High performance light emitting diode with vias

Abstract

High performance light emitting diode with vias. In accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, an article of manufacture includes a light emitting diode. The light emitting diode includes a plurality of filled vias configured to connect a doped region on one side of the light emitting diode to a plurality of contacts on the other side of the light emitting diode. The filled vias may comprise less that 10% of a surface area of the light emitting diode.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An article of manufacture comprising:
 a light emitting diode comprising a plurality of filled vias configured to connect a doped region on one side of said diode to a plurality of contacts on the other side of said diode.   
     
     
         2 . The article of manufacture of  claim 1  wherein said vias comprise less than 10% of a surface area of said light emitting diode. 
     
     
         3 . The article of manufacture of  claim 1  wherein a distance between any two vias in less than 200 gm. 
     
     
         4 . The article of manufacture of  claim 1  further comprising a transparent conductor on said one side of said diode, and wherein said plurality of filled vias are electrically coupled to said transparent conductor. 
     
     
         5 . The article of manufacture of  claim 1  further comprising a plurality of conductive traces on said one side of said diode, and wherein said plurality of filled vias are electrically coupled to said conductive traces. 
     
     
         6 . The article of manufacture of  claim 1  further comprising:
 a phosphor layer and an optical element bonded to said one side of said diode. 
 
     
     
         7 . The article of manufacture of  claim 1  further comprising: a carrier wafer bonded to said plurality of filled vias. 
     
     
         8 . The article of manufacture of  claim 7  wherein said carrier wafer comprises at least one material of the set of silicon, ceramic, glass, tungsten, molybdenum, invar, aluminum, nickel, steel, brass and copper. 
     
     
         9 . The article of manufacture of  claim 7  wherein said carrier wafer comprises a printed circuit board laminate. 
     
     
         10 . The article of manufacture of  claim 7  wherein said carrier wafer is characterized as having a thermal conductivity greater than 10 W/mK. 
     
     
         11 . The article of manufacture of  claim 7  wherein said carrier wafer is further coupled to a heat sink device. 
     
     
         12 . The article of manufacture of  claim 5  wherein said conductive traces are placed laterally on top of the surface of said carrier wafer and are configured to make electrical contact with external circuitry. 
     
     
         13 . The article of manufacture of  claim 5  wherein said conductive traces are placed laterally on top of the surface of said carrier wafer and are configured to make electrical contact with external circuitry, while a second electrode is configured to make electrical contact with external circuitry through the thickness of said carrier wafer. 
     
     
         14 . The article of manufacture of  claim 7  wherein both electrodes or said light emitting diode connect to external circuitry through the thickness of said carrier wafer. 
     
     
         15 . The article of manufacture of  claim 1  wherein a substrate utilized for growing said light emitting diode is absent. 
     
     
         16 . The article of manufacture of  claim 1  further comprising electronics to convert a source of alternating current to direct current for use by said light emitting diode; and a base to couple said electronics to said source of alternating current. 
     
     
         17 . A light emitting diode apparatus comprising: an n-doped semiconductor region; a multiple quantum well (MQW) region disposed on said n-doped semiconductor region;
 a p-doped semiconductor region disposed on said MQW region;   a plurality of filled vias through said p-doped semiconductor region and through said MQW region, contacting said n-doped semiconductor region, and   wherein both terminals of said light emitting diode apparatus are on the same side of said light emitting diode apparatus as said p-doped semiconductor region.   
     
     
         18 . The light emitting diode apparatus of  claim 17  wherein a surface of said n-doped semiconductor region away from said MQW region is free of electrical contacts. 
     
     
         19 . An apparatus comprising:
 a light emitting diode comprising:   an n-doped semiconductor region;   a multiple quantum well (MQW) region disposed on said n-doped semiconductor region;   a p-doped semiconductor region disposed on said MQW region;   a plurality of filled vias through said p-doped semiconductor region and through said MQW region, contacting said n-doped semiconductor region;   a carrier substrate;   a conductive pattern supported by said carrier substrate; and   metal for electrically coupling said plurality of filled vias to said conductive pattern.   
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 19  wherein said carrier substrate is configured to couple thermal energy away from said light emitting diode