Halogen-free laminates: worldwide trends, driving forces and current status

Purpose To give an overview about market trends and driving forces of halogen-free materials for PCB applications. The paper also includes an overview about new halogen-free raw materials developed to meet the market demand. Design/methodology/approach The paper does not intend to deal with scientific aspects, i.e. whether halogenated flame retardants (FR) are bad or not. The goal of this paper is to explain why there is a discussion about FR and what is driving the market to environmentally friendly products. Findings Halogen-free technology has been evolving for more than 15 years, but it has only gained significance in the past three to four years. It developed from a marketing concept to a real market (although still considered as niche), where the products offered can now meet demand. The paper explains the background to halogen-free and the motivation for OEM's to switch to halogen-free, as well as giving an overview of the current status. Originality/value Provides a market and technology review about state-of-the-art technology and new products being developed.