On the Road to 5G, Advances in Enabling Technology: A Materials Perspective

Consumption of mobile data continues to grow at a rate exceeding 50% annually through 2020. In order to support this growth, mobile networks are going through evolutionary and revolutionary changes. We are all well aware of the evolutionary changes in the networks, 3G to 4G (FDD-LTE and TD-LTE) and how implementation of additional frequency bands, small cells, carrier aggregation and MIMO have brought about increased capacity to deal with the demand in data. However, going forward, we are in the midst of much hype about the next major change, 5G, what will it be, how will it work and in which way will it impact society? Currently there is no clear definition of what truly is 5G, but we believe that parameters like latency, peak data rates, connection density and mobility (to name a few) are key areas of focus to improve upon on existing 4G networks to bring about new applications in areas of enhanced mobile broadband, massive machine type communications and ultra-reliable communications . To do so, the industry is looking at expanded frequency bands that will drive new technology development. Moving beyond the 3.5 GHz limit that we have seen in traditional 4G will mean network hardware designers will need to consider many new factors in designing antennas and amplifiers and transceivers that will fuel 5G. In these considerations, the selection of printed circuit board materials will be key, understanding the many factors that are relevant to operations in bands below 6 GHz, 10 GHz to 40 GHz and beyond 60 GHz as they pertain to the materials will be critical to success. In this webinar, we will cover the various types of material choices available to designers, discuss in detail electrical characterization as a function of frequency, and touch on topics critical to pcb fabrication and their impact on circuit losses at higher frequencies.

Outline:
 

1. Brief Summary of 5G
2. Material Choices
   1. PTFE
   2. Thermosets
   3. Newer resin systems
3. Detailed Electrical Characterization
   1. Dielectric constant
   2. Insertion loss
   3. Selecting the best copper choice for the application
4. PCB Manufacturing consideration
   1. Building multilayer boards
   2. Plating impact on circuit losses
5. Open Q&A session

Presenter Bio:

Art Aguayo has been with Rogers Advanced Connectivity Solutions for over 20 years, where he has held various positions in Engineering, Quality Assurance and Marketing. Currently he holds the position of Sr. Market Development Manager, Wireless Telecom Networks. He holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Monterrey Institute of Technology in Mexico and a Masters of Science with focus in Electromagnetics from Arizona State University.