COMPONENT WITH CORROSION PROTECTION AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A COMPONENT WITH CORROSION PROTECTION

Abstract

In an embodiment an optoelectronic component includes a carrier having a mounting surface including a reflective coating, a semiconductor chip arranged on the carrier and a corrosion protection layer located on the semiconductor chip, the semiconductor chip being arranged in a vertical direction between the reflective coating and the corrosion protection layer, wherein the reflective coating includes a barrier layer disposed in the vertical direction in places between the semiconductor chip and the reflective coating, wherein the barrier layer includes an inorganic material and serves as an additional corrosion protection layer for the reflective coating, wherein the barrier layer has a vertical layer thickness between 1 nm and 100 nm, inclusive, and wherein the corrosion protection layer has a vertical layer thickness between 10 nm and 5000 nm, inclusive.

Claims

1.-20. (canceled)

21. An optoelectronic component comprising: a carrier having a mounting surface comprising a reflective coating; a semiconductor chip arranged on the carrier; and a corrosion protection layer located on the semiconductor chip, the semiconductor chip being arranged in a vertical direction between the reflective coating and the corrosion protection layer, wherein the reflective coating comprises a barrier layer disposed in the vertical direction in places between the semiconductor chip and the reflective coating, wherein the barrier layer comprises an inorganic material and serves as an additional corrosion protection layer for the reflective coating, wherein the barrier layer has a vertical layer thickness between 1 nm and 100 nm, inclusive, and wherein the corrosion protection layer has a vertical layer thickness between 10 nm and 5000 nm, inclusive.

22. The optoelectronic component according to claim 21, wherein the barrier layer has a three-dimensional network structure and is an independent layer.

23. The optoelectronic component according to claim 21, wherein the inorganic material of the barrier layer is an oxide, nitride, oxynitride or a fluoride material.

24. The optoelectronic component according to claim 21, wherein the inorganic material of the barrier layer is a siloxane-based, polysiloxane-based or a polysiloxane-type material.

25. The optoelectronic component according to claim 21, wherein the inorganic material of the barrier layer is a radiation-transmissive and electrically conductive material.

26. The optoelectronic component according to claim 21, wherein the barrier layer is an electrically insulating layer.

27. The optoelectronic component according to claim 21, wherein the vertical layer thickness of the barrier layer is between 1 nm and 50 nm, inclusive, and wherein the vertical layer thickness of the corrosion protection layer is between 10 nm and 1000 nm, inclusive.

28. The optoelectronic component according to claim 21, wherein the semiconductor chip is electrically conductively connected to the carrier via at least one electrical connection structure, the electrical connection structure extending along the vertical direction throughout the barrier layer to the mounting surface.

29. The optoelectronic component according to claim 21, wherein the carrier is part of a housing and is laterally enclosed by a non-metallic housing frame, wherein the housing frame comprises a cavity, wherein the semiconductor chip is arranged on a bottom surface of the cavity, and wherein the cavity has a circumferential lateral surface which is covered by the barrier layer.

30. The optoelectronic component according to claim 21, wherein the semiconductor chip is a volume emitter.

31. The optoelectronic component according to claim 21, wherein the semiconductor chip is mounted on the barrier layer by a bonding layer, and wherein the bonding layer comprises reflective particles, thermally conductive particles or electrically conductive particles.

32. The optoelectronic component according to claim 21, wherein the corrosion protection layer and the barrier layer are formed from the same material.

33. The optoelectronic component according to claim 21, wherein the reflective coating is a silver coating, wherein the semiconductor chip is a volume emitter fixed to the barrier layer by a bonding layer, wherein the bonding layer comprises an adhesive matrix material configured to reflect electromagnetic radiation emitted from the semiconductor chip, wherein the barrier layer is electrically insulating, wherein the semiconductor chip is electrically conductively connected to the carrier via electrical connection structures, wherein the electrical connection structures extend along the vertical direction throughout the barrier layer and directly adjoin the barrier layer.

34. The optoelectronic component according to claim 21, further comprising: an electronic component part electrically conductively connected to the semiconductor chip and arranged on the barrier layer, wherein, in top view, the component part is completely covered by the corrosion protection layer, and wherein the component part is a further optoelectronic semiconductor chip, an ESD chip or an IC chip.

35. A light source comprising: the optoelectronic component according to claim 21, wherein the semiconductor chip is configured to generate electromagnetic radiation in a visible spectral range, an infrared spectral range or an ultraviolet spectral range.

36. A method for producing an optoelectronic component, the method comprising: providing a carrier having a mounting surface comprising a reflective coating; applying a barrier layer to the reflective coating, the barrier layer being formed from an inorganic material and serving as an additional corrosion protection layer for the reflective coating; attaching a semiconductor chip on the carrier; and applying a corrosion protection layer to the semiconductor chip, wherein the semiconductor chip is arranged in a vertical direction between the reflective coating and the corrosion protection layer, wherein the barrier layer is arranged in the vertical direction in places between the semiconductor chip and the reflective coating, wherein the barrier layer has a vertical layer thickness between 1 nm and 100 nm, inclusive, and wherein the corrosion protection layer has a vertical layer thickness between 10 nm and 5000 nm, inclusive.

37. The method according to claim 36, wherein applying the barrier layer to the reflective coating comprises apply by atomic layer deposition or by a coating process before the semiconductor chip is attached so that the barrier layer is formed as an independent layer on the reflective coating.

38. The method according to claim 36, wherein the barrier layer is formed in a structured manner such that the reflective coating has subregions which, in top view, are not covered by the barrier layer, and wherein the semiconductor chip is electrically conductively connected to the carrier at the non-covered subregions.

39. The method according to claim 36, wherein the carrier is formed as part of a housing and is laterally enclosed by a non-metallic housing frame, wherein the housing frame is formed by a casting process or by a plastic casting process and has a cavity for receiving the semiconductor chip, and wherein the barrier layer is applied to the reflective coating and to a circumferential lateral surface of the cavity after the housing frame is formed so that the lateral surface is covered by the barrier layer.

40. The method according to claim 36, wherein the carrier is embodied as part of a housing and is laterally enclosed by a non-metallic housing frame, wherein the housing frame is formed by a casting process or a plastic casting process, and wherein the barrier layer is applied to the reflective coating before the housing frame is formed, so that the barrier layer is enclosed by the housing frame in places after the housing frame is formed.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0059] Further advantages, preferred embodiments and further developments of the component or of the method will become apparent from the exemplary embodiments explained below in connection with FIGS. 1A to 4.

[0060] FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C show schematic representations of some exemplary embodiments of a component;

[0061] FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C and 2D show schematic representations of some further exemplary embodiments of a component; and

[0062] FIGS. 3 and 4 show schematic representations of further exemplary embodiments of a component having several component parts.

[0063] Identical, equivalent or equivalently acting elements are indicated with the same reference numerals in the figures. The figures are schematic illustrations and thus not necessarily true to scale. Comparatively small elements and particularly layer thicknesses can rather be illustrated exaggeratedly large for the purpose of better clarification.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

[0064] FIG. 1A schematically shows a side view of an optoelectronic component 100. The optoelectronic component 100 is, for example, a light-emitting diode component.

[0065] The component 100 comprises a carrier 1, which comprises, for example, an electrically insulating base body, for instance a ceramic substrate. The carrier 1 has a front side 1V and a rear side 1R opposite to the front side 1V. For example, the front side 1V is formed in places by surfaces of a first metallization 91A and a second metallization 92A. The front side 1V may be formed in places by surfaces of the base body of the carrier 1.

[0066] The metallizations 91A and 92A are in particular electrically insulated from each other and are arranged on the base body of the carrier 1. A third metallization 91B and a fourth metallization 92B, which are electrically insulated from each other, are located on the rear side 1R of the carrier 1. In particular, the metallizations 91A and 92A on the front side 1V and the corresponding metallizations 91B and 92B on the rear side 1R are electrically conductively connected to each other via through-contacts 91 and 92. The through-contacts 91 and 92 extend along the vertical direction in particular throughout the base body of the carrier 1.

[0067] The surfaces of the metallizations 91A and 92A may form a mounting surface 1M of the carrier 1. The front side 1V of the carrier 1 thus forms the mounting surface 1M for electronic component parts 2 and 2B, for example for an optoelectronic semiconductor chip 2. The metallization 91A is provided with a reflective coating 4. That is, the mounting surface 1M is coated with the reflective coating 4. The further metallization 92A may also be provided with the reflective coating 4. For example, the reflective coating 4 is a silver layer or a reflective layer containing silver. Deviating from FIG. 1A, it is possible that the metallizations 91A and 92A are themselves reflective layers, for instance silver-coated reflective layers or silver-containing reflective layers.

[0068] The component part 2 or 2B, which may be a light emitting semiconductor chip 2, has a front side 2V and a rear side 2R opposite to the front side 2V. During operation of the component 100, the component part 2 is particularly configured to generate electromagnetic radiation. The component part 2 is arranged with its rear side 2R on the mounting surface 1M. For example, the component part 2 is fixed to the mounting surface 1M by a bonding layer 6, in particular bonded to the mounting surface 1M by an adhesive bonding layer 6.

[0069] The bonding layer 6 has a matrix material 6A, in particular an adhesion-promoting matrix material 6A. Reflective particles 6P may be embedded in the matrix material 6A, which are particularly configured to reflect electromagnetic radiation emitted from the component part 2 during operation of the component 100. Thus, between the rear side 2R of the semiconductor chip 2 and the front side of the reflective coating 4, a bonding layer 6 is arranged, which in particular is made of an adhesive. The adhesive may include one or several of: silicone- or siloxane-based materials, silicone epoxy, epoxy, and acrylate. The rear side 2R of the semiconductor chip 2 may be completely covered by the bonding layer 6.

[0070] The reflective particles 6P may be formed as white reflective particles. Thus, the reflective particles 6P cause a white color impression. White reflective particles are characterized in particular by the fact that they particularly efficiently reflect emitted electromagnetic radiation and do not change the color location of the emitted electromagnetic radiation.

[0071] A barrier layer 5 is arranged between the bonding layer 6 and the reflective coating 4. The barrier layer 5 may be in direct contact with the reflective coating 4 and/or with the bonding layer 6. The reflective coating 4 may be partially or completely covered by the barrier layer 5, or completely covered except for the electrical contact points. It is possible for the bonding layer 6 to be directly adjacent to the barrier layer 5 as well as directly adjacent to the rear side 2R of the component part 2.

[0072] As shown schematically in FIG. 1A, the component part 2 or the semiconductor chip 2 is electrically conductively connected to the carrier 1, in particular to the metallizations 91A and 92B, by two connection structures 8, for example in the form of bonding wires 8, on its front side 2V. A first bonding wire 81, for example, forms an electrical connection between a first electrical chip contact area, not shown here, on the front side 2V of the semiconductor chip 2 and the first metallization 91A. A second bonding wire 82 may form an electrical connection between a second electrical chip contact area on the front side 2V of the semiconductor chip 2, not shown here, and the second metallization 92A. The bonding wires 8 may be in direct electrical contact with the subregions 4T of the reflective coating 4.

[0073] In particular, the reflective coating 4 is divided into a first subregion 41 and a second subregion 42 spatially separated from the first subregion 41. In a top view of the carrier 1, the first subregion 41 is partially covered in particular by the semiconductor chip 2 and by the bonding layer 6. The second subregion 42 is electrically insulated from the first subregion 41 and may be free from being covered by the semiconductor chip 2 and/or by the bonding layer 6. It is possible that the first subregion 41 covers, in particular completely covers, the first metallization 91A in top view. The second subregion 42 may partially or completely cover the second metallization 92A in top view.

[0074] In FIG. 1A, a corrosion protection layer 7, in particular in the form of an inorganic coating, is arranged on the semiconductor chip 2 and on the barrier layer 5. In a top view of the carrier 1, the corrosion protection layer 7 may partially or completely cover exposed surfaces of the carrier 1, exposed surfaces of the metallizations 91A and 92A and/or of the base body of the carrier 1, exposed surfaces of the reflective coating 4, of the semiconductor chip 2 and/or of the connection structures 8. For example, the front side 1V and the side flanks 2S of the semiconductor chip 2 are partially or completely covered by the corrosion protection layer 7.

[0075] Even if the corrosion protection layer 7 is formed in the region of the interface between the bonding layer 6 and the corrosion protection layer 7 or in other areas, the barrier layer 5 is still available as additional corrosion protection for the reflective coating 4. This has the effect that preferably all subregions 4T of the reflective coating 4, in particular also the subregion below the semiconductor chip 2, are efficiently protected against corrosion. In a top view of the carrier 1, in particular at any places, the reflective coating 4 is protected against corrosion by both the barrier layer 5 and the corrosion protection layer 7.

[0076] According to FIG. 1A, an encapsulation 3M is formed such that, in a top view of the carrier 1, it covers, in particular completely covers, the corrosion protection layer 7, the semiconductor chip 2, the barrier layer 5 and the carrier 1. The semiconductor chip 2 and the connection structures 8 are encapsulated by the encapsulation 3M and are thus partially embedded in the encapsulation 3M. In particular, the encapsulation 3M is formed from a radiation-transmitting material, in particular from a transparent material. For example, the encapsulation 3M is formed with respect to its layer thickness and the material selection such that it is transparent for a large part, for example for at least 50%, 60%, 70%, 80% or for at least 90% of the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the semiconductor chip 2, in particular in the visible, ultraviolet or infrared spectral range.

[0077] The encapsulation 3M may comprise an epoxy resin, polysiloxane, silicone or a hybrid material containing silicone. It is also possible for the encapsulation 3M to contain a silicone material, polysiloxane, epoxy resin, or silicone-containing hybrid material filled with particles for instance phosphor particles, scattering materials, or other particles. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1A, the encapsulation 3M has a rectangular shape. It is possible for the encapsulation 3M to have a different geometry, for instance a geometry having a dome-like shape.

[0078] Deviating from FIG. 1A, the carrier 1 may be in the form of a printed circuit board. The metallizations 91A and 92A can be formed as conductor tracks or connection surfaces. Alternatively, the carrier 1 may be formed from a metallic lead frame which is laterally enclosed, in particular, by an electrically insulating material of the base body of the carrier 1. In this case, the lead frame may be formed by metallizations 91A, 92A, 91B and/or 92B.

[0079] The exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1B is substantially the same as the exemplary embodiment of a component 100 illustrated in FIG. 1A. In contrast, the component part 2 or 2B has only a single bonding wire 82. For electrical contacting of the component part 2 or 2B, there is, in addition to the bonding wire 81, a rear-side connection structure 8, in particular in the form of a rear-side connection column 81. The rear-side connection column 81 extends in particular throughout the barrier layer 5 and forms a direct electrical contact in particular with the reflective coating 4.

[0080] Deviating from FIG. 1B, it is possible for the component part 2 or 2B to have two rear-side connection structures 81 and 82 each in the form of a connection column. The component part 2 may be arranged on the carrier 1 such that one of the connection structures is electrically conductively connected to a first subregion 41 of the reflective coating 4 and the other of the two connection structures is electrically conductively connected to a second subregion 42 of the reflective coating 4. The electrical contacting of such a component part 2 or 2B is shown schematically in FIG. 3, for example.

[0081] The exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1C corresponds substantially to the exemplary embodiment of a component 100 illustrated in FIG. 1B. In contrast thereto, the barrier layer 5 may be formed to be electrically conductive. For example, the barrier layer 5 is formed from a transparent electrically conductive material. In contrast to the exemplary embodiments shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the barrier layer 5 is not formed in a contiguous manner, but has at least two subregions 51 and 52 that are laterally separated from each other and thus are spatially and electrically separated. The subregions 51 and 52 of the barrier layer 5 are electrically conductively connected, in particular directly electrically conductively connected, to the subregions 41 and 42 of the reflective coating 4, respectively.

[0082] As shown in FIG. 1C, the connection structures 8 end on the respective subregions 51 and 52 of the barrier layer 5. The rear-side connection column 81 and the bonding wire 82 in particular do not extend throughout the barrier layer 5, but end on the barrier layer 5. In an intermediate region between the partial layers 51 and 52 of the barrier layer 5 and in an intermediate region between the partial layers 41 and 42 of the reflective coating 4, respectively, the corrosion protection layer 7 can extend along the vertical direction throughout the barrier layer 5 and/or throughout the reflective coating 4.

[0083] The exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2A is substantially the same as the exemplary embodiment of a component 100 illustrated in FIG. 1A. In contrast, the carrier 1 is in the form of a lead frame having a first subsection 11 and the second subsection 12, wherein the lead frame is laterally enclosed by a housing frame 10G. The subsections 11 and 12 may be formed by the metallizations 91A and 92A shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C.

[0084] The optoelectronic component 100 thus comprises a housing 10 in particular formed by the housing frame 10G and the carrier 1 in particular formed as a lead frame. The housing 10 has a front side 10V and a rear side 10R opposite to the front side 10V. The housing frame 10G has, for example, an electrically insulating plastic material, for example a casting or encapsulating material for instance an epoxy resin or a ceramic material. The housing frame 10G may be formed by a casting or plastic casting process. The lead frame 1 comprises an electrically conductive material, for instance a metal. In particular, the lead frame 1 comprises copper. Copper offers the advantage of being highly electrically as well as thermally conductive.

[0085] The subsections 11 and 12 of the carrier 1 can be at least partially, in particular completely, coated with the reflective coating 4, for example with a silver coating. The reflective coating 4 has subregions 4T, 41 and 42 which are electrically spatially and electrically separated from one another and are each electrically conductively connected to one of the subsections 11 and 12 of the carrier 1. The front side 1V of the carrier 1 may be partially or completely covered by the reflective coating 4.

[0086] According to FIG. 2A, the subsections 11, 12 of the carrier 1 are enclosed by the housing frame 10G such that all side surfaces of the subsections are covered, in particular completely covered, by the material of the housing frame 10G. The front side 1V and the rear side 1R of the carrier 1 may be free from being covered by the material of the housing frame 10G. Deviating from FIG. 2A, it is possible that the rear side 1R of the carrier 1 is partially or completely covered by the material of the housing frame 10G. It is also possible that the front side 1V of the carrier 1 is partially covered by the material of the housing frame 10G. This is shown schematically, for example, in FIGS. 2B and 2C, in which the first subsection 11 and the second subsection 12 are partially covered by the material of the housing frame 10G and partially not covered, respectively, in a top view of the carrier 1.

[0087] The housing 10 of the optoelectronic component 100 has a cavity 3 on its front side 10V. The cavity 3 is formed as a recess in the housing frame 10G. At the front side 10V of the housing 10, the cavity 3 has, for example, a circular disk-shaped cross-section, a rectangular cross-section or another cross-section. In the sectional view of the carrier 1, the cavity 3 tapers from the front side 10V toward the rear side 10R of the housing 10.

[0088] The cavity 3 of the housing 10 of the optoelectronic component 100 has a bottom surface 3B and a circumferential lateral wall 3W. The wall 3W is formed by the material of the housing frame 10G. The wall 3W forms a lateral surface of the cavity 3. The wall 3W of the cavity 3 of the housing 10 may form a reflector of the optoelectronic component 100. The lateral surface 3W or the wall of the cavity 3 may be coated with the reflective coating 4. The bottom surface 3B of the cavity 3 may be formed by the front side of the carrier 1, that is, by surfaces of the subsections 11 and 12. In particular, the mounting surface 1M is defined by the bottom surface 3B. The cavity 3 is also filled with the encapsulation 3M.

[0089] The arrangement of the reflective coating 4, the barrier layer 5, the bonding layer 6, the component part 2 or 2B, the corrosion protection layer 7, the connection structure 8 and the encapsulation 3M according to FIG. 2A is in particular analogous to the arrangement described in FIG. 1A. In this respect, the features disclosed in connection with FIG. 1A may also be used for the arrangement disclosed in FIG. 2A.

[0090] As a difference to FIG. 1A, the barrier layer 5 may partially or completely cover the lateral surface 3W of the cavity 3 and/or the front side 10V. Also, the corrosion protection layer 7 may partially or completely cover the lateral surface 3W of the cavity 3 and/or the front side 10V. Unlike a thiolate coating, direct coverage of the lateral surface 3W by thiolate is not readily possible because the lateral surface 3W is a surface of the electrically insulating housing frame 10G and the thiolate coating generally requires a metal surface.

[0091] The exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2B is substantially the same as the exemplary embodiment of a component 100 illustrated in FIG. 2A. In contrast, the electrical contacting of the component part 2 or 2B is carried out according to the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1B, namely via a bonding wire 82 and a rear-side connection column 81. With respect to the electrical contacting of the component part 2 or 2B, the features disclosed in connection with FIG. 1B can therefore also be used for the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2B.

[0092] As a further difference from FIG. 2A, the front side 1V of the carrier 1 shown in FIG. 2B has subregions which, in top view, are covered by the housing frame 10G. Thus, the reflective coating 4 is also partially covered by the housing frame 10G when viewed from above onto the carrier 1. According to FIG. 2B, the reflective coating 4 can be applied to the carrier 1, in particular to the mounting surface 1M of the carrier 1, before the forming of the housing frame 10G. In contrast, the reflective coating 4 shown in FIG. 2A may be applied to the carrier 1 prior to or after the forming of the housing frame.

[0093] In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 2C, the barrier layer 5 may be electrically conductive. For example, the barrier layer 5 is formed from a transparent electrically conductive material. In contrast to the exemplary embodiments shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the barrier layer 5 is not formed contiguously, but has at least two subregions 51 and 52 that are laterally separated from each other and thus spatially and electrically separated. The subregions 51 and 52 of the barrier layer 5 are electrically conductively connected, in particular directly electrically conductively connected, to the subregions 41 and 42 of the reflective coating 4, respectively.

[0094] The connection structures 8 end on the respective subregions 51 and 52 of the barrier layer 5. The rear-side connection 81 and the bonding wire 82 in particular do not extend throughout the barrier layer 5, but end on the barrier layer 5. The bonding layer 6 can be filled with electrically and thermally conductive particles 6L. In an intermediate region between the partial layers 51 and 52 of the barrier layer 5 and in an intermediate region between the partial layers 41 and 42 of the reflective coating 4, respectively, the corrosion protection layer 7 can extend along the vertical direction throughout the barrier layer 5 and/or the reflective coating 4.

[0095] According to one exemplary embodiment, for the electrical contacting of the component part 2 or 2B, the features disclosed in connection with FIG. 1C may also be used for the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 2C. In this case, in addition to the bonding wire 82, a rear-side connection column 81 is used for contacting.

[0096] The exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 2D substantially corresponds to the exemplary embodiment of a component 100 shown in FIG. 2C. In contrast thereto, the electrically conductive barrier layer 5 encloses the carrier 1 including the reflective coating circumferentially, i.e. completely. With regard to the electrical contacting of the component part 2 or 2B, the features disclosed in connection with FIG. 2C can therefore also be used for the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 2D.

[0097] The exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3 substantially corresponds to the exemplary embodiment of a component 100 illustrated in FIG. 1A. In contrast thereto, it is schematically illustrated that the component 100 may comprise a further component part 2B in addition to a component part 2. In particular, the component part 2 may be electrically conductively connected to the further component part 2B. The component part 2 may be an optoelectronic semiconductor chip configured to generate electromagnetic radiation during operation of the component 100. The further component part 2B may be a protection diode, a further optoelectronic semiconductor chip or an integrated circuit chip. Deviating from FIG. 3, the component 100 may comprise a plurality of such component parts 2 and/or a plurality of such further component parts 2B.

[0098] The schematically illustrated exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 4 may be substantially the same as the top view exemplary embodiment of a component 100 shown in FIG. 2A, 2B, 2C or 2D. Referring to FIG. 4, it is schematically shown that the reflective coating 4 may have a plurality of spatially separated subregions 4T. The component 100 may further comprise a plurality of component parts 2 and/or further component parts 2B.

[0099] The invention is not restricted to the exemplary embodiments by the description of the invention made with reference to exemplary embodiments. The invention rather comprises any novel feature and any combination of features, including in particular any combination of features in the claims, even if this feature or this combination is not itself explicitly indicated in the claims or exemplary embodiments.