Development of the radome housing for next-generation telecommunications devices using the low dielectric material “Smart Cellular Board^®”

Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. (Head office: 2-6-2 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Hideya Moridaira) developed a radome housing for next-generation telecommunications devices using the low dielectric material “Smart Cellular Board^® (hereinafter SCB^®)” that reduces dielectric constant and dissipation factor.

Furukawa Electric has developed a radome housing for next-generation telecommunications devices using SCB^®, a low dielectric material that reduces dielectric constant and dissipation factor. It is possible to design a customized radome housing to match the installation environment through the use of different grades within the SCB^® series that each possess various characteristics such as strength, water resistance and heat resistance. The different grades assembled into a layered structure complement each other to satisfy performance requirements that are difficult to achieve with a single material alone. For example, when installing the radome housing outdoors or for communications in the high frequency wavebands, heat accumulation inside the housing due to IR radiant heat and power consumption of the antenna circuit board is a problem. ABS plastic traditionally used for housings has excellent strength and heat resistance, but it is particularly susceptible to the effects of heat from IR radiation. However, the SCB^® series has a grade with high reflectivity in the IR range, and by incorporating this grade on the outside of the housing, it acts as a heat shield and reduces the impact of radiant heating (Fig. 2).

Leveraging our unique SCB^® technology, we will continue to develop materials that respond to customer requirements, and contribute to realizing a Beyond 5G/6G society.