How 5G drives the evolution of electronics

G is the fifth generation of cellular technology, capable of dramatically improving the speed, coverage and responsiveness of wireless networks. One of the main characteristics of the 5G network is to allow many more connections simultaneously, at high speed and with very fast response times. It will lead therefore to a whole new level of connectivity and communication between devices and objects, making new developments for smart products, autonomous objects, advanced robotics and public security in the smart city functions.
All these solutions require the ability to transmit, transfer, manage and process large amounts of data in a short amount of time with low latency.

In the automotive industry, the combination of 5G, IoT and machine learning will not only lead to the development of autonomous driving, but will also provide traffic data and allow vehicles to share information with other cars about road conditions, traffic, traffic lights. In the health sector, thanks to telemedicine, patients can be monitored constantly via remote devices connected to each other that they will exchange data on key health indicators. Appliances and catering equipment will be able to start up automatically and carry out self-adjusting operations, based on the user’s habits and preferences of use. It will be possible to monitor its operation remotely, thanks to intelligent thermostats and smart sensors, or receive reports of failures or malfunctions in real time.

Alongside the spreading of 5G, the need for more complex printed circuits and electronic boards will increase. To accompany this technology, PCBs must contain more layers, have higher feature densities supported by smaller tracks, distances and hole sizes. We will come to produce boards and printed circuits with very short distances: from 30 microns. That’s less than half of what is currently being achieved. In a very short time, we will see a rapid acceleration of technological evolution.

Moore’s Law, which states that the microchip density doubles every two years, is proving true. The semiconductors are becoming increasingly complex, it is therefore required an ever-greater increase of the substrates of integrated circuits (IC) that serve as connection. These substrates have a very high density, supporting the distribution of electrical energy and signals and dissipating a certain level of heat. In the near future the need will be to have very small semiconductor widths and insulation distances and micrometric hole sizes.