Low-loss Substrate Material for Millimeter-wave and THz Applications (Invited)

The development of a new type of low dielectric loss, flexible and optically transparent substrate material-cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) for millimeter-wave and terahertz (THz) applications is reported in this paper. In the past, COC material was mainly used in applications of medical devices, detection instruments, lens, optical films, etc. By using a novel thermal control method, COC material with a new ratio of norbornene to ethylene has been fabricated into COC substrates with various thickness successfully. The COC substrates were measured in millimeter-wave and THz bands, and the results show that the COC dissipation factor is lower than that of the widely used RT 5880 and quartz.