Most RF/microwave engineers know it by the acronym PTFE rather than the full name of polytetrafluoroethylene. The polymer is ever-present in the high-frequency industry in coaxial and fiber-optic cables, printed-circuitboard (PCB) materials, and electromagnetic-interference (EMI) shielding materials and gaskets. It is also the basis for innovative products in other industries, ranging from energy to medicine. The company behind the many applications for PTFE is W. L. Gore & Associates, which celebrates its 50th year in operation in 2008. And in many ways, the organization and management of the company are as innovative as their many PTFE-based products.

In this industry, the name Gore has been synonymous for many years with precision phase- and amplitude-stable cables for vector network analyzers (VNAs) and other microwave test applications. The GORE(TM) PHASEFLEX(R) flexible coaxial test cables are used in many commercial and military RF/ microwave test systems and can be specified with a variety of connectors for applications through 110 GHz (Fig. 1).

More than 30 years ago, Gore introduced the industry to microwave cable assemblies that used tape-wrapped ePTFE dielectric and helically wrapped silver-plated copper outer conductors. The construction is used in all GORE(TM) Microwave Assemblies, including spaceflight applications, with a 100- percent flight history success, and sealed airframe cables that handle the demanding environments on military platforms.

The company has also developed its own connectors for analog, RF/microwave, and digital network applications (Fig. 2). For example, the The GORE(TM) 100 Series connectors are a super-high-density blindmate/push-on, highperformance, microwave interconnect system. The connector series was developed as a response to the industry’s demand for increased packaging density, low mass, and increased performance at higher frequencies. The connectors offer performance through 100 GHz while offering superior and repeatable RF properties. The connectors are designed to accommodate both radial and axial misalignment with negligible voltage-standing-waveratio (VSWR) change. The blindmate interfaces are robust and durable while being very lightweight. A socket-to-socket bullet weighs less than 0.02 grams. All connector constructions use qualified mil standard materials. Instrument-grade test adapters are available to 1.85 mm.

The firm’s prepreg materials have been the basis for many high-frequency circuit designs, and its EMI gaskets have solved many shielding problems at circuit and enclosure levels. But the company’s electronic products are just the tip of the iceberg for the many innovative uses developed for PTFE. Perhaps the most well-known application is for outdoor clothing made with Gore’s GORE-TEX(R) fabric, which is breathable but blocks the passage of rain drops to provide waterproof action for hiking boots, socks, jackets, and other outer wear.

The current multi-billion-dollar company W. L. Gore & Associates, with more than 45 locations and 8000 employees worldwide, began humbly on Jan. 1, 1958 when Wilbert L. (“Bill”) Gore, with the non-objection of his former employer, DuPont, started the company with his wife Genevieve (Vieve) in their basement of their Newark, DE home. That date also marked the couple’s 23rd wedding anniversary. With five children to support, Bill’s decision to leave behind a steady 12-year career as a chemist and statistician at DuPont raised a few eyebrows at his old company, but showed the faith he had in the many potential uses for PTFE.

In 1969, the couple’s oldest son, Bob, would go on to discover that among its many unique chemical properties, PTFE could also be produced in an expanded form. Expanded PTFE, or ePTFE, could be formed into membranes to make unique breathable and waterproof fabrics better known today as GORETEX( R) fabric. Appropriately, microphotographs of ePTFE (at 40,000X magnification) grace the walls of the company’s new Capabilities Center in Newark, DE (Fig. 3).

In addition to planting seeds for new products based on PTFE while at DuPont, Bill Gore also cultivated novel ideas on leadership and motivation during his time as a DuPont chemist. Much of Bill Gore’s management philosophy lives on today at the company, long after his passing in 1986.

Gore’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Terri Kelly, notes “Our fiftieth anniversary is an ideal time to reflect on the innovative and entrepreneurial spirit of Bill and Vieve, and the principles on which this enterprise was founded. Their dedication, passion, and commitment to excellence created a culture that fosters creativity, and a company that prides itself on providing unique, highly valuable products for our customers.”

While most companies today pass information by means of e-mails, face-to-face meetings are still the preferred means of communications among associates at Gore. The company employs what Bill Gore referred to as a “lattice organization,” without titles and without set chain of command. Those joining the company are not employees but “associates,” who all share in ownership of the company. Bill Gore promoted the idea that his company’s engineering teams be kept small, and that manufacturing facilities should not be larger than 200 people because beyond that size it was not possible to know everyone in the facility. While outsiders often find the lattice organization to appear ambiguous in terms of responsibility, associates understand their roles and the importance of getting a job completed.

Associates follow four governing principles at Gore, which can be summarized as:

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