Overcoming The Electrical Measurement Challenges of High Brightness Leds

Overcoming the Electrical Measurement
Challenges of High Brightness LEDs
David Wyban
Keithley Instruments, Inc.
A GREATER MEASURE OF CONFIDENCE
© Copyright 2010 Keithley Instruments, Inc.

A GREATER MEASURE OF CONFIDENCE | www.keIthley.com
Overview
____ __ ____ _____ ____ ______

• Common LED Electrical_____
Measurements
_____
____ _____
• Measurement Challenges _____ _____
– Device self heating
____ _____
– Noise
– Junction Temperature
– AC LEDs
• Q&A
2 © Copyright 2010 Keithley Instruments, Inc.

Common Electrical Measurements for LEDs
____ __ ____ _____ ____ ______

_____ _____
• Vf – Forward Voltage____ _____
_____ _____
• IL – Reverse Leakage____ _____
Current
• VR – Reverse
Breakdown Voltage

Vf – Forward Voltage
____ __ ____ _____ ____ ______

• Forward bias current is applied to the LED and voltage is
measured. _____ _____
– Example: ____ _____
• LED is biased with 700 mA_____
of current. _____
• Voltage measured is 3.7V
____ _____
• Chromaticity (color) of the LED is directly related to Vf
• Test may be performed as a single point or as a series of points

in a sweep in order to characterize multiple operating points

VR – Reverse Breakdown Voltage
____
• Reverse bias __ ____
current _____
is applied ____
to the LED______
and voltage is
measured. _____ _____
____ _____
• Measurements are compared
_____to_____
a specified minimum limit to
determine pass or fail ____ _____
• Example:
– LED is biased with -5 μA
– LED passes if the magnitude of measured voltage is >= 20 and fails if it
is < 20
– Measured voltage is -23 V so LED passes

IL – Leakage Current
• Reverse bias voltage

____ is applied
__ ____ to the
_____ LED______
____ and current is
measured.
_____ _____
____ _____
• Measurement is compared against a specified maximum to
_____
determine if the LED passes or _____
fails.
____ _____
• Example:
– LED is biased with -10V
– LED passes if the magnitude of the leakage current is <= 10nA and fails
if it is > 10nA.
– Measured current is -7.5nA so the LED passes

Measurement Challenges
____ __ ____ _____ ____ ______

• Device self heating _____ _____
____ _____
• Noise _____ _____
____ _____
• Junction Temperature
• AC LEDs

Device Self Heating
____ __ heats
• An LED’s junction ____ _____ ____ ______
as current is sourced_____ _____
through it ____ _____
_____ _____
____ _____
• An LED’s forward voltage
drops as its junction
heats
• Problematic at all levels

but most problematic on Temp ↑ Vf ↓
wafer.

Pulse Testing
____ __ ____ _____ ____ ______

• Heating can be minimized by
pulse testing LEDs
_____ _____ Take measurement at
____ _____ end of pulse
• Pulse widths of 1ms or _____
less _____
____ _____
can greatly reduce device
heating
– Requires a current source that
can be pulsed consistently
– Requires precisely timed
measurements
• On wafer requires even

smaller pulse widths

Source Noise
____ __ ____ _____ ____ ______

• Noise from the source may
_____ _____
be rectified by the LED
____ _____
– Creates an offset in voltage
_____ _____measurements
Noise without rectification ____ _____
– Introduces error in Vf and VR
measurements
• Select a high quality source

with low output noise to
Noise with rectification
minimize the effects of
noise rectification

Measurement Noise
• Appears as____
small__ ____ _____
variations ____ ______
in the measurements
– May be on the order of a_____ _____
few millivolts to 10s of millivolts
____ _____
_____improperly
• Can cause parts to be binned _____ in production as only
____one
a few millivolts may separate _____
bin from the next.
• Select instruments with great ability to reject noise

– Precision DMMs
– Precision SMUs

Measuring Junction Temperature
____ __ ____ _____ ____ ______

• Thermocouples _____ _____
cannot be placed ____ _____
directly on the LED’s
_____ _____
junction ____ _____
• Thermocouple
measurements are
slow Tj ↑ Vf ↓
– Takes time for thermal
energy to move from
Measuring Tj using Vf
• The junction
____temperature
__ ____ of a diode
_____ can______
____ be measured by
measuring Vf and calculating Tj
_____ _____
____ _____
 m *_____
T j _____ V f  T0
____ _____
Tj = Junction Temperature in °C
*m = slope in °C/Volt
Vf = forward voltage drop
*T0 = intercept in °C
* Device specific parameters

Finding m and T0
•To find m and T0 we must first
____ __ ____ _____collect
____some known points on
______
the Tj vs Vf curve
_____ _____
– Tj1, Vf1 and Tj2, Vf2
____ _____
_____ _____
____ _____
• Equipment needed
– LED device under test
– Precision SourceMeter
instrument
– Temperature chamber
– Computer for control

Finding m and T0 continued…
1. Set the temperature chamber to Tj1 and allow it to

settle. ____ __ ____ _____ ____ ______
_____
2. Source a current If and _____ V
measure f1
3. Set the temperature ____
in the_____
chamber to Tj2 and allow it
to settle _____ _____
____
4. Source current If again _____
and measure Vf2
• Notes:
– Given enough time to settle, the junction temperature will match the
temperature of the chamber.
– Pulse the current through the device to avoid device self-heating and
introducing error into the measurement.

Calculating Slope m
____ __ ____ _____ ____ ______
m

_____ _____
T
____ _____
j2 j1T 
V
_____ _____
____ f_____
2 f1V 
• Slope m
m = change in junction temperature / change in forward voltage

Calculating T0
____ __ ____ _____Equation

____1 ______
T j  m *V f  T0
_____ _____
____ _____
T j 2  T j1  mV f 2  V f 1 
Point-slope form of equation 1
_____ _____
____ _____
By setting Vf2 to 0, equation 2 becomes
T j 2  T j1  mV f 1
Tj2 in this case is equal to the intercept, or T0

• T0 can be calculated by
extrapolating the curve to the T0  T j 2  T j1  mV f 1
junction temperature axis.

AC LED Challenges
• AC LEDs ____
run off__of____
an AC_____
voltage
____ ______
rather than a DC current
_____ _____
____ _____
_____an_____
• Thorough testing requires AC
____ _____
voltage source in combination with
synchronized current and voltage
measurements
• Can be performed with high speed

SMUs

AC Waveforms with Series 2600A
____ __ ____ _____ ____ ______

_____ _____
____ _____
_____ _____
____ _____
60 Hz sine wave generated using a Model 2612A

Series 2600A and 2400 SourceMeter® Instruments

for LED Testing
• Tight function integration

–
____ __ ____ _____ ____ ______
Simultaneous voltage and current sourcing and measurement
_____ _____
capabilities in a single cost-effective enclosure
• Simpler system setup
____associated
– Synchronization and connection complexities _____
_____
with using separate sources and meters _____
are eliminated
Series 2400 SourceMeter Instruments
• High-speed operation
____ _____
– Fast test speeds and tight triggering synchronization
ensure higher throughput and a lower cost of test
• Wide dynamic range
– Source as much as 5A DC or 10A in pulse mode
or even more if operated in parallel
• High power testing expertise
– Keithley is the industry leader in developing and
supporting solutions for electrical testing of LEDs and
other opto devices
Series 2600A System SourceMeter Instruments

Other Keithley LED Testing Solutions
Series 3700 System ____ __ ____

Switch/Multimeters _____ ____
Model 2520 ______
Pulsed Laser Diode Test System
• Speed and simplify multichannel applications, • For research and development of new HB LED
_____
such as production testing of multiple LEDs in _____
designs
parallel ____ •_____
Pulse widths as short as 500ns to prevent device
self-heating
_____ _____
____ _____

Review
• Common LED Electrical Measurements
____ __ ____ _____ ____ ______
• Measurement Challenges _____ _____
– Device self heating ____ _____
– Noise _____ _____
– Junction Temperature ____ _____
– AC LEDs

Contact Keithley with Your Questions

Worldwide Headquarters Europe:
Within the USA: (+1) 888-KEITHLEY Germany: (+49) 89-84930740
____ __ ____
Outside the USA: (+1) 440-248-0400 _____ ____
United ______
Kingdom: (+44) 118-9297500
_____ _____ France: (+33) 1-64532020
Email: applications@keithley.com
____ _____ Asia:
_____ _____
Additional offices: www.keithley.com China: (+86) 10-82255011
Japan: (+81) 3-57337555
____ _____Korea: (+82) 2-574-7778
Taiwan: (+886) 3-572-9077
For additional information on this topic and free reference material,

visit http://www.keithley.com/LED.

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Overcoming the Electrical Measurement

Challenges of High Brightness LEDs

A GREATER MEASURE OF CONFIDENCE

© Copyright 2010 Keithley Instruments, Inc.

____ __ ____ _____ ____ ______

2 © Copyright 2010 Keithley Instruments, Inc.

Common Electrical Measurements for LEDs

____ __ ____ _____ ____ ______

3 © Copyright 2010 Keithley Instruments, Inc.

____ __ ____ _____ ____ ______

• Test may be performed as a single point or as a series of points

4 © Copyright 2010 Keithley Instruments, Inc.

VR – Reverse Breakdown Voltage

5 © Copyright 2010 Keithley Instruments, Inc.

• Reverse bias voltage

6 © Copyright 2010 Keithley Instruments, Inc.

____ __ ____ _____ ____ ______

7 © Copyright 2010 Keithley Instruments, Inc.

Device Self Heating

• Problematic at all levels

8 © Copyright 2010 Keithley Instruments, Inc.

____ __ ____ _____ ____ ______

• On wafer requires even

9 © Copyright 2010 Keithley Instruments, Inc.

____ __ ____ _____ ____ ______

• Select a high quality source

10 © Copyright 2010 Keithley Instruments, Inc.

• Select instruments with great ability to reject noise

11 © Copyright 2010 Keithley Instruments, Inc.

Measuring Junction Temperature

____ __ ____ _____ ____ ______

* Device specific parameters

13 © Copyright 2010 Keithley Instruments, Inc.

14 © Copyright 2010 Keithley Instruments, Inc.

Finding m and T0 continued…

1. Set the temperature chamber to Tj1 and allow it to

15 © Copyright 2010 Keithley Instruments, Inc.

____ __ ____ _____ ____ ______

16 © Copyright 2010 Keithley Instruments, Inc.

____ __ ____ _____Equation

Tj2 in this case is equal to the intercept, or T0

17 © Copyright 2010 Keithley Instruments, Inc.

• Can be performed with high speed

18 © Copyright 2010 Keithley Instruments, Inc.

AC Waveforms with Series 2600A

____ __ ____ _____ ____ ______

60 Hz sine wave generated using a Model 2612A

19 © Copyright 2010 Keithley Instruments, Inc.

Series 2600A and 2400 SourceMeter® Instruments

• Tight function integration

Series 2600A System SourceMeter Instruments

20 © Copyright 2010 Keithley Instruments, Inc.

Other Keithley LED Testing Solutions

Series 3700 System ____ __ ____

21 © Copyright 2010 Keithley Instruments, Inc.

22 © Copyright 2010 Keithley Instruments, Inc.

Contact Keithley with Your Questions

For additional information on this topic and free reference material,

23 © Copyright 2010 Keithley Instruments, Inc.

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