Three-terminal light emitting device (LED) with built-in electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection device

摘要

A three-terminal light emitting device (LED) chip, associated fabrication method, and LED array are provided. The method forms an n-doped semiconductor layer overlying a substrate, an active semiconductor layer overlying the n-doped semiconductor layer, and a p-doped semiconductor layer overlying the active semiconductor layer. A trench is formed through the p-doped and active semiconductor layers, exposing the n-doped semiconductor layer. In one aspect, the trench is formed at least part way, but not completely, through the n-doped semiconductor layer. Then, an LED P electrode is formed overlying a first region of the p-doped semiconductor layer, a diode P electrode is formed overlying a second region of the p-doped semiconductor layer that is separated from the first region of the p-doped semiconductor layer by the trench, and an N electrode is formed overlying a top surface of the exposed n-doped semiconductor layer in the trench, shared by the LED and diode.

主权项

1. A light emitting diode (LED) array with electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection, the LED array comprising:
a first array terminal; a second array terminal; a plurality of two-terminal LED chips, where each two-terminal LED chip comprises an LED interposed between a P terminal and an N terminal; a plurality of three-terminal LED chips, where each three-terminal LED chip comprises an LED interposed between a first P terminal and an N terminal, and a diode interposed between a second P terminal and the N terminal; a first diode interposed between a P terminal and an N terminal; n rows of parallelly connected LED chips comprising:
a first row including a plurality of two-terminal LED chips, at least one three-terminal LED chip, and the first diode, where the P terminals of the two-terminal LED chips, the first P terminal of the three-terminal LED chip, and the N terminal of the first diode are connected to the first array terminal;(n−2) sequential rows, each row including a plurality of two-terminal LED chips and at least one three-terminal LED chip, where the P terminals of the two-terminal LED chips and the first P terminal of three-terminal LED chip are connected to the N terminals of the LED chips in a preceding row, and where the N terminal of each LED chip is connected to the second P terminal of a three-terminal LED chip in the preceding row; and,an nth row including a plurality of two-terminal LED chips, where the P terminal of each two-terminal LED chip is connected to the N terminals of the LED chips in the (n−1)th row, and the N terminal of each two-terminal LED chip is connected to the second array terminal.