First Plastic Chip Antenna Developed with BASF S Laser-Structurable Polyamide

News Release

April 22, 2008 First plastic chip antenna developed with BASF’s Ian deSouza Phone: (65) 6432 3684 laser-structurable polyamide Fax: (65) 6432 9890 [email protected]  Improve antenna performance  Low defect rate and less manufacturing process results in cost savings

Singapore – April 22, 2008 - BASF said today the company is providing a new laser-structurable polyamide to EMW Antenna, South Korea’s leading antenna manufacturer, for developing the first plastic chip antenna in the world for GPS and bluetooth mobile phones. The partially crystalline, partially aromatic high-temperature polyamide 6/6T, Ultramid® T 4381 LDS, is reinforced with 10 percent glass fibers and 25 percent mineral fillers offering a much broader processing window for the metallization, but without damaging its mechanical properties.

Compared to conventional material (ceramic) for making the mobile phone chip antenna, Ultramid® T 4381 LDS improves the antenna performance as it has a wider frequency range and shows lower VSWR (Voltage Standing Wave Ratio) than a ceramic chip antenna. It results in cost savings through a lower defect rate and also because it requires less manufacturing process steps.

Previously EMW only made the main antenna for mobile phones. This is the first time that they ventured into the highly competitive

BASF South East Asia Pte Ltd 7 Temasek Boulevard, #35-00 Suntec Tower One Singapore 038987 www.asiapacific.basf.com Phone: (65) 6337 0330 Fax: (65) 6334 0330 Page 2 chip antenna segment. Now EMW Antenna has started supplying this plastic chip antenna to leading mobile phone companies.

“Before using BASF’s Ultramid T 4381 LDS, we had no chance to penetrate the chip antenna market. With Ultramid T 4381 LDS we could improve our product with better design flexibility and cost savings which were not possible with ceramic,” says Mr. Byung-Hoon Ryu, CEO of EMW Antenna.

“ It was certainly a challenging project, which was completed successfully through solid engineering, perseverance and close cooperation between EMW Antenna, the laser equipment maker and BASF”, says Hermann Althoff, Group Vice President Asia Pacific, Engineering Plastics, BASF. “That the plastic chip antenna is now ready for production is in large part thanks to the efforts of engineers in Korea and Germany who carried out electrical and laser tests as well as participated in the trial injection molding. It is a great success that the team was able to commercialize the part in less than a year.”

Laser Direct Structuring (LDS) uses a laser to "draw" a circuit onto the surface of a part molded from a special laser-sensitive polymer. The process is simple, having only three steps. It is also more environmentally-friendly as it eliminates several critical steps in the metallization of the conductors.

At the heart of the process is a plastic that contains a special laser sensitive metal complex. The metal complex is incorporated in the polymer along with other additives during the compounding process. Since the metal complex is nonconductive, it does not affect the polymer's dielectric properties. When the polymer is exposed to infrared laser light with a wavelength of 1064 nm, the metal complex is broken down into elementary metal – copper in this case – and residual organic groups. Page 3

The laser treatment virtually engraves the conductor tracks into the three-dimensional surface of the component. After that, it is immediately metallized, yielding an optimal adhesion. This allows the integration of electronic circuits straight onto plastic surfaces. In contrast to other methods for producing electronic components, they offer several advantages, including greater design freedom, shorter process sequences, a smaller number of different materials needed and flexibility in changing the circuit layouts.

Ultramid T material class

Outstanding properties of the new material Ultramid T 4381 LDS in this application are its high thermal resistance of about 295°C and high impact strength. This means that it is the right choice wherever electronic components have to be soldered; it also allows the use of lead-free solder, clearing the way for even higher soldering temperatures. The base polymer Ultramid T, an engineering plastics specialty, is already used in electronics and automotive construction whenever particularly high demands are made in terms of the heat distortion temperature. It offers an optimal compromise between high melt temperature, good processability and low water absorption.

EMW Antenna has developed the first plastic chip antenna in the world for GPS and bluetooth mobile phones made of BASF’s new laser-structurable polyamide: Ultramid® T 4381 LDS. Compared to ceramic, the plastic chip antenna has several advantages: improved performance, design flexibility, lower costs through lower defect rate and fewer production steps. Page 4

About BASF BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from oil and gas to chemicals, plastics, performance products, agricultural products and fine chemicals. As a reliable partner BASF helps its customers in virtually all industries to be more successful. With its high-value products and intelligent solutions, BASF plays an important role in finding answers to global challenges such as climate protection, energy efficiency, nutrition and mobility. BASF has more than 95,000 employees and posted sales of almost €58 billion in 2007. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.