The present invention relates to an optoelectronic component having luminescence-emitting properties, comprising an optoelectronic element having a body with contacts which body is at least partially light-transparent for allowing emission of luminescence.
Optoelectronic elements with luminescence-emitting properties, also called light emitting diodes, are semiconductor diodes which spontaneously emit luminescence within the area of the pn transition luminescence. In general, all colors of the visible light spectrum can be emitted by such light emitting diodes (LEDs), depending on the basic substance and doping material, such as red, green and also yellow as a mixed color. It is also technically possible to emit blue light, for example, with silicon carbide; however, blue has not been used commonly due to the low light efficiency. White light cannot be emitted with LEDs because white light has no specific wavelength since it is composed of the different colors of the visible light spectrum.
The limitation to the presently known colors red, green, yellow and, to a certain extent, blue is especially disadvantageous when the excellent properties of LEDs, i.e., low current rating, low current loss due to heat generation, extremely small size, long service life, relatively low production cost, and excellent light yield, are to be used in devices such as vehicles which are to be supplied by the on-board electrical system which has a limited capacity. Especially for illuminating the multitude of switches and the symbols of these switches, used as display devices within vehicles, the aforementioned excellent properties of LEDs are used, and LEDs are therefore employed in great numbers in this field of technology. Despite the undisputed general advantages of LEDs, their use is difficult, and in certain cases it is even impossible, when colors other than red, green, or yellow are desired.
In the past, for example, for the manufacture of the aforementioned switches and display components for the interior of motorized vehicles, it has been suggested to cover the outlet openings of switch elements, through which the light emitted by the LED passes, with complicated cover elements in the desired color so that at least partially the desired color can be achieved during operation of the LED. The resulting complicated switch designs, for example, of actuating elements of switches, keys, etc., which are for example provided with symbols etc. and which, for example, should be visible to the operator at night or in certain emergency situations must be constructed and produced for the aforementioned reasons with extremely complicated manufacturing operations because the light-transparent sections must be connected in a technologically very complicated manner to the non-light-transparent member of, for example, the aforementioned actuating element of a switch, key, etc., and furthermore, the connection must be light-sealing at the connecting edges.
Additionally, the constructive embodiment of such an actuating element that is to be illuminated with an LED has the disadvantage that the light losses are very great because due to deflection and reflection only a small portion of the light originally emitted by the LED will pass through the cover element and is visible to the operator of a motorized vehicle.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an optoelectronic component of the aforementioned kind with which, on the one hand, a desired light color can be adjusted, and, on the other hand, the losses of light which are caused by the light-transparent covering elements, are prevented. Furthermore, the illumination of elements such as switches, keys, etc. is to be constructively improved, and a reduction of the manufacturing cost should be achieved, while at the same time separate cover elements are obsolete.