Method and apparatus for fabricating phosphor-coated LED dies

1. A lighting apparatus, comprising:

a first doped semiconductor layer;

a light-emitting layer disposed over the first doped semiconductor layer;

a second doped semiconductor layer disposed over the light-emitting layer, the second doped semiconductor layer having a different type of conductivity than the first doped semiconductor layer;

a first conductive terminal and a second conductive terminal each disposed below the first doped semiconductor layer; and

a photo-conversion layer disposed over the second doped semiconductor layer and on side surfaces of the first and second doped semiconductor layers and the light-emitting layer, wherein a bottommost surface of the photo-conversion layer is located closer to the second doped semiconductor layer than bottom surfaces of the first and second conductive terminals.

2. The lighting apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a substrate on which the first and second conductive terminals are disposed.

3. The lighting apparatus of claim 2 , wherein:

the first and second conductive terminals are in physical contact with an upper surface of the substrate; and

a gap exists between the bottommost surface of the photo-conversion layer and the upper surface of the substrate.

4. The lighting apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the gap is in a range from about 0.1 micron to about 50 microns.

5. The lighting apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the substrate is a Metal Core Printed Circuit Board (MCPCB) substrate, a ceramic substrate, or a copper substrate.

6. The lighting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the photo-conversion layer comprises phosphor particles.

7. The lighting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

the first conductive terminal is electrically coupled to the first doped semiconductor layer;

the second conductive terminal is electrically coupled to the second doped semiconductor layer; and

one of the first and second doped semiconductor layers is n-doped, and the other one of the first and second doped semiconductor layers is p-doped.

8. The lighting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first and second conductive terminals each include a metal pad.

9. The lighting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first and second doped semiconductor layers, the light-emitting layer, and the first and second conductive terminals are parts of a light-emitting diode (LED) die.

10. The lighting apparatus of claim 9 , further comprising a lighting module on which the LED die is disposed.

11. The lighting apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising a lamp in which the lighting module is disposed.

12. A lighting apparatus, comprising:

a light-emitting die that includes:

a first doped semiconductor layer;

a light-emitting layer located over the first doped semiconductor layer;

a second doped semiconductor layer located over the light-emitting layer, wherein the first and second doped semiconductor layers have different types of conductivity; and

a first conductive terminal and a second conductive terminal each located below the first doped semiconductor layer and having a side surface; and

a phosphor layer covering a portion of the side surface, wherein a bottommost surface of the phosphor layer is located above a bottommost surface of the first and second conductive terminals.

13. The lighting apparatus of claim 12 , further comprising a substrate that is a Metal Core Printed Circuit Board (MCPCB) substrate, a ceramic substrate, or a copper substrate, wherein the first and second conductive terminals are located on an upper surface of the substrate.

14. The lighting apparatus of claim 13 , wherein a gap exists between the bottommost surface of the phosphor layer and the upper surface of the substrate.

15. The lighting apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the gap is in a range from about 0.1 micron to about 50 microns.

16. The lighting apparatus of claim 13 , further comprising a lamp in which the substrate and the light-emitting die are implemented.

17. The lighting apparatus of claim 12 , wherein:

the first conductive terminal is electrically coupled to the first doped semiconductor layer;

the second conductive terminal is electrically coupled to the second doped semiconductor layer;

one of the first and second doped semiconductor layers contains an n-doped III-V compound;

the other one of the first and second doped semiconductor layers contains a p-doped III-V compound;

the light-emitting layer contains a plurality of quantum wells; and

the conductive terminals comprise solder.

18. A lighting apparatus, comprising:

a substrate;

one or more light-emitting diode (LED) dies that are disposed over an upper surface of the substrate, wherein each of the LED dies includes:

a first doped III-V compound layer;

a multiple quantum well (MQW) layer disposed over the first doped compound layer;

a second doped III-V compound layer disposed over the MQW layer, wherein the first and second doped III-V compound layers have different types of conductivity;

a first metal pad electrically coupled to the first doped III-V compound layer and having a first side surface; and

a second metal pad electrically coupled to the second doped compound layer and having a second side surface, wherein the first and second metal pads are disposed on an upper surface of the substrate; and

one or more phosphor layers covering a portion of the first side surface, wherein the upper surface of the substrate and the bottommost surfaces of the one or more phosphor layers define a plurality of gaps that are each in a range from about 0.1 micron to about 50 microns.

19. The lighting apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the substrate is a Metal Core Printed Circuit Board (MCPCB) substrate, a ceramic substrate, or a copper substrate.

20. The lighting apparatus of claim 18 , further comprising a lamp in which the substrate and the one or more LED dies are implemented.