Panasonic Introduces Halogen-free Ultra-low Transmission Loss Multi-Layer Circuit Board Material for mm-Wave Antennas

Panasonic Corporation announced that its Industrial Solutions Company has commercialized R-5410; a halogen-free, ultra-low transmission loss Multi-Layer Circuit Board (MLCB) material suitable for millimeter-wave antennas. Mass production will begin in March 2021.

The millimeter-wave radar is a key technology for automotive, telecommunications and other industries. These systems form the basis for the driving environment recognition platforms which enable Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) technology.

With the aim of achieving enhanced Mobile BroadBand (eMBB), massive Machine Type Communications (mMTC) and Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC) in 5G communication systems, wireless communication base stations also use millimeter-wave bandwidths with beamforming technologies based on massive-element antennas. The rapid adoption of millimeter-wave radar has increased the performance requirements for high-frequency circuit boards used for wireless communications. Demand has increased for multi-layer circuit board materials that exhibit low transmission loss in the millimeter-wave band.

Historically, fluoropolymer circuit board materials have been primarily used for manufacturing antenna circuit boards. However, these fluoropolymer materials are thermoplastic and can be difficult to process into multi-layer constructions. The newly developed R-5410 Halogen-free Ultra-low Transmission Loss Multi-Layer Circuit Board Material is a prepreg material made from a unique non-fluoropolymer thermosetting resin system. This new prepreg enables multi-layer antenna constructions using industry-standard circuit board lamination manufacturing processes and equipment. This feature increases the flexibility of high-frequency circuit board designs, enabling compact and high-density modules integrated with antennas at reduced material and processing costs and improving the efficiency of antenna performance.

Panasonic's new halogen-free ultra-low transmission loss multi-layer circuit board material has the following features:

1. R-5410 has lower transmission loss which improves the efficiency of millimeter-wave band antenna signals - Transmission loss: 0.079 dB/mm (@79 GHz) (Panasonic MLCB MEGTRON7 R-5785: 0.081 dB/mm). Leveraging Panasonic's proprietary thermosetting resin design technology, this new material exhibits excellent dielectric properties and good adhesion strength with low-profile copper foils. This combination of properties delivers the industry's lowest level transmission loss for thermosetting resin circuit boards thus reducing signal losses and improving the efficiency of millimeter-wave band antenna communications.
2. R-5410 enables multi-layer antenna constructions and improves the design flexibility of high-frequency circuit boards. This prepreg is made from a proprietary low-loss thermosetting resin. R-5410 enables the lamination construction of multi-layer boards consisting of antenna layers, in addition to the insulation bonding use of an antenna layer with other layers (such as signal layers of high-frequency circuits). The new material increases the design flexibility of high-frequency circuit boards, achieving compact and high-density modules integrated with antennas and improving the efficiency of antenna performance. Copper-clad laminates like product number R-5515, which are core materials, included in this product family, are commercially available.
3. R-5410 reduces processing costs during circuit board manufacturing. Since this prepreg is a thermosetting resin material, it can be processed using existing standard circuit board manufacturing equipment. It requires no special chemical solutions or processes. This reduces processing costs during circuit board manufacturing.
   

Basic specifications: Core material: R-5515, Prepreg: R-5410

Suitable applications: Millimeter-wave antenna circuit boards (eg: automotive millimeter-wave radars, wireless communication base stations), high-speed transmission circuit boards.

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