Abstract: Lenses and certain fabrication techniques are described. A wide-emitting lens refracts light emitted by an LED die to cause a peak intensity to occur within 50-80 degrees off the center axis and an intensity along the center axis to be between 5% and 33% of the peak intensity. The lens is particularly useful in a LCD backlighting application. In one embodiment, the lens is affixed to the backplane on which the LED die is mounted and surrounds the LED die. The lens has a hollow portion that forms an air gap between the LED die and the lens, where the light is bent towards the sides both at the air gap interface and the outer lens surface interface. The lens may be a secondary lens surrounding an interior lens molded directly over the LED die.

Abstract: One or more LED dice are mounted on a support structure. The support structure may be a submount with the LED dice already electrically connected to leads on the submount. A mold has indentations in it corresponding to the positions of the LED dice on the support structure. The indentations are filled with a liquid optically transparent material, such as silicone, which when cured forms a lens material. The shape of the indentations will be the shape of the lens. The mold and the LED dice/support structure are brought together so that each LED die resides within the liquid silicone in an associated indentation. The mold is then heated to cure (harden) the silicone. The mold and the support structure are then separated, leaving a complete silicone lens over each LED die. This over molding process may be repeated with different molds to create concentric shells of lenses.