- Enhancing the performance of the market-leading AMOLED IC product family, targeting the multi-billion dollar advanced display industry

February 10, 2012, Seoul — STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM), a global semiconductor company in various electronic device applications, offers the latest small power semiconductors featuring cutting-edge technology. This technology is used in almost all new smartphones and small electronic devices that utilize AMOLED displays.

ST already supplies over 80% of the world's power supply ICs for AMOLED displays. Ultra-thin AMOLED displays offer sharper image quality and a wider viewing angle than conventional LCDs. According to IHS iSuppli, the adoption of AMOLED in slim electronic products such as smartphones, digital cameras, and device user interfaces is expected to increase significantly, with annual shipments projected to rise from $600 million in 2008 to $3.6 billion by 2015. Each AMOLED requires driver/power supply semiconductors.

AMOLEDs have significantly more complex power requirements than LCDs, necessitating both positive and negative voltages. ST’s power ICs dedicated to AMOLEDs simplify power supply circuit design, further enhancing the value of new designs. This new semiconductor, the STOD13AS, is manufactured using ST’s Silicon On Insulator (SOI) process technology, which ensures remarkable energy efficiency and extends battery life. Additionally, it enables a consistent, flicker-free display with high immunity to mobile phone call noise.

Sergio Pioppo, Director of ST’s Handheld and Portable Consumer Business, stated, “Launched at a time when display manufacturers are increasing production capacity to enable the use of AMOLED in more new product designs, this innovative device has solidified ST’s position in the AMOLED power integration sector.”

The STOD13AS, a successor to ST's popular STOD03A, integrates both step-up and inverting DC/DC converters required for both positive and negative voltage power supply into a single semiconductor, which is one of the many advantages of SOI technology. Improvements added to the existing product include enhanced display driving capabilities to maximize robustness and reliability, as well as protection against leakage and overload. It also provides energy-saving features to maximize battery life, such as an Enable Pin that completely turns off the STOD13AS when the application does not need to use the display, and pulse-skipping operation that optimizes efficiency when the display consumes minimal power.

Key Features of STOD13AS:
• State-of-the-art SOI (Silicon On Insulator) manufacturing technology
• 85% energy efficiency
• Increased output current capacity from 200mA to 250mA
• Implementation of low output ripple and high immunity to GSM noise
• Achieves miniaturization of external components with a 1.5MHz driving frequency
• 2.5V-4.5V input voltage range
• +4.6V constant voltage output
• User-configurable negative voltage input

STOD13AS is currently in mass production in DFN12L 3x3mm packages and is priced at $1.08 per unit for orders of 1,000 units. Prices are negotiable for large orders.