AS364x series family ranges from industry-leading, highest light output 2000mA flash LED drivers to cost-efficient 320mA flash LED drivers

Unterpremstaetten, Austria (October 12, 2011) – austriamicrosystems (SIX: AMS), a leading global designer and manufacturer of high-performance analog ICs today announced its new AS364X series family of LED flash drivers for mobile phones, cameras and other portable devices. The high level of integration and 4 MHz operation of the DC-DC boost converter enable the industry’s smallest device sizes, yet still maintains the highest accuracy to ensure the best picture and video quality. Expanding the company’s extensive photo-flash offering, the new driver family supports output currents from 320 mA up to 2 A providing optimal solutions for entry-level cell phones to high-end smartphones, tablets, DSCs and VCRs.

In addition to the industry’s smallest device sizes, the new family provides highly accurate I2C programmable output currents and timings. It also provides a variety of security features as well as features for improving the picture quality in a mobile environment that enables the flash to operate down to very low battery levels. This is accomplished through a combination of intelligent built-in features and proprietary process technologies. Overall, the AS364X series enables stable picture quality, faster design-in cycles, highest flexibility and best system protection and safety.

The LED driver AS3648 flagship product drives up to 1 A each into 2 LEDs enabling the highest light output available today for directly battery powered LED flash solutions. Providing a complete flash solution (excluding LED), it requires less than 22 mm2 of PCB board space, the smallest in the industry. Additional high-end features include LED balancing, fully programmable flash, torch and autofocus modes, flash timing programmable in 8 ms steps and LED short circuit 8 kV ESD protection for the LED pins.

With the industry’s highest light output and smallest size, the AS3647 offers the best quality for a high-end, cost- sensitive camera system, driving up to 1.6 A through a single LED. A number of features make the device the best tradeoff between system cost and quality for smartphones and feature phones. These features include programmable TxMask current, pre- and main flash with system shutdown protection, coil current limitation, thermal protection and reliable LED open and short security.

The entry-level devices (AS3644 and AS3642) are the industry’s smallest flash drivers at 11 mm2 and bring new differentiating features to the market such as programmable flash current and duration, video light, torch and autofocus light. These devices provide LED flash currents up to 320 mA (AS3644) and 500 mA (AS3642), making them ideally suited for photo-flash applications in cost-sensitive mobile phones and tablets and for front-facing cameras for social video conferencing in high-end smartphone platforms.

The photo-flash LED driver AS3643, providing up to 1300 mA of flash current for one LED, is well suited for mid-range mobile phones, DVRs and tablet PCs and delivers picture quality improvement features, highest flexibility and programmability and system safety.

“The mobile phone has migrated to a multimedia device bringing together a high resolution, digital camera with the capability to directly upload pictures to the web,” said Oliver Weber, austriamicrosystems’ marketing manager for mobile lighting products. “Taking high quality photos in low-light situations using the camera-flash is becoming more and more critical to consumers who now want the best quality pictures with their mobile device. The photo-flash used in most phones is migrating from a simple LED light to a high quality flash. We specified our new AS364x series of flash-drivers with the end-customer in mind, based on our extensive experience working with leading OEMs. This family supports the next generation of mobile products with enhanced features and improved picture quality.”

Price and availability:

Each member of the series is available in a space-saving WL-CSP and operates directly from a Li-Ion battery between 2.7 and 4.4V over a -30 to +85 °C temperature range. Available in volume now, each device is priced under $1.00 in 1000 piece quantities and demonstration boards are available. For further information on this LED flash driver family or to request samples, please visit www.ams.com/LED-flash-driver/AS364X