Catalyst Semi Intros CAT3604 Regulated Charge Pump

Catalyst Semiconductor Inc. (Sunnyvale, CA), a developer and marketer of programmable products used in telecommunications, automotive and consumer markets, expanded its family of solid state illumination products with a new high-efficiency white LED driver, the CAT3604 regulated charge pump, which is designed to deliver uniform, flicker-free backlighting for LCD displays and keypads. The CAT3604 is suitable for cell phones, smart phones, PDAs, digital cameras and portable MP3 players.

<p.Optimized for use with lithium-ion systems, the CAT3604 maximizes power transfer by achieving high efficiencies of up to 93%. Each output channel is current regulated to provide precise matching of up to 4 LEDs, guaranteeing even brightness control across the panel. Soft start, combined with a unique fractional charge pump topology, ensures stable output voltage over the life of the battery by automatically switching between 1x LDO mode and 1.5x boost mode. Digital inputs provide the user with full control of each LED channel for dimming, or system shutdown, where the device draws less than 1 µA. A 1 MHz, fixed-frequency control scheme enables the use of small external capacitors.

The CAT3604 is available in a space-saving 4 mm x 4 mm, 16-lead, thin QFN package with a maximum height of 0.8 mm. Pricing in 1,000-piece quantities is $1.68. The CAT3604 is available in environment-friendly "green" packages that are halogen and lead-free. Samples are available now; production quantities will be available in September 2004.