Atmel launches power-efficient multi-string LED drivers

SAN JOSE, USA: Atmel Corp., a leader in microcontroller and touch solutions, announced a new family of intelligent multi-string LED drivers for the backlighting and solid state lighting markets.

The comprehensive portfolio of Atmel LED drivers offer design engineers industry-proven efficiency optimizer (EO) technology, flexible dimming options, scalability across wide range of power levels, user programmability and lower bill of material (BOM). These features are ideal for rapidly growing LED applications in direct and edge-lit LCD TVs, PC monitors, industrial, military and avionics displays, as well as general illumination in the commercial, residential, industrial and infrastructure market segments.

The LED drivers incorporate Atmel's patent-pending efficiency optimizer technology that minimizes power consumption to the lowest practical level. This technology allows designers to use any DC-to-DC or AC-to-DC converter topology with isolated or non-isolated implementation, while dynamically maintaining the highest system power efficiency by minimizing excess voltage across LED strings.

The Atmel drivers enable LCD TVs to achieve an ultra-high 10M:1 dynamic contrast and the lowest motion-blur. The new drivers also provide over 10000:1 pulse-width modulation (PWM) dimming range for PC monitors and industrial displays. In solid state lighting applications, the new LED driver ICs and Atmel microcontrollers allow dynamic white-point setting, color-mixing and networked lighting with Zigbee, DALI and other standards. Other features include comprehensive fault management, LED aging and thermal control, and programmability with the on-chip EEPROM and scalability to any number of LED strings with minimal DC-to-DC converters.

"LED lighting applications are the future of the LED driver ICs market, forecast to grow above 35 percent per annum until at least 2016," said Mitess Nandha, analyst, IMS Research. "We are expecting the residential and outdoor markets to have the most significant gains, while office and commercial indoor are also growing strongly. In these emerging markets, barriers to entry are still low and suppliers who offer drivers with increased efficiency, higher intelligence and more functionality have the chance to grow swiftly. Atmel has the opportunity to become a key player with their latest offering of flexible LED drivers for both lighting and backlighting."

"Atmel is excited to enter some of the fastest growing segments in the semiconductor industry," said Tushar Dhayagude, marketing director of smart power products at Atmel. "Increasing LED adoption in LCD panels and lighting creates a tremendous opportunity for Atmel to leverage its industry-leading microcontroller architectures to push the envelope on efficiency, programmability, simplicity and solution cost."

The multi-string Atmel LED driver ICs are available in three categories including external MOSFET current sinks for high-power LED lighting and edge backlighting applications; internal MOSFET current sinks for direct backlighting and low-power LED lighting; and with integrated power controller for PC monitors and industrial, medical, military displays.