Samsung Develops Integrated Display Driver with Readout Function for Thinner, Lighter Touch-Sensor-Embedded Display Panels

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. has announced it has developed the world's first mobile display driver IC (DDI) combining the display driver and readout functions for touch-sensor-embedded display panels, a step which the company believes will pave the way for lighter and thinner mobile applications.

Samsung's new DDI device enables an active-matrix liquid-crystal display (AMLCD) to be touch-sensitive, eliminating the need for the extra layer containing touch sensors that is standard in most current touch-screen panels. This is done through the introduction of a touch-sensitive sensor into the pixel. This approach enables designers to dispense with the separate touch panel, raising light transmissivity, improving brightness and providing sharper on-screen images.

"Designers can get an ultra-thin touch screen by combining our new DDI with an LCD that has embedded touch sensors. This method will accelerate the process of developing lighter and slimmer mobile products that feature a touch screen," Dr. Myunghee Lee, vice president of the Advanced DDI Design Team at System LSI Division of Samsung Electronics Co., said in a press release.

Samsung's new DDI with readout function also senses either charge or current signals from the thin-film-transistor (TFT) sensor array and converts them into data appropriate for image processing for detection of the touched location, the company said. By eliminating the need for a readout chip, Samsung claims the sensor embedded touch-screen system can be more compact and cost effective.