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86 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I MAY 2022 bly such as those that become possible using the Occam process offer both the independent designer and OEM a new option for prod- ucts that are highly reliable and cost-effective. Such products will skirt the numerous con- cerns that have vexed manufacturers for the last decade. Currently, solderless flexible circuit assembly technology is making headway in several ways using printed inks and conductive adhesives in place of copper traces and solder. ese are important first steps, but it is still uncertain if the inks will ever compete with copper metal. Still those efforts hold out the promise of signif- icant potential for the future. ey are helping to broaden the range of material options and significantly expand the horizon of electronic interconnection design. Once interconnection technologists and product designers begin to open-mindedly climb this new "Occam tech- nology tree," they will find branches that take them to many new types of processes, meth- ods, and structures that they would not have anticipated or seen before they began the climb. e specific structure and process exam- ple provided here has not yet been reduced to practice, but it is possible. All that is missing is a willingness to try something, and unlike building a new semiconductor fab, it won't cost billions of dollars to try it out. It just requires a few more people to take up Steve Jobs' chal- lenge to the industry issued at Apple some 20 years ago to "think different." FLEX007 Joe Fjelstad is founder and CEO of Verdant Electronics and an international authority and inno- vator in the field of electronic interconnection and packaging technologies with more than 185 patents issued or pending. To read past columns or contact Fjelstad, click here. Download your free copy of Fjelstad's book Flexible Circuit Technology, 4 th Edition, and watch his in-depth workshop series "Flexible Circuit Technology." Kyocera Corporation has developed a Trans- missive Metasurface technology that can redirect wireless network signals in a specific direction to improve the coverage area and performance of 5G and eventually 6G networks. The Transmissive Metasurface will help deliver high-frequency milli- meter-wave 5G and 6G to places where communi- cation is impossible. Development Background The 28 GHz band used in 5G networks, and the higher frequency band being studied for 6G, have a high degree of rectilinear propagation. Signals often cannot reach locations where a direct line of sight to the base station is obstructed. Reflective Metasur- face technology offers a very limited ability to change the direction of a signal to reach these areas. To solve this issue and expand performance, Kyocera developed a new Transmis- sive Metasurface technology that can redirect radio waves at smaller angles to extend targeted network coverage. Features: Transmissive Metasurface Technology 1) Kyocera expands the direction in which radio signals can be redirected Radio waves striking a conventional Reflective Metasurface device can be redirected at a wide angle, but not at narrow angles beyond the meta- surface. Kyocera's new Transmissive Metasurface technology is able to bend at narrow angles in order to avoid obstacles that may block transmis- sion, expanding 5G and eventually 6G coverage even further. 2) Proprietary Flexible Size Development The area in which a Transmissive Metasurface can deliver signals is proportional to the size of the meta- surface itself. This makes it possible to install metasurfaces in more places, such as a home patio or apartment balcony. (Source: Business Wire) KYOCERA Develops Transmissive Metasurface Technology