A System Designer’s Dream World at DuPont

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

DesignCon 2024 was held January 30–February 1 in Silicon Valley, and Design007 Editor Andy Shaughnessy and I were there to experience this important show for PCB and system designers. We are always on the lookout for gems that showcase innovation and cutting-edge technology. 

Such an opportunity arose through a private tour at DuPont’s Silicon Valley Technology Center in Sunnyvale, California, with Shannon Dugan, lead application engineer for consumer electronics and automotive materials. If you think you know DuPont as a corporation, you may be surprised at what you don’t know. 

The company’s long history of innovation in technology began with its founding in 1802 and its work in explosives. With a deep commitment to research and development in every era since, DuPont has been involved in the creation and/or development of some of the most important products of our time. It is a stellar example of enduring growth, expansion, and living the necessity of reinvention. 

Here is a brief (and simplified) timeline showcasing just a few of DuPont’s most notable products, inventions, and discoveries:

• 1890s: Smokeless gunpowder 
• 1920s: Synthetic fibers and textiles (rayon) and cellophane
• 1930s: Nylon synthetic fabric and Neoprene rubber
• 1963: Kapton® polyimide films known for its high thermal stability and electrical insulation properties
• 1965: Kevlar® lightweight, high tensile strength synthetic fiber
• 1968: Riston® dry film photoresists used in the production of PCBs
• 1987: Pyralux® copper-clad laminates and adhesive systems for flexible and rigid-flex PCBs
• 2018: Interra® embedded planar capacitor laminate for rigid PCBs
• 2022: Acquisition of Laird: Thermal interface, EMI shielding, and integrated solutions

DuPont provided the first silicon material used in the first transistor made by Bell Labs and has been providing all manner of materials since the beginning of electronics. “We provide everything that anything is made of,” Dugan said during the tour. With mulitple portfolios of literally hundreds of products, it’s quite possibly true.

On the tour, I learned that today’s prominent products for electronics (and associated industries) manufacturing include silicon flexible substrates, CCL, adhesives (Pyralux®), polyimide film (Kapton®), dry film (Riston®), products for printed circuit boards and flex circuits, and synthetic and specialized thread fiber in material such as Kevlar®, used for military and law enforcement safety wear, and Nomex® thread used in creating inflammable suits for race car drivers, high-risk heat workers, as well as space/flight suits.

In 1903, DuPont began investing in its Experimental Station (technology center), followed by more significant investments in 1951 and 1984. DuPont rebranded itself in the 1990s as “the discovery company,” focusing on opportunities, not risks. In 2018, the company created the Technology Center in Sunnyvale, focused on providing interactive lab space and cutting-edge test and measurement ability to help solve the most challenging technological problems of our age across nearly all market sectors. 

Their radio frequency (RF) lab is a high-dollar example of equipment that few have access to. It showcases three machines that were likened to “a Bugatti attached to a McLaren and Porsche”—a line designed to give customers the data they need to see whether something will work in 5G. In another example, I witnessed a bendability test for flex circuits, where a flex circuit was put into different atmospheric conditions and then bent rigorously back and forth until it broke. This was done repeatedly with different samples. 

Dugan said that the center continually receives calls from engineers—representing all types of industry and on all manner of projects—to use their advanced laboratories, talk to DuPont engineers, and run tests to prove out their new technologies. This also serves to propel DuPont forward in its technology offerings. Borrowing from his predecessors, Dugan repeated this statement meant to convey the identity, values, and future of DuPont: “This is the design house for planet Earth.” 

Unsurprisingly, I left in awe of what DuPont is offering its customers to problem-solve and test technology. I wished I had had one or more of my talented engineering colleagues with me who would understand DuPont’s incredible investment in R&D far better than I. For system designers, including the beloved PCB designer, many DuPont product lines are likely relevant in your world. If you are struggling with a challenge and you happen to be in Silicon Valley, you might consider reaching out via their website for a tour and, even possibly, spend time in one of their labs. 

For sure, DuPont’s Silicon Valley Technology Center is an amazing resource for tech companies. It is helping to propel all of us forward to new levels in aeronautics, space, consumer electronics, and automotive electronics.