Product category:
Power Supply ICs and Controllers
News Release from: Ixys Semiconductor | Subject: MX834
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 08 December 2004
Electronic paper display driver sets the
standard
The Micronix division of Ixys Corp has unveiled the industry's first standard product driver for electronic paper displays based on E Ink Corp's electronic ink technology.
The Micronix division of Ixys Corp has unveiled the industry's first standard product driver for electronic paper displays based on E Ink Corp's electronic ink technology The new display driver IC, the MX834, targets emerging markets which value ultra-low-power, easy-to-read displays for use in portable devices
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 16 Feb 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Drive and protect IGBT modules in one
Ixys has developed a novel IGBT gate driver hybrid in a single-inline package, mountable on top of a PCB.
Solar cells power up portable electronics
A new range of high efficiency solar cell arrays and cards are designed specifically for charging batteries in portable electronic devices.
"Micronix's announcement of general availability is an important milestone for the display industry".
"What you are seeing today are the signs of a robust global supply chain emerging around paper-like displays", said John Ritter, Vice President of Development at E Ink.
"We are specifically recommending Micronix' MX834 driver to our customers because it has been designed for paper-like displays and is a cost-effective solution that is available today".
Further reading
IGBTs aim for induction heating applications
A new range of IGBTs is optimised for induction heating applications.
Diodes have ultrafast powers of recovery
A new family of ultrafast-recovery diodes is ideally suited for power applications from medium to high switching frequencies and high rates of change of current.
The first commercial application for the MX834 is in a display module manufactured by Royal Philips Electronics.
This display module is used in a new e-book reader that is scheduled to go on sale in Japan in late April.
The Philips display module uses E Ink's revolutionary electronic ink technology that offers a paper-like reading experience with contrast that is the same as newsprint.
"We teamed with Micronix for this new e-book development, because of their expertise in displays and mixed signal solutions", said Paul Spijkers, Manager Electronic Paper Displays with Philips Mobile Displays Emerging Display Technology.
"Micronix provided us significant time to market and cost advantages that enabled Philips to meet our tight development schedules".
The cascadable MX834 features a selectable and flexible serial-input parallel-output digital shift register with level conversion on each parallel output which converts digital bits into positive, or negative analogue output voltages.
The MX834 is uniquely suited to drive both segmented and active matrix displays using E Ink's electronic ink technology.
Manufactured in a high voltage CMOS process, the MX834 is available in gold-bumped-die form, 48mm super-wide tape carrier, and 352-pin BGA for prototype development.
""Paper-like display technologies are enabling new applications where readability and power are key", stated Bob DeCaro, Vice President and General Manager of Micronix.
"Products such as e-books, electronic signs and plastic flexible displays with 'Micronix inside' can have the brightness of paper and can retain images for days, weeks, or even years when the power is removed".
"Micronix's drivers, such as the new MX834, are enabling these revolutionary products".
High contrast and low-power applications, such as e-books, e-labels, nonvolatile electronic signage, and personal digital assistants are ideal candidates for nonvolatile zero-power display technologies such as E Ink's.
With such displays, power is consumed only when the image is updated, and viewability performance is comparable to newspaper, from very low ambient light to bright sunlight.
• Ixys Semiconductor: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Electronicstalk email newsletter
• Electronicstalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
