New LED Driver and Color Loop Controller Delivers Breakthrough Color Management

Microsemi Corporation a leading manufacturer of high performance analog/mixed signal integrated circuits and high reliability semiconductors, today announced the first public demonstration of its breakthrough color management solution for RGB LED backlighting of LCD displays, at Electronica 2008, Hall A4.525, in Munich.

The demonstration utilizes Microsemi's LX1996(tm) LED driver and PD23000(tm) color loop controller to manage the color of a 17" RGB notebook panel. The LX1996 LED driver provides highly accurate current matching (typically 0.5%) for even brightness between individual LED strings. In conjunction, the PD23000 MCU provides fast and precise closed loop color control to stabilize user selected brightness and color points over various environmental conditions such as temperature variations and the aging effects of LEDs.

Microsemi's industry leading color management technology, developed for digital TV applications and premium notebook platforms, provides OEMs with the industry's most flexible and color-accurate RGB LED backlighting solution.

"We're extending our 15 years of leadership in backlighting from Microsemi's portfolio of CCFL ICs, inverter modules, and light sensors into next generation red-green-blue (RGB) LED technology," said Steve McClure, vice president of marketing for Microsemi's Analog Mixed Signal Group.

"With this comprehensive solution, Microsemi simplifies the technology transition from CCFL to LED backlighting by addressing the inherent color accuracy issues associated with generic LED backlights. Our system-level approach in addressing the entire color management loop allows us to provide OEMs and LCD panel suppliers with an easy-to-implement economical solution. This approach will fuel an entire family of system-level solutions for the emerging RGB LED display market," he said.

Microsemi's advanced LED color management solution is designed to enable notebook users to adjust the white point of the backlight--using a simple graphical user interface (GUI)--with virtually instantaneous response and an accurate color palate as the Microsemi color loop controller compensates for any changes in color point settings within milliseconds.