On February 15, 2024, OpenAI, an open artificial intelligence research center in the United States, released the first generative model "SORA", an artificial intelligence that is immediately generated according to prompts, bringing artificial intelligence technology to the world.
Every iteration and upgrade of AI technology can spark heated discussions around the world. The emergence of the SORA model has detonated the market, and multimodal AI concept stocks have also set off a round of "rising tide", and at the same time, promoting the development of the upstream of its industrial chain, such as AI servers, AI chips, optical communications and other industries. According to Trendforce's estimates, AI servers (including GPUs, FPGAs, and ASICs) will be shipped more than 1.2 million units in 2023, with an annual growth rate of 377%, accounting for 9% of overall server shipments.
The rapid upgrade of large models and AIGC requires massive computing power to support the training and inference processThis is driving the demand for AI serversAI serversAs the core of computing infrastructure, its architecture mainly includes key hardware components such as processors, storage units, network switching equipment, optical fiber modules, cooling systems, and power supplies, which are widely used in a variety of new materials.
Among them, printed circuit boards (PCBs).High-frequency and high-speed copper clad laminatesThe demand is expected to grow in large quantities, especially for extremely low loss copper clad laminates above M6 grade.
High-frequency and high-speed copper clad laminatesThe industry is poised to move upward
Copper clad laminate (CCL) is a plate-like material formed by dipping the reinforcing material in resin glue, covering one or both sides with copper foil, and hot pressing, which plays the role of conduction, insulation and support in the printed circuit board (PCB).
High-frequency and high-speed copper clad laminate is a special type of copper clad laminate (CCL), which has a high electrical signal transmission speed and low signal loss, which is suitable for high-speed and high-frequency electronic communication equipment. These CCL laminates outperform traditional CCL in terms of performance, especially in terms of signal integrity and thermal management.
Different grades of copper clad laminates have different resin substrates.
Source: Powder Circle.
First of all, the high-frequency and high-speed copper clad laminate has the characteristics of low dielectric constant, low water absorption, fast signal propagation, and low dielectric loss is conducive to ensuring the integrity of the signal and making the transmission process not distorted. The material is mainly used in high-frequency applications and can handle higher signal transmission speeds, such as satellite communications, high-speed data centers, advanced computer systems, radar systems and other high-end fields. The traditional copper clad laminate is generally used in low-frequency or standard frequency applications to meet the needs of general electronic products, such as household appliances, communication equipment, etc., and there are problems such as signal attenuation and interference in high-speed and high-frequency occasions.
High-frequency and high-speed copper clad laminates have better thermal stability and mechanical strength to meet the requirements of high-performance electronic products for stability and durability. Especially under extreme conditions, the advantages of high-frequency and high-speed copper clad laminates are more obvious than traditional copper clad laminates.
New materials forge "hard power". The raw materials of copper clad laminates include electronic copper foil, glass fiber cloth, special resins, etc., among which special electronic resin materials are the key, and currently mainly modified epoxy electronic resins, such as biphenyl epoxy resin, bisphenol cyclopentadiene epoxy resin, mar epoxy resin, etc. The high-frequency and high-speed copper clad laminate is usedPolyphenylene ether (PPO), hydrocarbon, bismaleimide (BMI), PTFE and other new resinsThese resins have excellent electrical properties, thermal stability, and mechanical strength, making them the material of choice for high-frequency, high-speed circuit boards and advanced electronic packaging materials.
Polyphenylene ether (PPO).It is an engineering plastic with excellent electrical insulation, high temperature stability and low water absorption. In high-frequency electronics applications, PPOs are often used to make low-loss circuit boards.
HydrocarbonsThe low polarity of C-H in the molecular chain (the electronegativity of C is 25, the electronegativity of h is 21), and the conformation of the molecular chain is zigzag-like, so that the material has excellent dielectric properties and low dielectric loss, and is one of the ideal matrix resins for high-frequency copper clad laminates.
Bismaleimide (BMI).It is another type of resin system derived from polyimide resin system, which has similar fluidity and plasticity to epoxy resin, and overcomes the shortcomings of relatively low heat resistance of epoxy resin, that is, it can still maintain good electrical properties and physical strength in high temperature environments.
Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is one of the earliest and most mature high-frequency and high-speed substrate materials, known for its extremely low coefficient of friction and excellent chemical stability. In the field of electronics, PTFE is mainly used to manufacture high-frequency circuit boards and is suitable for microwave and RF applications.
From the market point of view, high-frequency and high-speed copper clad laminate manufacturers havePanasonicElectrician, Brendan Rodgers, BundesligaTaiyaoTechnology, LianmaoElectronicsShengquan Group, Dongcai Technology, Shengyi Technology, Nanya New Materials, Huazheng New Materials, Hongchang ElectronicsWait. Among them, Taiyao Technology's products are the top-notch, with the largest market share, and high technical barriers, with a total market share of 58% among the three Taiwanese companies of Taiyao Technology, Lianmao Electronics, and Taiguang Electronics, with a high degree of industry concentration. Technology meets reading