Controller supports AMOLED displays is at your fingertips, says STMicroelectronics
To support the latest active-matrix organic light emitting diode (AMOLED) displays promising power saving and extended runtime in smartphones, the FingerTip FTG2-SLP touchscreen controller supports both synchronous and asynchronous display operations, said STMicroelectronics.
Low temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) AMOLED displays – and similar proprietary equivalents – dynamically control the display refresh rate according to usage. Refreshing more slowly with the less demanding apps, it reserves higher refresh rates for tasks like gaming and streaming, allowing the display driver to minimise power consumption.
The FingerTip FTG2-SLP controller supports both synchronous and asynchronous display operations. This gives the OEMs the ability to maintain seamless user interactions as the refresh rate changes dynamically. The controller is also suitable for smartphones with flexible AMOLED displays that integrate the touch sensitive panel directly on the OLED emitter layer for an extremely thin profile.
The controller is based on an Arm Cortex-M4 core and integrates a large flash memory, to implement advanced touch features. Proprietary hardware and firmware developed by ST and a special hibernation mode ensure extremely low power consumption that further contributes to maximising battery lifetime, added the company.
The controller’s analogue front end (AFE) uses a differential architecture and multiple scanning methods “to ensure faultless touch detection”. The internal design delivers low intrinsic noise, for a a high signal-to-noise ratio. The report rate of 480Hz captures every touch event even when operating at the display’s highest refresh speed.
The FingerTip FTG2-SLP touchscreen controller is in production now.
