With the future rise of mmWave 5G and eventually 6G, low-loss materials will experience rapid growth and play an increasingly important role. Low-loss materials will not only be used as a substrate for RF components or for the PCB, but also within advanced packages. One strong packaging trend is antenna in package (AiP); as telecom technology goes higher in frequency towards mmWave 5G and beyond, the size of the antenna elements will shrink such that the arrays can be fitted into the package itself. This integration will also help shorten the RF paths and thus minimize the transmission losses. AiP will need low-loss materials for the substrates, redistribution layers, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, mold underfill (MUF) materials, and more. The report covers these trends and technologies in greater detail, along with providing 10-year material demand forecast by frequency (sub-6GHz and mmWave) and material type (e.g. epoxy and BT, PTFE, LTCC & ceramics, PI & MPI, etc.) for 5G smartphones, base stations, and customer premise equipment (CPE).

 

Additionally, work is well underway in preparation for 6G which IDTechEx expects to enter commercialization around 2030. Research institutions and materials suppliers are already exploring the material requirements needed to meet the next generation of telecommunication technologies. This report explores the approaches to achieve even lower Df/Dk for 6G and potential 6G applications, like reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS).

 

As automotive autonomy advances, the number of sensors integrated into each vehicle continues to rise. Over the past decade, increasingly sophisticated ADAS capabilities have driven widespread adoption of radar technologies, with the current 76-81GHz band for long-rage radar, and ongoing development of 140GHz systems. Alongside this shift, industry trends such as greater system integration and continual cost pressures are placing increased emphasis on cost-efficient, low-loss materials capable of operating reliably at high frequencies. To meet these needs, materials must not only exhibit low and stable dielectric constant (Dk) and loss tangent (Df) across operating frequencies and temperatures, but also deliver strong thermal and moisture stability, consistent physical and electrical performance, and high manufacturing processability, all while keeping costs competitive. Detailed assessments of trends, material requirements, and 10-year forecasts for material demand (by material type) for automotive radar are available within the report.

 

The demand for signal integrity continues to rise as higher frequencies and faster data transfer speeds become essential to meet the growing data needs of our increasingly connected world. Datacenter infrastructure increasingly relies on low-loss materials to maintain signal integrity and reliability for high data transfer rates, where low-loss materials are used in substrates across high performance computing servers, storage area networks, transceivers, routers, power amplifiers, high speed data channels, and more. Substrates for high-speed digital (HSD) are generally multilayered complex structures with high density of traces, thus selecting materials for HSD requires significant consideration of the mechanical and thermal properties as these need to undergo multiple thermal cycling during manufacturing. IDTechEx spoke to low-loss materials players such as Kyocera and Isola, who are increasingly focusing on these applications.

 

In this report, IDTechEx surveys the landscape of low-loss materials and benchmark the performance of over 150 products by several key factors, i.e. dielectric constant (Dk), dissipation factor/loss tangent (Df), frequency dependence of dielectric properties, thermal conductivity, coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), glass transition temperature, moisture absorption, and more. In addition, the report also considers material cost and processability.

 

Organic materials have gained significant popularity for high frequency applications, with significant efforts to find PTFE alternatives, which has also seen the adoption of materials like PPE, LCP, hydrocarbons, and other advanced thermosets. While inorganic materials may appear to be progressing more slowly, materials like glass, LTCC, and other ceramics offer strong long-term potential owing to their excellent electrical and thermal properties.

 

The report highlights promising low-loss materials for high frequency applications. This includes

 

• Low-loss thermoset materials: thermoset materials dominate the market for 3G/4G network devices. However, the high Dk and Df restrict their use in mmWave 5G. Here, IDTechEx's report focuses on the strategies and R&D effort from key materials suppliers to reduce the Dk and Df for these materials.
• Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE): one of the most common materials for high-frequency applications such as automotive radar systems, high speed/high frequency (HS/HF) board and connectors, and especially suited for high power applications. However, manufacturing challenges, high cost, and regulatory pressures are driving the popularity of alternatives.
• Liquid crystal polymers (LCP): it has been adapted to make flexible board for smartphone antennas. The market will continue to grow and expand into other applications.
• Polyphenylene Ether (PPE): Widely considered a low-cost alternative to PTFE, these materials continue to see growing adoption across mmWave automotive radar, high-speed digital (HSD), and 5G infrastructure.
• Low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC): the low Df and wide range of Dk for LTCC has long-term potential in the market owing to their excellent electrical and thermal properties.
• Others: A variety of other materials are seeing market growth and ongoing developments for high frequency applications, such as hydrocarbons, glass, and non-halogenated resins.

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