Blueshift is introducing PhaseBlue 1500, the first product in its Series Circuit Materials (SCM) line at this year’s European Microwave Show. These latest laminates are engineered with a proprietary nanoporous polyimide aerogel core composed of 85% air and 15% polyimide, enabling an unmatched combination of light weight, flexibility, and high-frequency performance.
As a US-made and sustainably compliant material that meets modern environmental standards (formulated without intentionally added per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), PhaseBlue addresses growing regulatory and environmental concerns while delivering a next-generation alternative to PTFE-based substrates.
PhaseBlue SCM offers a dielectric constant (Dk) of 1.3 – 1.5 at 1GHz and an ultra-low dissipation factor (Df) of <0.001 at 1GHz. Unlike conventional perfluorinated substrates, PhaseBlue maintains stable dielectric performance across a wide frequency range (1–10GHz) without exhibiting the ‘dielectric knee’ that compromises signal reliability under high temperatures.
With a glass transition temperature (Tg) of 305°C and decomposition temperature of 530°C, PhaseBlue materials provide superior thermal stability during soldering, processing, and long-term operation—far beyond the survivability of PTFE-based systems.
PhaseBlue is up to 80% lighter than conventional laminates with a density of 0.27–0.45 g/cm³. Its thin profile, available in dielectric thicknesses from 0.0065 – 0.030” (165 – 750 µm), provides engineers with flexible, formable solutions suitable for 3D structures, conformal antennas, phased arrays, radomes, CubeSats, UAV systems, and high-speed aerospace communications.
Importantly, PhaseBlue integrates with existing FR-4 PCB processes (DES, drilling, etchback), allowing engineers to adopt it without special equipment or costly process changes.
“The European Microwave Show is the ideal venue to showcase PhaseBlue 1500. Engineers today face complex challenges in RF design, balancing performance, weight, and regulatory pressures. Our PhaseBlue solution offers a breakthrough: lightweight, thermally robust, and easy to integrate into existing PCB manufacturing. With these qualities, engineers can expand design freedom while maintaining signal integrity, reliability, and long-term durability,” said Tim Burbey, President, Blueshift. “PhaseBlue is proven, having already been applied across multi-layer antenna boards, CubeSats, UAV communications, and advanced aerospace and defense platforms, with results highlighting reliability under extreme, and demanding conditions.”
