The Korea Electronics Technology Institute (KETI, President Shin Hee-dong) is developing low-loss material technology for 5G high-speed communications, and it is expected that it will be used in the production of 5G high-frequency band flexible antennas or antennas with low-dielectric properties in the future.

KETI announced on the 31st that it has developed a material technology that minimizes signal loss during 5G communication and implemented a two-layer FCCL (flexible copper clad laminate) based on this technology.

FCCL (Flexible Copper Clad Laminate) is a flexible copper-clad circuit board and is a key material for FPCB (Flexible Printed Circuit Board) used in electronic products. The quality of 5G communication is affected by the loss rate of wireless communication signals depending on the material applied to the insulating film of FCCL.

In general, the 5G communication method in the high-frequency band (such as 28 GHz) has a short range between the base station and the mobile phone and has strong straightness, so there is a problem that the transmission signal is lost when an obstacle is encountered. Therefore, the need for an insulating film with low dielectric properties has been continuously raised.

KETI's Convergence Electronic Materials Research Center developed a thin insulating film with a thickness of less than 50㎛ (micrometers) through a polymerization process utilizing polymer materials with a low-loss structure, thereby achieving characteristics of a dielectric loss of less than 0.005 and a permittivity of less than 2.3 for 5G 28GHz band communications.

According to the center, in the case of existing FCCL, insulating films using polyimide materials are mainstream, but there have been continuous criticisms that the signal loss is too high for application to 5G communication, and while the liquid crystal polymer (LCP)-based insulating films led by Japan have low signal loss, their high permittivity and high production cost were recognized as problems.

According to Dr. Yoo Myung-jae (Senior Researcher) of KETI, who led the technology development, the research team modified polyphenylene oxide polymer material with excellent low-k properties and performed various polymerization processes, and as a result, secured material technology with low-k and low-loss properties that can be applied to insulating films in FCCLs.

This newly developed material is expected to be used in the production of 5G high-frequency band flexible antennas or antennas with low dielectric properties in film form, and the research team plans to contribute to the stabilization of the domestic FCCL supply chain by promoting technology transfer to related companies in the future.

KETI completed domestic and international patent applications for this technology last December, and will exhibit the technology at the JPCA (Japan Electronics and Circuits Industry Exhibition) held in Tokyo, Japan for three days starting on the 31st.

Meanwhile, The technology was developed with support from the National Research Foundation of Korea's Nano and Materials Technology Development Project funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT.

“KETI is conducting a wide range of research encompassing core electronic materials for next-generation communications and FCCL manufacturing technology,” said Chan-Se Yoo, Director of the KETI Convergence Electronic Materials Research Center. “We will continue to secure core electrical and electronic information technologies in the future to contribute to the self-reliance of not only 5G communications but also the domestic electronics industry.”