Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501) today announced the HD66704 LCD controller/driver for 
small LCD panel displays, offering 2-line/16-character display*1 or 320-segment 
display*2 with a single-chip.  Sample shipments will begin in October 1999 in Japan.

The HD66704 has a 1.7 mm chip width (60% that of Hitachi's previous models), 
significantly reducing the chip mounting area when using COG*3 mounting, and 
enabling smaller and lighter LCD panels to be produced at lower cost.

Small LCD panels are widely used in such products as cellular phones, facsimile 
machines, IC card readers, and ITS terminals.  Display contents vary widely, from 7-
segment displays to 5 x 8-dot kana/alphanumeric character displays.

With the need for small, lightweight, low-cost LCD panels in these applications, 
conventional QFP mounting is increasingly being replaced by the use of COG 
mounting, in which the driver chip is mounted directly onto the LCD glass, enabling 
the number of parts to be reduced.  While the use of COG mounting has reduced the 
number of parts, however, the chip mounting area has increased, making it difficult to 
reduce costs.

Following on from the previously released 2-line/12-character display HD66705 and 
4-line/12-character display HD66717 as dot matrix type controller/drivers for small 
LCD panels, Hitachi has now developed the HD66704 LCD controller/driver to meet 
the needs for even smaller size, lighter weight, and lower cost.  The new HD66704 
provides 2-line/16-character character display or up to 320-segment display with a 
single chip, while reducing the chip mounting area on the LCD glass by holding the 
chip width down to 1.7 mm.

Character display mode allows simultaneous display of kana or alphanumeric 
characters of  2-line/16-character together with 160-segments.  A fixed 432-character, 
5 x 8-dot size font and two user-programmable fonts are provided on-chip, enabling 
display of a wide variety of characters including boldface and multinational fonts.  
160-segment display also provides for the display of icons, pictograms, and similar 
marks.

In segment display mode, up to 320-segments can be displayed at 1/4 duty.  With the 
7-segment arrangement used for numeric display, up to 40-characters can be shown.  
High- and low-speed blinking control is available for individual segments, and can be 
used to provide flashing low-battery-level or other alarm indications.

The HD66704 also includes a 2x/3x step-up circuit for LCD voltage generation, an 
LCD power supply op-amp requiring no external condenser, and a CR oscillation 
circuit with built-in oscillation resistance, enabling fewer external parts to be used.  5 
MHz high-speed synchronous serial interface and 68-type 4-bit bus interface 
functions are also provided on-chip for interfacing with a microcomputer, reducing 
the number of interface lines required.

Access to on-chip registers and RAM can be carried out at high-speed using 
consecutive writes independently of the internal operating clock frequency, enabling 
fast data transfer to be achieved even on a serial interface.  The pins for external 
interface control signals are arranged on the short sides of the chip, decreasing the 
adhesive area connecting the LCD glass and heat seal, and so enabling the LCD glass 
to be reduced in size.

The HD66704 is suitable for TCP*4 mounting as well as COG mounting.

Notes:	1. Character display: An on-chip character generator that generates font  
	 patterns is provided, and the microcomputer can easily display kana, 
         alphanumeric, and other characters in the character generator simply 
         by specifying one-byte character codes.
	2. Segment display: Illumination/non-illumination control is performed 
         for each LCD pattern (segment).  With 7-segment display, seven LCD 
         patterns are arranged in the shape of the figure 8, and numbers 0 to 9 
         can be represented by controlling the illumination of the individual
         segments.
	3. COG (Chip On Glass): A mounting method in which a die with gold 
         bump is directly mounted face-down on the LCD glass.  The thickness 
         of the LCD module is thus no greater than that of the LCD glass.
	4. TCP (Tape Carrier Package): A package in which the chip is mounted 
         on a thin-film tape. Ultra-thin type mounting is possible (1 mm or less).

< Typical Applications >
GSM and similar cellular phone systems, facsimile machines, cordless phones
Electronic wallets, IC card readers, ITS terminals
Portable audio devices (MD, MP3)


< Prices in Japan >   (For Reference Only)
Product Code		Shipment Form		Mounting Form	Sample Price 
								(Yen)		
HCD66704A03BP		Die with gold bump*	COG		280		
HD66704A03TB0		Bending TCP		TCP		560