Q-glass Drilling Solution
1. What is Q-glass?
Q-glass, also known as Quartz Fabric / Quartz Cloth, is a high-end material woven from high-purity silica fibers (SiO₂ ≥ 99.9%). Compared to conventional E-glass (Electrical Glass Fiber) and S-glass (Strength Glass Fiber), Q-glass offers the following superior properties:
- Extremely low dielectric constant (Dk ≈ 3.3–3.6)
- Very low dielectric loss (Df ≈ 0.0008–0.0012)
- Excellent thermal stability (CTE ≈ 0.5 ppm/°C)
- High heat resistance, dimensional stability, and low moisture absorption
These characteristics make Q-glass an ideal substrate material for high-speed PCBs, AI server motherboards, IC substrates, RF modules, and 5G communication applications.
2. Comparison of Glass Fiber Types
| Type | English Name | Chinese Name | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-glass | Electrical Glass Fiber | 電氣用玻璃布 | Low cost, suitable for general multilayer boards |
| S-glass | Strength Glass Fiber | 高強度玻璃布 | Higher mechanical strength |
| Q-glass (Quartz Fabric) | Quartz Fiber Cloth | 石英布（Q布） | Lowest Dk/Df, ultra-pure, best in heat resistance and dimensional stability |
3. Challenges in Q-glass Drilling
Due to its high hardness and fiber elasticity, Q-glass is significantly more difficult to machine than traditional glass-fiber-based substrates. The main challenges include:
- High material hardness: Mohs hardness over 7, causing severe tool wear.
- Elastic fiber rebound: Fiber spring-back during drilling may lead to burrs, layer separation, or edge chipping.
- Strict hole accuracy and wall quality: Requires excellent verticality, roundness, and interlayer bonding.
- Demanding machining parameters: High spindle speed (≥ 180k RPM), low feed rate (≤ 10 mm/min), and high-rigidity drilling equipment are necessary.
4. Recommended Drill Solutions
To ensure superior hole quality and extended tool life, the following drill types are recommended:
- CVD Diamond Drill (Chemical Vapor Deposition Diamond Drill)
→ Ideal for mass production requiring long tool life and excellent hole wall smoothness. - PCD Diamond Drill (Polycrystalline Diamond Drill)
→ Suitable for extremely hard or composite substrate precision drilling.
Through professional drill geometry and coating design, tool wear can be effectively reduced while improving hole consistency and surface quality — meeting the machining requirements of Q-glass, quartz cloth, and other high-hardness materials.
5. Application Fields
- AI server / HPC motherboards
- 5G / mmWave communication modules
- High-speed and high-frequency PCBs (RF / Microwave)
- IC substrates
- Radar sensing modules and optoelectronic applications
6. Major Manufacturers and Product Models (Q-glass)
- Taiguang (TUC): EM-896K3
- Tayyoh (ITEQ): TU-953Q
- Unimicron: IT-988GSE3
- Doosan: DS-7409DCQ, DS-7409DYQ
- Panasonic: R5797Q
- Shengyi: Synamic 10GQ
- Nanya: NPG-998Q
7. Suggested SEO Keywords
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