Tailored Biaxial Polyimide Films: Optimizing Performance in Flexible Electronics

      HeFei GuoFeng Advanced Basic Materials Technology Co

Anhui Guofeng New Materials Co., Ltd., a state-owned listed new materials enterprise under Hefei Municipal Government, has been deeply committed to five major industries since its establishment: polymer functional film materials, optoelectronic new materials, polyimide materials, green and environmentally friendly wood-plastic new materials, and new lightweight materials for new energy vehicles. Integrating R&D, procurement, production, and sales into a comprehensive system, the company's product quality ranks among the top in the industry.

PI film, commonly known as the "gold film" in the industry, is one of the polymer materials with the best comprehensive performance. It exhibits excellent properties such as high insulation, high heat resistance, high strength, and high radiation resistance, earning it the reputation as a "problem-solving expert." Alongside carbon fiber and aramid fiber, PI film is recognized as one of the three bottleneck polymer materials restricting the development of China's high-tech industries. Its products are primarily used in high-tech fields such as power and electrical engineering, energy and transportation, 5G communication, electronic information, aerospace, and more.

The PI project is a key industrial initiative for Guofeng New Material's industrial transformation and upgrading. In March 2019, Guofeng New Material established a Polyimide Branch, which successively built and put into operation four thermal production lines in the Hefei High-Tech Zone. To further expand production scale and diversify the product portfolio, Guofeng New Material invested 600 million yuan in May 2021 to register and establish Hefei Guofeng Advanced Basic Materials Technology Co., Ltd. This new company is constructing seven thermal production lines and one chemical production line (imported) in the Hefei Xinzhan District. With a total PI film production capacity of 1,600 tons, Guofeng ranks among the top domestic producers.

The company boasts a team of highly qualified technical and managerial professionals, adhering to a combination of independent innovation and industry-academia-research collaboration. It has established multiple experimental facilities, including a PI synthesis laboratory and a PI pilot production line. Additionally, the company has set up joint laboratories with the University of Science and Technology of China and Harbin Institute of Technology, focusing on PI frontier technologies and critical challenges. These collaborations aim to advance key core technologies and industrialize PI materials for applications in flexible circuits, flexible displays, integrated circuit packaging, and other fields. The company has successfully overcome multiple key technologies in PI product preparation, with several electronic-grade PI films achieving mass production and gaining widespread customer recognition. This has effectively addressed the long-standing "bottleneck" issue of China's reliance on imported high-end PI films.

To date, the company holds 28 authorized invention patents and 27 authorized utility model patents for its polyimide films. The Guofeng PI project has been included in Anhui Province's key manufacturing initiatives for addressing shortcomings in industry-academia-research applications and critical common technology breakthroughs, as well as in Hefei's strategic new materials industry plan. In 2022, the company was recognized by the Hefei Development and Reform Commission as a key enterprise in the new display industry chain. The polyimide films produced by the company have obtained UL certification in the United States, and among them, the "GB-type polyimide black film for precision circuit boards" has been selected for the first batch of new materials list in Anhui Province.

Our Key Application Areas:

1. Flexible Electronics & Displays

• Application: As a cornerstone material for flexible printed circuits (FPCs) and substrates for flexible displays.

• Value Proposition: Our ultra-thin and durable PI films provide the robust yet flexible base required for bendable, foldable, and rollable devices. This is critical for smartphones, wearable technology, and next-generation displays.

2. Advanced Integrated Circuit (IC) Packaging

• Application: Used as coverlay films, stress buffers, and substrates in semiconductor packaging, including Fan-Out Wafer Level Packaging (FOWLP) and Chip-on-Film (COF).

• Value Proposition: Our films deliver superior dimensional stability, low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), and excellent dielectric properties, ensuring reliability and enhancing performance in miniaturized and high-density ICs.

3. Precision Circuit Boards

• Application: Specifically, our "GB-type PI Black Film" is designed for high-precision circuit boards.

• Value Proposition: This specialized black film prevents light interference during assembly, is laser-markable, and offers the same unmatched thermal and chemical resistance. It ensures high yield and reliability in sophisticated consumer electronics and communication equipment.