STMicroelectronics Joins European LCD Design Center

STMicroelectronics, Inc.> has announced the signing of a technical and commercial agreement with Tecdis, a European manufacturer of liquid crystal displays (LCDs). Under the agreement, STMicroelectronics will join the design center in Chatillon, Valle d'Aosta, Italy, close to the Tecdis headquarters and main manufacturing plant. The design center was announced by Tecdis and Three-Five Systems, a U.S.-based producer of LCDs, in October of 1999. The center will develop specialized drivers for small LCDs aimed at high growth industrial, telecom and automotive applications. ST will assure production volumes of the resulting integrated circuits, which it will supply to Tecdis and Three-Five Systems and sell on the open market. The first devices are expected to be available in mid-2000.

LCD driver chips produced through this agreement are expected to be used primarily in mobile phones--a market expected to reach 550 million units in 2001 - plus a broad range of other applications, including pagers, automotive displays and printers.

Edited by David Maliniak