the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 and the first pad electrode 151, thereby minimizing decrease in luminous area while improving current spreading efficiency. These effects will be described in more detail below with reference to
The contact electrode 130 is disposed on the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125. The contact electrode 130 may be in ohmic contact with the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125. The contact electrode 130 may include a transparent electrode. The transparent electrode may include at least one of, for example, optically transparent conductive oxides such as indium tin oxide (ITO), zinc oxide (ZnO), zinc indium tin oxide (ZITO), zinc indium oxide (ZIO), zinc tin oxide (ZTO), gallium indium tin oxide (GITO), gallium indium oxide (GIO), gallium zinc oxide (GZO), aluminum doped zinc oxide (AZO), fluorine tin oxide (FTO), and optically transparent metals such as Ni/Au. The conductive oxides may further include various dopants.
Particularly, the contact electrode 130 including an optically transparent conductive oxide has high efficiency in formation of an ohmic contact with the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125. That is, since contact resistance between a conductive oxide such as ITO or ZnO and the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125 is lower than contact resistance between a metallic electrode and the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125, the contact electrode 130 including the conductive oxide can reduce forward voltage Vf of the light emitting diode chip 100, thereby improving luminous efficacy. Particularly, in a compact light emitting diode chip driven by relatively low current density like the light emitting diode chip 100 according to this exemplary embodiment, the contact resistance between the contact electrode 130 and the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125 is reduced so as to improve ohmic contact characteristics, thereby more effectively improving luminous efficacy. Further, since the conductive oxide has a lower probability of peeling off of the nitride-based semiconductor layer than the metallic electrode, the light emitting diode chip 50 having the contact electrode 130 including the conductive oxide has high reliability. On the other hand, although the conductive oxide has lower lateral current spreading efficiency than the metallic electrode, the light emitting diode chip 100 according to this exemplary embodiment has a horizontal cross-sectional area of about 70,000 μm or less and, thus, suffers from insignificant or no deterioration in luminous efficacy caused by deterioration in current spreading efficiency. In this way, the contact electrode 130 including the conductive oxide is applied to the light emitting diode chip 100, thereby improving electrical characteristics and luminous efficacy.
The contact electrode 130 may have a thickness of about 2,000 Å to 3,000 Å, without being limited thereto. For example, the contact electrode 130 including ITO may have a thickness of about 2,400 Å. Within this thickness range of the contact electrode 130, the light emitting diode chip 100 can exhibit improved electrical characteristics by efficiently spreading electric current in the lateral direction.
The contact electrode 130 may be disposed to cover substantially the entirety of an upper surface of the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125, thereby improving current spreading efficiency upon operation of the light emitting diode chip 100. For example, the side surfaces of the contact electrode 130 may be disposed along the side surfaces of the mesa 120m. In addition, the contact electrode 130 includes an opening 130b that partially exposes the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125. In a structure wherein the opening 130b is at least partially filled with a second pad electrode 153 described below, the second pad electrode 153 can have an increased contact area. Accordingly, the second pad electrode 153 can be effectively prevented from being separated from the contact electrode 130 or the light emitting structure 120.
The insulation layer 140 covers an upper surface and a side surface of the light emitting structure 120 and also covers the contact electrode 130. In addition, the insulation layer 140 may extend to the exposed portion of the upper surface of the substrate 110 around the light emitting structure 120. In this structure, the insulation layer 140 may adjoin the upper surface of the substrate 110 and thus can be more stably disposed while covering the side surface of the light emitting structure 120. Further, the insulation layer 140 may extend to an upper edge of the substrate 110. The insulation layer 140 covering the exposed portion of the upper surface of the substrate 110 may be disposed along the protrusions 110p of the substrate 110. Thus, as shown in an enlarged view of
The first opening 140a of the insulation layer 140 may at least partially expose the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 exposed through the groove 120g. In this exemplary embodiment, the side surface of the groove 120g is covered by the insulation layer 140, thereby prevent short circuit caused by contact between the first pad electrode 151 and the side surface of the light emitting structure 120. The first opening 140a may be used as a passage for electrical connection between the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 and the first pad electrode 151. Here, the first opening 140a has a first region 140a1 covered by the first pad electrode 151 and a second region 140a2 exposed outside the first pad electrode 151. In this structure, at least part of an exposed region of the first opening 140a may include a first contact region 151c, in which the first pad electrode 151 and the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 are electrically connected to each other or be in ohmic contact with each other. The first opening 140a may generally have a similar shape to the groove 120g.
The second opening 140b of the insulation layer 140 is placed on the mesa 120m. The second opening 140b of the insulation layer 140 partially exposes the contact electrode 130. The second opening 140b may be used as a passage for electrical connection between the contact electrode 130 and the second pad electrode 153. In some exemplary embodiments, the second opening 140b is positioned corresponding to a location of the opening 130b of the contact electrode 130. The second opening 140b has a greater size than the opening 130b of the contact electrode 130, whereby the upper surface of the contact electrode 130 is partially exposed to the second opening 140b. At least part of the region of the contact electrode 130 exposed through second opening 140b may be electrically connected to the second pad electrode 153. Accordingly, the contact electrode 130 may include a second contact region 153c in which the contact electrode 130 and the second pad electrode 153 are electrically connected to each other.
The insulation layer 140 may include an optically transparent insulation material, for example, SiO2, SiNX, MgF2, and the like. The insulation layer 140 may have a greater thickness than the contact electrode 130. With this structure, the insulation layer 140 can provide a sufficient thickness to allow light passing through the insulation layer 140 to be reflected by the first and second pad electrodes 151, 153. In this exemplary embodiment, the insulation layer 140 may include SiO2 and has a thickness of, for example, about 540 nm.
In some exemplary embodiments, the insulation layer 140 may include a distributed Bragg reflector. The distributed Bragg reflector may be formed by repeatedly stacking dielectric layers having different indices of refraction and including, for example, TiO2, SiO2, HfO2, ZrO2, Nb2O5, MgF2, and the like. For example, the insulation layer 140 may have an alternating structure of TiO2/SiO2 layers. The distributed Bragg reflector may be composed of 4 to 20 pairs of layers each having an optical thickness equal to one-quarter of a particular wavelength. An uppermost layer of the insulation layer 140 may be formed of SiNX. The layer of SiNX has good moisture resistance to protect the light emitting diode chip from moisture.
In the structure wherein the insulation layer 140 includes the distributed Bragg reflector, the insulation layer 140 may include an interface layer having a thickness of about 0.2 μm to about 1.0 μm and formed of SiO2 and a stack structure in which TiO2/SiO2 layers are repeatedly stacked in a predetermined cycle on the interface layer. The distributed Bragg reflector may have a relatively high reflectivity with respect to visible light. The distributed Bragg reflector may be configured to have a reflectivity of 90% or higher with respect to light having an angle of incidence of 0° to 60° at a wavelength of 400 nm to 700 nm. The distributed Bragg reflector having this reflectivity can be provided by controlling the kinds, thickness and stacking cycle of the dielectric layers constituting the distributed Bragg reflector. As a result, it is possible to form a distributed Bragg reflector having high reflectivity with respect to light having relatively long wavelengths (for example, 550 nm to 700 nm) and light having relatively short wavelengths (for example, 400 nm to 550 nm).
In this way, the distributed Bragg reflector may include a multilayer structure so as to have high reflectivity with respect to light in a broad wavelength band. That is, the distributed Bragg reflector may include a first stack structure in which dielectric layers having a first thickness are stacked one above another and a second stack structure in which dielectric layers having a second thickness are stacked one above another. For example, the distributed Bragg reflector may include a first stack structure in which dielectric layers having a smaller thickness than an optical thickness equal to one-quarter of a central wavelength (about 550 nm) of visible light are stacked one above another and a second stack structure in which dielectric layers having a greater thickness than the optical thickness equal to one-quarter of the central wavelength (about 550 nm) of visible light are stacked one above another. In some exemplary embodiments, the distributed Bragg reflector may further include a third stack structure in which a dielectric layer having a greater thickness than the optical thickness equal to one-quarter of the central wavelength (about 550 nm) of visible light and a dielectric layer having a smaller thickness than the optical thickness equal to one-quarter of the central wavelength (about 550 nm) of visible light are repeatedly stacked one above another
The first pad electrode 151 and the second pad electrode 153 are disposed on the insulation layer 140 to be disposed on the first portion 120m1 and the second portion 120m2 of the mesa 120m, respectively. Furthermore, the first pad electrode 151 and the second pad electrode 153 may be disposed near the first side surface 120a and the third side surface 120c of the mesa 120m. At least part of each of the first and second pad electrodes 151, 153 is disposed on the mesa 120m. Particularly, the first pad electrode 151 may be insulated from the upper and side surfaces of the mesa 120m via the insulation layer 140. Further, the first pad electrode 151 covers the first region 140a1 of the first opening 140a while being separated from the second region 140a2 thereof. The first pad electrode 151 may be separated from part of the side surface of the first opening 140a such that a separation space is formed between the side surface of the first opening 140a and the first pad electrode 151. Accordingly, the second region 140a2 of the first opening 140a is placed outside the first pad electrode 151 and a region of the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 exposed by the second region 140a2 is also placed outside the first pad electrode 151. The region of the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 exposed by second region 140a2 may be covered by a bonding material upon flip-chip bonding of the light emitting diode chip, as will be described below.
With the structure wherein the first pad electrode 151 covers part of the first opening 140a, the first opening 140a can be formed in a relatively large size in a restricted design range of a small light emitting diode chip. If the size of the opening is too small, the insulation layer can remain due to difficulty of etching, and over-etching is generally carried out, thereby causing significant change in the size of the opening. In a structure wherein the first pad electrode 151 completely covers the first opening 140a, there can be significant change in contact resistance due to change in the size of the first opening 140a. In the exemplary embodiments, the first opening 140a includes the second region 140a2, whereby the first opening 140a can have an increased size and, when there is change in the size of the first opening 140a, change in contact area of the first pad electrode 151 is less than change in the size of the first opening 140a. Accordingly, light emitting diode chips having less change in contact area of the first pad electrode 151 to allow less change in electrical characteristics, for example, forward voltage, between the light emitting diode chips can be produced at high yield.
The first pad electrode 151 disposed on the first portion 120m1 may be electrically connected to the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 through the first opening 140a while being in ohmic contact therewith. Particularly, the first pad electrode 151 may be disposed to cover the side surface of the mesa 120m such that the side surface of the mesa 120m and the first pad electrode 151 are insulated from each other via the insulation layer 140. Accordingly, a contact portion between the first pad electrode 151 and the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 exposed through the groove 120g is formed as a first contact region 151c. In this exemplary embodiment, the second region 140a2 of the first opening 140a may have the same area as the first contact region 151c, but is not limited thereto, as described below in the following exemplary embodiments.
On the other hand, the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 can be partially exposed through the second region 140a2 of the first opening 140a, and process margin can be secured by the second region 140a2, thereby improving production yield of the light emitting diode chip 100.
The second pad electrode 153 disposed on the second portion 120m2 may be electrically connected to the contact electrode 130 through the second opening 140b. In this exemplary embodiment, at least part of a contact region between the second pad electrode 153 and the contact electrode 130 may be disposed as a second contact region 153c. In the structure wherein the contact electrode 130 includes the opening 130b, the second pad electrode 153 may contact the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125. In this structure, however, since contact resistance between the second pad electrode 153 and the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125 is higher than contact resistance between the second pad electrode 153 and the contact electrode 130, electric current flowing through the second pad electrode 153 is highly likely to flow to the contact electrode 130. For example, the second pad electrode 153 and the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125 can form a Schottky contact. Accordingly, current crowding caused by contact between the second pad electrode 153 and the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125 can be minimized.
Referring to
Particularly, in the structure wherein the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 is an n-type semiconductor layer, electrons spread from the first contact region 151c towards the second contact region 153c upon operation of the light emitting diode chip 100. Here, since electrons have higher mobility than holes, electrons can be evenly spread to a region between the second contact region 153c and the first side surface 120a, whereas holes are not likely to spread to a rear side of the first contact region 151c. According to this exemplary embodiment, the first contact region 151c is disposed at the location of the grooves 120g so as to allow electric current to be evenly spread to edge regions (regions near the side surfaces) of the first portion 120m1, thereby enabling uniform generation of light substantially through the entire region of the mesa 120m. Accordingly, it is possible to improve luminous efficacy of the compact light emitting diode chip 100 having a relatively small luminous area.
In addition, since the grooves 120g are disposed on at least three side surfaces of the mesa 120m, it is possible to minimize a portion of the luminous region to be removed for electrical connection to the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121. Accordingly, the light emitting diode chip 100 having a relatively small luminous area according to the exemplary embodiments can have improved luminous power by minimizing the decrease in luminous area.
A shortest distance D2 from a first contact region 151c disposed farthest away from the second contact region 153c to the second contact region 153c among the first contact regions 151c may be 200 μm or less. That is, as shown in
Each of the first pad electrode 151 and the second pad electrode 153 may have an upper surface profile corresponding to a lower surface profile thereof. Accordingly, the first pad electrode 151 may include an inclined side surface disposed above the first opening 140a and the second pad electrode 153 may include a depression 153a disposed above the second opening 140b. In this way, since the lower surface of each of the first and second pad electrodes 151, 153 has a step, each of the first and second pad electrodes 151, 153 has an increased contact area and the step is disposed at a contact portion of each of the first and second pad electrodes 151, 153, thereby preventing peeling of the first and second pad electrodes 151, 153. Particularly, in the structure wherein the contact electrode 130 includes the opening 130b, the depression 153a of the second pad electrode 153 has a step, thereby more effectively preventing peeling of the second pad electrode 153. In addition, a step is disposed on the surface of each of the first and second pad electrodes 151, 153, whereby the light emitting diode chip 100 can be more stably bonded to the second substrate 300.
A shortest distance D1 between the first pad electrode 151 and the second pad electrode 153 may be a very small value, for example, about 3 μm to about 100 μm, specifically about 80 μm. Since the insulation layer 140 covering the side surface of the light emitting structure 120 can be stably formed, the light emitting diode chip 100 may be configured so as to allow bonding portions 211, 213 bonded to a second substrate 300 to cover the side surface of the light emitting diode chip 100, as described in the following exemplary embodiments. In this structure, since there is no need for process margin through the shortest distance D1 between the first pad electrode 151 and the second pad electrode 153, the shortest distance D1 between the first pad electrode 151 and the second pad electrode 153 can be reduced as much as possible. In this structure, since there is no need for process margin through the shortest distance D1 between the first pad electrode 151 and the second pad electrode 153, the shortest distance D1 between the first pad electrode 151 and the second pad electrode 153 can be reduced as much as possible. In addition, since the compact light emitting diode chip 100 according to this exemplary embodiment can be operated by relatively low current density, the shortest distance between the first pad electrode 151 and the second pad electrode 153 can be further reduced. Within the above range of the shortest distance D1 between the first pad electrode 151 and the second pad electrode 153, the light emitting diode chip 100 can have further improved heat dissipation efficiency. In this exemplary embodiment, a total area of the first pad electrode 151 and the second pad electrode 153 may range from about 50% to 95% of a horizontal cross-sectional area of the light emitting diode chip 100. Within this range of the total area ratio of the first and second pad electrodes 151, 153, the light emitting diode chip 100 can have improved luminous efficacy by improving reflection of light through the first and second pad electrodes 151, 153.
As needed, light can be emitted not only towards the substrate 110 but also towards the first and second pad electrodes 151, 153. For example, in a structure wherein the contact electrode 130 and the insulation layer 140 are formed of a light transmitting material, some of the light emitted from the active layer 123 can be discharged to a region between the first pad electrode 151 and the second pad electrode 153. Accordingly, the light emitting diode chip can emit light in the opposite directions, whereby the sizes of the first pad electrode 151 and the second pad electrode 153 can be further reduced.
Referring to
As in the above exemplary embodiment, the first opening 140a has a first region 140a1 and a second region 140a2. The first region 140a1 according to this exemplary embodiment is the same as the first region 140a1 according to the above exemplary embodiment, and the second region 140a2 according to this exemplary embodiment may have a larger size than the second region 140a2 according to the above exemplary embodiment.
The second region 140a2 is a region not covered by the first pad electrode 151 and thus is exposed outside the first pad electrode 151. The second region 140a is covered by a bonding material when the light emitting diode chip 100 is bonded to a circuit board. The first opening 140a is formed so as to expose the side surface of the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 and the upper surface of the substrate 110, whereby the small light emitting diode chip 100 can include the first opening 140a having a large size, thereby stabilizing the manufacturing process while reducing deviation in physical and electrical characteristics between light emitting diode chips.
In addition, since the second region 140a is filled with the bonding material, the light emitting diode chip 100 can be prevented from being tilted or deviated from a bonding location upon bonding of the light emitting diode chip 100.
Referring to
The through-hole 120h is separated from grooves 120g. The through-hole 120h may be disposed between the grooves 120g formed between a second side surface 120b and a fourth side surface 120d, without being limited thereto. The center of the through-hole 120h may be placed at the middle between the grooves 120g formed between the second side surface 120b and the fourth side surface 120d, without being limited thereto. Alternatively, the through-hole 120h may be placed closer to or farther from a groove 120g formed on a third side surface 120c in order to aid current spreading.
A contact electrode 130 surrounds the through-hole 120h. In order to prevent short circuit, the contact electrode 130 is separated from the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 and the active layer 123 exposed through the through-hole 120h.
On the other hand, an insulation layer 140 covers the active layer 123 and the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125 exposed to the sidewall of the through-hole 120h. The insulation layer 140 includes first openings 140a and an opening 140c, which exposes the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 in the through-hole 120h. Some region of the first opening 140a, that is, a first region 140a1, is covered by a first pad electrode 151 and a second region 140a2 thereof is exposed outside the first pad electrode 151, whereas the opening 140c is completely covered by the first pad electrode 151.
The first pad electrode 151 is connected to the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 through the through-hole 120h, thereby further improving current spreading.
All of the technical features of the light emitting diode chips described above with reference to
Referring to
The extension electrode 135 may form ohmic contact with the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121. The extension electrode 135 may be formed along a second side surface 120b and a fourth side surface 120d of a mesa 120m. The extension electrode 135 may be formed not only on the second side surface 120b and the fourth side surface 120d of the mesa 120m, but also on a third side surface 120c thereof. Grooves 120g may be formed in order to form the extension electrode 135, but are not necessary.
A first opening 140a of an insulation layer 140 exposes the extension electrode 135 while exposing the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121. As in the above exemplary embodiments, the first opening 140a of the insulation layer 140 includes a first region 140a1 covered by the first pad electrode 151 and a second region 140a2 exposed to the outside of a first pad electrode 151. The first region 140a1 may be placed only on an upper surface of the extension electrode 135, but is not limited thereto. Thus, the first pad electrode 151 may contact the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121.
The first pad electrode 151 may be electrically connected to the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 through the extension electrode 135. Since the extension electrode 135 forms ohmic contact with the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121, the first pad electrode 151 may be formed of a material that does not form ohmic contact with the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121. Accordingly, a material selection range for the first pad electrode 151 and the second pad electrode 153 can be widened.
The light emitting diode chip 400 according to this exemplary embodiment includes the extension electrode 135, thereby further improving current spreading in the light emitting diode chip 400.
Detailed description of substantially the same components as those of the above exemplary embodiments will be omitted. Although the drawings of the following exemplary embodiment show a method of fabricating two light emitting diode chips 101, it should be understood that other implementations are also possible. The method of fabricating the light emitting diode chip 100 according to the exemplary embodiment may also be applied to fabrication of a single light emitting diode chip 100 and to fabrication of three or more light emitting diode chips 101 on a large wafer. Further, although the following description will focus on the method of manufacturing the light emitting diode chip 100, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that this method can also be similarly applied to methods of manufacturing the light emitting diode chips 200, 300, 400.
In each of the drawings, line L1 is defined as a boundary line between unit diode regions UD2. That is, light emitting structures 120 at both sides with reference to the line L1 are divided to provide two light emitting diode chips 101. In addition, each of the cross-sectional views is taken from the corresponding plan view. For example, a cross-section of the plan view of
Referring to
Next, referring to
Specifically, referring to
The contact electrode 130 is disposed on a second conductive type semiconductor layer 125 of the light emitting structure 120 and may be in ohmic contact with the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125. The contact electrode 130 may include an optically transparent conductive oxide and/or an optically transparent metal. For example, formation of the contact electrode 130 may include depositing indium tin oxide (ITO) on the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125 through sputtering and/or e-beam evaporation. However, it should be understood that other implementations are also possible. Alternatively, the contact electrode 130 may include various kinds of optically transparent conductive oxides such as ZnO and may be formed by various processes depending upon the kind of conductive oxide.
Next, referring to
By the isolation trench 120i, the light emitting structure 120 is divided into a plurality of light emitting structures 120 respectively disposed on a plurality of unit diode regions UD2. Accordingly, the isolation trench 120i may be disposed along line L1. In this way, the light emitting structure 120 is divided into the plurality of light emitting structures 120 respectively disposed on the plurality of unit diode regions UD2 by forming the isolation trench 120i, thereby relieving stress caused by difference in coefficient of thermal expansion between the substrate 110 and the light emitting structure 120. As a result, it is possible to suppress wafer bowing during fabrication of the light emitting diode chips 101.
The contact electrode 130 may be subjected to patterning and patterning of the contact electrode 130 may include forming openings 130b that partially expose an upper surface of the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125. Patterning of the contact electrode 130 may be performed by dry etching and/or wet etching.
Although the contact electrode 130 is illustrated as being formed prior to patterning of the light emitting structure 120 in the above exemplary embodiment, it should be understood that other implementations are also possible. In various exemplary embodiments, the contact electrode 130 may be disposed on the second conductive type semiconductor layer 125 after patterning the light emitting structure 120.
Next, referring to
Formation of the insulation layer 140 may include forming a SiO2 layer through a typical deposition method known to those skilled in the art, followed by patterning the SiO2 layer. Patterning may be performed by an etching or lift-off process. In this exemplary embodiment, the insulation layer 140 may be disposed to cover the upper surface of the substrate 110 exposed through the isolation trench 120i.
In addition, formation of the insulation layer 140 may include forming a distributed Bragg reflector in which material layers having different indices of refraction are alternately stacked one above another. For example, formation of the insulation layer 140 may include alternately stacking a SiO2 layer and a TiO2 layer using a well-known method such as sputtering.
Next, referring to
The first pad electrode 151 may be in ohmic contact with the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 through the first openings 140a of the insulation layer 140. Likewise, the second pad electrode 153 may contact and be electrically connected to the contact electrode 130 through the second openings 140b of the insulation layer 140. The first and second pad electrodes 151, 153 may be formed by the same processes, for example, through deposition and/or plating, followed by patterning through photolithography/etching technology or lift-off technology.
Next, referring to
Removal of the portion 110a of the substrate 110 may include partially removing the substrate 110 through physical and/or chemical methods. For example, the substrate 110 may be partially removed by lapping, grinding, and the like. Reduction in thickness of the substrate 110 can cause increase in stress while the substrate 110 supports a wafer in a bowed state due to difference in coefficient of thermal expansion. As a result, stress applied to the light emitting structure 120 increases, thereby causing a high probability of damage to the light emitting structure 120. However, according to this exemplary embodiment, the isolation trench 120i dividing the light emitting structure 120 into the plurality of light emitting structure 120 is formed before decreasing the thickness of the substrate 110, thereby preventing damage to the light emitting structure 120 caused by reduction in thickness of the substrate 110 by relieving wafer bowing and stress. Particularly, since stress can be further relieved due to the relatively small unit diode regions UD2, the thickness of each of the unit diode regions UD2 can be reduced to about 90 μm or less.
Division of the substrate 110 along line L1 may include dividing the substrate 110 through scribing and breaking. In some exemplary embodiments, scribing may include internal machining of the substrate 110 using an internal machining laser. With the internal machining laser, at least one modification region 111 having a band shape extending in the horizontal direction may be disposed on at least one side surface of the substrate 110. In this exemplary embodiment, the modification region 111 may be separated from the upper surface of the substrate 110 by a depth of 30 μm to 35 μm. Since such a modification region 111 is disposed below the isolation trench 120i, there is no probability of damage to the light emitting structure 120 during internal machining. Accordingly, the modification region 111 can be disposed relatively near the upper surface of the substrate 110 and thus the separation distance between the modification region 111 and the substrate 110 may be in the above range. In this way, the modification region 111 can be disposed relatively near the upper surface of the substrate 110, thereby realizing a slimmer light emitting diode chip 100.
In the light emitting diode chip 100 and the light emitting device according to the above exemplary embodiments, the upper surface of the substrate 110 includes an exposed portion, thereby suppressing wafer bowing during fabrication of the light emitting diode chip 100. As a result, since the degree of wafer bowing is relatively small, the thickness of the substrate 110 can be reduced while improving production yield of the light emitting diode chip 100, as described above. Thus, the light emitting diode chip 100 and the light emitting device have a compact and slim structure and high reliability. Further, since the insulation layer 140 extends to cover the side surface of the light emitting structure 120 and the exposed portion of the upper surface of the substrate 110, particularly, the protrusions 110p of the substrate 110, the light emitting diode chip 100 can have further improved luminous efficacy. Furthermore, with such a structure of the insulation layer 140, the bonding portions 211, 213 can cover the side surface of the light emitting diode chip 100, thereby achieving compactness of the light emitting device while improving mechanical stability thereof.
As such, with good properties in terms of mechanical stability and luminous efficacy and the compact and slim structure, the light emitting device according to the exemplary embodiments can be advantageously applied to portable electronic apparatuses. By way of example, the light emitting device or the light emitting diode chip 100 may be applied to a paper writing board that requires a slim thickness. In another example, the light emitting device may be applied to an input device such as a keyboard, in which the light emitting device is disposed under each key to allow light to be emitted through the keys. In such an input device, the keys are subjected to repeated external stress (for example, pressure applied for data input). In addition, a portable input device requires a slim thickness and a small size. The light emitting device according to the exemplary embodiments having such a compact and slim structure may be suitably applied to a portable input device having a slim structure while securing mechanical stability, thereby preventing failure of the light emitting device caused by operation of the keyboard (for example, pressure applied to the key).
Referring to
The wavelength conversion part 500 is disposed on the surface of the substrate 110 through which light is emitted, and can convert wavelengths of at least some of light emitted from the active layer 123, thereby realizing a mixture of colors such as white light.
For example, the light emitting diode chip 100 may be configured to emit blue light and the wavelength conversion part 500 may include the phosphor particles 530, which convert blue light into yellow light or green light and red light. As a result, mixed light of blue light and wavelength-converted light emitted from the phosphor particles 530 can be realized.
The light emitting diode chip 100 can emit UV light or green light according to the material of the active layer 121, as well as the blue light.
Referring to
As in the above exemplary embodiments, the wavelength conversion part 500 may be directly disposed on the light emitting diode chip 100 and may be packaged or modularized together with the light emitting diode chip 100. However, it should be understood that other implementations are also possible. After the light emitting diode chip 100 is mounted in a package level or a module level, the wavelength conversion part 500 may be mounted on the light emitting diode chip 100. This exemplary embodiment will be described below in more detail.
Referring to
The second substrate 1000 can provide a region on which the light emitting diode chip 100 will be mounted, and may be, for example, a substrate of a light emitting diode or a substrate of a light emitting module. The second substrate 1000 may include a base 310 and a conductive pattern 320 formed on the base 310. The conductive pattern 320 includes first and second conductive pads 321, 323. The second substrate 1000 may include a conductive substrate, an insulating substrate, or a printed circuit board (PCB). The second substrate 1000 may be a hard substrate or a flexible transparent substrate, without being limited thereto. Although the light emitting diode chip 100 is non-flexible, since the light emitting diode chip 100 according to the exemplary embodiment can be provided in the form of a slim small chip, it is possible to provide a flexible light paper or a very thin light strap by arranging a plurality of such chips.
The first and second conductive pads 321, 323 are electrically separated from each other. For example, the first and second conductive pads 321, 323 may be separated from each other by a distance D4 to be electrically insulated from each other. Here, the first and second conductive pads 321, 323 may be electrically connected to the first pad electrode 151 and the second pad electrode 153 of the light emitting diode chip 100, respectively. However, it should be understood that other implementations are possible so long as the second substrate 1000 provides a region on which the light emitting diode chip 100 will be mounted and has a structure for electrical connection to the light emitting diode chip 100.
The light emitting diode chip 100 is placed on the second substrate 1000 and is electrically connected to the second substrate 1000. Here, although the light emitting diode chip 100 are the same as the light emitting diode chip 100 described with reference to
The first bonding portion 211 and the second bonding portion 213 are placed between the light emitting diode chip 100 and the second substrate 1000 and bond the light emitting diode chip 100 to the second substrate 1000 while electrically connecting the light emitting diode chip 100 thereto. The first bonding portion 211 may contact the first pad electrode 151 of the light emitting diode chip 100 and the first conductive pad 321 of the second substrate 1000. Similarly, the second bonding portion 213 may contact the second pad electrode 153 of the light emitting diode chip 100 and the second conductive pad 323 of the second substrate 1000. The first and second bonding portions 211, 213 may be formed of any material capable of bonding the light emitting diode chip 100 to the second substrate 1000 while electrically connecting the light emitting diode chip 100 thereto. The first and second bonding portions 211, 213 may include, for example, solder, or may be conductive plastics, for example, a conductive bonding agent.
In addition, at least one of the first bonding portion 211 and the second bonding portion 213 may contact at least part of the side surface of the light emitting diode chip 100. In this exemplary embodiment, at least one of the first bonding portion 211 and the second bonding portion 213 may cover at least part of the insulation layer 140 at the side surface of the light emitting structure 120. Furthermore, the first bonding portion 211 may cover at least part of the lower surface of the substrate 110 exposed around the light emitting structure 120, and may further cover at least part of the side surface of the substrate 110.
As such, since at least one of the first bonding portion 211 and the second bonding portion 213 is configured to contact at least part of the side surface of the light emitting diode chip 100, a shortest distance D3 between the first bonding portion 211 and the second bonding portion 213 may be greater than the shortest distance D1 between the first pad electrode 151 and the second pad electrode 153. Thus, even in the case where D1 has a relatively small value (for example, about 3 μm to 20 μm), D3 can be set to a greater value than D1, thereby preventing short circuit upon mounting of the light emitting diode chip 100. Particularly, since the insulation layer 140 of the light emitting diode chip 100 stably covers the side surface of the light emitting structure 120, no electrical problem occurs even in the structure wherein the first bonding portion 211 and/or the second bonding portion 213 contact the side surface of the light emitting diode chip 100. Particularly, since the insulation layer 140 extends to an exposed portion of an upper surface of the substrate 110, the insulation layer 140 can more stably insulate the side surface of the light emitting structure 120, thereby preventing short circuit through the bonding portions 211, 213 and the side surface of the light emitting structure 120.
In addition, since the contact areas between the bonding portions 211, 213 and the light emitting diode chip 100 is increased, the light emitting diode chip 100 can be more stably mounted on the substrate, thereby improving mechanical stability of the light emitting device. Furthermore, the thickness of each of the bonding portions 211, 213 interposed between the light emitting diode chip 100 and the second substrate 1000 (i.e. the distance between the light emitting diode chip 100 and the second substrate 1000) can be reduced, thereby realizing a more compact and slimmer light emitting device.
On the other hand, the first bonding portion 211 may contact the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 or the substrate 110 through the second region 140a2 of the first opening 140a of the insulation layer 140. The first bonding portion 211 may be formed of a material capable of forming Schottky contact with the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121. Accordingly, even in the case where the first bonding portion 211 contacts the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121, there is no influence on forward voltage of the light emitting diode chip 100. Accordingly, the area of second region 140a2 is increased, thereby further stabilizing the manufacturing process without influencing electrical characteristics of the light emitting diode chip.
Although the light emitting diode chip 100 is illustrated as being mounted on the substrate 1000 in this exemplary embodiment, the light emitting diode chip 100 including the wavelength conversion part 500 may also be mounted on the substrate 1000, as described with reference to
Referring to
As shown in
The structure wherein the distance D4 between the first and second conductive pads 321, 323 has a relatively large value can easily prevent short circuit therebetween. Furthermore, when the light emitting diode chip 100 is mounted on the surface of the substrate using the first and second bonding materials 211, 213, the location or orientation of the light emitting diode chip 100 can be changed during heating or curing of the first and second bonding materials 211, 213. However, as in this exemplary embodiment, the first and second conductive pads 321, 323 are arranged to have a relatively large distance D4 therebetween and the first and second bonding materials 211, 213 are provided to a region between the first and second conductive pads 321, 323, thereby preventing the location and orientation of the light emitting diode chip 100 from being changed. Furthermore, since the first bonding material 211 fills the second region 140a2 of the first opening 140a in the insulation layer 140, the light emitting diode chip 100 can be further prevented from being changed.
The applications may be, for example, a light paper or a light strap (or a light band), and may have flexibility. It should be understood that the applications can also be referred to as light emitting devices.
Referring to
The base 2000 may be a flexible film, and may be a transparent flexible film. The base 2000 may have an elongated band shape or a wide paper shape.
The conductive interconnections 2321, 2323 have a thin thickness so as to allow bending of the base 2000. The conductive interconnections 2321, 2323 may have a greater width than the light emitting diode chip 100 and may be arranged parallel to each other.
The light emitting diode chips 100 may be bonded to the conductive interconnections 2321, 2323 via the first and second bonding materials 211, 213 described above.
The light emitting diode chips 100 emit light through the substrates 110, as described in
Accordingly, the application according to this exemplary embodiment can emit light in opposite directions thereof.
Although the application according to this exemplary embodiment is illustrated as including the plurality of light emitting diode chips 100, the light emitting diode chips 200, 300, 400 according to the other exemplary embodiments may also be arranged therein.
Referring to
In the structure wherein the wavelength conversion part 500 is formed on the light emitting diode chip 100, at least part of light emitted through the substrate 110 is subjected to wavelength conversion. Conversely, light emitted to the region between the first and second pad electrodes 151, 153 can be emitted to the outside without wavelength conversion. Accordingly, it is possible to provide an application emitting different colors in opposite directions thereof.
Referring to
Since the base 2000 is a flexible film and includes the array of small light emitting diode chips 100 thereon, the light strap can be easily deformed into a desired shape. Thus, advantageously, such a light strap can be easily installed in a narrow space, is suitable for ornamental or portable purposes, can be used as internal or external ornamentation lamps for vehicles or as various logo displays, and can also be attached to clothes.
It should be understood that the array of light emitting diode chips 100 is illustrated by way of example in this exemplary embodiment and the light emitting diode chips 200, 300, 400 may also be used instead of the light emitting diode chips 100. Furthermore, the light emitting diode chips 100, 200, 300, 400 including the wavelength conversion part 500 may also be used.
Referring to
The bulb base 3000 has the same electrode structure as a typical light bulb. In addition, the bulb base 3000 may receive passive or active elements such as an AC/DC converter and the like therein.
Since the bulb base 3000 has the same electrode structure as that of the typical light bulb, the LED lamp according to the exemplary embodiments may employ a typical socket and thus can reduce installation costs for supplementary facilities in use of the LED lamp.
The central column 3100 is secured to the bulb base 3000 and is placed at the center of the LED lamp. The central column 3100 may include a support section, a column section, and an upper end. The central column 3100 serves to support the LED filament 3200 and may be formed of, for example, glass.
The LED filament 3200 is a light strap as described with reference to
The LED filament 3200 may be electrically connected to an electrode of the bulb base 3000 through lead wires (not shown).
The light transmitting bulb 3300 surrounds the LED filament 3200 so as to separate the LED filament 3200 from an external environment. The light transmitting bulb 3300 may be formed of glass or plastic materials. The light transmitting bulb 3300 may have a variety of shapes and may have the same shape as a typical light bulb.
Referring to
As shown in
The housing 12 or 410 may constitute an outer frame of the input device 400 and serve to support the input structure 420, the backlight 430 and the keys 440. The input structure 420 may serve to receive and send various input signals in response to user control through the keys 440. The input structure 420 may be disposed under the keys 440 and may have various structures known in the art. The backlight 430 can illuminate the keys 440 in an upward direction in order to improve visibility of the input device 400 such as a keyboard and/or to provide additional functionality to the input device 400. The backlight 430 may include the light emitting diode chip and/or the light emitting device according to the above exemplary embodiments. The backlight 430 may be disposed to surround the key 440 or may be disposed below the keys 440. In other exemplary embodiments, the backlight 430 can be omitted.
In this exemplary embodiment, the light emitting unit 460 may be disposed under at least one key 440 among the plural keys 440. In this exemplary embodiment, the key 440 may include a luminous region disposed on a surface thereof such that light emitted from the light emitting unit 460 can be discharged through the luminous region of the key 440. Referring to
The light emitting unit 460 disposed below such a key 440 may include the light emitting diode chip and/or the light emitting device according to the above exemplary embodiments. For slimness and compactness of electronic devices, the input device 400 is required to have a very slim thickness and thus a compact light emitting diode chip and/or a compact light emitting device can be applied thereto. Particularly, the compact light emitting diode chip and/or the compact light emitting device according to the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are applied to an input device such as a portable keyboard or to an input device of an electronic apparatus such as a lightweight notebook computer in order to prevent increase in volume of the electronic apparatus due to increase in size of the light emitting unit 460, thereby improving portability of the electronic apparatus. In addition, the light emitting unit 460 disposed below each of the keys 440 is subjected to continuous stress upon continuous operation of the key 440, and such stress is transferred to the light emitting device or the light emitting diode chip 100 of the light emitting unit 460, thereby causing failure of the light emitting unit 460. However, the input device 400 includes the light emitting diode chip 100 or the light emitting device according to the exemplary embodiments, thereby preventing failure of the light emitting unit 460 caused by continuous operation of the key 440.
In the above exemplary embodiments, the light emitting diode chips and/or light emitting devices according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are applied to the input device of the electronic apparatus. However, it should be understood that other implementations are also possible. The light emitting diode chip and/or light emitting device may also be applied to various electronic apparatuses, for example, a lighting apparatus, a display device, and the like, which require a compact light emitting unit.
Referring to
The flexible base 5000 is similar to the base 2000 described above and may be a transparent or opaque film. A circuit line 5320 is formed on the flexible base 5000 and conductive pads 5300 are placed corresponding to keypads thereon. The conductive pads 5300 are connected to a connector of the keyboard.
The conductive interconnections 5321, 5323 are formed together with the circuit line 5320 on the base 5000. The conductive interconnections 5321, 5323 are formed in order to supply power to the light emitting diode chips 100.
The cover layer 5400 may be formed on or attached to the flexible base 5000. The cover layer 5400 covers the circuit line 5320 and the conductive interconnections 5321, 5323, and exposes portions for electrical connection. The cover layer 5400 may be formed of any material having flexibility, for example, silicone or epoxy resins.
The light emitting diode chip 100 is disposed near each of the conductive pads 5300. A plurality of light emitting diode chips 100 may be disposed around each of the conductive pads 5300 and may be bonded to the conductive interconnections 5321, 5323. The light emitting diode chips 100 are the same as the light emitting diode chip described with reference to
The wavelength conversion part 500 covers the light emitting diode chip 100. The wavelength conversion part 500 may fill an opening formed in cover layer 5400 to cover the light emitting diode chip 100. The wavelength conversion part 500 may include a transparent resin and phosphor particles dispersed therein. With this structure, it is possible to realize a mixture of colors, such as white light.
Although the wavelength conversion part 500 is illustrated as covering the light emitting diode chip 100 in this exemplary embodiment, an encapsulation material formed of a transparent resin may cover the light emitting diode chip 100. In this exemplary embodiment, light generated in the light emitting diode chip 100 is discharged, thereby providing monochromatic light such as blue light or green light.
This exemplary embodiment can provide a flexible keyboard including the light emitting diode chips 100 disposed around each of the keypads. The flexible keyboard may be used as an input device for portable electronic apparatuses.
Although certain exemplary embodiments and implementations have been described herein, other embodiments and modifications will be apparent from this description. Accordingly, the inventive concept is not limited to such embodiments, but rather to the broader scope of the presented claims and various obvious modifications and equivalent arrangements.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2015-0144997 | Oct 2015 | KR | national |
| 10-2015-0181128 | Dec 2015 | KR | national |
| 10-2016-0107578 | Aug 2016 | KR | national |
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/279,549, filed Sep. 29, 2016, and claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2015-0144997, filed on Oct. 16, 2015, Korean Patent Application No. 10-2015-0181128, filed on Dec. 17, 2015, and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2016-0107578, filed on Aug. 24, 2016, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein.
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|---|---|---|---|
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| 9618181 | Hwang | Apr 2017 | B2 |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20170108173 A1 | Apr 2017 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 15279549 | Sep 2016 | US |
| Child | 15348192 | US |
