At LIGHTFAIR International 2015, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., of Seoul, South Korea introduced the second generation of its advanced chip scale packaging (CSP) technology. Samsung developed the new chip-scale packaging technology for use in a wide range of LED lighting applications. Samsung contends its new CSP technology significantly scales down the size of an LED package, which enables more compact and flexible designs for consumer LED lighting modules or fixtures. The company also asserts that the smaller size and more compact luminaire design lowers both its the cost of production and operation. Furthermore, according to Samsung, its CSP technology also offers flexibility in adjusting light-emitting surface size and the luminance level, to meet the variety of requirements for lighting fixture applications.
“Our LED chip scale packaging technology will contribute to providing innovative LED component solutions that can overcome the limitations of today’s LED lighting market,” said Dr. Jacob Tarn, Executive Vice President, LED Lighting Business Team, Samsung Electronics. “We will incorporate the new technology in future Samsung LED products and continue to introduce more advanced LED technology, while strengthening our presence in the global LED market.”
Last year, Samsung introduced LED package products using its first generation of chip scale packaging technology, which featured a versatile new type of flip chip packaging. The first generation CSP technology flipped over the blue LED chips and then applied a phosphor film to each of them. Whereas conventional LED packages require a packaging process following the actual chip manufacturing, the chip-scale packages could be created without a mold, allowing more compact LED luminaire designs.
The second generation CSP process, like the first generation, flips over the blue LED chips and immediately coats them with a phosphor substance. Also like the first generation, the new CSP is free from plastic molds and metal wires. Samsung notes that eliminating metal wires and plastic molds results in smaller packages and more compact lighting designs with lower thermal resistance and high current availability leading to improved reliability and high flux. In addition, Samsung asserts that using the second generation CSP makes new Samsung LED packages even more economical.
The new packages measure about 30 percent smaller (1.2mm by 1.2mm) compared to the first generation which measured 1.4mm by 1.4mm and provide a 10 percent higher lumen output. The multifaceted phosphor coating, which covers the top and four sides of an LED package with phosphor, also improves light quality, according to Samsung. Applications that range from bulbs and downlights to ambient light and spotlights can use the small form factor packages. The company insists that the technology enables the easy creation of 2 by 2 and 3 by 3 CSP arrays that can employ a one-lens design instead of using individual lenses for multiple conventional packages.
Samsung expects to introduce products with a wide range of correlated color temperatures using the new generation of its CSP technology in the fourth quarter of 2015.
