| 1. | EXECUTIVE SUMMARY |
| 1.1. | High Frequency Communications Driving Demand for Low-Loss Materials |
| 1.2. | Key Trends and Requirements for Low-Loss Materials |
| 1.3. | Typical Dk And Df Value Requirements by Applications |
| 1.4. | Low-loss materials discussed in this report |
| 1.5. | Applications of Low-loss Materials in Semiconductor and Electronics Packaging |
| 1.6. | Evolution OF Mobile Communications Driving Demand For Low-loss Materials |
| 1.7. | Mobile Telecommunication Spectrum and Network Deployment Strategy |
| 1.8. | IDTechEx Forecasts for Low-Loss Materials For 5G: By Material Type |
| 1.9. | LTCC: Market shifts and trends |
| 1.10. | What Is 6G And Why Develop It? |
| 1.11. | IDTechEx Outlook Of Low-Loss Materials For 6G |
| 1.12. | Applications of Low-Loss Materials for High-Speed Digital |
| 1.13. | Trends in Low-Loss Materials for High-Speed Digital |
| 1.14. | Radar is a Key Enabler for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) |
| 1.15. | Key Trends and Requirements for PCB Materials for Automotive Radar |
| 1.16. | IDTechEx Forecasts for Low-Loss Materials for Automotive Radar PCBs and Antenna |
| 1.17. | Innovation Trends for Organic High Frequency Laminate Materials |
| 1.18. | Minimizing Transmission Loss Essential in High Frequency Communication |
| 1.19. | Summary of Low-Loss Materials Based on IDTechEx's Database of 150 Products |
| 1.20. | Benchmark - Dk Vs Df of Over 150 Low-loss Organic and Inorganic Materials |
| 1.21. | Frequency Dependency Of Dk And Df: Organic and Inorganic Materials |
| 1.22. | Other Important Factors to Consider for the Selection of Low-Loss Materials |
| 1.23. | Comparison: CTE of Low-Loss Materials |
| 1.24. | Comparison: Glass Transition Temperature of Low-Loss Materials |
| 1.25. | Summary: Moisture Absorption, Thermal Conductivity, Processability, And Cost |
| 1.26. | Player Overview of Low-Loss Materials: By Material Type |
| 1.27. | Forecasts: Low-loss Materials Area for 5G CPE, Smartphones, Infrastructure, and Automotive Radar |
| 1.28. | For more information on 6G, automotive radar, and antenna-in-package technologies and markets |
| 1.29. | Access more with an IDTechEx subscription |
| 2. | INTRODUCTION |
| 2.1. | High Frequency Communications Driving Demand for Low-Loss Materials |
| 2.2. | High frequency communication: Challenges, trends, and innovation |
| 2.3. | Low-loss materials are key to high frequency communication |
| 2.4. | Low-loss materials discussed in this report |
| 2.5. | Applications of low-loss materials in semiconductor and electronics packaging |
| 2.6. | Anatomy of a copper clad laminate |
| 2.7. | Key components of copper clad laminates |
| 2.8. | PCB core in laminates: Key aspects |
| 2.9. | Low-loss materials for 5G |
| 2.10. | Low-loss materials can also be used in radome cover or molding housing |
| 2.11. | Automotive mmWave radars: 77GHz band |
| 2.12. | Low-loss materials for semiconductor packages and high-speed digital (HSD) |
| 2.13. | Trends and developments in patent applications |
| 3. | MATERIALS & PLAYERS |
| 3.1.1. | Overview of low-loss materials for PCBs and semiconductor packages |
| 3.1.2. | Material overview: By application |
| 3.1.3. | Player overview: By material type |
| 3.1.4. | Important factors to consider for the selection of low-loss materials |
| 3.1.5. | Summary: Ceramics vs Organics |
| 3.1.6. | What about the copper foil? |
| 3.1.7. | Stability of dielectric constant is a key consideration for signal integrity |
| 3.1.8. | Rigid-flex and flexible PCBs: Applications and standards |
| 3.1.9. | Rigid-flex and flexible PCBs: Types |
| 3.2. | Low-loss Organic Laminate Overview |
| 3.2.1. | Electric properties of common polymers |
| 3.2.2. | Thermoplastics vs thermosets |
| 3.2.3. | Thermoplastics vs thermosets for 5G |
| 3.2.4. | Evolution of organic PCB materials for 5G and beyond |
| 3.2.5. | Innovation trends for organic high frequency laminate materials |
| 3.3. | Low-Loss Organics: Design Considerations |
| 3.3.1. | Strategies to achieve lower dielectric loss and trade-offs |
| 3.3.2. | Factors affecting dielectric loss: Polarizability and molar volume |
| 3.3.3. | Factors affecting dielectric loss: Curing temperature |
| 3.3.4. | Strategies to reduce Dk and Df: Low polarity functional groups |
| 3.3.5. | Strategies to reduce Dk and Df: Additives |
| 3.3.6. | Strategies to reduce Dk: Bulky structures |
| 3.3.7. | Strategies to reduce Dk: Porous structures |
| 3.3.8. | Strategies to reduce Df: Rigid structures |
| 3.3.9. | Summary: Key strategies to lower Dk and Df |
| 3.3.10. | Impact of glass-to-resin ratio |
| 3.3.11. | Effect of temperature on dielectric properties |
| 3.3.12. | Moisture effects |
| 3.3.13. | The influence of Dk and substrate choice on PCB feature size |
| 3.3.14. | The challenge of thinning the PCB-substrate for high frequency applications |
| 3.4. | Low-Loss Thermosets: Players |
| 3.4.1. | Low-loss thermoset suppliers: Ajinomoto Group's Ajinomoto Build Up Film (ABF) (1/2) |
| 3.4.2. | Ajinomoto Build Up Film: Process for manufacturing substrates with ABF |
| 3.4.3. | Low-loss thermoset suppliers: Taiyo Ink's PPE-based build-up materials |
| 3.4.4. | Low-loss thermoset suppliers: JSR's self crosslinking thermoset polyether |
| 3.4.5. | Low-loss thermoset suppliers: DuPont's Pyralux laminates |
| 3.4.6. | Low-loss thermoset suppliers: Panasonic's XPEDION series |
| 3.4.7. | Low-loss thermoset suppliers: Resonac |
| 3.4.8. | Low-loss thermoset suppliers: Mitsubishi Gas Chemical's BT laminate |
| 3.4.9. | Low-loss thermoset laminate suppliers: Isola |
| 3.4.10. | Isola's portfolio of thermoset materials |
| 3.4.11. | Low-loss thermoset laminate suppliers: Rogers |
| 3.4.12. | Low-loss thermoset adhesive: Toray's FALDA |
| 3.4.13. | Low-loss thermoset laminate suppliers: Nan Ya Plastics |
| 3.5. | Low-loss thermoplastics: Liquid crystal polymers |
| 3.5.1. | Liquid crystal polymers (LCP) |
| 3.5.2. | LCP classification |
| 3.5.3. | LCP as an alternative to PI for flexible printed circuit boards |
| 3.5.4. | LCP vs PI: Dk and Df |
| 3.5.5. | LCP vs PI: Moisture |
| 3.5.6. | LCP vs PI: Flexibility |
| 3.5.7. | LCP: Cost |
| 3.5.8. | Liquid crystal polymer supply chain |
| 3.5.9. | LCP Supplier: Sumitomo Chemical |
| 3.5.10. | LCP Suppliers: Celanese |
| 3.5.11. | Commercial LCP and LCP-FCCL products |
| 3.6. | PTFE and PFA |
| 3.6.1. | An introduction to fluoropolymers and PTFE |
| 3.6.2. | Key properties of PTFE to consider |
| 3.6.3. | Effect of crystallinity on the dielectric properties of PTFE-based laminates |
| 3.6.4. | PTFE: Dimensional instability of PTFE during processing |
| 3.6.5. | Ceramic-filled vs glass-filled PTFE laminates |
| 3.6.6. | 5G application areas for ceramics/LTCC |
| 3.6.7. | Key applications of PTFE in 5G |
| 3.6.8. | Concerns of using PTFE-based laminates for high frequency 5G |
| 3.6.9. | PTFE laminate suppliers: Rogers |
| 3.6.10. | PTFE laminate suppliers: Rogers (2) |
| 3.6.11. | PTFE laminate suppliers: AMMK / AGC |
| 3.6.12. | PTFE laminate suppliers: SYTECH |
| 3.6.13. | PFA laminate suppliers: Chemours |
| 3.7. | Sustainability in low-loss materials: PTFE |
| 3.7.1. | Introduction to PFAS |
| 3.7.2. | Growing concerns about the negative impact of PFAS |
| 3.7.3. | Regulatory outlook for PFAS: EU |
| 3.7.4. | Regulatory outlook for PFAS: USA |
| 3.7.5. | Regulations on PFAS as relevant to low-loss materials |
| 3.7.6. | For more information on PFAS |
| 3.8. | Other organic materials: PPE, PPS, PBT, Hydrocarbons, etc |
| 3.8.1. | Poly(p-phenylene oxide) (PPO): Sabic |
| 3.8.2. | Poly(p-phenylene ether) (PPE): Panasonic's MEGTRON series |
| 3.8.3. | AGC's PPE range CCLs for automotive, 5G, chips, and HSD |
| 3.8.4. | Modified poly(p-phenylene ether) (mPPE): Asahi Kasei's XYRON (1) |
| 3.8.5. | Modified poly(p-phenylene ether) (mPPE): Asahi Kasei's XYRON (2) |
| 3.8.6. | Modified poly(p-phenylene ether) (mPPE): Asahi Kasei's SunForce |
| 3.8.7. | Polyphenylene sulfide (PPS): Solvay's materials for base station antennas |
| 3.8.8. | Polybutylene terephthalate (PBT): Toray |
| 3.8.9. | Hydrocarbon-based laminates |
| 3.8.10. | Polycarbonate (PC): Covestro's materials for injection-molded enclosures and covers |
| 3.8.11. | Laird's ECCOSTOCK range for radomes, antenna spacers, PCBs and other components |
| 3.8.12. | Aerogel suppliers: Blueshift's AeroZero for polyimide aerogel laminates |
| 3.9. | Low-temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC) and ceramics |
| 3.9.1. | Introduction to ceramic materials, HTTC, and LTTC |
| 3.9.2. | LTCC substate manufacturing process |
| 3.9.3. | Dk and Df of different commercially available LTCC substrates |
| 3.9.4. | LTCC: Player overview |
| 3.9.5. | LTCC supplier: Celanese |
| 3.9.6. | LTCC Supplier: Nippon Electric Glass (NEG) |
| 3.9.7. | LTCC Supplier: GC Core by Nippon Electric Glass (NEG) |
| 3.9.8. | LTCC supplier: Kyocera |
| 3.9.9. | LTCC suppliers: Kyocera's LTCC-based packages |
| 3.9.10. | LTCC: Advantages and Challenges |
| 3.10. | Glass |
| 3.10.1. | Glass substrate |
| 3.10.2. | Properties of glass substrates |
| 3.10.3. | Glass as reinforcements - transition towards low Dk glass and quartz |
| 3.10.4. | Glass reinforcement weaves for organics |
| 3.10.5. | Glass as reinforcements for organics - challenges with E-glass |
| 3.10.6. | SCHOTT's low-loss glass substrates |
| 3.10.7. | Fused silica |
| 3.10.8. | Nippon Sheet Glass: Glass fillers for organics |
| 3.11. | Materials for 6G |
| 3.11.1. | Technical innovation comparison between 5G and 6G |
| 3.11.2. | IDTechEx outlook of low-loss materials for 6G |
| 3.11.3. | Dk and Df of various materials at 1THz |
| 3.11.4. | Testing of polyimide materials for 6G |
| 3.11.5. | Testing of commercially available Rogers' LCP, ceramic filled PTFE materials |
| 3.11.6. | RDL materials for 6G |
| 3.11.7. | Thermoplastics for 6G: Georgia Tech |
| 3.11.8. | PTFE for 6G: Yonsei University, GIST |
| 3.11.9. | PPS for 6G: Sichuan University |
| 3.11.10. | Thermosets for 6G: ITEQ Corporation, INAOE |
| 3.11.11. | PPE for 6G: Taiyo Ink, Georgia Institute of Technology |
| 3.11.12. | Silicate materials for 6G: University of Oulu, University of Szeged |
| 3.11.13. | Silicate materials for 6G: Tokyo Institute of Technology, AGC |
| 3.11.14. | Glass for 6G: Georgia Tech |
| 3.11.15. | Glass interposers for 6G |
| 3.11.16. | Metamaterials - Overview |
| 3.11.17. | LCPs are a promising method for creating active metasurfaces |
| 3.11.18. | Alcan Systems develops transparent liquid crystal phased array antennas |
| 3.11.19. | More information about Metamaterials |
| 4. | BENCHMARKING OF COMMERCIAL LOW-LOSS MATERIALS FOR PCBS AND RF COMPONENTS |
| 4.1.1. | Typical Dk and Df values requirements by applications |
| 4.1.2. | Benchmark - Dk vs Df of over 150 low-loss organic, inorganic & composite materials |
| 4.1.3. | Frequency dependency of Dk and Df: Organic and Inorganic Materials |
| 4.1.4. | Moisture absorption of low-loss materials |
| 4.1.5. | Thermal conductivity of low-loss materials |
| 4.1.6. | CTE of low-loss materials |
| 4.1.7. | Glass transition temperature of low loss materials |
| 4.2. | Organic Materials |
| 4.2.1. | Dk vs Df of organic materials (1) |
| 4.2.2. | Dk vs Df of organic materials (2) |
| 4.2.3. | Advantages and Challenges: By Material Type |
| 4.2.4. | Organic materials: Examples and typical applications |
| 4.2.5. | Frequency dependency of Dk and Df: PPE Materials |
| 4.2.6. | Frequency dependency of Dk and Df: Other Organic Materials |
| 4.2.7. | Other relevant properties of low-loss organic materials - average values |
| 4.2.8. | Thermal conductivity by type of organic material |
| 4.2.9. | Peel strength of laminates by organic material type |
| 4.2.10. | Glass transition temperature (Tg) by organic material type |
| 4.2.11. | Coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) - T<Tg |
| 4.3. | Inorganic Materials |
| 4.3.1. | Benchmark: Dk and Df of LTCC |
| 4.3.2. | LTCC Materials - thermal conductivity and CTE |
| 4.3.3. | Benchmark: Glass materials |
| 4.3.4. | Frequency dependency of Dk and Df: Inorganics |
| 4.4. | Composites |
| 4.4.1. | Hydrocarbon materials and composites (1) |
| 4.4.2. | Hydrocarbon materials comparison: Dk and Df |
| 4.4.3. | Hydrocarbon materials comparisons: CTE |
| 4.4.4. | Hydrocarbon materials comparisons: Thermal Conductivity and Moisture Absorption |
| 4.4.5. | PTFE materials comparisons - Dk and Df |
| 4.4.6. | PTFE materials comparisons - Thermal Conductivity and Moisture Absorption |
| 4.5. | Summary of low-loss materials |
| 4.5.1. | Status and outlook of commercial low-loss materials for 5G, 6G, and THz PCBs/ components |
| 4.5.2. | Material Comparisons |
| 5. | TRENDS IN SEMICONDUCTOR PACKAGING |
| 5.1.1. | Overview of advanced semiconductor packaging |
| 5.1.2. | Progression From 1D To 3D Semiconductor Packaging |
| 5.1.3. | Packaging trends for 5G and 6G connectivity |
| 5.1.4. | Antenna Module Design Trends for 6G |
| 5.1.5. | Trade-Off in Integration Technologies |
| 5.2. | Antenna Packaging |
| 5.2.1. | Antenna Packaging vs Operational Frequency |
| 5.2.2. | Three ways of mmWave antenna integration |
| 5.2.3. | Choice of Antenna Packaging Technology Options |
| 5.2.4. | Benchmarking Three Antenna Packaging Technologies |
| 5.2.5. | Next Generation Phased Array Targets |
| 5.2.6. | High frequency integration and packaging trend |
| 5.2.7. | Low loss materials: Key for 5G mmWave AiP |
| 5.2.8. | Organic materials: The mainstream choice for substrates in AiP |
| 5.2.9. | LTCC AiP for 5G: TDK |
| 5.2.10. | Benchmark of Substrate Technologies for AiP |
| 5.2.11. | Antenna Integration Challenges in mmWave |
| 5.2.12. | Antenna on Chip (AoC) for 6G |
| 5.2.13. | Evolution of Hardware Components from 5G to 6G |
| 5.2.14. | Packaging Challenges for Freq. >100 GHz |
| 5.2.15. | mmWave AiP ecosystem |
| 5.2.16. | AiP for 5G and 6G, 2024-2034 |
| 5.3. | Low-Loss Materials at the Package Level |
| 5.3.1. | Choices of low-loss materials for 5G mmWave AiP |
| 5.3.2. | Benchmark of low loss materials for AiP |
| 5.3.3. | Two types of IC-embedded technology |
| 5.3.4. | Two types of IC-embedded technology |
| 5.3.5. | Key market players for IC-embedded technology by technology type |
| 5.3.6. | What are EMC and MUFs? |
| 5.3.7. | Epoxy Molding Compound (EMC) |
| 5.3.8. | Key parameters for EMCs and EMC fillers |
| 5.3.9. | Experimental and commercial EMC products with low dielectric constant |
| 5.3.10. | Epoxy resin: Parameters of different resins and hardener systems |
| 5.3.11. | Supply chain for EMC materials |
| 5.3.12. | EMC innovation trends for high frequency applications |
| 5.3.13. | Molded underfill (MUF) |
| 5.3.14. | Liquid molding compound (LMC) |
| 5.4. | Low-Loss Materials at the Wafer-Level |
| 5.4.1. | Redistribution layer (RDL) |
| 5.4.2. | Key parameters for organic RDL materials for next generation 2.5D fan-out packaging |
| 5.4.3. | Industry players of organic RDL |
| 5.4.4. | Importance of low-loss RDL materials for different packaging technologies |
| 5.4.5. | Low-loss RDL materials for mmWave: TSMC's InFO AiP |
| 5.4.6. | Summary: Organic RDL technology development trend |
| 5.4.7. | For more information on materials for advanced semiconductor packaging |
| 6. | 5G/6G COMMUNICATIONS |
| 6.1.1. | The Evolution of Mobile Communications |
| 6.1.2. | Spectrum Characteristics From 2G to 6G |
| 6.1.3. | Mobile Telecommunication Spectrum and Network Deployment Strategy |
| 6.1.4. | Evolving mobile communication focus |
| 6.1.5. | 5G Rollout Continues at Pace |
| 6.1.6. | Lessons From 5G Rollout |
| 6.1.7. | What is 6G and why develop it? |
| 6.1.8. | IMT-2030 Enhanced Performance Requirements |
| 6.1.9. | 6G spectrum - which bands are considered? |
| 6.1.10. | 6G - Key Applications Overview |
| 6.1.11. | 6G Rollout Timeline |
| 6.1.12. | 6G Industry Update - Vendors |
| 6.2. | Technology |
| 6.2.1. | Antenna Size Shrinks With Increasing Frequency |
| 6.2.2. | The main technique innovations in 5G |
| 6.2.3. | 5G base station types: Macro cells and small cells |
| 6.2.4. | Massive MIMO (mMIMO) |
| 6.2.5. | Structure of massive MIMO (mMIMO) system |
| 6.2.6. | Evolution of MIMO in Wireless Communications |
| 6.2.7. | Why Cell-Free MIMO |
| 6.2.8. | Filter technologies compatible with mmWave 5G |
| 6.2.9. | Benchmark of selected filter technologies for mmWave 5G applications |
| 6.2.10. | Overview of transmission lines filters for 5G mmWave |
| 6.2.11. | Materials for transmission-line filters |
| 6.2.12. | Evolution of smartphone antennas from 2G to mmWave 5G |
| 6.2.13. | RIS - Overview |
| 6.2.14. | Operational Frequency for RIS |
| 6.2.15. | For more information on the 6G market |
| 7. | AUTOMOTIVE RADAR |
| 7.1.1. | Introduction to Automotive Radar |
| 7.1.2. | Autonomous Vehicles Will Drive Radar Growth |
| 7.1.3. | Radar is a Key Part of Modern ADAS Features |
| 7.1.4. | Packaging and Integration Trends |
| 7.1.5. | Which Way is Frequency Going? |
| 7.1.6. | Applications of Different Frequencies |
| 7.1.7. | Applications of Different Frequencies (2) |
| 7.1.8. | Automotive Radar Frequency Trends |
| 7.1.9. | Adoption Path of High Frequency Radars |
| 7.1.10. | Packaging Benefits |
| 7.2. | Components and Materials |
| 7.2.1. | Radar Anatomy |
| 7.2.2. | Primary Radar Components - The Antenna |
| 7.2.3. | Ideal Radome Properties |
| 7.2.4. | Preperm |
| 7.2.5. | Laird - Side Lobe Reduction Skirt Material |
| 7.2.6. | Other material considerations |
| 7.2.7. | Key trends in automotive radar |
| 7.2.8. | Key requirements for PCB materials for automotive radar |
| 7.2.9. | Low-loss material supplier landscape for automotive radar |
| 7.2.10. | Commercially available low-loss substrates for automotive radar substrates |
| 7.2.11. | For more information on the automotive radar market |
| 8. | HIGH SPEED DIGITAL |
| 8.1.1. | Applications of PCBs for high speed digital |
| 8.1.2. | Data centers are a key driver in demand for HSD materials |
| 8.1.3. | Data Center Equipment - Top Level Overview |
| 8.1.4. | Data Center Server Rack and Server Structure |
| 8.1.5. | Waveforms: HSD vs RF and material requirements |
| 8.1.6. | Roadmap for bandwidth and frequency requirements for data center and AI |
| 8.1.7. | Trends in Dk and Df requirements for HSD |
| 8.1.8. | AGC's low-loss materials for HSD substrates |
| 8.1.9. | Other commercially available low-loss substrates HSD substrates |
| 8.1.10. | Roadmap for high speed substrates (1/3) |
| 8.1.11. | Roadmap for high speed substrates (2/3) |
| 8.1.12. | Roadmap for high speed substrates (2/3) |
| 9. | FORECASTS |
| 9.1.1. | Forecasts: Low-loss materials area for 5G CPE, smartphones, infrastructure, and automotive radar |
| 9.2. | Low-loss material forecasts for 5G |
| 9.2.1. | Forecast methodology and scope: 5G |
| 9.2.2. | Low-loss materials area for 5G: By market segments |
| 9.2.3. | Low-loss materials for 5G: By material type and frequency |
| 9.3. | Low-loss material forecasts for 5G infrastructure |
| 9.3.1. | Low-loss materials for 5G base stations segmented by frequency |
| 9.3.2. | Low-loss materials for 5G base stations segmented by material type |
| 9.3.3. | Low-loss materials for 5G base stations segmented by component types |
| 9.4. | Low-loss material forecasts for 5G smartphones |
| 9.4.1. | Low-loss materials for 5G smartphones by frequency |
| 9.4.2. | Low-loss materials for 5G smartphones by material type |
| 9.5. | Low-loss material forecasts for 5G customer premises equipment (CPEs) |
| 9.5.1. | Low-loss materials for 5G CPEs by frequency |
| 9.5.2. | Low-loss materials for 5G CPEs by material type |
| 9.6. | Low-loss material forecasts for automotive radar |
| 9.6.1. | Forecast methodology and scope: Automotive radar |
| 9.6.2. | Low-loss materials for automotive radar by component |
| 9.6.3. | Low-Loss Material Market Forecast for Automotive Radar: By material type |
| 9.6.4. | Comparison with previous forecast: 2024 version vs 2026 version for 5G |
| 10. | COMPANY PROFILES |
| 10.1. | Access to company profiles through the IDTechEx portal |