Recent NSM important acquisition..........National buys Vivid to bolster
flat-panel display IC offerings
By the SBN news staff
Semiconductor Business News
(07/19/00, 2:36 p.m. EST)
SANTA CLARA, Calif.- — National Semiconductor
Corp. here today announced the acquisition seven-year-old
Vivid Semiconductor Inc. (Chandler, Ariz.), a supplier of
high-voltage ICs for flat-panel displays. National said
Vivid will strengthen its ability to serve fast-growing
flat-panel display applications, which have become a key
market target for National.
The terms of the acquisition were not released by
National, based here. Privately-held Vivid has a team of
25 engineers involved in the development of analog and
mixed-signal ICs that can be fabricated with low-power
digital CMOS technology. The operation will remain in
Chandler, according to National.
"This acquisition also will accelerate and expand our
introduction of leading-edge silicon solutions for flat-panel
applications," said Patrick J. Brockett, executive vice
president and general manager of National's Analog
Group. "Vivid's products and intellectual property fit like a glove to complement
our existing capabilities and programs in serving the flat-panel display market."
Vivid has patented techniques for fabricating high-voltage chips that use
low-voltage digital CMOS technology. According to National, these techniques
increase the performance of display drivers that are built into liquid crystal
displays (LCDs).
The technology can be used at National's 8-inch wafer fab in South Portland,
Maine. National plans to ramp that facility to 25,000 eight-inch wafer starts per
month by this time next year.
National also said Vivid has developed a patented data bus architecture for
LCD displays — called WhisperBus — which improves display performance
and reduces electromagnetic interference effects.
What is catching National's attention is a flat-panel display market that's
expected to grow to 38.5 million high-performance units in 2001, up from 28.4
million in 2000, according to a forecast by analysts at Display Search Inc.
(Austin, Texas). Already, National is serving this market with its reduced swing
differential signal (RSDS) technology. The company said RSDS provides
substantial power, weight and cost savings for battery-powered and mobile
applications. In addition to serving portable systems, National said it is aiming to
increase the use of flat-panel displays in desktop computers. |
