INJECTION MOLDABLE, CONTROLLED DIELECTRIC CONSTANT MATERIALS
FOR ANTENNAS
Dr. Antti Helminen, R&D Manager Mr. Tuomas Kiikka, Business Development Director
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/cm3) 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
Careful Filler Selection Offers Unique Dielectric Properties
Standard LCP
Standard PC/ABS Filler A
Ma
xim
ize
an
ten
na
pe
rfo
rma
nc
e
Minimize antenna size
0,000
0,002
0,004
0,006
0,008
0,010
2 7 12 17 22
Dis
sip
ati
on
facto
r
Dielectric constant (Dk)
Filler B
Elevated dielectric constant material to minimize antenna size
0 %
10 %
20 %
30 %
40 %
50 %
60 %
70 %
80 %
90 %
100 %
Air (1.0) 2.55 3.0 4.5 9.0 21
Wavelength in Different Media
DK
*K. Piiroinen, Design and measurement of a flat dielectric lens antenna for beam steering , Master’s thesis, Aalto University, Espoo, 2013, 68 p.
PTFE dk 2.1
PREPERM ® dk 4.5
Effect of DK on Lens Size
*
• 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
Application Areas for Injection Molded Parts
DK/DF at 1 GHz – Screening and QC
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
Split Post Dielectric Resonator (5 and 22GHz)
PREPERM® L450
Waveguide
Measurement @75-110GHz
Time (days)
Wa
ter
ab
so
rpti
on
(m
-%)
0,00 %
0,05 %
0,10 %
0,15 %
0,20 %
0,25 %
0,30 %
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
255
L300
L380
900
Low Water Absorption under Immersion of Different PPE Grades
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)
Custom dielectric constant grades available.
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)
PREPERM® Miniaturize Antenna size
• 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!
PREMIX Unique PREPERM ® Material
www.premixgroup.com