Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1361971
APRIL 2021 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 71 also going to see thermal cycling. You've got cars that are up north, you've got cars that are down south. You've got cars that are operating in dry desert environments like Arizona, and ones that are operating in wet environments like Seattle, Washington. You need a material that withstands those environments very sol- idly and performs well for a long lifetime. You don't want to have to be replacing circuit boards in these electric vehicles every few years. Hunrath: I think its price point puts it in a place where it is actually more economical than the alternatives, and that's an important attribute. We're talking about a new resin technology that allows you to do more with organic PCB mate- rials rather than using something like ceramic. is extends the range of what organic can do. Michael, do you know why you couldn't use this in some of the BT applications? Gay: Oh, I think it might fit in that category just fine. Hunrath: BT resins were a popular choice for organic chip substrates, and it's been hard to get for a long time. e supply chain is not great on that material. So, if I look at the num- bers, this material outperforms BT. Gay: And it's also a very moisture-resistant type of material as well, which is one of the things the BT is tested to using JEDEC standards. Johnson: I think you're onto that. is is one of those situations where the overall cost is lower for the OEM than the price of the ma- terial because of the durability, reliability, and manufacturability they're going to get out of this material. It may be at a premium for price, but all in it's going to be cheaper in the long haul. Hunrath: And it's not that much of a premium; it's not like some of the more exotic materials out there, but because of its standard building blocks, you can also broaden its applications, especially if you need high reliability. I mean, it doesn't have to be just the power network in a vehicle, it could be the motherboard in an electric vehicle where you want that extra reliability. Johnson: Where you're seeing the heat and the humidity, nonetheless. Hunrath: Right. You may not have some of the other challenges, but you want to get some more reliability without going to a polyimide or ceramic. is is an option. Johnson: at's part of the challenge for the au- tomotive industry in that you need to be able to handle all conditions. In automotive, reliability is so important. I know this product is relative- ly new, but do you have any hints or indication on how it's doing for overall reliability? Gay: As far as reliability is concerned, we've done a lot of accelerated life testing, but as far as applications are concerned, since we just launched the product, there's not a lot of in- the-field type of reliability data that we can cite at this point in time. We've done some cy- cling tests from -40°C all the way up to 175°C, and that cycling, I think, was in the neighbor- hood of 2,000 or 3,000 cycles. ere was some additional testing where we heated up the ma- terial from room temperature to 200°C, then 225 and 250 degrees; we did this in 500-hour increments. is material just does not de- grade over time. It maintains its integrity, even though it's been through a lot of environmen- tal conditions. We see this as the type of mate- rial that can really prove itself in the field. With the data that's used in the industry to under- stand material performance, the indicators are that this material will perform very well in the field. Hunrath: It should outperform phenol-cured epoxies.