Rogers to Present RF Guidelines & Latest Multilayer Circuit Materials at PCB West 2018

Rogers Corp. will play a major role in contributing to the upcoming PCB West event, as part of both the one-day exhibition and the three-day technical conference. The PCB West exhibition is scheduled for September 12, 2018 with the technical conference taking place September 11-13, 2018, both held within the Santa Clara Convention Center. 

The PCB West Conference and Exhibition is one of the electronic industry’s major events for PCB design, fabrication and assembly. 

Rogers Presentation

Rogers’ Technical Marketing Manager, John Coonrod, will present “Overview of Several RF Structures and How They Work” on Thursday, September 13, from 11 a.m. to  noon. Coonrod’s presentation will explore the principles of various high frequency transmission lines, such as microstrip and stripline, and the importance of low loss and consistent dielectric constant (Dk) in the circuit boards used for those RF/microwave circuits. It will also demonstrate how such transmission lines are applied to the design of couplers, filters, antennas and other RF/microwave PCB components.  

Latest Rogers’ Materials at Booth 201

Visitors to the PCB West 2018 Exhibition will find plenty of the latest high-performance circuit materials from Rogers Corp. at Booth 201. Rogers will be highlighting its recently released materials. 

RO4835T™/RO4835™ Laminates, RO4450T™ Bonding Materials & CU4000™/CU4000 LoPro® Foils

RO4835T laminates, offered in a 2.5 mil, 3 mil and 4 mil core thickness, are 3.3 Dk, low loss, spread glass reinforced, ceramic filled thermoset materials designed for inner-layer use in multilayer board designs, and complement RO4835 laminates when thinner cores are needed. RO4450T Bonding Materials are 3.2 to 3.3 Dk, low loss, spread glass reinforced, ceramic filled bonding materials that were designed to complement RO4835T and the existing RO4000^® laminate family, and come in 3, 4 or 5 mil thicknesses. CU4000 and CU4000 LoPro Foils are sheeted foil options for designers looking for foil lamination builds, and provide good outer layer adhesion when used with RO4000 products.

RO4835T laminates and RO4450T bonding materials exhibit excellent Dk control for repeatable electrical performance, a low z axis expansion for plated through-hole reliability, and are compatible with standard epoxy/glass (FR-4) processes. These materials are an excellent choice for multilayer designs requiring sequential laminations, as fully cured RO4000 products are capable of withstanding multiple lamination cycles. RO4835T laminates and RO4450T bonding materials have the UL 94 V-0 flame retardant rating, and are compatible with lead-free processes.

Xtreme Speed™ RO1200™ High Speed, Extremely Low Loss Laminates

As the demand for faster and more data drives channel speeds of core network infrastructure beyond 50 Gbps, one of the limiting factors in increasing performance is the signal attenuation resulting from the circuit materials.

Network equipment designers need high performance circuit materials with superior electrical properties for applications like IP Infrastructure, High Performance Computing and Test and Measurement. Xtreme Speed RO1200 circuit materials are engineered to meet the unique electrical and thermal/mechanical demands of high speed designs. Rogers XtremeSpeed RO1200 circuit materials enable system designers the flexibility to design leading edge systems that maximize data throughput and minimize latency in performance demanding applications.

With a low dielectric constant of 3.05, and a maximum dissipation factor of 0.0017 at 10 GHz, Rogers XtremeSpeed RO1200 laminates provide outstanding signal integrity, reduced signal skew, and reduced cross-talk. Combined with superior thermal/mechanical performance, low CTE, and a halogen free UL 94 V-0 rating, Rogers XtremeSpeed RO1200 laminates are well suited for the most demanding high layer count applications.

RO4460G2

RO4460G2™ low loss bondply was recently introduced with a 6.15 dielectric constant (Dk). RO4000^® thermoset high performance bonding layers have long been used by circuit designers for multilayer board constructions using Rogers’ high frequency and high speed digital materials where operating frequency, dielectric constant or high speed signal requirements dictate the need for high performance materials. The introduction of RO4460G2 bondply now provides designers a 0.004 in. (0.101 mm) bonding layer that complements the already released RO4360G2™ low loss, glass-reinforced 6.15 Dk copper clad thermoset laminates.

RO4460G2 bondply exhibits excellent Dk control for repeatable electrical performance, a low z axis expansion for plated through-hole reliability, and thermoset bond temperatures compatible with standard epoxy/glass (FR-4) processes. RO4460G2 bondply is an excellent choice for multilayer designs requiring sequential laminations, as fully cured RO4400™ bondplies are capable of withstanding multiple lamination cycles. Each of the RO4400 bondplies have the UL V-0 flame retardant rating, and are compatible with lead-free processes.

Kappa™ 438 Laminates

These glass reinforced thermoset laminates were developed for wireless circuit designers looking for a better performing and more reliable alternative to FR-4 laminates. Demand for wireless data is growing exponentially, driving a need for substantially higher levels of mobile network capacity and performance. FR-4 was historically a material choice for many less demanding RF applications, but changes in the wireless infrastructure related to growing performance requirements, especially in small cells and carrier-grade Wi-Fi/Licensed Assisted Access (LAA), has resulted in instances where the properties of FR-4 are lacking and RF performance and consistency is compromised. 

Wireless circuit designers can now enjoy a true breakthrough with Kappa 438 laminates because they feature the performance of mid-tier circuit materials that exceed performance limitations of FR-4, and provide the optimum blend of price, performance and durability. Kappa 438 Laminates have low loss, excellent dielectric constant (Dk) tolerance, and tight thickness control and are engineered for outstanding, repeatable wireless performance. Kappa 438 laminates have a low Z axis CTE and High Tg for improved design flexibility, PTH reliability and automated assembly compatibility, and can be fabricated using standard epoxy/glass (FR-4) processes. 

These laminates are compatible with conventional bondplies and lead free solder processes, and have the UL 94 V-0 flame retardant rating. A design Dk of 4.38 tailored to FR-4 industry standard norms facilitates ease of converting existing FR-4 designs where better electrical performance is needed.