ITEQ Corporation announced the introduction of its new halogen-free IT-88GMW product for use in automotive radar, mmWave and emerging 5G applications. The product has a nominal dielectric constant of 2.98 and a dissipation factor of 0.0012 at 10 GHz, making it the lowest loss product in this category of thermoset products. The product will be available as a standalone copper-clad laminate in hybrid applications for use in automotive driver-assist systems as well as with a full complement of prepreg materials for enabling high layer count boards. The laminate offering will include 5 mil (125 micrometers) and 10 mil (250 micrometers) laminates typically used for automotive radar applications.
IT-88GMW is suitable for high layer count backplane applications, as it offers very low skew and very low loss. The glass transition temperature is in excess of 170°C and the product has a decomposition temperature of around 405°C. Copper profile with Rz values ~2 micrometers will be used as standard on the product. The product will be manufactured in ITEQ’s state-of-the-art facility in Taiwan and distributed globally.
Tarun Amla, ITEQ chief technology officer and executive vice president, noted, “IT-88GMW is a solution to various problems that customers and OEMs encounter when dealing with the incumbent PTFE type products. IT-88GMW solves dimensional stability problems by offering very low and consistent movement. Additionally, its thermomechanical properties closely match the materials that are used to build hybrid boards in automotive radar and other similar applications. PTFE thermomechanical properties have almost an order of magnitude difference compared to thermoset systems: for example, FR4 materials have typical modulus around 12 to 25 GPa as compared to PTFE modulus typically between 100 to 800 MPa. This difference leads to multiple problems, such as deformation, delamination and low yields. The extremely low loss and high thermal conductivity of our product and its ability to make pure package, high layer count boards is a breakthrough improvement over incumbent products. Further, due to its compatibility with FR4 type materials, this can generate more robust hybrid boards than competitive products, suitable for the demanding automotive reliability requirements. There has been a need in the market for dimensionally stable products compatible with the FR4 hybrids, while at the same time enabling pure package, high layer count boards using conventional PCB manufacturing technology. IT-88GMW is another product in a series of first-to-market products that promises low cost solutions for microwave as well as ultrahigh-speed digital backplanes.”
This new product is available for sampling and building test vehicles with customers.