SBIR Phase I: The Next Generation of High-Speed Dielectric Materials

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The broader/commercial impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project centers on developing a high-speed, high-performance insulator platform for Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) that will significantly enhance performance in networking, communications, and computing. While PCB manufacturing has seen significant advances, innovation in insulator technology has been lacking for two decades. This gap has led to suboptimal performance in signal integrity, data rates, efficiency, heat generation, form factor, and cost. Such limitations can be overcome by replacing fiber-reinforced laminates with non-reinforced, low loss materials. By developing a novel class of insulating materials, the project will enable faster processing speeds and higher data rates to facilitate the development of next generation electronics. This project aims to work with US-based PCB manufacturers to de-risk supply chain bottlenecks and on-shore manufacturing jobs.This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project aims to develop novel, synthetic polymer alternatives to current fiber-reinforced materials for printed circuit boards (PCBs) that are skew-free with a low dielectric constant (Dk) and low dissipation factor (DF). PCBs are paramount for all electronics but result in high signal loss due to the anisotropy of the fiber-reinforced laminate materials traditionally used. As demand for higher data rate rises, skew-free, ultra-low loss, and low Dk materials are needed. Current dielectric materials have non-uniform dielectric properties, so transmission lines encounter a different effective Dk, causing skew and limiting data rates. By developing synthetic polymer films as an alternative to traditional PCB dielectric materials, the team aims to develop low Dk (≤ 2.8) and low DF (≤ 0.0026) materials that are inherently skew-free and low loss. Novel thermosetting polymer formulations must be developed and characterized. Successful evaluation of materials with properties conducive to PCBs can then be taken through pilot manufacturing to determine their viability in large-scale manufacturing environments. Finally, these low Dk, low DF materials can be used to create prototype PCBs to evaluate their reliability before generating more complex PCB structures required for high-density-interconnect-type applications.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.