Product category: Power Supply ICs and Controllers
News Release from: Catalyst Semiconductor | Subject: CAT3643 and CAT3644 Quad-Mode charge pumps
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 9 February 2007
Three and four-channel charge
pumps to drive LEDs
Catalyst Semiconductor's CAT3643 and CAT3644 Quad-Mode charge pumps drive three and four LEDs respectively
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Catalyst Semiconductor has brought out two new families of LED driver; namely the CAT3643 three-channel and the four-channel CAT3644 charge pumps. The CAT3643 Quad-Mode charge pump is believed to be the world's smallest, highest efficiency charge pump, delivering 10% higher efficiency than three-mode charge pumps, in a 2.5mm * 2.5mm XQFN package with a 0.4mm profile, compared with the traditional 3mm x 3mm 16-lead TQFN package and 0.8mm profile of most three-mode LED drivers.
The CAT3643 drives up to three LEDs.
With the Quad-Mode switching architecture, the new CAT3643 and CAT3644 deliver efficiency levels as high as 92%, yet save significant board space and costs.
The innovative, patent-pending Quad-Mode charge pump architecture delivers the high efficiency levels of inductor-based LED drivers, while eliminating the associated high-profile inductors, and unwanted EMI.
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Most charge pump LED drivers today offer three modes of operation corresponding to the ratio of the output voltage to the input voltage: 1x, 1.5x and 2x.
The Quad-Mode architecture adds a fourth mode of operation, 1.33x, without the need for the additional capacitor and associated extra two pins required by all existing four-mode charge pumps, which enables the dramatically smaller, lower pin count XQFN package.
The 1.33x fractional operating mode also reduces the input switching currents seen at the battery, minimising the overall supply noise - a critical parameter in portable devices such as cell phones.
Additionally, by making use of the 1.33x mode of operation, the excess boosted voltage is kept to a minimum, which reduces wasted power and subsequent device heat losses.
According to Scott Brown, Vice President of Marketing for Catalyst Semiconductor, 'The performance and space saving benefits of the CAT3643, combined with its eXtra-thin, low profile XQFN package provide an unprecedented performance alternative for designers of today's emerging, ultra-thin portable products'.
'This device also addresses the 'sweet spot' of the portables market where 3-LEDs are becoming norm'.
The CAT3643 includes fully featured LED programming and dimming control via Catalyst's flexible 1-wire EZDim programming interface.
Six different current ratios are available via the EZDim interface.
Catalyst is also introducing the CAT3644 four-channel Quad-Mode device, which drives up to four LEDs, with efficiency levels as high as 92%.
Pricing for the CAT3643 in 10,000 piece quantities starts at $0.64 each.
Pricing for 10,000 piece quantities of the CAT3644 is $0.68 each.
Samples and evaluation kits are now available.
Projected lead-times for production quantities are currently 6 to 8 weeks ARO.
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