At the International MID Congress 2025 in Amberg, the MID4Automotive consortium presented two key advances demonstrating how MID technology enables the next generation of fully integrated automotive radar systems. In their presentations, Thomas Mager and Jabil Diri from Fraunhofer IEM showcased how MID‑based approaches can fundamentally reshape radar integration by combining mechanical structure, electrical functionality, and RF performance within a single component.
In his talk “MID as an Enabler for the Integration of 77 GHz Automotive Radar Systems onto Plastic Surfaces”, Thomas Mager outlined how LDS‑compatible MID lacquer and MID resin can be used to directly integrate 77 GHz RF structures, antennas, and chip‑level interconnects onto complex plastic geometries. He highlighted the advantages of planar and three‑dimensional MID substrates for routing high‑frequency signals, embedding patch antennas, and minimizing parasitic effects. The presentation emphasized that MID technology enables compact, lightweight, and cost‑efficient radar architectures, while also supporting direct die integration and photonic signal distribution—key steps toward scalable 360° radar coverage.
Complementing this, Jabil Diri presented “Development of MID‑Based Fully Integrated Radar Systems for the Automotive Industry”, focusing on the material characterization and system‑level integration required for reliable radar operation on MID lacquer substrates. His contribution detailed the determination of acoustic properties, dielectric permittivity, and loss tangent of the MID lacquer—critical parameters for antenna design and RF layout definition. He also demonstrated how ultrasonic pulse‑echo measurements can be used to precisely determine lacquer thickness, enabling accurate electrical modeling. Early prototypes showed that MID lacquer provides suitable dielectric performance for millimeter‑wave radar and can be processed on large automotive components such as bumpers.
Together, these contributions illustrated the substantial progress achieved within the MID4Automotive project. The results presented in Amberg demonstrated that MID technologies offer a promising path toward fully integrated, low‑cost, and robust radar systems directly embedded into vehicle surfaces. The strong interest from conference participants underscored the relevance of MID‑enabled radar integration as a key technology for future automated driving.
