Patents by Inventor Thomas LAUERMANN

Thomas LAUERMANN has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11854810
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are techniques for bonding LED components. According to certain embodiments, a first component is bonded to a second component using dielectric bonding and metal bonding. The first component includes an active light emitting layer between oppositely doped semiconductor layers. The second component includes a substrate having a different thermal expansion coefficient than the first component. First contacts of the first component are aligned to second contacts of the second component. A dielectric material of the first component is then bonded to a dielectric material of the second component. The metal bonding is performed between the first contacts and the second contacts, after the dielectric bonding, and using annealing. The bonded structure has a concave or convex shape before the metal bonding. Run-out between the first contacts and the second contacts is compensated through temperature-induced changes in a curvature of the bonded structure during the metal bonding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: META PLATFORMS TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Stephan Lutgen, Thomas Lauermann
  • Patent number: 11631587
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are techniques for bonding LED components. According to certain embodiments, a first component including a semiconductor layer stack is hybrid bonded to a second component including a substrate that has a different thermal expansion coefficient than the semiconductor layer stack. The semiconductor layer stack includes an n-side semiconductor layer, an active light emitting layer, and a p-side semiconductor layer. The first component and the second component further include first contacts and second contacts, respectively. To hybrid bond the two components, the first contacts are aligned with the second contacts. Then dielectric bonding is performed to bond respective dielectric materials of both components. The dielectric bonding is followed by metal bonding of the contacts, using annealing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: META PLATFORMS TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Stephan Lutgen, Thomas Lauermann
  • Patent number: 11581457
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems and methods for reducing surface recombination losses in micro-LEDs. In some embodiments, a method includes increasing a bandgap in an outer region of a semiconductor layer by implanting ions in the outer region of the semiconductor layer and subsequently annealing the outer region of the semiconductor layer to intermix the ions with atoms within the outer region of the semiconductor layer. The semiconductor layer includes an active light emitting layer. A light outcoupling surface of the semiconductor layer has a diameter that is less than twice an electron diffusion length of the semiconductor layer. The outer region of the semiconductor layer extends from an outer surface of the semiconductor layer to a central region of the semiconductor layer that is shaded by a mask during the implanting of the ions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas Lauermann, Stephan Lutgen, David Hwang
  • Patent number: 11569091
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are techniques for bonding components of LEDs. According to certain embodiments, a device includes a first component and a second component. The first component includes a semiconductor layer stack having an n-side semiconductor layer, an active light emitting layer, and a p-side semiconductor layer. The semiconductor layer stack includes a III-V semiconductor material. The second component includes a passive or an active matrix integrated circuit within a Si layer. A first dielectric material of the first component is bonded to a second dielectric material of the second component. First contacts of the first component are aligned with and bonded to second contacts of the second component. The first contacts of the first component form a first pattern within the first dielectric material of the first component, and the second contacts of the second component form a second pattern within the second dielectric material of the second component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Stephan Lutgen, Thomas Lauermann
  • Publication number: 20220399203
    Abstract: Disclosed are techniques for manufacturing LEDs. In some examples, a first component is hybrid bonded to a second component through bonding together dielectric materials of the first component and the second component, and then bonding together metal contacts of the first component and the second component. The first component comprises a semiconductor layer stack that includes an n-side semiconductor layer, an active light emitting layer, and a p-side semiconductor layer. Prior to hybrid bonding, the first component is subjected to p-side processing, which can involve, among other things, forming a plurality of mesa shapes within the n-side semiconductor layer, the active light emitting layer, and the p-side semiconductor layer. In some examples, n-side processing is performed after the hybrid bonding. The n-side processing can modify a structure or composition of the n-side semiconductor layer, the active light emitting layer, the p-side semiconductor layer, or any combination thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2022
    Publication date: December 15, 2022
    Inventors: Stephan LUTGEN, Thomas LAUERMANN
  • Patent number: 11430658
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are techniques for bonding components of LEDs. According to certain embodiments, a method includes performing p-side processing of a first component. The p-side processing is performed from a direction adjacent to a surface of a p-side semiconductor layer of the first component that is opposite to an active light emitting layer of the first component. The method also includes aligning first contacts of the first component with second contacts of the second component, and subsequently performing hybrid bonding of the first component to the second component by performing dielectric bonding of a first dielectric material of the first component with a second dielectric material of the second component at a first temperature, and subsequently performing metal bonding of the first contacts of the first component with the second contacts of the second component by annealing the first contacts and the second contacts at a second temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: META PLATFORMS TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Stephan Lutgen, Thomas Lauermann
  • Publication number: 20220271207
    Abstract: Techniques disclosed herein relate to micro light emitting diodes (micro-LEDs) for a display system. A display system includes an array of micro light emitting diodes (micro-LEDs), an array of output couplers optically coupled to the array of micro-LEDs and configured to extract light emitted by respective micro-LEDs in the array of micro-LEDs, a waveguide display, and display optics configured to couple the light emitted by the array of micro-LEDs and extracted by the array of output couplers into the waveguide display. Each output coupler in the array of output couplers is configured to direct a chief ray of the light emitted by a respective micro-LED in the array of micro-LEDs to a different respective direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2022
    Publication date: August 25, 2022
    Inventors: Stephan Lutgen, François Gérard Franck Olivier, Vasily Zabelin, William Padraic Henry, Markus Broell, Thomas Lauermann, David Massoubre, Daniel Bryce Thompson, Michael Grundmann
  • Publication number: 20220262637
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are techniques for bonding LED components. According to certain embodiments, a first component including a semiconductor layer stack is hybrid bonded to a second component including a substrate that has a different thermal expansion coefficient than the semiconductor layer stack. The semiconductor layer stack includes an n-side semiconductor layer, an active light emitting layer, and a p-side semiconductor layer. The first component and the second component further include first contacts and second contacts, respectively. To hybrid bond the two components, the first contacts are aligned with the second contacts. Then dielectric bonding is performed to bond respective dielectric materials of both components. The dielectric bonding is followed by metal bonding of the contacts, using annealing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 6, 2022
    Publication date: August 18, 2022
    Inventors: Stephan LUTGEN, Thomas LAUERMANN
  • Patent number: 11362237
    Abstract: A micro-light emitting diode (micro-LED) includes a current aperture to confine the current in a localized region such that the carrier recombination mostly occurs in the localized region to emit photons, thereby reducing the surface recombination and improving the quantum efficiency. The current confinement and localization are achieved using a localized breakthrough of a barrier layer by a localized contact, lightly p-doped active layers to suppress lateral transport of the carriers to the surface region, selective ion implantation, etching, or oxidation of a semiconductor layer, or any combination thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: FACEBOOK TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Berthold Hahn, Thomas Lauermann, Markus Broell
  • Patent number: 11355666
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are techniques for bonding components of LEDs. According to certain embodiments, a device includes a first component having a semiconductor layer stack including an n-side semiconductor layer, an active light emitting layer, and a p-side semiconductor layer. A plurality of mesa shapes are formed within the n-side semiconductor layer, the active light emitting layer, and the p-side semiconductor layer. The semiconductor layer stack comprises a III-V semiconductor material. The device also includes a second component having a passive or an active matrix integrated circuit within a Si layer. A first dielectric material of the first component is bonded to a second dielectric material of the second component, first contacts of the first component are aligned with and bonded to second contacts of the second component, and a run-out between the first contacts and the second contacts is less than 200 nm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: FACEBOOK TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Stephan Lutgen, Thomas Lauermann
  • Publication number: 20220173159
    Abstract: A light source includes an epitaxial layer stack that includes an n-type semiconductor layer, a light-emitting layer, and a p-type semiconductor layer. The epitaxial layer stack includes a two-dimensional (2-D) array of mesa structures formed therein. The light source further includes an array of p-contacts electrically coupled to the p-type semiconductor layer of the 2-D array of mesa structures, a metal layer in regions surrounding individual mesa structures of the 2-D array of mesa structures, and a plurality of n-contacts coupling the metal layer to the n-type semiconductor layer at a plurality of locations between the individual mesa structures of the 2-D array of mesa structures.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2021
    Publication date: June 2, 2022
    Inventors: Stephan LUTGEN, Markus BROELL, Thomas LAUERMANN, Berthold HAHN, Christophe Antoine HURNI, Guillaume LHEUREUX
  • Patent number: 11309464
    Abstract: Techniques disclosed herein relate to micro light emitting diodes (micro-LEDs) for a display system. A display system includes an array of micro light emitting diodes (micro-LEDs), an array of output couplers optically coupled to the array of micro-LEDs and configured to extract light emitted by respective micro-LEDs in the array of micro-LEDs, a waveguide display, and display optics configured to couple the light emitted by the array of micro-LEDs and extracted by the array of output couplers into the waveguide display. Each output coupler in the array of output couplers is configured to direct a chief ray of the light emitted by a respective micro-LED in the array of micro-LEDs to a different respective direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Stephan Lutgen, François Gérard Franck Olivier, Vasily Zabelin, William Padraic Henry, Markus Broell, Thomas Lauermann, David Massoubre, Daniel Bryce Thompson, Michael Grundmann
  • Publication number: 20210376194
    Abstract: A micro-light emitting diode (micro-LED) includes a current aperture to confine the current in a localized region such that the carrier recombination mostly occurs in the localized region to emit photons, thereby reducing the surface recombination and improving the quantum efficiency. The current confinement and localization are achieved using a localized breakthrough of a barrier layer by a localized contact, lightly p-doped active layers to suppress lateral transport of the carriers to the surface region, selective ion implantation, etching, or oxidation of a semiconductor layer, or any combination thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2020
    Publication date: December 2, 2021
    Inventors: Berthold Hahn, Thomas Lauermann, Markus Broell
  • Patent number: 11158761
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are techniques for bonding components of LEDs. According to certain embodiments, a micro-LED includes a first component having a semiconductor layer stack including an n-side semiconductor layer, an active light emitting layer, and a p-side semiconductor layer. The semiconductor layer stack includes a III-V semiconductor material. The micro-LED also includes a second component having a passive or an active matrix integrated circuit within a Si layer. A first dielectric material of the first component is bonded to a second dielectric material of the second component, first contacts of the first component are aligned with and bonded to second contacts of the second component, a surface recombination velocity (SRV) of the micro-LED is less than or equal to 3E4 cm/s, and an e-h diffusion of the micro-LED is less than or equal to 20 cm2/s.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: FACEBOOK TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Stephan Lutgen, Thomas Lauermann
  • Patent number: 11031519
    Abstract: A light receiving unit having a first energy source made up of two sub sources. A first terminal contact is formed at the upper face of the first sub source and a second terminal contact is formed at the lower face of the second sub source. The sub source has at least one semiconductor diode that has an absorption edge adapted to a first wavelength of light and the second semiconductor diode has an absorption edge adapted to a second wavelength of light which is different from the first wavelength of light, such that the first sub source generates electric voltage upon being irradiated with the first wavelength of light and the second sub source generates electric voltage upon being irradiated with the second wavelength of light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: AZUR SPACE Solar Power GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Lauermann, Christoph Peper, Wolfgang Koestler
  • Patent number: 11018280
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems and methods for reducing surface recombination losses in micro-LEDs. In some embodiments, a method includes increasing a bandgap in an outer region of a semiconductor layer by implanting ions in the outer region of the semiconductor layer and subsequently annealing the outer region of the semiconductor layer to intermix the ions with atoms within the outer region of the semiconductor layer. The semiconductor layer includes an active light emitting layer. A light outcoupling surface of the semiconductor layer has a diameter of less than 10 ?m. The outer region of the semiconductor layer extends from an outer surface of the semiconductor layer to a central region of the semiconductor layer that is shaded by a mask during the implanting of the ions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: FACEBOOK TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas Lauermann, Stephan Lutgen, David Hwang
  • Publication number: 20210111319
    Abstract: Techniques disclosed herein relate to micro light emitting diodes (micro-LEDs) for a display system. A display system includes an array of micro light emitting diodes (micro-LEDs), an array of output couplers optically coupled to the array of micro-LEDs and configured to extract light emitted by respective micro-LEDs in the array of micro-LEDs, a waveguide display, and display optics configured to couple the light emitted by the array of micro-LEDs and extracted by the array of output couplers into the waveguide display. Each output coupler in the array of output couplers is configured to direct a chief ray of the light emitted by a respective micro-LED in the array of micro-LEDs to a different respective direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2020
    Publication date: April 15, 2021
    Inventors: Stephan Lutgen, François Gérard Franck Olivier, Vasily Zabelin, William Padraic Henry, Markus Broell, Thomas Lauermann, David Massoubre, Daniel Bryce Thompson, Michael Grundmann
  • Publication number: 20200357952
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are techniques for bonding components of LEDs. According to certain embodiments, a device includes a first component having a semiconductor layer stack including an n-side semiconductor layer, an active light emitting layer, and a p-side semiconductor layer. A plurality of mesa shapes are formed within the n-side semiconductor layer, the active light emitting layer, and the p-side semiconductor layer. The semiconductor layer stack comprises a III-V semiconductor material. The device also includes a second component having a passive or an active matrix integrated circuit within a Si layer. A first dielectric material of the first component is bonded to a second dielectric material of the second component, first contacts of the first component are aligned with and bonded to second contacts of the second component, and a run-out between the first contacts and the second contacts is less than 200 nm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2020
    Publication date: November 12, 2020
    Inventors: Stephan LUTGEN, Thomas LAUERMANN
  • Publication number: 20200357954
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are techniques for bonding components of LEDs. According to certain embodiments, a micro-LED includes a first component having a semiconductor layer stack including an n-side semiconductor layer, an active light emitting layer, and a p-side semiconductor layer. The semiconductor layer stack includes a III-V semiconductor material. The micro-LED also includes a second component having a passive or an active matrix integrated circuit within a Si layer. A first dielectric material of the first component is bonded to a second dielectric material of the second component, first contacts of the first component are aligned with and bonded to second contacts of the second component, a surface recombination velocity (SRV) of the micro-LED is less than or equal to 3E4 cm/s, and an e-h diffusion of the micro-LED is less than or equal to 20 cm2/s.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2020
    Publication date: November 12, 2020
    Inventors: Stephan LUTGEN, Thomas LAUERMANN
  • Publication number: 20200357972
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are techniques for bonding components of LEDs. According to certain embodiments, a device includes a first component and a second component. The first component includes a semiconductor layer stack having an n-side semiconductor layer, an active light emitting layer, and a p-side semiconductor layer. The semiconductor layer stack includes a III-V semiconductor material. The second component includes a passive or an active matrix integrated circuit within a Si layer. A first dielectric material of the first component is bonded to a second dielectric material of the second component. First contacts of the first component are aligned with and bonded to second contacts of the second component. The first contacts of the first component form a first pattern within the first dielectric material of the first component, and the second contacts of the second component form a second pattern within the second dielectric material of the second component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2020
    Publication date: November 12, 2020
    Inventors: Stephan LUTGEN, Thomas LAUERMANN