fig1 - 6 represent only a few embodiments of the invention . many other embodiments are envisioned . the process shown in fig1 - 5 will be described while referring to the flowchart of fig6 . fig6 illustrates two alternative process flows , a lamination flow 20 and a molding flow 31 . several process steps are common to both flows . fig1 illustrates a submount tile 10 populated with an array of conventional led dies 12 , as identified in step 14 of fig6 . there may be thousands of dies 12 bonded to the tile 10 . typical shapes of the submount tile 10 are rectangular and circular . the submount base material may be ceramic , silicon , insulated aluminum , or other material . the led dies 12 comprise semiconductor layers that have been epitaxially grown over a growth substrate , such as sapphire in the case of gan based led dies . an active layer sandwiched between a p - type layer and an n - type layer generates light . the led dies 12 are mounted to the submount tile 10 . after mounting the led dies 12 to the tile 10 , the growth substrate is removed from over the top surface of the semiconductor layers by laser lift - off . the dies 12 in fig1 are flip chips , with both electrodes 16 formed on the bottom surface . the led die electrodes 16 may be ultrasonically bonded to metal pads formed on the submount tile 10 surface . the submount tile 10 pads lead to more robust electrodes on the bottom surface of the tile 10 ( using conductive vias ) for surface mounting to a printed circuit board . an underfill material 18 is injected or molded between the led dies 12 and the surface of tile 10 . in one example , the submount tile 10 has a reflective metal surface 19 outside the footprint of the led dies 12 to reflect any downward light to increase efficiency . the reflective metal may be an enlarged bond pad of the submount tile 10 . it is therefore desirable for such reflective metal to not be covered with any phosphor . there may be other reasons for not wanting a layer of phosphor over the surface of tile 10 . in one embodiment , identified in lamination flow 20 of fig6 , a silicone / phosphor layer is laminated over the tile 10 and dies 12 . fig2 illustrates the construction of one embodiment of the silicone / phosphor layer . a non - stick supporting film 24 , such as a plastic film with a layer of teflon or other suitable material , provides a temporary support for the silicone / phosphor layer . ( step 25 in fig6 .) a liquid slurry of a uv sensitive silicone infused with phosphor particles is prepared and sprayed one , spun on , printed on , or deposited over the supporting film 24 by any other technique to form a silicone / phosphor layer 26 . ( step 27 in fig6 .) the type of phosphor used depends on the desired color to generate . for example , for an led die 12 that generates blue light , a yag phosphor , or a combination of red and green phosphors , may be used to create white light . the phosphor particle density and thickness of the layer 26 determines the color emitted by the complete device . typically , the silicone / phosphor layer 26 will be between 20 - 200 microns thick . the layer 26 will be of uniform thickness . the layer 26 may include other materials , such as light scattering tio2 , zro , or silica particles . uv sensitive silicones and suitable phosphors are commercially available . the silicone / phosphor layer 26 is then dried by heat to form a solid layer . ( step 30 in fig6 .) a protective film 32 is then attached over the silicone / phosphor layer 26 . ( step 32 in fig6 .) the resulting layered structure may be cut to the dimensions of the submount tile 10 and stacked for later use . prior to laminating the silicone / phosphor layer 26 onto the tile 10 , the protective film 32 is removed , and the silicone / phosphor layer 26 is pre - cured at 50 - 150 ° c . for 1 - 10 minutes to achieve a film hardness that prevents the silicone from deforming during the lamination step and maintains the target thickness of layer 26 over the led dies 12 . ( step 34 in fig6 .) the silicone / phosphor layer 26 is then positioned over the tile 10 with the supporting film 24 facing away from the tile 10 . the layer 26 is then laminated under heat and pressure to adhere to the tile 10 and led dies 12 , as shown in fig3 . air is removed by performing the lamination process under vacuum conditions . the layer 26 will be conformal over the surface , including over the led dies 12 . ( step 36 of fig6 .) the supporting film 24 is then removed . as an alternative to laminating the pre - formed layer 26 onto the tile 10 as in lamination flow 20 , the liquid uv sensitive silicone infused with phosphor may be prepared as a slurry ( step 38 , molding flow 31 of fig6 ), then deposited over the tile 10 and dies 12 in any number of ways . such ways include molding , spraying , spinning on , screen printing , and other suitable deposition techniques ( step 40 of fig6 ). the deposited liquid silicone / phosphor layer 26 of fig3 is then dried . ( step 42 of fig6 .) fig4 a illustrates a mask 50 positioned over the tile 10 . ( step 51 of fig6 .) the mask 50 may be chrome - plated glass . the mask 50 has transparent portions 52 that define areas of the silicone / phosphor layer 26 that will remain after the development step . opaque portions 54 define areas of the silicone / phosphor layer 26 which will be removed . a uv source emitting light 56 having a peak wavelength of about 365 nm selectively exposes the silicone / phosphor layer 26 over the entire top surface of the led dies 12 to create cross - linkages in the silicone / phosphor layer 26 . ( step 57 of fig6 .) as shown in fig4 b , if the led dies 58 were vertical led dies , with a top wire bond electrode and a large bottom reflector electrode 59 , the silicone / phosphor layer 26 must be removed from the wire bond electrode . fig4 b illustrates a mask 60 selectively exposing the silicone / phosphor layer 26 to the uv light 56 over only a portion of the top surface of the led dies 58 to ultimately allow wire bonding to the top electrode . after the exposure step , the tile 10 is dipped in a solvent to dissolve the unexposed silicone / phosphor layer 26 . this step may also be referred to as developing the silicone / phosphor layer 26 . the solvent may be heptaine , which does not dissolve the cross - linked silicone / phosphor layer 26 . ( step 60 of fig6 .) the remaining silicone / phosphor layer 26 is then rinsed with di - ionized water and dried . the drying may be at 120 - 150 ° c . for 1 - 4 hours . fig5 a illustrates the silicone / phosphor layer 26 of fig4 a after the unexposed silicone / phosphor layer 26 is removed by the solvent . fig5 b illustrates the silicone / phosphor layer 26 of fig4 b after the unexposed silicone / phosphor layer 26 is removed by a solvent and a wire 64 is bonded to the top electrode by conventional techniques . in one embodiment , silicone lenses are then molded over the led dies 12 / 58 while on the tile 10 , and the tile 10 is then sawed to singulate the led / submount units . ( step 66 of fig6 .) additional tile level processes may be performed . the resulting silicone / phosphor layer 26 is conformal and produces substantially uniform color around the led die . although uv sensitive silicone is used in the example , other uv sensitive materials may also be used , but such materials should be non - yellowing when exposed to prolonged light and heat from the led dies . instead of a wavelength converting phosphor infused in the silicone , other particles may be use for wavelength conversion or for other purposes , such as light scattering . further , the silicone may not contain any particles and may only be used as a lens or an encapsulant . the uv sensitive layer need not cover the entire tile , but it is desirable that it cover at least all the led dies and the tile surface between the led dies . although a negative photo - material has been described that becomes non - dissolvable by exposure to the radiation , a positive photo - material may instead be used that becomes dissolvable when exposed to the radiation . if such a material is used , the transparent and opaque portions of the masks of fig4 a and 4b would be reversed . while particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described , it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention in its broader aspects and , therefore , the appended claims are to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention .