INJECTION MOLDABLE, CONTROLLED DIELECTRIC CONSTANT MATERIALS FOR ANTENNAS Dr. Antti Helminen, R&D Manager Mr. Tuomas Kiikka, Business Development Director antti.helminen@premixgroup.com
Let s make a good mix UNIQUE PLASTIC SOLUTIONS
PREMIX S Way of Working is Based on 3C S CARING CREATING COMMITTED
PREMIX S Location and Position Premix 36% Others 64% The European market of conductive plastics
Outline Wireless communication Miniaturization / Energy consumption Available antenna material Benefits of thermoplastic materials Thermoplastics Pyramid Thermoplastics processing Filler technology to control DK Applications Measurement of dielectric properties Design Freedom!
THERMOPLASTICS IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATION
Typical High Frequency Applications
Wireless Communication Material requirements / wishes Miniaturization high DK (dielectric constant) Energy consumption low DF (dielectric loss) Properties stable over conditions (T, RH, frequency,...) Mechanical properties (ductility, rigidity, flexibility,...) No limitation for use or process temperature (solderability) Inflammability Easy to process mass manufacturing, prototypes Low cost Reliable supply
Typical High Frequency Applications High frequency laminates (PCB) Typically thermosets with reinforcement Only planar (2D) structures Copper already attached (etching) Some different DK values available Ceramics High DK values available Hard, rigid Slow sintering process to 3D shapes Thermoplastics Easy to process in 3D shapes DK values inherently from 2 to 3 DF high compared to ceramics Low density (~ 1 g/cm 3 ) Low cost Only a few solder resistant grades available
Thermoplastics Processing Methods Injection molding for complex 3D shapes Short cycle times, mass production 2-shot molding Extrusion Cast film Sheet extrusion Profile extrusion Machining from a semi-finished block Rapid prototyping with 3D printers
Pyramid of Plastics
Dielectric Properties of Polymers Low frequency (50 Hz) data is more readily available The high frequency data is not easily available (1+ GHz) Non-polar polymers have inherently low dielectric loss Some materials absorb moisture, which increases the dielectric loss Additives (such as flame retardants) can increase the dielectric loss drastically
Dielectric Properties of Thermoplastics @1GHz Plastic DK DF Remarks ABS 2.8 0.004 HDT 100ºC PC 2.8 ~0.005 HDT 130ºC PC/ABS 2.9 0.004 HDT 110ºC ASA 2.9 0.012 HDT 90ºC PPE 2.6 < 0.001 HDT 180ºC PP 2.2 < 0.001 HDT 100ºC PP + 30% GF 2.65 0.002 HDT 150ºC
Dielectric Properties of Thermoplastics @1GHz Plastic DK DF Remarks PE-HD 2.2 < 0.001 HDT 80ºC PS 2.4 < 0.001 HDT 90ºC PP 2.2 < 0.001 HDT 100ºC COC 2.35 < 0.001 HDT 80-170ºC PPE 2.6 < 0.001 HDT 120-180ºC sps 2.3 < 0.001 HDT 110ºC, crystalline PS LCP 2.7 0.003 Difficult to bond PEI 3.0 0.002 High water uptake PTFE 2.1 < 0.0005 Difficult to process
Advantages of PPE A fully amorphous polymer Enables good dimensional stability due to no warpage in molded parts caused by crystallization Low water absorption Used largely in molded water handling parts Good chemical resistance against alcohols, acids, solvents except aromatic Fast cycle times in injection molding Low density (1.06) compared to most engineering materials
FILLER TECHNOLOGY
Maximize antenna performance Dissipation factor Careful Filler Selection Offers Unique Dielectric Properties 0,010 0,008 0,006 0,004 Standard PC/ABS Standard LCP Filler A 0,002 0,000 Filler B 2 7 12 17 22 Dielectric constant (Dk) Minimize antenna size
Wavelength in Different Media 100 % 90 % 80 % 70 % 60 % 50 % 40 % 30 % 20 % 10 % 0 % Air (1.0) 2.55 3.0 4.5 9.0 21 Elevated dielectric constant material to minimize antenna size DK
Effect of DK on Lens Size PTFE dk 2.1 PREPERM dk 4.5 * *K. Piiroinen, Design and measurement of a flat dielectric lens antenna for beam steering, Master s thesis, Aalto University, Espoo, 2013, 68 p.
Application Areas for Injection Molded Parts Phase shifters (dielectric loaded) Dielectric resonator antennas (DRA) Lenses Patch antennas Low loss structural parts Beam forming Dielectric loaded filters Radomes Tuning screws Miniaturized hand-set antenna
DK/DF at 1 GHz Screening and QC
Split Post Dielectric Resonator (5 and 22GHz) DK 1 GHz 5 GHz 22 GHz 255 2.55 2.55 2.51 L300 3.0 3.16 3.11 L700 7.0 7.27 7.00 DF 1 GHz 5 GHz 22 GHz 255 0.0007 0.0020 0.0014 L300 0.0005 0.0014 0.0015 L700 0.0005 0.0016 0.0023
Measurement @75-110GHz Waveguide PREPERM L450
Water absorption (m-%) Low Water Absorption under Immersion of Different PPE Grades 0,30 % 0,25 % 0,20 % 0,15 % 255 L300 L380 900 0,10 % 0,05 % 0,00 % 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 Time (days)
PREPERM Miniaturize Antenna size STANDARD GRADES: PREPERM 255 (Dk 2.55) PREPERM L300 (Dk 3.0) PREPERM L330 (Dk 3.3) PREPERM L380 (Dk 3.8) PREPERM L450 (Dk 4.5) PREPERM L570 (Dk 5.7) PREPERM L700HF (Dk 7.0) PREPERM L900HF (Dk 9.0) PREPERM L960HF (Dk 9.6) PREPERM 1000 (Dk 10) PREPERM 2100 (Dk 21) PREPERM 260 LDS (Dk 2.8) PREPERM 280GF20 (Dk 2.8) PREPERM 290GF30 (Dk 2.9) PREPERM PO500 (Dk 5.0) PREPERM PP280GF (Dk 2.8) PREPERM PP300 (Dk 3.0) PREPERM PP500 (Dk 5.0) PREPERM PP500GF (Dk 5.0) PREPERM PC370 (Dk 3.7) PREPERM PC620 (Dk 6.2) Custom dielectric constant grades available.
PREMIX Unique PREPERM Material Materials with optimized dielectric properties are now available Outstanding dissipation factor (down to 0.0005 at 1 GHz) Low dielectric constant (2.55) or easily customized to customer requirements Dielectric constant stable over wide frequency range and temperature range Design freedom!
www.premixgroup.com antti.helminen@premixgroup.com