Vivid Semiconductor Powers Next Generation Liquid Crystal Displays With Direct Drive Column Drivers; New Devices Provide 128 Distinct Output Voltages, Reducing Power, Increasing Image Quality and Supporting up to 262,144 Color LCD Displays.

CHANDLER, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 15, 1996--Vivid Semiconductor, Inc., announced today the availability of new column driver semiconductor devices for liquid crystal displays (LCDs): the VS1340 and VS2340. Consuming less than 50 milliwatts per driver and incorporating low power standby mode, these devices can provide up to 30 minutes of additional battery life for notebook displays, yet support full-motion video. Using Vivid Semiconductor's patented, direct drive, extended voltage-range architecture, these devices provide 128 distinct voltages producing higher-contrast TFT (active matrix) and MLA-STN (passive matrix) displays with fewer components.

With Vivid's 128-voltage level column drivers, display manufacturers can develop the best quality, high-color displays with 262,144 colors. The devices also support full-motion video with 55 MHz high-speed data loading rates.

Steve Shank, Vivid Semiconductor's vice president of marketing and sales, explained, "In the very competitive notebook and personal computing markets, products that can offer enhanced color images, full-motion video and consume less power will have the edge in the eyes of the notebook user. Vivid's patented and flexible extended voltage-range technology gives OEMs the ability to easily design LCD products that use a direct drive architecture to produce the highest quality images."

According to San Jose-based market research firm, Stanford Resources, Inc., the computer industry accounted for $5.9 billion in LCD sales in 1995. LCD prices will continue to drop, while unit volumes and resolution will increase, driving the overall market for display semiconductors to more than triple by the end of the decade, reaching more than $2 billion annually.

Vivid's Extended Voltage-Range Direct Drive Technology

Vivid's patented extended voltage-range direct drive technology allows the design of semiconductor devices, fabricated on standard CMOS processes, to operate at approximately twice the voltage range of normal semiconductor devices fabricated on that same process. To date, LCD OEMs have been faced with choosing between column drivers manufactured on costly high-voltage custom processes or drivers manufactured on low-voltage processes which yield poor images and require extensive support circuitry.

Vivid's column drivers offer the flat panel display industry a new solution to this problem. Vivid's devices modulate the higher voltage at the individual pixel level, without the need for expensive custom processes or additional components. Vivid's devices incorporate analog circuitry to produce a full-color palette and operate fast enough to support full-motion video. This means that with Vivid's direct drive LCD column drivers, display manufacturers can deliver the lowest power, highest quality displays without compromising display manufacturing costs.

VS1340: Support for TFT (Active Matrix Displays)

The VS1340 is a direct drive, 128-voltage, 240-output LCD column driver, providing a full 10-volt dynamic range to drive 262,144 color TFT (thin-film transistor), active-matrix displays, while reducing system noise and components. With typically less than 50 milliwatts per driver, the VS1340 allows pixel inversion which reduces flicker and substantially improves image quality. In the proper configuration, the VS1340 can dramatically reduce power consumption to less than 25 milliwatts while driving 240 outputs on TFT displays, thus increasing notebook operation by as much as 30 minutes while delivering excellent image quality.

VS2340: Support for Dynamically Addressed STN Displays

The VS2340 128-voltage, 240-output column driver, enables passive matrix displays (STN) to be driven using technologies such as MLS (multi-line selection), MLA (multi-line addressing) and active addressing. Vivid's high-drive, high-speed outputs provide the highest quality full-motion images for STN displays.

Pricing and Availability

The VS1340 or VS2340 in a 35mm, 4 pitch tape carrier package is available now for $8.95 in low volume quantities. Custom TCP versions are available at prices which vary according to the customers' specification. For more information, please contact Vivid Semiconductor at 602/961-3200 or [e-mail] via the Internet.

Vivid Semiconductor, Inc., supplies a range of direct drive column drivers for liquid crystal displays that offer increased performance and color/image quality. Privately-held, the company is backed by premier venture capital firms, Institutional Venture Partners (IVP) and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. For more information, contact Vivid Semiconductor at 7402 West Detroit Street, Chandler, AZ 85226. Phone: [phone]. Fax: [phone]. Email: [e-mail].

CONTACT: Vivid Semiconductor, Inc.

Dan Clarke, 602/961-3200

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