STMicroelectronics announced a integrated light and color-sensing IC intended for optical feedback and sensing applications, including mobile phones, notebook PCs, and LCD TVs. The VM6101 to offer both color and ambient light sensing, with an embedded system interface that needs no external components. The device is ideal for automatic LCD backlight control (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp (CCFL) or white LED).

These sensors, with a standard I²C/SMBus (System Management Bus) interface, are integrated into any system to enable the LCD to be adjusted automatically to match ambient lighting conditions. In addition, the VM6101 can be used to provide color balancing adjustment for projection systems and RGB backlighting. Part-to-part matching methods in manufacture ensure repeatable light measurements, while pixel-to-pixel matching in the VM6101 is better than plus or minus 1% (over the full illumination range, at constant temperature). The sensor's spectral response is matched to that of the human eye through novel frequency-response shaping techniques that reject the IR spectrum, and a very wide dynamic range from 30mLux to 30KLux is achieved by using a light-to-frequency pixel architecture.

The device features power consumption of 1mA in active mode, and 1µA in standby mode. The device is packaged in a tiny 3 x 3 x 0.7mm 8-lead optical MLPD package. Pricing for the VM6101 is $0.77 for quantities of 10,000 units per year.