Fabrication process simulation and reliability improvement of high-brightness LEDs

To enhance the light extraction efficiency and thermal performance of AlGaInP light-emitting diodes (LEDs), the wafer bonding technique which can replace the GaAs substrate with other high thermal conductivity substrates was applied. However, this technique may make the film crack during either the removal etching process of the GaAs substrate or the annealing process after the GaAs removal. Therefore, this crack problem is an important issue in the reliability/yield of high-brightness LEDs. In this research, a detailed finite element model of the high-brightness AlGaInP LED, which is replaced by the GaAs substrate with high thermal conductivity substrate through the Au–In metal bonding technique, was developed and fabricated. In addition, the mechanical behavior of wafer-level metal bonding was also simulated by finite element analysis (FEA) and validated by experimental measurements. Hence, the above validated simulation technique combined with process modeling is used to understand the stress variation of the multilayer structure of AlGaInP LED during the fabrication process and to find the principal cause of the film crack.