Single Chip TFT LCD Driver IC for Mobile Application

Supporting 262K colors with 176×220 resolution for advanced smartphone

(Hong Kong – 08 Oct, 2004) – With respect to the increasing demand on TFT module for smart phone application, Solomon Systech Limited launched today their first single chip TFT LCD driver IC SSD1278 which supports 176×220 (QCIF+) resolution and 262K color smart phone system. SSD1278 is a single chip solution that includes gate/source driver blocks and power management circuit. SSD1278 with RGB interface, which is supported by common image processors/graphic controllers, is a perfect solution for speedy data transfer when using CMOS/CCD camera in the smart phone system.

SSD1278 is the smallest (with only 20.9 x 1.4mm² die size) and the simplest solution commercially available for QCIF+ resolution in the amorphous TFT display. The advantages of the small die size are not only in cost reduction of the module but also achievement of compact design of the phone. The smaller die allows thinner contact ledge at the LCD module and therefore smaller overall physical size. Besides, the advanced design technology from Solomon Systech achieves low power consumption in the TFT LCD module system. This is one of the essential factors in all portable systems. In an actual measurement of a 1.9″, 176×220 QCIF+ display module using Solomon Systech’s TFT driver SSD1278, the module power consumption at 262k color, 60Hz frame frequency and line inversion is only 8mW, while the power consumption at frame inversion is even 7mW. These low power consumption values enable Solomon Systech to become one of the most competitive TFT LCD driver suppliers in the market.

The Powerful Smart Phone System with RAMless driver

The mobile phone has been improved by adding colorful display, video clip, camera function and PDA features. In order to cope with the demand on features enhancement, a new innovative mobile phone system has been created. Nowadays, the smart phone system does not only include the MCU and DSP blocks but also an image processor that can help on the MPEG4 acceleration, JPEG Codec, 2D/3D graphic engine and so on. As image processor has already sufficient display SRAM on chip, only a RAMless driver like SSD1278 is needed in order to optimize the smart phone system. This structure eliminates the duplication of RAM at the driver IC and improves overall efficiency and cost of the system. Therefore, SSD1278 is the most suitable RAMless solutions for a smart phone system and this would be the trend in the future handset market.