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| Freescale and Samsung Electronics announce collaboration on LED display technology |
Freescale LED driver ICs complement Samsung’s advanced LED backlighting technology MC34844 LED backlight driver IC chip shot BEIJING (Freescale Technology Forum China) – Nov. 5, 2008 – Freescale Semiconductor and Samsung Electronics, a world leader in display technology, have announced their collaboration to address the burgeoning market for energy-saving and environmentally friendly light-emitting diodes (LEDs). “Freescale’s LED backlight driver technology is the industry’s most compact and integrated solution,” said Arman Naghavi, vice president and general manager of Freescale’s Analog, Mixed-Signal and Power Division. “Our collaboration with Samsung on LED backlighting – clearly a disruptive technology – will help spur further innovation and growth in the LCD market.” Freescale began sampling its LED display technology to Samsung in December 2007. In September 2008, Freescale introduced the first LED backlight product in its portfolio of standard power management ICs. The white LED driver IC is designed for control of LED backlights in TVs, as well as in flat-panel monitors. Since 2007, Samsung has successfully launched award-winning products featuring its ultra high-contrast active control LED backlight technology. According to IMS Research, the market for semiconductors used in backlighting applications, including LED driver ICs, is expected to grow from $1.1 billion (USD) in 2008 to $2.0 billion in 2012. “We expect the market for LED backlighting in notebooks, monitors and TVs to grow strongly,” said Jamie Fox, a market research analyst for IMS Research. “In notebooks in particular, rapid growth is widely expected from 2008 to 2010.” Freescale plans to announce additional LED backlighting solutions for LCD TVs, monitors and notebooks in the first half of next year. Also in 2009, the company intends to pursue the automotive, commercial and residential LED lighting markets, which are expected to eventually dwarf the LCD TV market. Energy-efficient, mercury-free LED backlighting also enhances the user viewing experience, offers more flexible backlight architectures and enables thinner display designs. Additional benefits of LED backlighting over conventional CCFL technology include higher efficiency (more light at a given power), reduced power consumption, enhanced durability and up to 100 times better contrast ratios for clearer definition on screen. LED technology is free from mercury, a substance known to be toxic to humans. Mercury is a key material in CCFL lighting systems, which are used in 99 percent of existing LCD TV displays. In Europe, the European Directive on the Restriction of Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electronic (RoHS) has mandated that manufacturers must move to mercury-free solutions. About Freescale Semiconductor Media Contacts: Emilie Salvagio Asia Pacific Europe, Middle East and Africa India Japan Reader Inquiry Response Freescale and the Freescale logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. The Power Architecture and Power.org word marks and the Power and Power.org logos and related marks are trademarks and service marks licensed by Power.org. All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. 2008 |