Communications networks for 5G, Satcom, Defense, Automotive and other applications continue to move toward mm Wave frequencies. The antennas necessary to manage the high frequency but lower power signals within these advanced networks are increasingly moving from dish and horn antenna to flat panel, beam forming, AESA and massive MIMO designs. PCB designers and fabricators are looking for stable high frequency PCB dielectrics and smoother, thinner copper foils, metamaterials, 3D printing and other advanced technologies to realize the low latency, accurate and high capacity that these new networks can deliver to users.
Customers working in these areas look to Quantic Ticer to deliver products that address the concerns in PCB’s for tighter routing, higher layer count, more surface area for components and the lowest possible insertion loss and attenuation characteristics for any given design. They also want embedded passive products that are consistently repeatable, easily integrated and reliable for the life of the system. It is well known that as signal speed increases, so does the “skin effect” causing the electrical energy to move nearer to the surface of the copper trace in a PCB. At these higher speeds, roughness profile and etching quality of embedded resistor foils is critical to achievement of the best possible insertion loss characteristics.
How Quantic Ticer is addressing the needs in these areas:
- We’ve acquired the capabilities and manufacturing operations to sputter our copper foil products in a Ticer facility.
- We supply a full range of standard embedded resistor foil options from 25 to 1000 ohms per square sheet resistance.
- We have the ability to customize Ohms Per Square and or sputtered media in roll form to customer specification.
- We have qualified TCR EHF® (HSVSP) copper foil products for use with PPE/PPO based high-frequency laminates where matte side surface roughness is necessary to achieve low insertion losses. This foil has an Rz roughness of 1.9 Rz.
- Customers have asked Ticer to look into resistor foils less than 5 microns thickness for the coming generations of Substrate like packaging, Antenna In Package and other High Speed/High Frequency modules.
Features and Benefits and Cost vs. Performance:
Ticer foils are effective alternatives to traditional termination and pull up/down SMT resistors. Ticer TCR® thin-film embedded resistors address many of the needs of SMT passive resistors while providing additional value that can be factored into the overall completed PCB cost model.
- Embedded passives and TCR® embedded resistors are becoming standard in some of the world’s most sophisticated radars, antennas and sensors. They are in use every day in space, defense and commercial communications systems. This history of application and use ensures piece of mind that your critical piece of equipment can deliver years of solid performance and reliability.
- Embedded passive components are known to be highly reliable in part due to the aggressive hermetic sealing made during the MLPCB’s lamination processes. SMT passive component technology is also known reliable and ever more minute; however, by reserving critical Surface mount space for higher level components and modules embedded passives help to achieve the best PCB real estate utilization.
- TCR® embedded resistors support the drive toward a lead-free electronic packaging solution. It contributes no lead waste or concern regarding solder joint failure. Easily recycled, TCR® foils are 99 percent grade 3 copper foils. The small percentage of resistive materials sputtered upon the foil are inconsequential to an effective metal recovery process.
- TCR® foils are tested through multiple standard lamination cycles and dielectrics. The foils do experience a small positive or negative change in sheet resistance during heat and pressure. While this is true of all embedded resistance products, TCR foils exhibit better stability than competitive embedded resistor products and maintain consistency across multiple heat excursions. This within specification variance control enables the efficient scaling and reuse of tooling and artwork.
- Our process is calibrated using precise measurement of Ohms Per Square sheet resistance. During the roll-to-roll sputter manufacturing processes of TCR foil we maintain a thin, continuous, conformal resistor alloy coating that minutely mirrors the profile of the matte side of the copper foil. Trace width, conductor spacing and etch rates are predictable to maintain consistency with most modeling and design software. This eliminates the need for excessive iterative engineering to move from design to realized products.
- High quality is maintained utilizing SPC metrics during raw material procurement, material handling and manufacturing. Delivering consistency from roll to roll; Ticer TCR foils enable stable batch to batch processing at our laminate and PCB fabrication customers. Copper foil bonds to laminate materials are consistent and reliable to most dielectrics. Daily testing in our laboratory and within our customers processes guarantee all products meet specifications.
- A wide variety of industry leading companies have more than a decade of expertise in the procurement, processing, handling and design specifications of TCR thin-film embedded resistance foils. This installed global knowledge base makes sure new customers and those considering Quantic Ticer will have access to information and problem solving quickly. Quantic Ticer maintains staff and representatives in the US and Asia and our website www.ticertechnologies.com offers much in the way of technical papers and design information.
- Quantic Ticer utilizes a large economy of scale to maintain a consistent cost structure. Roll to roll processing is effective to sustain low costs for our standard products. This results in a best price structure to all of our customers so costs are easily known tracked and accounted for.
- Quantic Ticer has expanded our operations to include direct manufacturing control of the vacuum metallization sputtering process. This gives our customers added certainty of supply and product development capabilities in an industry that is dominated by large run rate, high overhead operations. We welcome discussions of new ideas that would benefit from our unique expertise.
- Quantic Ticer products are available in roll form and customer specified sheet sizes. TCR® foils are produced at 51 inches width cross web and production rolls are hundreds of LF in the down web direction. This allows Ticer to work with any combination of dielectric laminate core producer or PCB inner layer layup process. This flexibility allows customers to scale to their preferred and most economical unit size.