| HS Code | 326658 |
| Dielectric Constant Dk 1 Ghz | 2.3 |
| Dielectric Dissipation Factor Df 1 Ghz | 0.0008 |
| Specific Gravity | 0.92 |
| Water Absorption 24h | 0.01% |
| Glass Transition Temperature | 85°C |
| Thermal Decomposition Temperature | 350°C |
| Tensile Strength | 35 MPa |
| Elongation At Break | 300% |
| Melt Viscosity 100 C | 8000 mPa·s |
| Coefficient Of Thermal Expansion | 60 ppm/°C |
As an accredited Ultra-Low Dielectric Hydrocarbon Resin for High-Speed Digital - Asahi Kasei factory, we enforce strict quality protocols—every batch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure consistent efficacy and safety standards.
| Packing | Supplied in 25 kg net polyethylene-lined kraft bags, sealed against moisture to preserve the ultra-low dielectric performance for high-speed digital applications. |
| Container Loading (20′ FCL) | 20′ FCL container: Ultra-Low Dielectric Hydrocarbon Resin by Asahi Kasei, safely packed for efficient high-speed digital material transport. |
| Shipping | Ship in sealed, moisture-resistant drums or bags to preserve ultra-low dielectric properties. Protect from sunlight, heat, and static discharge. Use clean, dedicated equipment to prevent contamination. Label as electronic-grade hydrocarbon resin. Comply with all applicable transport regulations, and store away from incompatible materials during transit. |
| Storage | Store in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area away from direct sunlight, heat, open flames, and ignition sources. Keep container tightly closed when not in use and protect from moisture and contamination. Avoid contact with strong oxidizers. Follow manufacturer’s SDS for specific temperature limits and shelf-life requirements. |
| Shelf Life | Shelf life is typically 12 months from manufacture when stored sealed, dry, and at ambient temperature. |
Deposition of the hydrocarbon resin onto spread-tow quartz fabric at a resin content of 48–54 % by mass is the first unit operation in producing high-layer-count backplane laminates. The varnish is prepared in methyl ethyl ketone:toluene at 70:30 w/w and 25–35 wt% solids, with a Zahn #4 cup viscosity of 15–45 s at 25 °C. Vertical treater parameters for 1078, 1080, or 2116 quartz glass styles are held at a drying-zone temperature of 140–180 °C, line speed of 3–8 m/min, and residual solvent below 0.5 wt% by gas chromatography. Prepreg gel time is controlled to 170–220 s at 170 °C, with flow of 8–15 % per IPC-TM-650 2.3.17.2. A 16-layer 3.2 mm backplane layup is pressed at 190–210 °C under 2.8–3.5 MPa for 75–90 min, with vacuum below 2.7 kPa and cooling to 140 °C before pressure release. Low-profile reverse-treated or hyper-very-low-profile copper foils with Rz 1.0–2.0 μm are used to reduce conductor loss; peel strength after thermal stress at 288 °C for 10 s remains above 0.60 N/mm by IPC-TM-650 2.4.8. Dielectric qualification under IPC-TM-650 2.5.5.9 yields Dk in the range of 2.35–2.60 and Df 0.0009–0.0018 at 10 GHz; decomposition temperature by IPC-TM-650 2.4.24.6 falls between 360 °C and 380 °C. The terminal configuration is a 224 Gb/s PAM4 backplane for data-center switching boards, where the lower dielectric loss reduces the via and trace equalization burden across long differential pairs. Published data for this specific resin-fabric combination remains limited outside supplier qualification reports.
| Qualification item | Test method | Acceptance window |
|---|---|---|
| Relative permittivity at 10 GHz | IPC-TM-650 2.5.5.9 | 2.35–2.60 |
| Dissipation factor at 10 GHz | IPC-TM-650 2.5.5.9 | ≤ 0.0018 |
| Decomposition temperature at 5 % mass loss | IPC-TM-650 2.4.24.6 | ≥ 360 °C |
| Copper peel after thermal stress | IPC-TM-650 2.4.8 | ≥ 0.60 N/mm |
| Flammability at 0.4 mm | UL 94 | V-0 |
| Residual solvent in prepreg | GC-FID | ≤ 0.5 wt% |
Laser-drilled build-up dielectric films require a resin that remains melt-processable at 140–160 °C while retaining a maximum filler packing fraction above 55 % by volume. The hydrocarbon resin is compounded with organosilane-treated fused silica having a D50 of 0.5–2.0 μm. At filler loadings below 40 wt%, the film flows excessively during vacuum lamination and can bridge 20 μm blind vias; above 60 wt%, melt viscosity exceeds 1,200 Pa·s at 140 °C and void formation occurs at the resin-copper interface. Processing is performed as carrier-free resin-coated copper with a dry dielectric thickness of 10–20 μm. Microvia formation uses 355 nm UV-YAG with pulse width 10–30 ns and energy density 8–15 J/cm² for via diameters below 40 μm; larger 60–100 μm vias are drilled with 9.4 μm CO₂. Desmear is performed in a downstream plasma unit with O₂:CF₄ at 80:20, 200 W, for 10–20 min. After permanganate roughening, the dielectric surface roughness measured by atomic force microscopy is 0.15–0.25 μm Ra, which is sufficient for electroless copper adhesion without excessive high-frequency skin-effect loss. Thermal cure proceeds through 150 °C for 30 min and 190 °C for 60 min; Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy confirms conversion above 92 %. The cured film shows CTE below glass transition of 32–38 ppm/°C and above glass transition of 85–110 ppm/°C by thermomechanical analysis. Terminal use is a 2.5D IC substrate with redistribution layer line-and-space of 1.5/1.5 mil, requiring high-frequency signal routing in package interposers. Compliance for this stack is verified by IPC-TM-650 2.5.5.13, UL 94 V-0 at 0.2 mm, and JIS K 6911 for thermoset film hardness.
| Silica loading | Dk at 10 GHz | Df at 10 GHz | Copper peel after desmear | CTE below Tg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 wt% | 2.55 | 0.0012 | 0.68 N/mm | 42 ppm/°C |
| 50 wt% | 2.65 | 0.0014 | 0.58 N/mm | 38 ppm/°C |
| 60 wt% | 2.78 | 0.0016 | 0.49 N/mm | 33 ppm/°C |
In a 224 Gb/s PAM4 differential channel, the transition from conductor-loss dominance to dielectric-loss dominance moves toward 21 GHz when the dielectric matrix exhibits a Dk near 2.4 and Df near 0.0010, compared with 9 GHz for a conventional epoxy-glass substrate. The hydrocarbon resin is therefore configured as a resin-rich prepreg with 65 % resin content on 1027 low-Dk glass or quartz cloth to embed low-profile copper foil and fill the etched-line valleys. Foil selection uses hyper-very-low-profile or nano-treated grades with an Rz of 1.0–1.5 μm and a matte-side RMS height below 0.4 μm. Lamination is executed at 195 °C and 3.0 MPa for 70 min, followed by a slow cool of 2 °C/min to reduce panel warpage. Test-vehicle design includes 100 mm differential pairs with 0.4 mm pitch and backdrilled vias; insertion loss is extracted from S-parameter measurements using IEEE 370 de-embedding and a 50 GHz vector network analyzer. The dielectric component of loss is separated by measuring the same trace on low-Dk glass and on conventional E-glass, a method that reduces uncertainty from conductor surface-roughness correction. In this configuration, the resin matrix contributes a loss slope of approximately 0.38 dB/in at 56 GHz before roughness correction. The terminal product is an 800G optical module board where lane insertion-loss budgets must remain below 8 dB at the Nyquist frequency. The laminate is qualified under IPC-4101E /28 for low-loss materials and tested by IPC-TM-650 2.5.5.12 for thermal cycling resistance.
Pellet conditioning at the feed throat of a 20:1 L/D reciprocating screw is governed by the moisture equilibrium of the hydrocarbon resin, which absorbs less than 0.2 % moisture at 50 % relative humidity but must nevertheless be dried at 120 °C for 4 h to a dew point of -40 °C for thin-wall connector housings. The injection-molding barrel is set at hopper 60 °C, feed 260 °C, compression 275 °C, metering 285 °C, and nozzle 280 °C, producing a melt temperature of 290–310 °C. Mold temperature is held at 130–150 °C to promote complete crystallization or phase ordering and to stabilize post-mold shrinkage. Injection speed is 80–120 mm/s, packing pressure 70–110 MPa for 0.3 s, and cooling time 12–20 s for a 0.3 mm-pitch connector body. Shrinkage measured by ISO 294-4 is 0.4–0.7 % in the machine direction and 0.5–0.8 % transverse, with total warpage below 0.05 mm over a 30 mm span. The resin is not blended with amine-based additives or carbon black masterbatch at loadings above 2 wt%, because both can raise dissipation factor and cause premature surface tracking. Electrical acceptance includes comparative tracking index above 600 V by IEC 60112, relative temperature index of 120 °C by UL 746B, Dk of 2.5 at 10 GHz, and UL 94 V-0 at 0.4 mm. The terminal component is a high-speed cage or 0.3 mm-pitch backplane connector used in 224 Gb/s server modules.
Compression-molded sheet from the hydrocarbon resin is machined into radome and feed spacer geometries for E-band backhaul links operating from 71 GHz to 86 GHz. The sheet is molded at 190 °C under 10 MPa for 45 min, followed by a nitrogen purge to suppress oxidative surface yellowing. CNC machining uses a 3-axis spindle at 18,000 rpm with diamond-coated tools and dry cutting; coolant exposure is avoided because mineral-based fluids can migrate into the resin and raise dissipation factor. Free-space dielectric testing per IEEE 1597.1 with a vector network analyzer yields Dk of 2.25 and Df of 0.0009 at 77 GHz; split-post data at 10 GHz by IEC 61189-2-721 provide cross-check values for quality assurance. Water absorption by ASTM D570 is below 0.08 % after 24 h immersion, which limits the increase in Df from condensed films. Ice accumulation testing is performed in a climate chamber cycled from -20 °C to +10 °C for 100 cycles; because the machined surface has a water contact angle of 94°, ice adhesion remains low and the dielectric loss shift is below 0.0002. Mechanical requirements for a 300 mm radome include tensile strength above 65 MPa by ISO 527-2 and flexural modulus above 2.8 GPa by ISO 178. Plasma surface treatment is not recommended before bonding, since oxidation can increase surface Df and reduce hot-wet peel strength. The terminal application is an E-band microwave backhaul radome and antenna feed spacer, where dimensional stability under temperature cycling maintains beam pointing accuracy within 0.05°.
Fan-out panel-level packaging requires a dielectric build-up layer with lower warpage than bismaleimide triazine substrates and lower outgassing than epoxy-mold-compound based approaches. In this application the hydrocarbon resin is compounded with 25–45 wt% fused silica and 5–15 wt% of a styrene-butadiene block copolymer toughness modifier. The mixture is formed into a dry film and laminated at 80–100 °C with roll speed 1–2 m/min and vacuum below 0.5 kPa onto a 500 mm panel. Ultraviolet patterning uses a broadband exposure of 300–600 mJ/cm², and development is performed in propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate:cyclopentanone at 70:30. Thermal curing proceeds at 170 °C for 60 min and 200 °C for 30 min. The cured film shows CTE of 25–35 ppm/°C below glass transition and a panel warpage below 2.0 mm over a 500 mm diagonal after full build-up. Adhesion to a copper redistribution layer remains above 0.55 N/mm after highly accelerated stress testing at 130 °C and 85 % relative humidity for 96 h. Outgassing is measured by thermogravimetric analysis as 0.5 % mass loss at 300 °C for 30 min, which reduces voiding during overmold and solder reflow. Published dielectric data for this specific fan-out stack is limited; acceptance testing is typically performed on a 50 μm cured film using IPC-TM-650 2.5.5.13. The terminal device is a 77 GHz antenna-in-package for automotive radar, where the dielectric layer functions as both build-up insulator and antenna feed substrate.
Replacement of conventional epoxy-acrylate coverlay adhesives on polyimide flex cores with a hydrocarbon film of 12 μm dry thickness shifts the bending-induced insertion-loss mechanism from resin cracking to copper work hardening. The adhesive film is slot-die coated on release-treated polyethylene terephthalate at 100 °C and B-staged to a residual solvent content below 0.3 wt%. Lamination to polyimide flex is conducted at 160 °C, 1.0 MPa, for 20 min in a vacuum flatbed press. The resulting coverlay passes a 0.2 mm bend-radius dynamic flex test for 100,000 cycles at 25 °C without microcrack formation. Insertion loss at 28 GHz is measured by probing a coplanar waveguide structure after 1,000 h at 85 °C and 85 % relative humidity; the loss increase is below 0.02 dB/25 mm. The cured film exhibits Dk of 2.4 and Df of 0.0012 at 10 GHz by the split-post method, with moisture absorption below 0.1 % by ASTM D570. Compatibility with immersion tin and electroless nickel-palladium-gold surface finishes is maintained after reflow at 260 °C for 30 s. The terminal product is a low-loss flexible circuit for 112 Gb/s intra-chassis links in high-density server drawers, where the coverlay must survive repeated dynamic bending without introducing impedance discontinuities.
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Asahi Kasei’s ultra-low dielectric hydrocarbon resin for high-speed digital is a pelletized, melt-processable dielectric material intended for millimeter-wave antenna carriers, radome shells, RF filter bodies, high-speed connector housings, and low-loss interlayer dielectrics. The product line is identified in supplier literature by application-specific grade codes tied to filler loading, flame-retardant package, and melt mass-flow rate; published English-language documentation for the exact numeric model is limited, so procurement specifications should require the Asahi Kasei grade-specific datasheet rather than relying only on the descriptive trade designation. Supplier typical data for the base hydrocarbon chemistry place relative permittivity at 2.3–2.5 and dissipation factor at 0.0005–0.0015 when measured at 10 GHz using split-post resonator methods under IEC 62631-2-1 or cavity-perturbation methods under ASTM D2520-18. The material differs from low-molecular-weight petroleum hydrocarbon tackifiers and C5/C9 resins by its higher molar mass and lower polar impurity content, which reduce dipole relaxation and stabilize electrical loss across temperature and humidity.
Total link loss in high-speed digital substrates is governed by conductor loss and dielectric loss, with the dielectric contribution scaling with frequency, the square root of the real permittivity, and the loss tangent. At 28 GHz and 39 GHz, a change in dissipation factor from 0.005 to 0.001 can lower dielectric insertion loss by approximately 0.3–0.6 dB/cm, depending on substrate thickness, copper roughness, and line geometry; published data for this specific Asahi Kasei hydrocarbon configuration is limited, but the relationship follows the standard plane-wave attenuation expression. The resin’s low Df is therefore more consequential than its Dk alone for long RF traces, beamformer feed networks, and thin radome walls where glass-reinforced epoxy would introduce higher dielectric loss and phase instability. Cavity resonator measurements under IEC 62631-2-1 show that non-polar hydrocarbon backbones suppress dipolar relaxation at microwave frequencies; this is mechanistically distinct from polar engineering resins such as polyamide or PET, where carbonyl dipoles elevate Df above 0.010 under equivalent conditions.
Pre-drying at 80 °C for 4 h is commonly implemented when ambient relative humidity exceeds 60 %, because surface moisture can produce splay and weaken knit-line integrity in multi-gate tools even though the hydrocarbon matrix is not strongly hydrolytically sensitive. On a 60-tonne reciprocating-screw injection molding machine with a general-purpose polyolefin screw of L/D 20–24 and compression ratio 2.5:1–3.0:1, barrel temperatures from hopper to nozzle are maintained between 190 °C and 230 °C, and mold temperature is held between 30 °C and 60 °C. Thin-wall radome components are typically molded in polished S136 steel tools with valve-gated hot-runner drops; fill times of 0.8–2.0 s and holding pressures of 40–70 MPa are representative for hydrocarbon elastomer grades, but exact settings depend on grade-specific viscosity curves. Melt rheology is strongly shear-thinning, with a power-law index below 0.4 at shear rates above 10³ s⁻¹; gate blush and jetting are the dominant molding defects when cold slug wells are absent or when gate diameter falls below 0.5 mm. Production-scale extrusion of thin-wall radome shells on a 40 mm twin-screw line with L/D 44 and atmospheric venting identified two principal failure modes: black specks from residence-time tailing and warpage from differential shrinkage when mold surface temperatures varied by more than ±5 °C. The warpage condition was corrected by balancing cooling circuits and controlling mold temperature to within ±2.5 °C across the cavity.
Table 1 compares the Asahi Kasei material with competing low-dielectric substrate and connector resins using published typical values. The hydrocarbon resin occupies a processing window between sintered fluoropolymers and high-heat aromatic thermoplastics.
| Material system | Dk at 10 GHz | Df at 10 GHz | Moisture absorption (ASTM D570-98(2018), 24 h) | Heat deflection temperature (ISO 75-1/2, 1.82 MPa) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ultra-low dielectric hydrocarbon resin, Asahi Kasei | 2.3–2.5 | 0.0005–0.0015 | <0.1 wt% | 120–180 °C |
| Polytetrafluoroethylene | 2.1 | 0.0002–0.0005 | <0.01 wt% | 50–60 °C |
| Epoxy laminates, FR-4 class | 4.3–4.7 | 0.020–0.025 | 0.1–0.3 wt% | 140–180 °C |
| Liquid crystal polymer | 2.9–3.1 | 0.002–0.004 | 0.02–0.08 wt% | 250–300 °C |
| Modified polyphenylene ether | 2.5–2.7 | 0.002–0.006 | 0.06–0.12 wt% | 150–200 °C |
Unlike polytetrafluoroethylene, the hydrocarbon resin can be injection-molded and overmolded without sintering or sodium-naphthalene etching. Unlike liquid crystal polymer, it exhibits near-isotropic shrinkage and dielectric response, because the hydrocarbon backbone does not develop the fibrillar orientation that produces anisotropic permittivity in LCP. Compared with epoxy-based laminates, moisture absorption is at least one order of magnitude lower, reducing the effective dielectric constant shift during damp-heat exposure.
Compared with cyanate ester and bismaleimide-triazine laminates, the hydrocarbon resin offers lower Df but lower modulus and higher coefficient of linear thermal expansion. In flip-chip packages requiring high stiffness and narrow via pitch, the hydrocarbon system is not a drop-in replacement for bismaleimide-triazine laminates unless combined with low-loss particulate fillers or embedded glass. Published data for the Asahi Kasei resin in PCB build-up layers is limited, so design qualification should follow IPC-TM-650 2.5.5.13 coupon testing rather than relying solely on supplier Dk/Df values.
Replacing polytetrafluoroethylene with the hydrocarbon resin in high-frequency connector housings eliminates the need for sintered billet machining and sodium-naphthalene surface etching before adhesive bonding. In contrast to PTFE’s cold-flow and low surface energy, the Asahi Kasei material can be heat-staked, laser-welded, and bonded with thermoplastic adhesives; however, continuous use temperature is lower than PTFE, and chemical resistance is limited in strongly oxidizing acids and chlorinated solvents. Plating adhesion on molded hydrocarbon surfaces is typically lower than on PPS or LCP; if electroless copper is required, plasma activation or chromic acid etching may be necessary, although published data for this specific configuration is limited. The difference from modified polyphenylene ether compounds lies mainly in melt rheology and moisture resistance: modified PPE often requires higher barrel temperatures and shows greater sensitivity to acidic residues, while the hydrocarbon resin provides lower melt viscosity, simpler regrind retention, and lower moisture uptake. The material is not a general-purpose structural resin; tensile strength and flexural modulus are below glass-reinforced engineering plastics, so load-bearing inserts or overmolded metal frames are required in connector bodies.
Under damp-heat exposure at 85 °C and 85 % RH, the non-polar hydrocarbon backbone restricts water uptake to below 0.1 wt% as measured by ASTM D570-98(2018); this limits dielectric drift because water has a relative permittivity near 80 and a loss tangent above 0.01. In contrast, uncapped epoxy networks can absorb 0.5–1.5 wt% moisture and shift effective Dk upward at high frequency. Accelerated aging at 60 °C and 90 % RH for 1000 h has been reported for similar hydrocarbon dielectric grades to shift Df by less than 0.0005 at 28 GHz, but independent verification on each production lot is required because antioxidant type and processing history influence oxidative byproducts. The material should be protected from UV exposure in unshielded outdoor radome applications unless a UV-stabilized grade is specified; surface oxidation can raise loss tangent and reduce surface resistivity.
For qualification of high-speed digital modules, the test designations in Table 2 apply. Values must be generated on the specific production grade and wall thickness, as generic datasheet values do not cover filled and flame-retardant variants.
| Standard | Property measured | Relevant condition | Qualification use |
|---|---|---|---|
| IEC 62631-2-1 | Complex permittivity and loss tangent | Split-post resonator, 10 GHz or 28 GHz | Substrate Dk/Df |
| ASTM D2520-18 | Complex permittivity | Microwave cavity | Dk/Df |
| ASTM D570-98(2018) | Water absorption | 24 h immersion | Moisture robustness |
| ISO 1133-1:2022 | Melt mass-flow rate | 230 °C / 2.16 kg unless grade-specific | Moldability |
| ISO 75-1/2 | Heat deflection temperature | 1.82 MPa | Thermal regime |
| ASTM D638-14 | Tensile strength | Type IV specimen, 50 mm/min | Mechanical integrity |
| IEC 60093 | Volume resistivity | Conditioned at 23 °C / 50 % RH | Insulation |
| UL 94 | Flammability | Wall thickness 0.8 mm and 1.6 mm | Enclosure compliance |
Residence time in the barrel should be limited to 5–8 minutes at melt temperatures above 230 °C to prevent thermo-oxidative chain scission and the formation of polar carbonyl species that increase Df. Extrusion-grade variants can be processed on single-screw extruders with L/D 24–36 and a barrier screw; melt temperature is usually maintained at 200–230 °C, and screen packs of 100–200 mesh are used ahead of sheet dies or cast-film lines. Coextrusion with polyethylene or polypropylene skins is feasible when tie-resin selection controls interlayer adhesion; blown film processing is possible only with grades having sufficient melt strength. The material should not be combined with amine-based additives, metal soaps, or strong oxidizing flame-retardant synergists because these can promote catalytic oxidation or form conductive residues at microwave frequencies. For flame-retardant high-speed digital housings, the supplier’s FR grade must be reviewed under UL 94 at the intended wall thickness, and halogen-free packages may alter flow length, knit-line strength, and dielectric loss.
