A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light when an electric current is applied to the LED. An LED includes a light emission region in which light is produced and a light emission surface through which the light emits from the LED.
In some implementations, an emitter includes a light emission region configured to emit light associated with a first optical spectrum; a light emission surface; and an optical element disposed on the light emission surface, wherein: a first surface of the optical element, which contacts the light emission surface, is configured to reflect light associated with the first optical spectrum, a second surface of the optical element, opposite the first surface of the optical element, is configured to absorb light associated with a second optical spectrum, and at least one aperture is formed in the optical element.
In some implementations, an optical device includes a plurality of emitters; a plurality of optical elements respectively disposed on light emission surfaces of the plurality of emitters, wherein for each optical element: a first surface of the optical element, that is disposed on a light emission surface of an emitter, is configured to reflect light associated with a first optical spectrum; a second surface of the optical element is configured to absorb light associated with a second optical spectrum; and at least one aperture is formed in the optical element.
In some implementations, a wafer includes a plurality of emitters; a plurality of optical elements respectively disposed on the plurality of emitters, wherein for each optical element: a first surface of the optical element, that is disposed on a surface of an emitter, is configured to reflect light associated with a first optical spectrum; a second surface of the optical element is configured to absorb light associated with a second optical spectrum; and at least one aperture is formed in the optical element.
The following detailed description of example implementations refers to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in different drawings may identify the same or similar elements.
An emitter, such as an LED, may emit light associated with an optical spectrum. For example, the emitter may emit red light, green light, or blue light. In some cases, a polymer with an aperture can be formed over a light emission surface of the emitter to control an amount and direction of light that emits from the emitter (e.g., via the aperture). For example, the polymer can be configured to absorb light generated by the emitter that propagates to the polymer, and the aperture can be shaped such that only light with a desired propagation path and angle propagates through the aperture to emit from the emitter. In some cases, such as when the emitter is included in a display screen with many other emitters, a polymer and aperture may be formed on each emitter to individually control light emission by the emitters and thereby provide a desired overall light emission performance of the display screen.
However, a junction temperature of an emitter (e.g., when emitting is light) is high, such as greater than or equal to 85 degrees Celsius (° C.). Such a high junction temperature can cause, over an operable life of the emitter, the polymer to degrade and deform. For example, the polymer may degrade such that the polymer allows some light that is generated by the emitter and that propagates to the polymer to transmit through the polymer, or the polymer may deform such that the polymer does not fully cover the light emission surface of the emitter or such that a size and shape of the aperture changes. This can cause the emitter to cease providing a desired light emission performance.
Some implementations described herein include an emitter. The emitter includes a light emission region configured to emit light associated with a first optical spectrum and a light emission surface. An optical element is disposed on the light emission surface, wherein a first surface of the optical element (e.g., that contacts the light emission surface) is configured to reflect light associated with the first optical spectrum, a second surface of the optical element (e.g., that is opposite the first surface of the optical element) is configured to absorb light associated with a second optical spectrum, and at least one aperture is formed in the optical element.
Accordingly, the first surface reflects light that is produced by the light emission region of the emitter and that propagates to a region of the light emission surface that is covered by the first surface of the optical element (e.g., a region that is not associated with the aperture), which allows the light (or at least some of the light) to propagate back to the light emission region of the emitter. Additionally, other light produced by the light emission region of the emitter propagates to the at least one aperture (e.g., because the other light has a desired propagation direction and angle) and therefore emits from the emitter to provide a desired light emission performance. Notably, the light reflected by the first surface of the optical element to the light emission region of the emitter is able to participate in photon recycling (e.g., within the light emission region) to enable further light emission by the light emission region and to improve a quantum efficiency of the emitter. This results in higher brightness and improved energy efficiency of the emitter (e.g., as compared to an emitter that does not include an optical element as described herein).
Additionally, the second surface of the optical element absorbs light associated with a second optical spectrum, which is at least partially co-extensive with the first optical spectrum. For example, the second optical spectrum may include visible light (e.g., a wavelength range from 380 to 780 nm) such that the second surface of the optical element appears (e.g., to a human observer or to a device configured to sense visible light) to have no reflection (e.g., to appear black). Accordingly, in some scenarios, such as when multiple emitters are included in a display screen of an optical device, the display screen may appear to have a consistent appearance (e.g., a black appearance), such as when the plurality of emitters are not operating and emitting light.
Notably, in some implementations, the optical element, to provide the reflective characteristics of the first surface of the optical element and the absorptive characteristics of the second surface of the optical element, comprises at least one layer that includes at least a metal material and at least one other layer that includes at least a dielectric material (e.g., arranged in a particular stack order). Because of the composition of the layers (e.g., because the layers do not comprise a polymer), the optical element is able to withstand high junction temperatures of the emitter (e.g., junction temperatures that are greater than or equal to 85 degrees Celsius). Accordingly, the optical element does not degrade, deform, or otherwise cease to perform as intended over an operable life of the emitter. This enables the emitter to provide a desired light emission performance over the operable life of the emitter (and therefore an improved light emission performance as compared to an emitter that uses a polymer instead of the optical element described herein).
The emitter 102 may be configured to emit light associated with a first optical spectrum. For example, the emitter 102 may be configured to emit light, centered at a particular wavelength within the first optical spectrum, and with a wavelength that is greater than or equal to a minimum wavelength of the first optical spectrum and that is less than or equal to a maximum wavelength of the first optical spectrum. The first optical spectrum may include one or more subranges of light associated with ultraviolet light through infrared light, such as one or more portions of ultraviolet light (e.g., one or more portions of light associated with wavelengths from 200 nm to 379 nm), one or more portions of visible light (e.g., one or more portions of light associated with wavelengths from 380 nm to 780 nm), and/or one or more portions of infrared light (e.g., one or more portions of light associated with wavelengths from 781 nm to 5000 nm). In some implementations, the first optical spectrum may have a spectral width greater than or equal to a spectral width threshold. The spectral width threshold may be, for example, 25 nm, 30 nm, 35 nm, or 40 nm, for example (e.g., a spectral width associated with light emitted by an LED).
In some implementations, the emitter 102 may be an LED (e.g., an inorganic LED, an organic LED, a microLED, or another type of LED). Accordingly, as shown in
The emitter 102 may operate at one or more temperatures (e.g., to produce light in the light emission region 104), and may have a maximum junction temperature (e.g., a highest junction temperature at which the emitter 102 is able to reliably operate). The maximum junction temperature may be, for example, within a temperature range from 85° C. to a maximum temperature threshold, where the maximum temperature threshold is greater than 85° C. and less than or equal to at least one of 100° C., 105° C., 110° C., 115° C., 120° C., 125° C., 130° C., 135° C., 140° C., 145° C., or 150° C.
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Accordingly, the first surface 110 may reflect light that is produced by the light emission region 104 and that propagates to a region of the light emission surface 106 that is covered by the first surface 110 of the optical element 108 (e.g., a region that is not associated with the aperture 114), which allows the light (or at least some of the light) to propagate back to the light emission region 104 of the emitter 102. This therefore allows the light to participate in photon recycling to enable further light emission by the light emission region 104 and improve an efficiency of the emitter 102.
The second surface 112 of the optical element 108 may be an external surface of the optical element 108 (e.g., that does not contact any other component of the emitter 102). For example, as shown in
The second optical spectrum may include one or more subranges of light associated with ultraviolet light through infrared light, such as one or more portions of ultraviolet light, one or more portions of visible light, and/or one or more portions of infrared light. In some implementations, the second optical spectrum is at least partially co-extensive with the first optical spectrum (e.g., at least a portion of the second optical spectrum overlaps with the first optical spectrum). In some implementations, the second optical spectrum includes visible light (e.g., a wavelength range from 380 to 780 nm) such that the second surface 112 of the optical element 108 appears (e.g., to a human observer or to a device configured to sense visible light) to have no reflection (e.g., to appear black).
The optical element 108 may comprise a plurality of layers, such as one or more reflective layers, one or more absorbing layers, and/or one or more other layers (e.g., arranged in a particular stack order). In some implementations, at least one layer, of the plurality of layers, may include at least a metal material. The metal material may include, for example, aluminum, tantalum, niobium, titanium, nickel, chromium, silicon, gold, and alloys thereof (e.g., an alloy of two or more metals, an alloy of at least one listed metal and at least one other metal, among other examples), such as tantalum-niobium alloys (e.g., Ta80Nb20, Ta60Nb40, Ta40Nb60, and/or Ta20Nb80). At least one other layer, of the plurality of layers, may include at least a dielectric material. The dielectric material may include, for example, a single dielectric material or a combination or mixture of two or more dielectric materials, such as SiO2, Ta2O5, NbTaO5, Nb2O5, TiO2, NbTiOx, Al2O3, Si3N4, Cr2O3, MoO3, and combinations thereof. In some implementations, the optical element 108 may include one or more dielectric material (“D”) and metal material (“M”) pairs of layers (“DM” pairs of layers), such as arranged in a particular stack order. In some implementations, each layer of the plurality of layers may be a thin film layer, and, accordingly, the optical element 108 may be an optical thin film (e.g., that has a thickness on the order of nanometers to micrometers).
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The plurality of emitters 102 may be arranged in a pattern (e.g., a one-dimensional array, a two-dimensional array, or another type of pattern) within the optical device 202. For example, as shown in
In some implementations, a first set of emitters of the plurality of emitters 102 may each be configured to emit light associated with a first optical spectrum (e.g., red light) and therefore the first surface 110 of each optical element 108 of the first set of emitters may be configured to reflect light associated with the first optical spectrum; a second set of emitters of the plurality of emitters 102 may each be configured to emit light associated with a second optical spectrum (e.g., blue light) and therefore the first surface 110 of each optical element 108 of the second set of emitters may be configured to reflect light associated with the second optical spectrum; and/or a third set of emitters of the plurality of emitters 102 may each be configured to emit light associated with a third optical spectrum (e.g., green light) and therefore the first surface 110 of each optical element 108 of the third set of emitters may be configured to reflect light associated with the third optical spectrum; among other examples. Additionally, the second surface 112 of each optical element 108 of the first set of emitters, the second set of emitters, and the third set of emitters may be configured to absorb light associated with another optical spectrum (e.g., visible light) that includes at least the first optical spectrum, the second optical spectrum, and the third optical spectrum. In this way, the plurality of emitters 102 may appear (e.g., to a human observer or to a device configured to sense visible light) to have a same appearance (e.g., appear to have no reflection for red light, blue light, and green light). When the plurality of emitters 102 are included in a display screen of the optical device 202, the display screen may appear to be black (e.g., when the plurality of emitters 102 are not operating and emitting light).
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The foregoing disclosure provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the implementations to the precise forms disclosed. Modifications and variations may be made in light of the above disclosure or may be acquired from practice of the implementations.
As used herein, satisfying a threshold may, depending on the context, refer to a value being greater than the threshold, greater than or equal to the threshold, less than the threshold, less than or equal to the threshold, equal to the threshold, not equal to the threshold, or the like.
Even though particular combinations of features are recited in the claims and/or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are not intended to limit the disclosure of various implementations. In fact, many of these features may be combined in ways not specifically recited in the claims and/or disclosed in the specification. Although each dependent claim listed below may directly depend on only one claim, the disclosure of various implementations includes each dependent claim in combination with every other claim in the claim set. As used herein, a phrase referring to “at least one of” a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including single members. As an example, “at least one of: a, b, or c” is intended to cover a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, and a-b-c, as well as any combination with multiple of the same item.
No element, act, or instruction used herein should be construed as critical or essential unless explicitly described as such. Also, as used herein, the articles “a” and “an” are intended to include one or more items, and may be used interchangeably with “one or more.” Further, as used herein, the article “the” is intended to include one or more items referenced in connection with the article “the” and may be used interchangeably with “the one or more.” Furthermore, as used herein, the term “set” is intended to include one or more items (e.g., related items, unrelated items, or a combination of related and unrelated items), and may be used interchangeably with “one or more.” Where only one item is intended, the phrase “only one” or similar language is used. Also, as used herein, the terms “has,” “have,” “having,” or the like are intended to be open-ended terms. Further, the phrase “based on” is intended to mean “based, at least in part, on” unless explicitly stated otherwise. Also, as used herein, the term “or” is intended to be inclusive when used in a series and may be used interchangeably with “and/or,” unless explicitly stated otherwise (e.g., if used in combination with “either” or “only one of”). Further, spatially relative terms, such as “below,” “lower,” “bottom,” “above,” “upper,” “top,” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. The spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the apparatus, device, and/or element in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. The apparatus may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein may likewise be interpreted accordingly.
As used herein, the term “X material,” where X is a chemical composition indicates that at least a threshold percentage of X is included in the X material or X solution. The threshold percentage may be, for example, greater than or equal to 1%. 5%. 10%, 25%. 50%. 75%, 85%. 90%. 95%, and/or 99%. As used herein, when a material is referred to by a specific chemical name or formula, the material may include non-stoichiometric variations of the stoichiometrically exact formula identified by the chemical name or formula. Further, the material may include ternary, quaternary, and higher-order compounds.
This Patent Application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 63/506,567, filed on Jun. 6, 2023, and entitled “OPTICAL ELEMENT WITH REFLECTIVE AND ABSORBENT COATING.” The disclosure of the prior Application is considered part of and is incorporated by reference into this Patent Application.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63506567 | Jun 2023 | US |