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56 PCB007 MAGAZINE I SEPTEMBER 2025 F E AT U R E A RT I C L E by Pa u l C o o ke, AG C M u l t i M a te r i a l s C hoosing materials for advanced PCB fabrication is a critical process that extends beyond select- ing a substrate; it's about engineering enhanced performance. AGC Multi Materials is continually developing new resin systems to address the evolving challenges of advanced processing. Our efforts include creating extremely low loss materials tailored for future ultra high-speed requirements. This is accomplished through the scientific development of new resin sys- tems and the use of advanced glass technologies. fastRise™ TC for HDI Designs, Low CTE Over the past decade, we have focused on devel- oping resin systems that support designers and fabricators involved in high density interconnect (HDI) designs. Our primary objective has been to achieve very low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) attributes. Advanced PCB Material Innovations One of our significant achievements has been the creation of resin systems that allow for the reliable construction of stacked microvia designs. fastRise TC is one of our newest materials in this category. It can withstand up to 50 reflow cycles without failure and achieves approximately 17 ppm in the Z-axis. Stress Relaxation Properties and Fabrication Advantages Targeted development has resulted in resins exhibiting stress relaxation properties, meaning that as temperature rises, the storage modulus decreases, and the material does not display a typical alpha-2 transition. Working with advanced fabricators, we resolved several manufacturing challenges by utilizing non- reinforced resin systems. These systems are capable of filling heavier copper designs and have been