Wednesday, February 12, 2003

Fully Integrated Analog Input XGA/SXGA LCD Display Engines from STMicroelectronics Are First of Their Kind to Hit Market

Low-cost family of feature-rich display engines drives LCD monitors with ease.

GENEVA, Feb. 12 -- STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM - News) has introduced the industry's first fully integrated analog input LCD display engines for XGA (1024 x 768 pixels) and SXGA (1280 x 1024 pixels) resolutions in the smallest and most cost-effective package available on the market today. The three-member ADE3700 family of display engines drives both conventional and 'smart panel' displays and features high quality up and down scaling. Packed with an abundance of functions and features, ADE3700 devices include a 9-bit ADC/PLL, on-screen display (OSD) controller, as well as a one second automatic set-up, sRGB color warp, frame-lock operation, and multiple EMI reduction techniques.

To cut costs, each of the trio of ADE3700 devices is built using 0.18 (micron) process technology, comes in a small, cost effective 128 LQFP package, which enables the chip to be designed on a two-layer printed circuit board. As a result, the ADE3700 family of LCD engines hands design engineers an advanced, cost-effective solution to their analog-only LCD applications.

Thanks to a third-generation, context-sensitive scaler, which upscales images by 5:1 and downscales them by 2:1, the ADE3700 family of display engines yields sharp, image-enhanced text.

Besides the scaler, key built-in function blocks include a 140MHz 9-bit low-jitter A/D converter and an OSD controller, which allows bordering, shadowing, transparency, fade-in, fade-out, font rotation, and four subwindows.

The automatic set-up feature, called IQsync, configures phase, clock, level, and position, and continuously calibrates itself to minimize user intervention. It automatically detects input activity and is compatible with all standard VESA and GTF modes.

A programmable timer controller (TCON) available in the ADE3700XT provides highly programmable support for XGA 'smart panels'. Among other features, it offers dual-function TTL and RSDS output signals, as well as flicker detection and reduction.

All members of the ADE3700 family include multiple advanced EMI reduction techniques. These include flexible data inversion, transition minimization, per pin delay, adaptive slew-rate control outputs, differential clock, and programmable spread-spectrum digital frequency modulation of the output clock.

To ease current customer transition, members of the ADE3700 family are software compatible with previous generations of ADE3XXX display engines that are in production today.

The ADE3700 family of LCD display engines consists of the ADE3700X ADE3700XT, and ADE3700SX. Both the ADE3700X and ADE3700XT provide XGA resolution at up to 75kHz and come in a 128-pin PQFP. The ADE3700XT includes a programmable timing controller for compatibility with 'smart panel' monitors. The ADE3700SX drives LCD panels with SXGA resolution up to 75MHz and comes in a 128-pin LQFP.

Samples of the ADE3700 family are available now with volume production expected in April 2003.


About STMicroelectronics

STMicroelectronics is a global leader in developing and delivering semiconductor solutions across the spectrum of microelectronics applications. An unrivalled combination of silicon and system expertise, manufacturing strength, Intellectual Property (IP) portfolio and strategic partners positions the Company at the forefront of System-on-Chip (SoC) technology and its products play a key role in enabling today's convergence markets. The Company's shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange, on Euronext Paris and on the Milan Stock Exchange. In 2002, the Company's net revenues were $6.32 billion and net earnings were $429.4 million. Further information on ST can be found at http://www.st.com .


Source: STMicroelectronics