Touch controller supports new-generation AMOLED energy-saving displays

1 min read

The FingerTip FTG2-SLP touchscreen controller from STMicroelectronics has been designed to enable advanced features that will be able to support the latest active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) displays in smartphones.

Low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) AMOLED displays, and similar proprietary equivalents, are able to dynamically control the display refresh rate according to usage. While refreshing more slowly with the less demanding apps and reserving higher refresh rates for tasks like gaming and streaming, the display driver minimises power consumption.

The FingerTip FTG2-SLP controller supports both synchronous and asynchronous display operations giving OEMs the ability to maintain seamless user interactions as the refresh rate changes dynamically. The controller is suitable for smartphones with flexible AMOLED displays that integrate the touch-sensitive panel directly on the OLED emitter layer for an extremely thin profile.

Based on an Arm Cortex-M4 core and integrating large flash memory, the FingerTip FTG2-SLP much greater flexibility to implement advanced touch features. In addition, proprietary hardware and firmware developed by ST and a special hibernation mode ensure extremely low power consumption that further contributes to maximizing battery lifetime.

The chip’s analogue front end (AFE) leverages a differential architecture and multiple scanning methods to ensure faultless touch detection. The internal design also ensures very low intrinsic noise, delivering a high signal-to-noise ratio. The report rate of 480Hz captures every touch event even when operating at the display’s highest refresh speed.

The FingerTip FTG2-SLP touchscreen controller is in production now.