What Are Rogers PCB Materials- High Frequency PCB

Rogers, or High Frequency PCB Material, is a hard and dense material that can be used to manufacture printed circuit boards. This board contains an epoxy resin core, metal plated with copper and aluminum. The surface is coated with aluminum. It has a good size, which has an advantage in the thermal expansion coefficient, which can effectively control the magnitude of temperature stress to ensure the stability of components' performance. It can be widely used in high-frequency power distribution and circuit boards for CPUs, switches, connectors, etc. It is most commonly used in RF pcb board assembly as it has a high attenuation of electromagnetic (EM) waves (usually in the radio spectrum). This helps reduce the interference caused by other high-frequency devices such as radios, televisions, and mobile phones.

Rogers PCB material also exhibits excellent dielectric integrity and is designed especially for use in high-performance RF circuit boards. The material offers excellent electrical and thermal stability, making it an ideal choice for use in harsh environments where it will be exposed to extreme temperatures and vibration.

Rogers PCB material Thickness

Rogers PCB material can be manufactured in various thicknesses and sizes, allowing for customization for your specific needs. The two standard sizes include:

Standard Thickness: This type of high frequency board is ideal for applications where there are small gaps between conductors and traces. It offers good electrical performance, especially at higher frequencies. This type of board also has better thermal performance than thin boards, making it well-suited for applications where heat dissipation is important.

Thin Board: Thin boards have lower electrical losses than standard thickness boards because they have less resistance due to their increased surface area per unit area. They also have better electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection than standard thickness boards because they offer more resistance when discharged by an electrostatic charge.

The standard dielectric in flexible circuits is .001 – .002″. This relatively thin layer of material separates the copper traces and components in a flexible circuit board. The thickness of this layer determines how easily the material may be bent and flexed without breaking internal connections or causing short circuits.

The most common materials used to create this dielectric are polyester and polyamide materials. These are often coated with a conductive material like silver, aluminum, or copper to act as the electrical conductor between traces and components on the surface of the circuit board.

High Frequency PCB Materials

The following are the materials that PBC offers in terms of its products.

1. Megatron 6

Megatron 6 offers the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any available material, resulting in significant reductions in weight and cost. It can be used in various applications where extreme strength and lightweight are needed, such as military hardware, aerospace and defense equipment, automobiles, engines, power generation equipment, etc.

The properties of Megatron 6 are very similar compared to other materials available on the market. However, Megatron 6 has been developed to have better thermal conductivity than other materials. This makes it an ideal solution for high frequency applications where heat dissipation can be an issue.

2. Tachyon 100G

Tachyon 100G laminates have been developed to meet the needs of complex digital network applications in the telecommunications industry, including next-generation optical transmission systems. The Tachyon 100G laminate family is based on a proprietary technology that enables the manufacturing of dielectric materials with low-loss and ultra-high permittivity. Combining these two properties results in a material that exhibits low attenuation over a wide frequency range without the need for metallization or other loss-yielding techniques.

3. RO4000

RO4000 hydrocarbon ceramic is composed of an electrically conductive substrate with a high dielectric constant (K) and a very low dissipation factor (tan δ). The dielectric constant varies with the thickness of the material. These laminates are suitable for use as substrates for integrated circuits, microwave devices, filters, and other electronic components.

4. RO4003C™

RO4003C™ laminates are fabricated from an extremely tough, high-performance fiberglass cloth with proprietary resin. The resin is formulated to provide outstanding mechanical properties, excellent dimensional stability, and superior physical properties.

The RO4003C™ resin system produces materials with high impact strength, fatigue resistance, and stiffness at elevated temperatures. It exhibits good toughness at low temperatures and has good resistance to compression set in most applications.

5. RO4350B™

RO4350B™ laminates are flame-retardant ABS laminates specifically designed for applications requiring UL94V-0 certification. The RoHS compliant flame-retardant technology utilizes a proprietary blend of flame retardants to provide excellent thermal stability and char length control, enabling UL 94V-0 certification for RoHS compliant products.

6. TU-933+

High frequency PCB material, TU-933+, is designed to meet customers' requirements who need to design and manufacture products that operate at microwave frequencies, particularly in wireless applications. This material offers excellent thermal conductivity and low dielectric loss over a wide range of frequencies without using silver or gold inks or electroplating processes. It is highly conductive and low loss FR-4. It is designed for high frequency applications where the circuit board needs to handle high power.

7. TU-883

High frequency PCB material, TU-883, is an FR4 glass epoxy laminate with an embedded copper foil layer that provides a low dielectric constant and low loss tangent. This material is ideal for use in waveguide circuits where the signal travels on the surface of the circuit board or on microstrip transmission lines where the signal travels along the surface of the circuit board or through holes drilled into the board.

The high frequency PCB material provides good power dissipation capabilities. At the same time, its low loss tangent minimizes reflections caused by impedance mismatches between different layers on your circuit boards or components in your system design.

8. Megatron 7

Megatron 7 is an RF-transparent substrate with a thin layer of gold on one side. It is used in high frequency PCB applications where the performance specifications are critical, and the technology is subject to military or aerospace requirements. This material has a high dielectric constant, low dissipation factor, and good thermal stability.

9. IT-968

IT-968 is a copper-clad laminate material with a solid copper surface on both sides of the core. The core material is a composite of phenolic resin and glass cloth impregnated with epoxy resin. It is used for manufacturing high-power RF circuits, including signal processing and transmission systems. IT-968 has an excellent surface finish, can be processed into complex shapes and has very good dimensional stability across temperature ranges.

10. EM-890K

The EM-890K material offers low loss, good electrical properties, and thermal conductivity at frequencies up to 18 GHz. This material provides good mechanical strength, dimensional stability, and moisture resistance. It is well suited for electronic circuits that use RF frequencies of 30 MHz to 40 GHz, such as microwave applications, satellite communications systems, and radar equipment.

Final Thoughts

High frequency PCB is one of the most widely used and sold FR-4 grade materials. This material at Hemeixin is noted for its ability to withstand high frequency, high heat, and mechanical strength over time. These qualities make them suitable for various applications, including antennas, wireless communications equipment, automotive electronics, home appliances, aerospace, and military products.