OZ969 SMBus CCFL Inverter Volume Production
Patented Architecture Yields Brighter Screens Using Less Power
Thursday, April 6, 1998
Contact: Aaron Reynoso
408-987-5920
General Inquiries
Santa Clara, Calif, April 6, 1998 - O2Micro announces that it's OZ969 SMBus compliant/CCFL (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp) inverter IC is available for volume production. This architecturally advanced and feature rich inverter IC will enhance designs for new, single-stage, next-generation inverter modules.
The OZ969 employs O2Micro's patented pulse width modulated output drive architecture with Zero Voltage Switching (ZVS) technology. The ZVS technique enables the design of efficient, low-loss CCFL inverter circuits. Additional enhanced features of the OZ969 include an advanced floating output architecture with open lamp, short circuit and "cycle-by-cycle" over-voltage protection. Included as part of the advanced architecture is an SMBus digital interface for software control of 32 dimming levels, 256 contrast levels and a sleep mode that reduces circuit power to a few microwatts in shut-down mode.
The OZ969 converts a fixed 5 volt DC source to a high-voltage, high-frequency sine wave required to ignite and run a CCFL. The OZ969's single-stage inverter design eliminates the need for the usual double-stage power conversion and increases inverter light output efficiency as compared to the typical Buck-Royer inverter. Increasing efficiency by eliminating a power stage also significantly lengthens battery life; up to 50% of a notebook's battery capacity may be consumed by the LCD display's CCFL.
Sterling Du, President of O2Micro, stated "O2Micro is focused on providing notebook designers with IC solutions which improve a notebook's battery efficiency. All of O2Micro's backlight inverter ICs implement our patented single-stage inverter architecture to improve the lamp's light output by 10% to 25% per watt of input power. Conserving a notebook's battery power has always been a major concern for both notebook engineers and users."
O2Micro's OZ969 is ideal for driving the latest 12.1, 13.3-inch and larger LCD backlightlamps currently being designed into next-generation laptops. It's efficient architecture generates minimal heat, making it possible for modules designed with the OZ969 to be placed in close proximity to these larger LCD panels without causing display distortion. The OZ969 is the ideal solution for portable computers and new desktop LCD-based monitors where dimming control, ultra-high efficiency, low noise emissions and low-profile form factors are critical parameters.
Founded in 1995, O2Micro designs, develops, and markets high-performance semiconductors designed to breathe life into computing for leading original equipment manufacturers worldwide. O2Micro has expertise in digital, analog, and power IC technology, robust software/firmware for hardware control, and intimate system level design knowledge. O2Micro has sales offices throughout Europe, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United States. Additional information may be found on the company website; www.o2micro.com.
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