5G & WiFi Module High-Frequency Shielding Solutions

Key differences for mmWave (28GHz+) shielding:

• Material Selection: Requires pure copper or gold plating for ultra-high frequency conductivity;
• Aperture Precision: mmWave apertures must be ±0.05mm or tighter—larger deviations significantly reduce efficiency;
• Thermal Design: mmWave devices have high heat density; cans must balance thermal management;
• Insertion Loss Control: mmWave sensitive to can quality; any burrs or defects impact performance;
• Test Frequency: Testing must occur at actual operating frequencies.

Our solutions include:

• Thermal Materials: Use high-thermal-conductivity copper base shielding cans with 200+ W/mK conductivity;
• Aperture Design: Design thermal vents without compromising shielding efficiency;
• Layered Structure: Dual-layer frames or shielding-can plus thermal-pad combinations;
• Modular Design: For concentrated heat regions, enhance thermal management in that area specifically;
• Thermal Simulation: Use thermal simulation tools to predict temperature distribution and optimize design.

Base Station Shielding Characteristics:

• High power (10-50W) requiring excellent thermal management;
• Multiple frequency bands (n77/n78/FR2 hybrid) needing multi-band optimization;
• Larger size, extremely high reliability (no rework);
• Operating temperature range -40~85℃ requiring wide temperature design.

Smartphone Shielding Characteristics:

• Low power (<1W) with minimal thermal stress;
• Relatively single frequency band with simplified design;
• Extremely small size (5~30mm) requiring ultra-slim design;
• Reworkable with thermal management flexibility.

mmWave shielding can cost components:

• Material Cost: Copper material increases 30~50% cost but significantly improves performance;
• Process Cost: Precision aperture processing increases complexity, but bulk production amortizes;
• Testing Cost: Requires shielding efficiency testing at actual frequencies, adding verification expense;
• Optimized Options: We offer copper+stainless-steel hybrid solutions reducing copper-only costs by 20~30%.

Overall, mmWave can costs increase 30~80% versus standard cans, but represent only 1~3% of base station BOM—quite manageable.

Key consideration point:

• Aperture Impact: Can apertures (especially mmWave) affect antenna radiation patterns—needs co-design;
• Simulation Verification: Sample phase must include antenna radiation pattern testing to ensure specification compliance;
• Position Optimization: Typically cans placed on chip side, not directly adjacent to antenna—impact controllable;
• Design Coordination: We recommend can and antenna designs proceed simultaneously with electromagnetic simulation verification.

With proper design, can impact on antenna performance is negligible.