Toshiba Expands Family of LED Drivers With Four New High-Performance Devices

SAN JOSE, Calif., Nov. 1, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. (TAEC)*, a committed leader that collaborates with technology companies to create breakthrough designs, today expanded its family of light emitting diode (LED) drivers with the announcement of four new device families.  The TC62D748A, TC62D749A, TC62D722 and TC62D776 LED drivers (LEDDs) are 16-channel, constant current, high-speed devices designed to regulate back lighting in LCD panels, digital TVs and notebook PCs or light control in large RGB panel LED displays.

Each of the new devices was developed to address specific application challenges.  For example, the high-end TC62D722 family has a unique 16-bit pulse-width-modulation (PWM) output mode that is very effective in reducing display flicker.  The TC62D776 LEDDs, meanwhile, incorporate a new standby mode that can reduce an LED panel's idle-state power consumption by up to 1,000 times less than LEDDs that don't have this functionality.  Finally, the TC62D748A/749A family of simple LEDDs offers constant-current output voltage characteristics easily adjustable using only one external resistor and a power-on reset mode.

"LED panels and displays have become a ubiquitous part of daily life.  Consumers interact with LEDs in a broad range of equipment and devices at home, at the office and while travelling," said Andrew Burt, vice president of the Imaging and Communications Marketing Group in the ASSP Business unit at TAEC. "And because each application requires a different performance metric to satisfy market needs, we developed these new families of LED drivers with specific functionality in mind.  Furthermore, in order to meet the demand for evolving LED panel and display applications, OEMs need access to quality components at competitive prices, which is exactly what Toshiba is delivering with these four new LED drivers."

Each of the four new LEDD families is fabricated in Toshiba's world-class CDMOS process technology and is RoHS(1) compatible.  All of these new LEDDs feature a 16-channel output current value that is controlled by one external resistor, which allows for more tightly regulated power flow to a panel's LEDs for superior display illumination.  More specific technical information for each of these LEDDs is available online at the TAEC website at http://www.toshiba.com/taec/Catalog/Line.do?familyid=15&lineid=7272.

Pricing and Availability

Engineering samples of the TC62D748A/749A, TC62D776 and TC62D722 are available now and with prices varying between $0.44 and $0.82 per unit in thousand unit quantities.  For more specific pricing information, please visit the TAEC website to identify your appropriate Toshiba sales contact.

*About Toshiba Corp. and TAEC

Through proven commitment, lasting relationships and advanced, reliable electronic components, Toshiba enables its customers to create market-leading designs. Toshiba is the heartbeat within product breakthroughs from OEMs, ODMs, CMs, distributors and fabless chip companies worldwide. A committed electronic components leader, Toshiba designs and manufactures high-quality flash memory-based storage solutions, discrete devices, displays, advanced materials, medical tubes, custom SoCs/ASICs, digital multimedia and imaging products, microcontrollers and wireless components that make possible today's leading cell phones, MP3 players, cameras, medical devices, automotive electronics and more.

Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. is an independent operating company owned by Toshiba America, Inc., a subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation, Japan's largest semiconductor manufacturer and the world's third largest semiconductor manufacturer (Gartner, 2009 WW Semiconductor Revenue, April 2010). Toshiba was founded in 1875, and today operates a global network of more than 740 companies, with 204,000 employees worldwide and annual sales surpassing $68 billion. For additional company and product information, please visit http://www.toshiba.com/taec/.

(1) RoHS-Compatible – Toshiba Mobile Display Co., Ltd. defines "RoHS-Compatible" LCD products as products that either (i) contain no more than a maximum concentration value of 0.1% by weight in Homogeneous Materials for lead, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and no more than 0.01% by weight in Homogeneous Materials for cadmium, or fall within one of the stated exemptions set forth in the Annex to the RoHS Directive.

Homogeneous Materials – Toshiba Mobile Display Co., Ltd. defines "Homogeneous Materials" to mean a material that cannot be mechanically disjointed into different materials. The term "homogeneous" is understood as "of uniform composition throughout," so examples of "Homogeneous Materials" would be individual types of plastics, ceramics, glass, metals, alloys, paper, board, resins and coatings. Toshiba Mobile Display Co., Ltd. defines the term "mechanically disjointed" to mean that the materials can, in principle, separated by mechanical actions such as unscrewing, cutting, crushing, grinding or abrasive processes.

RoHS Directive – Toshiba Mobile Display Co., Ltd. defines the "RoHS Directive" as the Directive 2002/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 January 2003 on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment.

Information in this press release, including product pricing and specifications, content of services and contact information, is current and believed to be accurate on the date of the announcement, but is subject to change without prior notice. Technical and application information contained here is subject to the most recent applicable Toshiba product specifications. In developing designs, please ensure that Toshiba products are used within specified operating ranges as set forth in the most recent Toshiba product specifications and the information set forth in Toshiba's "Handling Guide for Semiconductor Devices," or "Toshiba Semiconductor Reliability Handbook." This information is available at chips.toshiba.com  or from your TAEC representative.

SOURCE Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc.