LED 101 / Hardware
LED encapsulation
Encapsulation is the resin or package that protects the LED chip and shapes the light. DIP, SMD, and COB each do it differently.
The LED chip is fragile. Encapsulation wraps it in epoxy, silicone, or a similar material so moisture, dust, and fingers do less damage. The same material helps pull light out of the chip and can set the beam angle.
DIP packages use a hard epoxy dome over a leaded chip. The dome can focus the beam. SMD packages mount the chip on a small carrier and cover it with silicone or resin; RGB dies often share one package. COB skips the tiny individual packages and pours a clear or diffused layer over a whole chip array on the substrate.
For display buyers the encapsulation choice shows up as pitch, durability, viewing angle, and how the face of the module feels. Read it next to the DIP, SMD, and COB article when you compare products.