Samsung is mass producing a 16M-color display driver IC (DDI) for active matrix-based organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) displays used in mobile phones and other handheld devices.

"The AMOLED market is expanding steadily," said Jin Tae Kim, vice president of Samsung Electronics’ System LSI division. "In the future, we expect AMOLEDs will be applied to a wide range of mobile devices to deliver the high resolution they require."

The global mobile communications market is transitioning rapidly from 2.5G products to 3G technology platforms that support a wider range of multimedia functions and services, including digital media broadcasting (DMB) and video telephony. Samsung’s new mobile DDI for AMOLED displays support qVGA (quarter Video Graphics Array) resolutions (240 RGB by 320 dots) and is capable of producing a range of over sixteen million colors. It is well in step with the recent expansion of multimedia functions and services offered in mobile devices.

The AMOLED display is a self-luminous device that works by having electrical current flow between two thin films made of organic material. This allows for designs that are lighter and thinner than other display types. Images are shown at the speed of light, so they look natural without the ghosting effects seen in such fast-paced video sequences as sporting events. These characteristics have proven the AMOLED display to be ideal for video applications.