Molded lens over LED die
View Patent ↗One or more LED dice are mounted on a support structure. The support structure may be a submount with the LED dice already electrically connected to leads on the submount. A mold has indentations in it corresponding to the positions of the LED dice on the support structure. The indentations are filled with a liquid optically transparent material, such as silicone, which when cured forms a lens material. The shape of the indentations will be the shape of the lens. The mold and the LED dice/support structure are brought together so that each LED die resides within the liquid silicone in an associated indentation. The mold is then heated to cure (harden) the silicone. The mold and the support structure are then separated, leaving a complete silicone lens over each LED die. This over molding process may be repeated with different molds to create concentric shells of lenses. Each concentric lens may have a different property, such as containing a phosphor.
1. A method for forming an optical element over a light emitting diode (LED) die comprising:
providing a plurality of non-encapsulated LED dies mounted on a single submount support structure, the support structure having metal leads in electrical contact with metal contacts on each LED die, the LED dies forming a two-dimensional pattern on the support structure;
providing a first mold having indentations corresponding to the pattern of LED dies on the support structure;
filling the indentations in the first mold with a liquid first lens material prior to the LEDs dies being positioned within the indentations;
bringing the first mold and the support structure together so that the LED dies are within the liquid first lens material so as to directly contact the liquid lens material;
curing the liquid first lens material until it hardens;
removing the support structure from the first mold so that a first lens formed from the hardened first lens material overlies each of the LED dies and fully encapsulates each of the LED dies; and
singulating the submount support structure into portions, wherein mounted on each portion is at least one encapsulated LED die.
2. A method for forming an optical element over a light emitting diode (LED) die comprising:
providing a plurality of non-encapsulated LED dies mounted on a single submount support structure, the support structure having metal leads in electrical contact with metal contacts on each LED die, the LED dies forming a two-dimensional pattern on the support structure;
providing a first mold having indentations corresponding to the pattern of LED dies on the support structure, wherein there are no liquid flow channels between the indentations;
filling the indentations in the first mold with a liquid first lens material prior to the LEDs dies being positioned within the indentations;
bringing the first mold and the support structure together so that the LED dies are within the liquid first lens material so as to directly contact the liquid lens material;
curing the liquid first lens material until it hardens;
removing the support structure from the first mold so that a first lens formed from the hardened first lens material overlies each of the LED dies and fully encapsulates each of the LED dies; and
singulating the submount support structure into portions, wherein mounted on each portion is at least one encapsulated LED die.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the liquid first lens material comprises silicone.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the LED die is a flip-chip with metal contacts directly bonded to the metal leads of the submount.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the LED die has a phosphor material coating at least one surface of the LED die.
6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
providing a second mold having a second indentation filled with a liquid second lens material;
bringing together the second mold and the support structure, having attached to it the LED die having the first lens, so that the first lens is within the liquid second lens material in the second indentation;
curing the liquid second lens material until it hardens; and
removing the support structure from the second mold so that the hardened second lens material forms a first shell over the first lens.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein the second lens material comprises a first phosphor material.
8. The method of claim 6 wherein the second lens material is different from the first lens material.
9. The method of claim 6 wherein the second lens material comprises a first phosphor material, wherein a light emission from the combination of the LED die and first phosphor material is a white light.
10. The method of claim 6 wherein the second lens material comprises a first phosphor material, the method further comprising:
providing a third mold having a third indentation filled with a liquid third lens material;
bringing together the third mold and support structure, having attached to it the LED die having the first shell over the first lens;
curing the liquid third lens material until it hardens; and
removing the support structure from the third mold so that the hardened third lens material forms a second shell over the first shell.
11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:
providing a fourth mold having a fourth indentation filled with a liquid fourth lens material, the fourth lens material comprising a second phosphor;
bringing together the fourth mold and support structure, having attached to it the LED die having the second shell over the first shell;
curing the liquid fourth lens material until it hardens; and
removing the support structure from the fourth mold so that the hardened fourth lens material forms a third shell over the second shell.
12. The method of claim 11 further comprising forming a fourth shell containing a third phosphor material overlying the third shell so that a light emission from the combination of the LED die, the first phosphor material, the second phosphor material, and the third phosphor material is a white light.
13. The method of claim 1 wherein the LED die is a flip-chip.
14. The method of claim 1 wherein the LED die has at least one wire bond electrically connecting the LED die to the support structure.
15. The method of claim 1 wherein the liquid first lens material comprises at least one type of phosphor.
16. The method of claim 1 wherein the liquid first lens material comprises at least one type of phosphor such that the phosphor emission alone or in conjunction with the LED emission produces white light.