As 5G technology continues to bring unprecedented levels of smart connectivity, the demand for faster information processing becomes increasingly important. Since 2010, energy consumption has increased by 30% due to data center growth. Additionally, the introduction of new 5G innovations to the market has significantly increased power density, resulting in increased heat generation levels, creating an urgent need for advanced thermal management solutions.
Electronics manufacturers require high-performance materials that meet the stringent specifications of 5G technology to ensure seamless operation. Silicone has demonstrated its ability to effectively support the 5G ecosystem.
Scenery of material selection
Although there is a wide range of protective materials that offer clear advantages to electronics manufacturers in certain areas, many of them often come with significant drawbacks in other aspects. For example, acrylic cures quickly, making it easier to assemble electronic components, but it tends to soften at high temperatures. Polyurethane and urethane are very durable materials that withstand mechanical wear, but are not sufficient to alleviate the stresses caused by rapid and uneven heating and cooling. Epoxies are moisture resistant but prone to cracking, which can lead to failure of sealants, coatings, and adhesives. Although Parylene is chemically inert, it has limited throughput during electronic assembly, making it less suitable for mass-produced items such as laptops and smartphones.
Silicones, on the other hand, offer an attractive balance of properties that make them suitable for mass production and facilitating high-speed connectivity. They provide effective solutions to challenges associated with adhesion, encapsulation, coatings, and EMI shielding. These elastomers exhibit resilience to moisture, chemicals, and contamination while maintaining soft and flexible properties. Hydrolytic stability is particularly useful given the increasing installation of 5G infrastructure in regions with high humidity, rain, or snow.
Importantly, silicone can withstand the high temperatures associated with 5G technology, providing long-term heat resistance without significantly compromising its inherent properties. Because silicone has a low modulus of elasticity, it can also relieve some of the stress that occurs when a material expands and contracts at different rates due to changes in its coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). Silicone resins with low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can meet regulatory requirements and also address environmental health and safety (EHS) concerns.
5G consumer devices
Silicones play a vital role in powering 5G electronics in a wide range of applications, from advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) to smartphones. For smartphones, silicone is preferred by designers due to its consistent ability to dissipate chip heat and properties such as crack resistance, stress relaxation, and shock absorption that effectively protect against wear and tear. Masu. Additionally, silicone is resistant to both high and low temperatures and has minimal curing shrinkage. This is especially important when considering smartphone displays. Due to the need for waterproof sealing, there should be no air gaps between the display panel and the cover.
Not limited to smartphone design, other silicon applications are aimed at smartphone accessories and 5G smartwatches. For example, smartphone chargers use silicone thermal adhesive inside and tend to heat up quickly. Adhesive and sealing of cable connectors can combine primer-free adhesion with instant green strength for improved adhesion, reduced silicone waste and good reworkability. These features are important for his 5G smartwatch, which is a compact device with chips that generate large amounts of heat and may require rework and residue removal during product assembly.
In situations where automotive ADAS requires EMI shielding adhesives, conductive silicone facilitates flexible bonding and boasts high elongation to prevent breakage. Silicones are also used in electric vehicle (EV) battery packs and ADAS sensors designed for light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technology. Silicone pottants play a critical role in protecting connectors, power supplies, sensors, transformers, amplifiers, and high voltage resistor packs within these systems due to their excellent dielectric properties.
In the end, improved 5G reliability may be more important than increased capacity or expansion. For 5G to reach its full potential as a network of all things, it requires service levels that can sustain always-on technology.
Carrier network and heat dissipation
Silicone not only improves reliability directly at the device level, but also protects the sensitive electronics that support mobile phones and data carrier networks. The challenge for 5G-enabled devices and equipment operating on millimeter wave (mmWave) networks is to support high-frequency communications in parallel with his 2G, 3G, and 4G mobile phone services in the 800-2100 MHz range. As more 5G networks become available, the demand for 3.3-5.0 GHz communications will increase as existing 5G-enabled devices begin to take advantage of untapped capabilities.
In modern design practices, common strategies include employing low-loss substrates combined with flip-chip devices, along with EMI shielding on the module. Silicone infused with metal or metal-coated particles has proven reliable as a shield while maintaining good electrical conductivity.
Silicones, commonly used in optical fiber coatings, also serve to enhance thermal management within carrier networks. In optical transceivers, silicone thermal gel is used to dissipate potentially harmful heat by transferring heat from the transceiver’s core components to a metal shelter that acts as a heat sink. During the module assembly process, silicone adhesives provide reliable EMI shielding and demonstrate the ability to form robust bonds while maintaining controlled levels of VOCs. Additionally, the silicone encapsulant used in optical splitters has shown resistance to the development of microcracks caused by environmental stress, which could otherwise propagate over time.
Cloud and data center cooling
As high-speed, high-capacity, hyperscale 5G data centers continue to connect the world, Synergy Research predicts that the number of global operational data centers will exceed 1,000 by 2024 and continue to grow rapidly. Currently, data centers account for 1.5% of the world’s electricity consumption, and 40% of that energy goes into cooling systems to reduce the heat generated.
To support 5G data center expansion while meeting performance and sustainability demands, single-phase immersion cooling systems leveraging silicone technology have emerged as a promising solution.
Historically, three main fluids have been used for immersion cooling. Each of these options offers improvements over traditional air cooling systems, but comes with certain performance challenges.
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Fluorocarbon fluids are relatively expensive and pose significant environmental, health, and safety concerns, especially in the event of an accidental leak.
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Synthetic oils pose flammability and thermal instability concerns compared to other oil alternatives.
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Although silicone fluids offer significant cost advantages, they are not compatible with other silicone components.
However, hybrid silicone-organic fluids designed for single-phase immersion cooling boast excellent thermal conductivity, ensure efficient and cost-effective heat dissipation, and have significantly lower global warming potential (GWP) scores. We guarantee. This technology penetrates small spaces close to the materials that need cooling, supports increased server load densities, improves computer performance, significantly reduces data center footprint requirements, and minimizes power consumption. and eliminates compatibility issues associated with other silicon components in data center cooling operations. .
Evolving 5G ecosystem
As the 5G ecosystem continues to grow and evolve, silicone elastomers are taking on an even more important support role. While electronic designers have a wealth of material options, silicone stands out due to its unique properties, making it an attractive option that can effectively address critical challenges such as thermal management for successful 5G deployments. It offers a combination of characteristics. By choosing the right partner, electronic manufacturers can find the optimal solution to grow within his vast 5G environment.
