Increasing levels of miniaturisation, functionality, and performance of modern electronics have outstripped the capabilities of traditional printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturing. While traditional PCBs, most of which are solely built on a single base material (like FR-4), achieve their role, they fail to satisfy the high inherent thermal, electrical, and mechanical features requirements for advanced usages including 5G communication systems, high-performance computing, and aerospace avionics [4,5,6,7]. This gap has spurred innovative solutions, of which the Multi Material PCB Whole Surface Mixed Pressure Technology represents a transformative design method. Such a pioneering approach sheds new light on the paradigm by directly implanting various materials into single laminated board structure by applying uniform and controlled pressure throughout the laminate surface.
The innovative technology goes beyond the restrictions of boards being static and homogenous, opening new avenues for design engineers. This, in turn, floorplan out the materials with desired properties only where needed, thus efficiently optimizing the board for its function of interest. As an example, the portion that requires high-speed signal transmission may be made of low-loss dielectric material, and the portion that generates a lot of heat is configured to be metal core or a metal substrate having high thermal conductivity. The importance of Whole Surface Mixed Pressure — provides consistency in bonding and gets rid of any common, dissimilar material combination problems such as delamination or formed voids. The introduction barely scratches the surface of a technology that seems to be pushing the limits of PCB fabrication and ushering in a new generation of electronic devices.
Follow How it Works and Core Principle
At its core, Multi Material PCB Whole Surface Mixed Pressure Technology is an advanced laminate process. Instead of traditional lamination, which applies pressure only at the edges, or localized through pads, this technology uses a system — almost always an expensive press platens and custom pressure profiles to hold a widebet of mild-processed multi-materials stack-up — through the entire surface area during the curing cycle. This holistic approach to dispensing pressure is key to preventing failure between widely differing CTE, flow properties, and cure characteristics.
It starts with the detailed preparation and lay-up of the various materials. These can be any number of items including pre-preg types, unique dielectric films, thin cores, and even embedded passive components as well. That stack is then placed in a lamination press and undergoes a very specific thermal, and pressure process. This system adjusts the pressure in real-time to account for the way each material reacts to heat and pressure. This guarantees all areas interfacing between dissimilar materials get the needs-based pressure to fill, wet-out, and bond without allowing undue stress that could prep for warpage or failure. It leads to a planar, void-free material with strong and reliable inter-material boundaries.
Material Compatibility and Selection
To implement this technology successfully we have to know a lot about material science. Not every pair of materials is an ideal co-laminate match. Engineers have to choose material combinations wisely as per the glass transition temperatures (Tg), cure kinetics, CTE, and adhesion. This aims to select materials whose thermal and mechanical behaviors throughout the lamination process are similar enough such that they can be controlled with the applied pressure profile.
For example, a hybrid circuit might use Rogers RO4000 series laminates for high-frequency circuits while using standard FR-4 for rigid support and lower cost. Additional common combinations are bonding of polyimide flex materials to rigid areas for use in rigid-flex boards, or inclusion of ceramic filled substrates within the stackup for a low-loss dielectric and enhanced thermal management. This has led to a delicate balancing act in terms of selection—one that needs to trade off electrical performance, thermal management, mechanical stability and/or overall cost. This surface mixed pressure technique affords the process window required to successfully laminate these historical problem material pairings into a high integrity, functional PCB.
Advantages and Performance Benefits
The benefits of embracing this next-gen technology are deep and multi-layered. This gives to two important aspects: Firstly, it unlocks unrivaled design flexibility and board-level optimization. At the same time, it means that one material will not dictate the limits and force engineers to compromise on performance for the whole board. They are able to make a "board of materials," with each section optimized for its intended function, resulting in better electrical performance, particularly for high-speed or high-frequency applications where signal integrity is critical.
Second, it improves thermal management drastically. The heat can, therefore, be dissipated more effectively than traditional methods (adding external heat sinks), by directly interfacing high thermal conductivity materials (for example insulated metal substrates (IMS) or ceramics) very close to the devices generating the heat. Thus enabling lower operating temperatures, better reliability, and longer product life. The even pressure that ensures zero voids produces not only great mechanical performance but exceptional mechanical reliability. With better thermal cycling, vibration, and mechanical shock performance, the boards are suitable for harsh environment automotive, aerospace and industrial applications.
Applications in Advanced Electronics
Multi Material PCB Whole Surface Mixed Pressure Technology has unique advantages, it makes it a must–have technology for many modern electronics. It is utilized for 5G infrastructure and millimeter-wave devices to build antenna substrates and power amplifier boards by combining low-loss dielectrics (to minimize signal attenuation) with thermally conductive materials (to dissipate high power levels) in the telecommunications sector.
This technology is essential for the manufacturing of high-reliability engine control units (ECUs), LiDAR sensor modules, and power converters in automotive electronics, particularly for electric and autonomous vehicles. The modular approach benefits from mixed material to dissipate heat from the high-power semiconductors while maintaining signal integrity for data. The aerospace and defense industries also employ it to make avionics, radar and satellite communications functionality that must work in extreme temperature ranges and high vibration environments, with the smallest profile and lightest weight possible.
Future Outlook and Challenges
And the evolution of this technology very much fuelled by the evolution of electronics. With devices getting smaller, more powerful and multifunctional, the need for complex, high performance multi-material PCBs is only going to increase. This technology will be further developed to support even more materials (embedded actives and passives) with new substrates available, for example glass or silicon to achieve a much higher performance density.
However, several challenges remain. The process qualification and material selection are much more complex, time consuming and expensive compared to standard PCB fabrication. Another challenge lies in scaling up to high-volume production without compromising on stringent quality control. In addition to this, DFM is critical, where designers must collaborate with process engineers to ensure their new layout can be fabricated. Despite these challenges, the process continues to evolve, with new research and development helping to improve the process, reduce costs, and further enable its future use in electronics.