Light emitting diode package and method for fabricating same

An LED package, comprising:

• a submount comprising a top surface and a bottom surface;
• an attach pad on said top surface;
• a first contact pad on said top surface and integral to said attach pad;
• a second contact pad on said top surface;
• an LED on said attach pad, an electrical signal applied to said first and second contact pads causing said LED to emit light, wherein said attach pad, said first contact pad and said second contact pad comprise thermally conductive materials, wherein said attach pad and said first contact pad cover at least 75% of said top surface to spread heat from said LED to the majority of said top surface;
• a protective layer extending to the edges of said top surface of said submount;
• and
• a hemispheric optical element over said LED and with said LED approximately at the center of the base of said hemispheric optical element, wherein said protective layer is in direct contact with a portion of said hemispheric optical element.

An LED package, comprising:

• a submount comprising a top surface and a bottom surface;
• an LED on said top surface;
• a hemispheric lens directly on said LED and a portion of said top surface;
• a protective layer extending to the edges of said top surface of said submount;
• a top heat spreading element on said top surface to spread heat from said LED across the majority of said top surface, said top spreading element extending radially on said top surface from said LED toward the edges of said submount;
• and
• a bottom heat conducting element on said bottom surface to conduct heat from said submount, wherein said bottom heat conducting element is not in electrical contact with said top heat spreading element.