Catalyst Semi Adds New Charge Pump LED Driver For Portable Device Backlighting

Catalyst Semiconductor, Inc. has expanded its line of patented Quad-Mode™ fractional charge pump LED drivers with a new device optimized for portable products. The new CAT3637 is said to address the requirements for high-efficiency and easy LED programming in these products, with 10% higher efficiency (compared to three-mode charge pumps) and a simple, 1-wire EZDim™ interface control.

The CAT3637 is optimized for applications with one bank of five or six identical LED channels, a typical configuration for larger LED screen portable products. The device incorporates a simplified version of Catalyst’s 1-wire EZDim interface, which supports 16 output power levels, from from zero to 30mA full brightness 2mA resolution steps. With efficiency levels as high as 92%, no added capacitors required, and a tiny 3 x 3mm, low-profile TQFN package, the Quad-Mode CAT3637 is said to save significant board space and costs in next-generation portable products.

According to Scott Brown, Vice President of Marketing for Catalyst Semiconductor, "When it comes to LED-based products, we are seeing a wide variety of design approaches throughout the market, depending on the customer and application. The CAT3637 is the fifth device in Catalyst’s Quad-Mode product line and exemplifies our strategy to be a "one-stop" vendor for a broad range of LED drivers which address this diversity of customer requirements."

The CAT3637 joins the following devices in Catalyst’s Quad-Mode family of LED drivers: the CAT3604V four-channel LED driver with PWM dimming interface; and the CAT3636 six-channel, CAT3644 four-channel and CAT3643 three-channel devices with 1-wire EZDim™ interface.

The CAT3637 LED driver is priced at $0.82 each in 10,000 piece quantities. Samples and evaluation boards are also available. Projected lead-time for production quantities is currently 6 to 8 weeks ARO.