The invention relates generally to light emitting diodes and more particularly to a phosphor light emitting diode.
Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are well-known solid state devices that can generate light having a peak wavelength in a specific region of the light spectrum. LEDs are typically used as illuminators, indicators and displays. Traditionally, the most efficient LEDs emit light having a peak wavelength in the red region of the light spectrum, i.e., red light. However, a type of LED based on Gallium Nitride (GaN) has recently been developed that can efficiently emit light having a peak wavelength in the blue region of the spectrum, i.e., blue light. This new type of LED can provide significantly brighter output light than traditional LEDs.
In addition, since blue light has a shorter wavelength than red light, the blue light generated by the GaN-based LEDs can be readily converted to produce light having a longer wavelength. It is well known in the art that light having a first peak wavelength (the xe2x80x9cprimary lightxe2x80x9d) can be converted into light having a longer peak wavelength (the xe2x80x9csecondary lightxe2x80x9d) using a process known as fluorescence. The fluorescent process involves absorbing the primary light by a photoluminescent phosphor material, which excites the atoms of the phosphor material, and emits the secondary light. The peak wavelength of the secondary light will depend on the phosphor material. The type of phosphor material can be chosen to yield secondary light having a particular peak wavelength. An LED that utilizes the fluorescent process will be defined herein as a xe2x80x9cphosphor LED.xe2x80x9d
With reference to FIG. 1, a prior art phosphor LED 10 is shown. The LED 10 includes a GaN die 12 that generates blue primary light when activated. The GaN die 12 is positioned on a reflector cup lead frame 14 and is electrically coupled to leads 16 and 18. The leads 16 and 18 conduct electrical power to the GaN die 12. The GaN die 12 is covered by a layer 20 that includes fluorescent material 22. The type of fluorescent material utilized to form the layer 20 can vary, depending upon the desired spectral distribution of the secondary light that will be generated by the fluorescent material 22. The GaN die 12 and the fluorescent layer 20 are encapsulated by a lens 24. The lens 24 is typically made of a transparent epoxy.
In operation, electrical power is supplied to the GaN die 12 to activate the GaN die. When activated, the GaN die 12 emits the primary light, i.e., blue light, away from the top surface of the GaN die 12. A portion of the emitted primary light is absorbed by the fluorescent material 22 in the layer 20. The fluorescent material 22 then emits secondary light, i.e., the converted light having a longer peak wavelength, in response to absorption of the primary light. The remaining unabsorbed portion of the emitted primary light is transmitted through the fluorescent layer 38, along with the secondary light. The lens 24 directs the unabsorbed primary light and the secondary light in a general direction indicated by arrow 26 as output light. Thus, the output light is a composite light that is composed of the primary light emitted from the GaN die 12 and the secondary light emitted from the fluorescent layer 20.
The output light may have a spectral distribution such that it appears to be xe2x80x9cwhitexe2x80x9d light. The color composite of the output light will vary depending upon the spectral distributions and intensities of the secondary light and the primary light.
PCT Application No. PCT/JP97/02610 by Shimizu et al. describes various phosphor LEDs that generate white output light having a color temperature somewhere between 5,000 to 6,000 degrees Kelvin. The LEDs of Shimizu et al. are schematically identical to the LED 10 of FIG. 1. In one embodiment, the LED of Shimizu et al. utilizes Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (YAG) phosphor to convert some of the primary light into secondary light having a peak wavelength of about 580 nm. The spectral distribution 28 of the output light from the Shimizu et al. LED is shown in FIG. 2. The spectral distribution 28 has two peaks 30 and 32. The peak 30 is predominately caused by the primary light emitted from the GaN die of the Shimizu et al. LED. The peak 32 is predominately caused by the secondary light emitted from the YAG phosphor.
A concern with the Shimizu et al. LED is that the xe2x80x9cwhitexe2x80x9d output light has an undesirable color balance for a true color rendition. The output light of the Shimizu et al. LED is adequate for applications in which simple illumination is required. However, for applications in which a high color rendition is desired, the output light is deficient in the red region of the visible light spectrum (647-700 nm range). When used for such applications, the red deficiency in the output light causes illuminated red objects to appear less intense in color than they would under a white light having a well-balanced color characteristic. In particular, when used as a backlight for color liquid crystal displays (LCD), the output light of the Shimizu et al. LED causes red colors to be weakly displayed on the LCD. A separate red light source may have to be used in conjunction with the Shimizu et al. LED to compensate for the red deficiency of the output light generated by the Shimizu et al. LED, adding complexity to the system embodying the Shimizu et al. LED.
What is needed is a phosphor LED that can generate white output light having a well-balanced color characteristic for a true color rendition.
A light emitting device and a method of fabricating the device utilize a supplementary fluorescent material that radiates secondary light in the red spectral region of the visible light spectrum to increase the red color component of the composite output light. The secondary light from the supplementary fluorescent material allows the device to produce xe2x80x9cwhitexe2x80x9d output light that is well-balanced for true color rendering applications. As an example, the device can be used as backlight for a color LCD or a light source for a color scanner.
The light emitting device is an LED that includes a die that emits primary light in response to an electrical signal. Preferably, the die is a Gallium Nitride (GaN) based die that emits blue light having a peak wavelength of 470 nm. The die is encapsulated by an optional transparent layer. The optional transparent layer provides a generally uniform surface for the next layer. Preferably, the optional transparent layer is made of clear resin. The next layer is a fluorescent layer that contains the supplementary fluorescent material. The fluorescent layer also includes the main fluorescent material that radiates broadband secondary light having a first peak wavelength in the yellow region of the visible light spectrum. Coupled to the fluorescent layer is a lens that operates to direct the lights from the die and the fluorescent layer in a direction generally normal to the upper surface of the die.
In operation, the GaN die is activated by electrical power that is supplied to the die via leads. When activated, the GaN die emits the primary light, i.e., blue light, away from the upper surface of the die. The emitted primary light propagates through the optional transparent layer to the fluorescent layer. A portion of the primary light impinges upon the main fluorescent material in the fluorescent layer. The main fluorescent material absorbs the impinging primary light and emits the secondary light having the first peak wavelength. Another portion of the primary light impinges upon the supplementary fluorescent material in the fluorescent layer. The supplementary fluorescent material absorbs the impinging primary light and emits the second light having the second peak wavelength in the red spectral region of the visible light spectrum. However, some of the primary light will not be absorbed by either the main fluorescent material or the supplementary fluorescent material. The amount of primary light that will be unabsorbed by the fluorescent layer is a function of a number of variables. These variables include the thickness of the fluorescent layer and the density of fluorescent material in the layer.
The unabsorbed primary light and the two secondary lights propagate through the lens of the LED. The lens generally directs the propagating lights toward the direction normal to the upper surface of the die. The propagating lights emanate from the lens as the white output light. The color composite of the white output light depends on the intensities and spectral distributions of the emanating light emissions.
In a first preferred embodiment, the main fluorescent material is Cerium (Ce) activated and Gadolinium (Gd) doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (YAG) phosphor (xe2x80x9cCe:YAG phosphorxe2x80x9d), while the supplementary fluorescent material is chemically-altered Ce:YAG phosphor. The chemically-altered Ce:YAG phosphor is a compound that is produced by doping the Ce:YAG phosphor with the trivalent ion of Praseodymium (Pr).
In a second preferred embodiment, the main fluorescent material is also the Ce:YAG phosphor. However, the supplementary fluorescent material is Europium (Eu) activated Strontium Sulphide (SrS) phosphor. (xe2x80x9cEu:SrSxe2x80x9d). Preferably, the amount of Eu:SrS phosphor is approximately equal to or less than 10% of the total phosphor weight in the fluorescent layer. The amount of Eu:SrS phosphor in the fluorescent layer can vary, depending on the amount of red color that may be required in the white output light. The exact amount of Eu:SrS phosphor is not critical to the invention.
The method of fabricating the device in accordance with the present invention includes a step in which a light source is provided that emits primary light having a first peak wavelength. Preferably, the light source is a GaN die that emits the primary light having a peak wavelength of approximately 470 nm. Next, a first layer of transparent resin is deposited over the light source, forming an encapsulation layer. In another step, a phosphor-resin mixture is prepared. The phosphor-resin mixture includes two fluorescent materials that are combined with a resin paste. The first fluorescent material has a property of emitting secondary light having a peak wavelength at the yellow region of the visible light spectrum in response to the primary light. Preferably, the secondary light emitted by the first fluorescent material has a broadband spectral distribution. The second fluorescent material has a property of emitting secondary light having a peak wavelength in the red region of the visible light spectrum.
In a first preferred method, the phosphor-resin mixture is prepared by mixing the first fluorescent material of Ce:YAG phosphor with the second fluorescent material of Eu:SrS phosphor. In this preferred embodiment, the phosphor-resin mixture may include, approximately by weight, 74% resin, 18% Ce:YAG phosphor and 8% Eu:SrS phosphor. The amount of a particular phosphor in the phosphor-resin mixture can vary depending on the desired color composite of the white output light that will be generated by the LED.
In a second preferred method, the phosphor-resin mixture is prepared by initially doping the Ce:YAG phosphor with a trivalent ion of the element Pr, yielding a phosphor Pr, Ce:YAG. The portion of the Ce:YAG phosphor that has been unaffected by the doping process constitutes the first fluorescent material in the phosphor-resin mixture. The portion of the Ce:YAG phosphor that has been altered by the doping process constitutes the second fluorescent material. Similar to the previous embodiment, the amount of a particular phosphor in the phosphor-resin mixture can vary depending on the desired color composite of the white output light.
Next, the phosphor-resin mixture is deposited over the encapsulation layer to form a fluorescent layer that uniformly covers the encapsulation layer. The deposited phosphor-resin mixture may then be gelled, i.e., partially cured. A second layer of transparent resin is deposited over the fluorescent layer to form a lens of the LED. Next, the second layer of resin and the fluorescent layer are collectively and completely cured in a single process. The collective curing of the layers ensures the intimate bonding of the fluorescent layer to the lens.
An advantage of the present invention is that the light generating device can provide a composite white output light that is well-balanced with respect to color. In particular, the composite white output light has a greater amount of red color than conventional phosphor LEDs. This characteristic makes the device ideal for applications in which a true color rendition is required without the need to incorporate a supplemental red light source to compensate for any red color deficiency.