Freescale and Samsung Electronics to collaborate

Freescale began sampling its LED display technology to Samsung in December 2007. In September 2008, Freescale introduced the first LED backlight product in its portfolio of standard power management ICs. The white LED driver IC is designed for control of LED backlights in TVs, as well as in flat-panel monitors. Since 2007, Samsung has successfully launched award-winning products featuring its ultra high-contrast active control LED backlight technology. According to IMS Research, the market for semiconductors used in backlighting applications, including LED driver ICs, is expected to grow from $1.1 billion (USD) in 2008 to $2.0 billion in 2012. Energy-efficient, mercury-free LED technology offers many advantages over conventional cold-cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) lighting systems, which are widely used in conventional LCD displays. Conventional LCD TVs without LED backlight technology are major energy consumers within households. LED backlights with local dimming can help reduce power consumption by up to 60% and can enable manufacturers to adopt thinner, lighter form factors. LED technology is free from mercury, a substance known to be toxic to humans. Mercury is a key material in CCFL lighting systems, which are used in 99% of existing LCD TV displays. In Europe, the European Directive on the Restriction of Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electronic (RoHS) has mandated that manufacturers must move to mercury-free solutions.