March 27, 2014, Seoul – NXP Semiconductors (NASDAQ: NXPI) announced that it has begun production of two new chip-on-glass (COG) LCD drivers, the PCA8539 and PCA2117, specifically designed for driving vertical alignment (VA) displays. These COG LCD drivers provide high-contrast, perfect black backgrounds, wide viewing angles, and excellent image quality even at extreme temperatures.

While VA displays offer various advantages, they generally require higher LCD supply voltages and higher frame frequencies compared to traditional TN (twisted nematic) displays. The PCA8539 and PCA2117 are compatible with LCD voltages up to 16V. Additionally, they deliver high and stable contrast over a wide temperature range from -40°C to 105°C through precise, software-programmable temperature compensation. These new COG drivers are calibrated in the range of 45 Hz to 360 Hz and also feature an on-chip oscillator with a programmable frame frequency. These products can be used with traditional TN displays of all backlight colors.

The PCA8539 is a single-chip LCD driver that generates drive signals for any static or multiplex LCD with graphics of up to 18 backplanes, 100 segments, and up to 1,800 display elements. The PCA8539 is ideal for driving VA displays in harsh environments and complies with the AEC-Q100 standard. This allows it to be used in automotive applications such as climate control units, instrument clusters, and automotive infotainment systems. The PCA8539 can be used for large displays up to 7 inches in size and is optimized for Chinese and Simplified Japanese. Samples and demo boards are available immediately.

The PCA2117 is a single-chip LCD character driver capable of driving up to 20 additional icons across two lines of 20 characters each. The initial release includes the character sets “R” (PCA2117DUGR) and “S” (PCA2117DUGS). Other character sets can be provided upon request. Additionally, the PCA2117 features integrated character generator RAM capable of storing up to 48 user-defined characters. The PCA2117 is AEC-Q100 Class 2 with an operating temperature range of -40 to 105°C. Samples and demo boards are available immediately.

Grahame Cooney, Head of NXP Semiconductors, stated, “VA displays are becoming increasingly popular not only in automotive LCD applications but also in consumer electronics, medical devices, and many other consumer and industrial applications requiring reliable, high-contrast passive LCD displays,” adding, “By designing COG LCD segment drivers specifically with VA displays in mind, we meet the requirements of major display module manufacturers and key automotive suppliers.” "At the same time, it made it easy for OEMs other than automotive to incorporate VA displays into their designs," he said.

“As a pioneer in COG LCD technology, NXP Semiconductors has worked closely with major manufacturers for the past 25 years to lower costs, simplify PCB layouts, and improve the upgradability, flexibility, and reliability of LCD displays using COG designs,” added Cooney, General Manager. “Building on NXP Semiconductors’ proven track record of delivering over 100 million interface product units to the automotive industry, we are launching accurate and reliable VA display solutions to the market as a natural next step.”