An overview of laminate materials with enhanced dielectric properties
This report focuses on laminate materials (resins and reinforcements) having potential applications in the manufacture of multi-layer printed wiring boards (PWBs) that are required to efficiently transmit high-speed digital pulses. It is intended to be a primer and a reference for selection of candidate materials for such high-performance PWBs. Included are dielectric and physical properties, and where available chemical composition and/or structure, commercial availability, compatibility with typical PWB processing schemes and approximate relative cost. Recommendations are made as to the most viable candidate materials for this type of PWB application, based on a comparison of electrical and physical properties together with processing and cost considerations. The cyanate ester resin system appears promising. Such a resin may be reinforced with regular E-glass, or the more newly available S-glass, to produce a laminate useful for intermediate performance applications. For more demanding applications the E-glass will have to be replaced by a material of much lower relative permittivity. The expanded-PTFE reinforced laminates fromW. L. Gore appear to be a good choice for these applications. The processing of theGore materials can be expected to deviate from that used with FR-4 type materials, but is likely to be less problematic than laminates comprised of a fluorinated resin. Processing is a key obstacle to the implementation of any of the new materials herein. If implementation is to be successful, programs must be established to develop and optimize processing procedures. Cost will remain an important issue. However, the higher cost of the new materials may be justified in high-end products by the performance they deliver.