A display driver IC (DDI) is an integrated circuit designed to control the display subsystem in mobile phones, desktop and laptop computers, digital TV receivers, and external OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) display panels, among others. This document describes the internal layout, advantages, and most common deployment areas for the most widely used packages for DDIs.

Packaging Display Driver ICs
DDIs are most commonly supplied in two types of packages: TCP (Tape Carrier Package), and COF (Chip On Film). Figure 1 below illustrates both these packages, along with the layout of the driver IC within the package.

TCP is a surface-mount technology providing multiple benefits, such as reduced pitch, thinner packages, and smaller footprints for the device on the PCB. TCP packages are capable of meeting a wide variety of designs and applications. Additionally, they also demonstrate excellent thermal stability.

The COF package differs from TCP primarily in the way the IC is bonded to the base or substrate. COF packages offer certain significant advantages over TCP packages, such as the ability to make the device leads finer, making it possible to shrink the device further in size. Additionally, devices in COF packages maintain their reliability even under long term storage.

Samsung's advanced manufacturing, processing, and packaging techniques ensure that DDIs supplied in both TCP and COF packages conform to the highest quality. Samsung is also a leader in the Tape Automated Bonding (TAB) packaging technology, which uses industry-standard Reel-to-Reel carrier tapes, facilitating easy, mass production of DDI devices.

Key Features of the TCP and COF Packaging Techniques
There are several distinct features of both the TCP and COF packaging techniques for DDIs. Table 1 below presents a list of some of these features.

< Comparison of the key features of the TCP and COF packaging techniques >

Samsung's TCP and COF packaging techniques for DDI devices provide several significant benefits to the end application, some of which are listed below :

Availability of high pin counts :
Devices packaged in TCP or COF packages can provide high I/O pins, for applications which need them, such as display panels. This, in turn, provides higher flexibility for the DDI during its design phase.
Suitable form-factors compliant with a wide range of displays :
Due to their small dimensions and low weights, both TCP and COF packages can be deployed in almost any device equipped with a display, from a mobile phone, to a digital TV receiver.
Excellent operational reliability : Samsung's TCP and COF packaging techniques provide excellent reliability for the device, as summarized by the following points:
Pressure cooker test : 96 or 168 hours (121°C, 100% relative humidity, 2.0 atm)
Boundary temperature cycles : 500 cycles (-55~125°C, no bias)
High temperature storage : 300 hours (150°C, no bias)
Halogen-free and environmentally-friendly composition :
Samsung's TCP and COF packaging techniques use the latest, halogen-free manufacturing processes, making the material for the devices easier to recycle and reuse.
Application Areas for Samsung TCP and COF Packages
DDIs are used in almost all digital multimedia, entertainment, and computing devices, and Samsung's TCP and COF packaging solutions for DDIs are extensively used across all these segments. Some of the key application areas for Samsung's TCP and COF packages include :

Displays for computing devices :
Desktop and laptop computer displays can benefit greatly from using Samsung's DDI device packaging solutions. As stated earlier, the primary advantages of Samsung's TCP and COF packages are high pin count availability, and low physical sizes and weights, making the devices ideal for deployment in the computing displays segment.
Displays for consumer products :
Consumer electronic products, such as digital TV receivers, and external OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) display panels can also benefit from the multiple advantages that Samsung DDI devices in TCP and COF packages have to offer.