Panasonic Corporation announced that it has commercialized its "High Thermal Conductivity, Low Transmission Loss Halogen-free Multi-layer Circuit Board Material (Part No. R-5575)" intended for wireless base stations, and will launch mass production in August 2017. The industry's first(*1) halogen-free multi-layer board material for RF power amplifiers is designed to contribute to compact-sizing and stable operation of wireless base stations.
 
In the fifth-generation mobile communication system ("5G"), currently being developed for implementation in 2020, data communication by a variety of equipment such as smartphones is predicted to require a much greater capacity and higher transmission rates. For 5G communication, demand for "small cells ", small base stations that can cover hot spots with high user demand, is expected to expand substantially. RF power amplifier boards used in compact-sized small cells will require a multi-layer structure to achieve further space saving in place of the current mainstream double-sided boards. The industry also requires multi-layer boards that can carry out high-speed communication in high frequency domains while providing low transmission losses as well as low heat generation. Panasonic's proprietary resin design technology has enabled the industry's first(*1) commercial production of multi-layer circuit board material for RF power amplifiers by providing halogen-free, low transmission loss and high thermal conductivity features that, up to this point, have represented a major technical barrier.
*1: As a board material for wireless base stations as of June 29, 2017 (Panasonic data)