Recent Developments and Trends in Thin-Film Electroluminescent Display Drivers

Abstract

The development of the thin-film electroluminescent display from a laboratory technology to a viable commercial product has in large part been made possible by advances in integrated circuit technology. Prior to the early 1980’s, driving a display required thousands of discrete transistors in a configuration that was bulky, unreliable and costly. Integrated circuits pioneered by Sharp, Supertex, and Texas Instruments enabled system designers to overcome these shortcomings and led to the first commercial TFEL products. Those early products have since matured, responding to market demands for increased reliability, lower power, and reduced cost. The driver ICs have responded to these demands as well with symmetric row drivers, low power column drivers, and innovative new packaging.