[5G! MWC] GigaLane Launches FRC, a Flexible Printed Circuit Board for Foldable 5G Smartphones
Published2019.02.28 10:37| Replaces small coaxial RF cables with high durability
| Half the material cost compared to LCP due to the use of polyimide
The star of this year's MWC19 is undoubtedly Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Fold. To complete a foldable smartphone, not only the display needs to be folded, but the cables inside the product must also be folded.
Gigarain unveils FPCB-based FRC
Accordingly, Gigalane announced on the 28th that it introduced FRC, an RF connectivity solution based on a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB), at MWC19.
FRC is a component that connects the antenna responsible for transmitting and receiving signals from the smartphone and the RF module responsible for processing the signals, enabling the smartphone to communicate with the base station.
Until now, small coaxial RF cables have performed this role, but they are vulnerable to bending and difficult to expand in functionality, which has been an obstacle to smartphone innovation. Accordingly, Gigalane developed FRC, which can replace small coaxial RF cables.
The advantages of Gigalane FRC include ▲durability that can withstand bending ▲applicability to 5G smartphones ▲material cost reduction of up to 50% ▲high degree of freedom in design that can be applied to various modules, etc.
Gigalane FRC has no performance issues even after being bent 600,000 times. It is the optimal component to be applied to foldable phones that are starting to be commercialized in earnest this year.
It can also be used in 5G smartphones. The 5G network will start using the 3.5 GHz frequency band this year and is expected to expand to the 28 GHz band in the future. Giga Lane FRC can transmit frequencies in the 28 GHz band and implements optimal RF signal transmission performance through tuning with the antenna in the smartphone.
Giga Lane FRC RF 1 Line Type
High design freedom and modularity provide innovation in customer smartphone manufacturing and design. Unlike miniaturized coaxial RF cables, GigaLane FRC can be designed in the shape desired by the customer. Integration of multiple RF signal transmission lines and antennas and elimination of connectors are also possible. It also has high space utilization, making it applicable to various devices such as bezel-less, ultra-thin, and wearable devices.
By applying polyimide material instead of LCP (Liquid Crystal Polymer) material, which is mainly applied to current FPCB, material cost was reduced by 50% without any deterioration in performance.
“Gigalane’s FRC will provide innovative value to mobile device manufacturers with solutions optimized for foldable designs and 5G,” said Gigalane RF Business Division Manager Seok-Joo Kang.
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