STMicroelectronics Adds New Sound Terminal® Digital Audio System-on-Chip Product
– Stylish flat-screen TV designs possible

By integrating headphone, line output, and analog output into the chip, not only is TV functionality enhanced, but safety is also ensured through excellent thermal performance.

Korea, August 17, 2011 – STMicroelectronics ( www.st.com ), a world-leading integrated semiconductor company and a leading system-on-chip IC company, has launched two new Sound Terminal® digital audio system-on-chip ICs for home entertainment applications. The new products not only enable even more miniaturized product designs but also operate at lower temperatures, allowing designers to meet stringent safety requirements.

Innovative home entertainment devices, such as flat-screen TVs and music docks, enable users to enjoy room-filling audio without the need for space-consuming audio equipment. ST’s Sound Terminal system-on-chip ICs play a significant role in realizing a new generation of slimmer and more compact products by integrating digital audio processing, speaker drivers, and other functions into a single chip. According to data from market research firm iSuppli, approximately 30% of flat-screen TVs sold worldwide are equipped with ST's Sound Terminal IC products.

The newly added STA381BW and STA381BWS are optimized for flat-screen TVs and further reduce PCB size by integrating a headphone driver, line driver output, and an independent digital-to-analog converter (DAC). Typically, these functions require three additional ICs. The integrated DAC in these ICs provides additional analog output, which can be connected to headphone inputs or external circuits, and simplifies external filtering using ST’s F3X® technology. The headphone driver and industry-standard 2Vpp line output do not require DC blocking capacitors, further reducing the number of external components. Consequently, PCB size can be minimized, lowering manufacturing costs.

In addition, the STA381BW and STA381BWS provide superior thermal performance by combining high energy efficiency, ST's proprietary ternary PWM modulation technology, and an enhanced package design, enabling operation at lower operating temperatures. This simplifies thermal management and ensures that TV chassis temperatures meet product safety standards such as UL or CE. STA381BW and STA381BWS can provide up to 15W of output power (24V, 8Ω load) and maintain the IC temperature at 55.4°C.

Key Features of STA381BW/S:
• I2S and 1Vrms stereo analog input
• Configurable output power stage (2.0 or 2.1 mode)
• Drive load capacity:
• 2 x 20W via 8Ω ternary modulation
• 2 x 9W with 4Ω + 1 x 20W with 8Ω
• 27V maximum power voltage (STA381BWS)
• 30V maximum power voltage (STA381BW)

The new products are additions to the Sound Terminal product family that implement digital signal processing and speaker driver circuits using ST’s Full Flexible Amplification (FFX) technology. FFX combines 2.1-channel audio processing with a digitally controlled Class D power stage operating at up to 94% efficiency. Additionally, the audio processor incorporates STSpeakerSafe, STCompressor, and STSpeakerTune speaker calibration functions to not only improve the audio quality of flat-screen TV speakers but also prevent damage caused by overdrive.

Samples of the STA381BW and STA381BWS are currently being supplied to key customers and are available in a 48-pin VQFN 7mm x 7mm x 1mm package. Pricing is $3 for the STA381BWS and $4 for the STA381BW for quantities of 1,000. Other pricing options are available for larger quantities.