Low Dielectric Constant Laminates Containing Microspheres

As electronic devices become faster, the effective dielectric constant of the circuit packaging connecting them becomes more important. The dielectric constant of standard epoxy/glass laminates can be significantly reduced by the addition of hollow glass microspheres. However the addition of such microspheres usually results in the degradation of other physical, electrical and mechanical properties which are prerequisites for materials to be used in commercial circuit packaging. By carefully optimizing the formulation many of these undesirable effects can be avoided. These topics and others pertaining to the development and testing of a microsphere laminate are discussed.