1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a light emitting diode and a manufacturing method and application thereof, more particularly, to a light emitting diode having a diamond-like carbon layer, a method of manufacturing the same, and a chip-on-board package structure comprising the same.
2. Description of Related Art
Since the 1960s, light emitting diodes (LEDs) are progressively taking the place of traditional lighting lamps, indicator lamps of electrical devices or other light sources due to their benefits such as low power consumption and long duration time. Moreover, the development of multicolor LEDs with high brightness has contributed to their application in large outdoor display boards or traffic light.
LEDs include two electrodes disposed on the same side of a chip (i.e. lateral LEDs) or on the opposite sides of a chip (i.e. vertical LEDs). In lateral LEDs, current takes a turn past a semiconductor light emitting layer and then flows along a horizontal direction of the chip. Unlike lateral LEDs, current in vertical LEDs can flow between two electrodes without turning phenomenon.
As shown in
However, when the encapsulant 18 is directly disposed on the semiconductor epitaxial layer 14, the first electrode 12 and the second electrode 16, the poor adhesion between the encapsulant 18 and the semiconductor epitaxial layer 14 may cause deterioration of heat dissipation of the whole LED. Besides, since LEDs have large mismatch in coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) among layers in LEDs, the rise of temperature caused by the heat accumulation in LEDs may easily induce the expansion and deformation of LEDs, resulting in the reduction of luminous efficiency and lifetime of LEDs. In particular, when the LED is further packaged on a circuit board, thermal expansion may result in breakage, short circuit or failure of electrical connections due to CTE mismatch between the circuit board and the LED.
Therefore, it is desirable to develop new LED technology to enhance heat dissipation and thus to improve luminous efficiency and lifetime of LEDs.
In one aspect of the present invention is to provide a light emitting diode having a diamond-like carbon layer, in which the thermal expansion stress among layers in the LED can be released by the provision of diamond-like carbon layers, for example, disposing a conductive diamond-like carbon layer as an electrode and applying an insulating diamond-like carbon layer to protect the semiconductor epitaxial multilayer structure, so as to improve heat dissipation of the whole LED and thus to enhance the LED luminous lifetime.
To achieve the object, one aspect of the present invention provides a light emitting diode having a diamond-like carbon layer, which includes: a substrate; a semiconductor epitaxial multilayer structure that is disposed over the substrate and includes a first semiconductor epitaxial layer and a second semiconductor epitaxial layer, wherein the first semiconductor epitaxial layer and the second semiconductor epitaxial layer are disposed in a laminated state; an insulating diamond-like carbon layer that covers partial surfaces of the semiconductor epitaxial multilayer structure; a first electrode that is electrically connected to the first semiconductor epitaxial layer of the semiconductor epitaxial multilayer structure; and a second electrode that is electrically connected to the second semiconductor epitaxial layer of the semiconductor epitaxial multilayer structure.
In general, silicon dioxide is applied in conventional LEDs to provide electrical isolation for the semiconductor epitaxial multilayer structure. However, since silicon dioxide has a low thermal conductivity (about 1.4 W/mK), heat generated during LED operation cannot be timely dissipated and thus accumulated in LEDs. Accordingly, the long-term operation of LEDs will cause serious deterioration of LED luminous efficiency and shortening of LED lifetime.
Unlike the conventional art, the LED having a diamond-like carbon layer according to the present invention uses an insulating diamond-like carbon layer to provide electrical isolation for the semiconductor epitaxial multilayer structure. Due to high thermal conductivity (about 475 W/mK) of diamond-like carbon, the insulating diamond-like carbon layer, which is disposed on either or both of partial surfaces and side walls of the semiconductor epitaxial multilayer structure, can enhance heat dissipation, luminous efficiency and lifetime of the LED. Moreover, since the insulating diamond-like carbon layer has electrical resistivity and dielectric constant similar to silicon dioxide, the insulating diamond-like carbon layer can provide electrical insulation for the semiconductor epitaxial multilayer structure to protect the semiconductor epitaxial multilayer structure from short circuit or current leakage.
In the above LED having a diamond-like carbon layer according to the present invention, the semiconductor epitaxial multilayer structure can further include: an active layer that is sandwiched between the first semiconductor epitaxial layer and the second semiconductor epitaxial layer. In the present invention, the active layer may be a multiple quantum well layer to enhance LED's conversion efficiency from electricity to light.
In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the LED having a diamond-like carbon layer is a vertical LED, in which the first electrode can be disposed between the substrate and the semiconductor epitaxial multilayer structure and cover the insulating diamond-like carbon layer from the substrate side, such that the insulating diamond-like carbon layer is sandwiched between the semiconductor epitaxial multilayer structure and the first electrode. Besides, the LED having a diamond-like carbon layer can further selectively include a reflective layer that can be disposed between the first electrode and the semiconductor epitaxial multilayer structure. The material of the reflective layer may be aluminum, silver, nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt), gold (Au), zinc (Zn), tin (Sn), antimony (Sb), lead (Pb), copper (Cu), copper-silver (CuAg), nickel-silver (NiAg), an alloy thereof or a metal mixture thereof.
However, the LED having a diamond-like carbon layer according to the present invention is not limited to a vertical LED, and may be a lateral LED or be further manufactured into a flip-chip type LED. Specifically, the lateral LED can use conductive diamond-like carbon as the material of the corresponding electrode for the p-type semiconductor epitaxial layer, and the flip-chip type LED, which is similar to the lateral LED, can further apply conductive diamond-like carbon on the surface of the corresponding electrode for the n-type semiconductor epitaxial layer to make the surface of the corresponding electrode for the n-type semiconductor epitaxial layer coplanar with the surface of the corresponding electrode for the p-type semiconductor epitaxial layer. Moreover, the side walls and/or exposed surfaces of the semiconductor epitaxial multilayer structure can be covered by an insulating passivation layer, regardless of the LED having a diamond-like carbon layer according to the present invention being a vertical LED, a lateral LED or a flip-chip type LED.
Preferably, the first semiconductor epitaxial layer and the first electrode are p-type, the second semiconductor epitaxial layer and the second electrode are n-type, and the first electrode is made of conductive diamond-like carbon. Herein, the conductive diamond-like carbon may be a DLC/metal multilayer composite, a metal-containing DLC mixture or graphitized DLC. The metal can be titanium (Ti), tungsten (W), chromium (Cr), molybdenum (Mo), an alloy thereof or a metal mixture or alloy thereof. The application of the conductive diamond-like carbon in the electrode can reduce the influence of thermal expansion on the LED structure due to its better coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), enhance heat dissipation during LED operation and reduce the possibility of heat-induced damage to the LED structure.
In the LED having a diamond-like carbon layer according to the present invention, the substrate can be made of a conductive material. The conductive material may be metal, a mixture of metal and ceramic or a mixture of metal and diamond.
Additionally, another object of the present invention is to provide a method of fabricating a light emitting diode having a conductive diamond-like carbon layer, in which a continuous-layered conductive diamond-like carbon layer is used as a corresponding electrode for the p-type semiconductor epitaxial layer of the semiconductor epitaxial multilayer structure and an insulating diamond-like carbon layer is applied as a passivation layer of the semiconductor epitaxial multilayer structure so as to enhance heat dissipation of the LED.
To achieve the above object, another aspect of the present invention provides a method of fabricating a light emitting diode having a conductive diamond-like carbon layer, which includes the following steps: providing a temporary substrate; forming a semiconductor epitaxial multilayer structure on the temporary substrate, wherein the semiconductor epitaxial multilayer structure includes a first semiconductor epitaxial layer and a second semiconductor epitaxial layer, and the first semiconductor epitaxial layer and the second semiconductor epitaxial layer are disposed in a laminated state; forming an insulating diamond-like carbon layer on side walls of the semiconductor epitaxial multilayer structure; and forming a first electrode and a second electrode and removing the temporary substrate, wherein the first electrode is electrically connected to the first semiconductor epitaxial layer of the semiconductor epitaxial multilayer structure, and the second electrode is electrically connected to the second semiconductor epitaxial layer of the semiconductor epitaxial multilayer structure.
In the above method of fabricating an LED having a conductive diamond-like carbon layer according to the present invention, the steps can be executed with the sequence set forth above, but it is also possible to reorder the sequence of the steps or simultaneously execute some steps according to desired design. For example, in the case of making a vertical LED, after the semiconductor epitaxial multilayer structure, the insulating diamond-like carbon layer, the first electrode and the substrate are formed on the temporary substrate in sequence, the step of forming the second electrode is executed after removing the temporary substrate. In the case of making a lateral LED or a flip-chip type LED, the semiconductor epitaxial multilayer structure, the insulating diamond-like carbon layer, the first electrode and the second electrode are formed on the substrate in sequence, or the first electrode and the second electrode are simultaneously formed. Moreover, the method of fabricating a flip-chip type LED can further include a step of thickening the second electrode to make the surface of the second electrode coplanar with the surface of the first electrode.
On the other hand, in the above method of fabricating an LED having a conductive diamond-like carbon layer according to the present invention, the insulating diamond-like carbon layer is used to provide electrical insulation for the semiconductor epitaxial multilayer structure. As the electrical resistivity and dielectric constant of diamond-like carbon are similar to commonly used silicon oxide, the insulating diamond-like carbon layer can provide electrical insulation for the semiconductor epitaxial multilayer structure to protect the semiconductor epitaxial multilayer structure from short circuit or current leakage, and even can enhance thermal performance, luminous efficiency and lifetime of LEDs due to its higher thermal conductivity compared to silicon dioxide.
In the above method of fabricating an LED having a conductive diamond-like carbon layer according to the present invention, the semiconductor epitaxial multilayer structure can selectively further include an active layer disposed between the first semiconductor epitaxial layer and the second semiconductor epitaxial layer.
The above method of fabricating an LED having a conductive diamond-like carbon layer according to the present invention can selectively further include the following step: forming a reflective layer on the surface of the first semiconductor epitaxial layer after forming the semiconductor epitaxial multilayer structure. The material of the reflective layer may be Al, Ag, Ni, Co, Pd, Pt, Au, Zn, Sn, Sb, Pb, Cu, CuAg, NiAg, an alloy thereof or a metal mixture thereof. Besides, the first semiconductor epitaxial layer and the first electrode can be p-type, the second semiconductor epitaxial layer and the second electrode can be n-type, and the first electrode can be made of conductive diamond-like carbon. Herein, the conductive diamond-like carbon may be a DLC/metal multilayer composite, a metal-containing DLC mixture or graphitized DLC. The metal can be Ti, W, Cr, Mo, an alloy thereof or a metal mixture thereof.
Moreover, the above method of fabricating an LED having a conductive diamond-like carbon layer according to the present invention can selectively further include the following step: roughening the surface of the second semiconductor epitaxial layer of the semiconductor epitaxial multilayer structure after removing the temporary substrate.
Furthermore, yet another object of the present invention is to provide a chip-on-board (COB) package structure with the above LED having a conductive diamond-like carbon layer according to present invention electrically connected to a circuit board by flip-chip or wire-bonding connection. Accordingly, the diamond-like carbon layer in this structure can release the thermal expansion stress among layers of the LED structure, and the chip-on-board (COB) package structure can exhibit improved thermal performance, luminous efficiency and lifetime.
To achieve the above object, yet another aspect of the present invention provides a chip-on-board (COB) package structure, which includes: a circuit board; and the above LED having a conductive diamond-like carbon layer according to present invention that is electrically connected to the circuit board through the first electrode and the second electrode.
In the above COB package structure of the present invention, the circuit board can include an insulating layer and a circuit substrate. The material of the insulating layer can be insulating diamond-like carbon, aluminum oxide, ceramics, a diamond-containing epoxy resin or a combination thereof or a metal coated with the above insulating layer on its surface. The circuit substrate may be a metal sheet, a ceramic sheet or a silicon substrate. In addition, the circuit substrate can selectively further include a diamond-like carbon layer on a surface thereof to enhance the thermal performance.
Hereafter, examples will be provided to illustrate the embodiments of the present invention. Other advantages and effects of the invention will become more apparent from the disclosure of the present invention. Other various aspects also may be practiced or applied in the invention, and various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention based on various concepts and applications.
It should be noted that these accompanying figures are simplified and only show components related to the present invention. The quantity, shape and size of components shown in the figures may be modified according to practically conditions, and the arrangement of components may be more complex.
First, as shown in
Subsequently, as shown in
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Next, as shown in
As shown in
Accordingly, as shown in
As above mentioned, the present invention applies diamond-like carbon layers in the light emitting diode (such as the continuous-layered conductive diamond-like carbon layer as a corresponding electrode for the p-type semiconductor epitaxial layer of the semiconductor epitaxial multilayer structure, the insulating diamond-like carbon layer as a passivation layer of the semiconductor epitaxial multilayer structure) so as to release thermal expansion stress among layers in the LED and improve the heat dissipation efficiency of the LED, resulting in the enhancement of the LED lifetime.
As shown in
In the COB package structure, the first electrode 25 and the second electrode 27 can be electrically connected to the circuit board 3 by an ordinary technology known in this art, such as wire bonding.
Accordingly, in the above-mentioned COB package structure of the present invention, the thermal expansion stress among layers of the LED can be released by the diamond-like carbon layers in this structure, such that the whole COB package structure can have improved thermal performance, luminous efficiency and lifetime.
The above examples are intended for illustrating the embodiments of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is based on the claims as appended and is not limited to the above examples.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/145,758, filed Dec. 31, 2013, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/052,934, filed Oct. 14, 2013, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/950,037, filed Jul. 24, 2013, each of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 14145758 | Dec 2013 | US |
Child | 14223527 | US | |
Parent | 14052934 | Oct 2013 | US |
Child | 14145758 | US | |
Parent | 13950037 | Jul 2013 | US |
Child | 14052934 | US |