Just Ask Tara Dunn: What’s Next for LCP Materials?

Estimated reading time: 1 minute

First, we asked you to send in your questions for Happy Holden, Joe Fjelstad, John Mitchell, and others in our “Just Ask” series. Now, it’s Omni PCB President Tara Dunn’s turn! A regular Flex007 columnist, Tara discusses flexible circuits, rigid-flex, and rigid PCBs, as well as RF/microwave technology, microelectronics, and additive processes. Tara is the co-founder of Geek-a-Palooza and a show manager for the SMTA Additive Electronics TechXchange event. She has over 20 years of experience in the PCB industry. We hope you enjoy “Just Ask Tara.”

Q: Will the surge in liquid crystal polymer use for cellphone antennas “trickle down” and allow LCP to be used more often as a conventional flex substrate?

A: That is a great question. I am certainly seeing an increase in conversations about LCP materials and their benefits not only in cellphone antenna applications but also in medical applications requiring biocompatibility. As with anything cellphone related, there will be a handful of fabricators that use the materials in high volume and over time that trickles through the supply chain. In the case of LCP materials, the fact that there are specialized fabrication parameters that manufacturers need to employ when processing LCP and that the conventional flex substrate market is robust leads me to believe that while we will see an increase in demand for LCP, the material likely won’t displace polymide as the mainstream flex substrate.

To submit your questions for Tara, click here.