Laird Performance Materials has developed a hybrid thermal and EMI absorber material that supports 5G handheld device and network infrastructure applications. CoolZorb 5G is specifically designed for the mmWave and microwave frequencies that 5G will implement. The multifunctional CoolZorb 5G serves as a heat-mitigating gap filler and EMI-reducing absorber to optimize 5G system performance.

Used like a traditional thermal interface material between heat source, such as an IC and heat sink or other heat transfer device or metal chassis, CoolZorb 5G is an excellent thermal conductor for heat dissipation. CoolZorb 5G functions to suppress unwanted energy coupling, resonances or surface currents causing board level EMI issues. By addressing both EMI and heat challenges, Coolorb 5G enables engineers to shorten the design cycle and move their 5G products to market faster. 

"There is a misconception that if protective components like absorbers are required, somehow the design is fundamentally flawed. With 5G it is almost impossible to design around protective components like absorbers, which increase in effectiveness at higher frequencies and can help address heat sink-generated EMI issues at mmWave," said Paul F. Dixon, material scientist at Laird Performance Materials. "While there is no one-size-fits-all solution to EMI and heat challenges in 5G technology, multifunctional products like the CoolZorb 5G allow engineers to address EMI and heat issues simultaneously and save space within devices."

The CoolZorb 5G hybrid thermal & EMI absorber material is available in standard sheet sizes of 18 in. x 18 in., in thicknesses ranging from 0.04 in. to 0.2 in. (1 mm to 5.1 mm).