SEKISUI CHEMICAL CO., LTD. is a plastics company located in Tokyo, Japan. They recently developed something quite exciting for the 5G industry – a transparent and flexible type of radio wave reflection film. They did this by combining their distinguished film and optical adhesive technologies with the metamaterial technology of Meta Materials Inc., headquartered in Canada.
The plastics company also collaborated with DOCOMO Innovations, Inc. from the US in evaluating the radio wave environment of the film. Together, they discovered the film has high transparency and radio wave diffusion characteristics, and provides wide frequency coverage useful for 5G and 6G communications.
5G Limitations
It’s known that mid-band and even more so, high-band 5G frequencies have limited range. The signals will experience attenuation (loss) as they encounter obstructions such as buildings. This is where the film’s reflective capabilities were shown to be beneficial.
Sure, installing a base station or relay station may resolve the deterioration, but such a solution would involve a high additional investment. Using the film would provide a more cost effective solution.
Similar products – millimeter wave reflection plates – were also developed to combat this challenge. They are a metamaterial copper pattern processed on the printed circuit board. Instead, SEKISUI directed attention to transparent and flexible radio wave reflection film that would have a metamaterial structure and would not spoil the landscape.
The transparent and flexible type of high-frequency radio wave reflection film can be used for millimeter wave ranges and a wide band ranging from 2 GHz to 60 GHz. It also features a total luminous transmittance of 95% by integrating SEKISUI’s technologies with Meta’s world-leading nano-patterned transparent metamaterial technology NANOWEB (R) (*1) and its manufacturing technology RML (R) (*2).
How it works
This film consists of a metamaterial layer that has a high-frequency radio wave reflection structure, highly transparent adhesive, special coating that protects the film surface, and a special adhesive layer (see figure below). When placed on a surface such as a wall or ceiling, the film reflects radio waves, enabling them to reach shielded areas. The film does not require a power connection, can be installed anywhere, on a surface of whatever shape, without spoiling the appearance of a place where it is installed.
Using the simulation technology of DOCOMO Innovations, Inc., SEKISUI verified the effects of the product at the planning stage and confirmed the effects indoors in the Solution Co-creation Lab of MIRAIT Corporation headquartered in Tokyo. The demonstration experiment confirmed that a sheet of reflection film placed 30 meters away from the base station properly controls the reflection of radio waves, thus improving the communications infrastructure across a wide area.
What the future holds
SEKISUI plans to distribute the film product for use in office buildings, factories, shopping malls, medical and care facilities, sports facilities, farms, ranches, smart cities, underground locations, rolling stock and roadway infrastructure while exploring other applications, including temporary or emergency sites providing first-aid services, construction sites, and camping areas. Plans to start distributing sample products will be in fiscal 2022, aiming to achieve a sales target of 6 billion yen by fiscal 2026.
The technology will also be presented at the following trade shows:
- January 5 – 7, 2022, CES (R) 2022, Meta Materials Inc. booth 9253, LVCC North Hall
- January 17 – 19, 2022, Docomo Open House’22