Micrel selects Dongbu HiTek to manufacture camera flash LED drivers for smartphones and tablets

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA: Dongbu HiTek confirmed that it has been selected by Micrel Inc. to manufacture the Silicon Valley company’s recently introduced camera flash LED drivers for smart phones, tablet computers and digital cameras.

Now in volume production, Micrel’s ultra-compact LED drivers are being manufactured with Dongbu HiTek’s specialized 0.18um Analog CMOS process.

Operating at high switching frequencies (2.0MHz/4.0MHz), the new LED drivers specify miniature inductors and capacitors that reduce the total silicon power footprint to less than 10mm squared. The new drivers can be controlled via robust single-wire serial interface, which allows the host processor to control LED current and brightness.

Dongbu HiTek’s AN180 process at the 0.18um node is ideally suited to implement these highly integrated drivers as it adds the benefit of efficient power management with an on-chip boost converter.

“Micrel continues to distinguish itself as an industry leader in high performance linear and power solutions,” said Jae Song, Dongbu HiTek EVP of Marketing. “We look forward to further collaborating with Micrel to apply our specialized analog and mixed-signal processes in developing power management ICs for mobile applications.”

According to iSuppli, the global market for power management ICs targeting mobile handsets and media tablets is expected to grow from approximately $2.3 billion in 2013 to more than $3.3 billion in 2017, promising a CAGR of nearly 9 percent over this period.

Dongbu HiTek’s AN180 Analog CMOS process offers a handy repertoire of analog functions as well as dense 1.8V logic and 5V CMOS that can operate efficiently at moderate power levels. The mixed-signal functions embodied in the Korean foundry’s specialized BCDMOS (BD180LV) process may be modularly incorporated into the AN180 process. Coupled with popular EDA software and certified libraries, the versatile AN180 process minimizes design risk and speeds time to volume production.