Feature: Thermal management


Thanks to the requirement for more mmWave antennas, the markets for the thermal materials within them are expected to see a five-fold growth in the next five years alone


The next stage in thermal materials for 5G


By Dr James Edmondson, Senior Technology Analyst, IDTechEx


5


G is already a common feature of modern smartphones, so much so that it may appear as an old technology now. However, 5G is still quite new, encompassing several frequency bands, some of which yet to be used. Whilst much of the 5G infrastructure is a


moderate upgrade on existing 4G technology, there is still plenty of scope for higher frequency deployment such as mmWave devices and small cells. Each of these new developments presents its own technological evolution and thermal challenges, however.


42 November 2023 www.electronicsworld.co.uk


mmWave 5G: Densification of electronics leads to thermal challenges 5G can be categorised into a number of frequency bands, with several of them being repurposed at existing lower frequencies and some of the new bands reaching 6GHz; see Figure 1. Tis is where most of the deployment has occurred so far. But, when industry pundits tout 5G’s huge potential download rates and minimal latency times, they are usually referring to mmWave 5G (> 20GHz). Here, there is still space for significant innovation and new applications. Given that antenna spacing is equal to half the signal’s


wavelength, higher frequency means the antenna can be a lot more compact, with thousands of elements combined into a package a fraction of the size of previous antennas. Tis, however, leads to a densification of IC distribution, with ICs sitting directly on the back of the antenna board. In turn this leads to generation of more heat and thermal management problems.


More antennas Another key challenge with higher-frequency telecommunication infrastructure is signal propagation. As frequency increases, the signal is more easily attenuated, with the broadcast range significantly reduced and the signal easily blocked by walls and windows. One solution to this problem is to use beamforming to directly “target” user devices, allowing greater signal control. However, this only goes so far. To achieve satisfactory coverage


over significant areas, many more antennas are required. IDTechEx is predicting a 41-fold increase in the yearly deployments of mmWave antennas by 2032 compared to 2022; see Figure 2. Tis is not as much of a problem as it appears at first, because, as mentioned earlier, the antennas are very small, allowing their wider use, more easily and in more integrated formats (such as on lampposts, for example), compared to any other previous infrastructure. Tanks to the requirement for more mmWave antennas, the


markets for thermal materials within them are expected to see a five-fold growth in the next five years alone. IDTechEx research has found that whilst most thermal interface materials (TIMs)


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