NIST researchers characterize tile temperature-dependent dielectric properties of polymer materials to aid the electronics industry - News Briefs - National Institute of Standards and Technology

Journal of Research of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Jan, 2002

NIST staff members have completed dielectric measurements on a selection of plastic materials. The goal of the research was to obtain well-characterized, variable temperature measurements on a wide array of polymer materials and to develop new characterization metrology. Low-loss plastics are widely used in the microelectronics industry; temperature-dependent measurements are crucial for accurate modeling and design. For example, printed wiring boards generate heat as the computer dissipates energy, so it is very important to know the temperature-dependence of the permittivity of the wiring board.

The features that make these measurements unique include the wide array of materials, the broad temperature range, the use of very precise temperature-dependent thermal data. These measurements required a detailed uncertainty analysis which was lacking in the literature. The materials in the study were selected on the basis of utility in microelectronics applications. These plastics included commercially available materials such as Teflon, Rexolite, nylon, FEP, polyethylene, polysulfone, and others. The temperatures spanned were from -150 [degrees]C to 150 [degrees]C, the measurement frequency was 10 GHz, and the measurement fixture was a TE0l dielectric resonator. Literature values for the temperature-dependent thermal expansion coefficients were used in the study. The environmental chamber used to achieve the temperature dependence has bulkhead adapters on the sides for insertion of coaxial feeds for the cavity. The chamber was purged with nitrogen gas to reduce oxidation and water vapor.

CONTACT: Jim Baker-Jarvis, (303) 497-5621; jjarvis@boulder.nist.gov.