TAGS: Automotive Electrical & Electronics
Toray Industries has developed a high-performance polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) whose dielectric losses in the high-frequency millimeter wave band are around 40% lower than those of conventional PBT without compromising dimensional stability and moldability. The new offering product should significantly enhance the performances of high-speed transmission connectors, communication modules, millimeter wave radars, and other equipment for 5G base stations and automated driving systems.
Demand in Various Applications
The company looks to initiate full-fledged sample work to meet demand for materials used in 5G communication materials. It will develop applications for advanced driver-assistance systems and intelligent transportation systems for automated driving setups.
Applications for PBT include automotive, electrical, and electronic parts. This reflects its outstanding balance of dimensional stability, strength, and other performance elements.
It is also easy to mold and process. There has been a growing need in recent years to lower dielectric losses and thereby cut transmission losses in high-frequency components for automated driving and other applications. This has led to the adoption of polymer alloys and fillers. There are limits to reducing dielectric losses, however, as such losses from the resin itself are large. Other issues are heat resistance and mechanical property degradation.
40% Less Losses as Compared to Conventional PBT
Toray’s PBT delivers a loss tangent (note 6) of 0.006 in the ultra-wide 79 GHz millimeter wave band. Losses from that factor are around 40% below those of conventional PBT resins while retaining their basic properties. That is because the company constrained the polymer’s molecular motion in the high-frequency range by leveraging polymerization technology to attain a new structure.
The new offering keeps the dielectric loss low across 5G communication frequency bands, from sub-6 GHz through high-frequency millimeter wave bands. Dielectric stability is superb in very hot and humid environments. It cuts transmission losses and enables wide-area sensing for incident waves from wide angles, which is an issue in designing high-frequency components.
It has been challenging to downsize products without changing the electrical resistance of electric circuits and connectors. The low dielectric loss of Toray’s new resin makes it possible to keep electrical resistance unchanged, which should contribute to shrinking products, reducing weight, and improving performance.
Toray has commercialized a range of 5G-suitable resins and will promote its new offering for use in semiconductor devices and electronic components to support advanced communication technologies. The company will keep developing revolutionary materials that contribute to social progress in line with its commitment to innovating ideas, technologies, and products that deliver new value.
Toray's Complete Product Range
Source: Toray