High‐performance substrate based on a highly filled thermoplastic polymer

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate and present the properties of a new substrate material based on thermoplastic polymers (so‐called LuVo Board) for high‐frequency applications.Design/methodology/approachThe thermal, mechanical and electrical properties of a new thermoplastic substrate are investigated and compared to conventional substrates for printed circuit board (PCB) applications.FindingsThe new LuVo Board exhibits similar properties to commercially available high‐performance substrates. The main advantage of the LuVo Board is a reduction of manufacturing costs in comparison to conventional substrates, as a highly automated manufacturing process can be employed. Moreover, the LuVo Board exhibits some further advantages: the material is inherently flame resistant and can be thermally shaped after the assembly process.Originality/valueThis paper presents an entirely new thermoplastic substrate, which can be employed in high‐frequency applications. In comparison to standard materials, a further advantage of the thermoplastic substrate is lower production costs.

Dielectric properties of highly filled thermoplastics for printed circuit boards

“…The CTEs of these polymers are already very low (45–55 ppm/K) in comparison to other thermoplastics, and can be further reduced in the plane by incorporating approximately 25–35 filler vol %. A CTE of approximately 17 ppm/K, which is similar to that of copper, can therefore be reached, as already discussed in a previous study 32. These compounds can also be continuously manufactured via extrusion technology to thin films, and afterward be used for the manufacturing of electrical multilayer PCBs.…”

“…In summary, the mechanical and thermal properties of high‐temperature thermoplastics exhibit a good potential for the development of insulating substrates for high‐frequency multilayer. However, quite surprisingly, only few investigations regarding the dielectric properties of these materials in the high‐frequency range (>10 MHz) can be found in the literature 32–36…”