New LED Drivers from Catalyst

Catalyst Semiconductor announced its entry into a new market segment with its first White Light Emitting Diode (LED) driver integrated circuit, the CAT32. Designed for Li-Ion battery powered systems such as cell phones, PDAs, MP3 players and digital cameras, the CAT32 boosts a low-level DC battery voltage to the high voltage needed to drive high-brightness, series connected white LEDs. The CAT32 operates as a switch-mode, 1.2MHz fixed-frequency, constant-current boost regulator that has been crafted to drive white LEDs efficiently and at low cost. The CAT32 was developed as the first product in a new business area for Catalyst Semiconductor. Additional driver products are expected to be introduced quarterly.

"White LEDs, made by such suppliers as Nichia, are the choice backlighting source for the color liquid crystal displays (LCDs) found in digital cameras, cellular phones, GPS systems and PDAs. Color purity and brightness are a function of LED current. By driving a series string of LEDs, each LED has the same brightness and light spectrum. A white LED has a typical voltage drop of 3.5 volts to 4 volts. When placed in series they cannot be driven directly from a low-voltage battery. The CAT32 boosts a low voltage and automatically regulates drive current for up to four series LEDs. Drive current is customer selected with a single resistor," said Catalyst Director of Marketing and Applications David Gillooly. "We have lowered the quiescent current by a factor of two over competitive solutions, which increases efficiency and is important at lower drive currents, and added open load protection at the request of early part evaluators. With cell phone unit volumes projected to be over 500 million units, the rugged, low power CAT32 is priced for high-volume cell phone and PDA markets in China, Korea and the Far East."

Mr. Gillooly added, "Catalyst Semiconductor provides low-cost EEPROMs to many of the market segments that also need White LED drivers. Built on the same low-cost CMOS processes as our EEPROM products, we intend to bring multiple driver products to market that offer increased integrated functionality and that set new price points for the industry over the next 12 months."

Posted to the site on 31st July 2003