STMicroelectronics Announces Column-Driver IC for Large-Size LCD Market

STMicroelectronics Inc. announced successful development of its first column-driver ICs for the fast-growing large-size LCD TV market. Developed in the company’s Asia-Pacific Design Center (APDC) in Singapore, the STD8420C and STD8420A are the first chips in ST’s new LCD driver family, now being sampled to key customers, including Chunghwa Picture Tubes Ltd. (CPT), a leading display company based in Taiwan.

The device uses PPDS® (Point-to-Point Differential Signaling) display technology licensed from National Semiconductor to dramatically simplify the LCD intra-panel interconnect and to reduce the total number of column-driver signals required, aiding manufacturers by enabling a physically smaller bezel around the TV screen while providing cinema-quality display performance.

"We have been working very closely with ST’s Asia-Pacific Design Center in the design-in of this innovative new LCD-driver IC," said Mr.Wei Chun An, TV-R&D Director of CPT. "ST is already an important player in the display market and we believe this new family of LCD drivers will make a significant contribution to our mission to deliver world-class displays and further accelerate the use of large-size LCDs in consumer products."

Key features of the STD8420C include: 414/420 outputs, PPDS interface compatible, support for independent digital gamma control of each RGB color, support for Dot and N-line inversion drive schemes, operation over a wide output voltage range, and 1024 gray levels per output built from internal 12-bit linear digital-to-analog converters. The STD8420A incorporates all the features of the STD8420C with the exception of output gray levels, which are limited to 256 steps.

ST is setting up a complete business unit in Singapore for LCD drivers to establish a fully integrated presence at the centre of major LCD-panel production. This unit provides a total value chain including design, product engineering, field application support and marketing services, assisting manufacturers in meeting their customers’ expectations for performance, TV set appearance and economy. Additionally, the chip design resources of the Asia-Pacific Design Center in Singapore have increased four-fold in the last five years, enabling the design of this innovative and cost-effective LCD column driver close to major flat-panel TV manufacturers to minimize time-to-market.

Engineering samples of the STD8420C and STD8420A are already shipping to key customers. Pricing for the new ICs is in the range of $3 to $4.