ROG Blog | Microwave Journal

The Rog Blog is contributed by John Coonrod and various other experts from Rogers Corporation, providing technical advice and information about RF/microwave materials.

Harness High-Dk Circuit Materials

September 9, 2013

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Dielectric constant (Dk) is a key parameter to consider when choosing a microwave printed-circuit board (PCB). But what microwave circuit designers may not always appreciate is the “choice within a choice” with some PCB materials, or when it might make sense to select a circuit material with a higher Dk value. High-Dk circuit materials can make it possible to miniaturize high-frequency circuits beyond what is possible with lower-Dk circuit materials. Understanding where high-Dk circuit materials fit within an RF/microwave designer’s toolkit can provide engineers with a great deal of flexibility when developing both active and passive high-frequency circuits.

Digging Deeper Into Dissipation Factor

August 21, 2013

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Dissipation factor, also known as loss tangent, is a printed-circuit-board (PCB) material parameter probably often overlooked when engineers size up their possible choices for PCB materials. But it is a parameter that can tell a great deal about how a material will perform in different applications and environments. And it is a PCB parameter that is certainly worth spending a little time to get to know better.

Getting The Low Down on Dielectric Constant

July 29, 2013

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PCB Formulated For Reliability

May 3, 2013

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Achieving high reliability for a high-frequency circuit or system starts with the printed circuit board (PCB). The PCB material must deliver consistent performance over time and changing conditions, such as temperature. As explained in the previous Blog (part one of this two-part series), it is possible to spot PCB materials that are “built to last” by assessing a number of their key performance parameters, such as coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). In fact, PCB materials such as Rogers RO4835™ laminates can be engineered for high reliability through a careful combination of material components resulting in specific performance characteristics.

Picking A PCB For High Reliability

April 16, 2013

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High reliability is a goal and desire for all designers and end-users of high-frequency printed-circuit boards (PCBs). Since all of the components mounted on the PCB depend on it, it is expected to deliver dependable and consistent performance over time. But depending on the operating conditions, it can sometimes be difficult to achieve. In an attempt to help, the next two Blogs will explore PCB material reliability: this blog, Part 1, will review some of the general obstacles for a PCB material to achieve good long-term reliability while the next blog, Part 2, will take a close look at how the characteristics of one particular PCB material add up to good long-term reliability.

Looking Back Over Using PCB Materials

50th ROG blog posting

April 1, 2013

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This ROG Blog series on printed-circuit-board (PCB) materials from Rogers Corp. (www.rogerscorp.com) has reached the half-century mark, already covering a wide range of topics on circuit materials with this, the 50^th ROG Blog. It has even detailed the effects of different PCB material thicknesses on circuit performance, and described the influence of conductor roughness on circuit performance. While it would be difficult to pick out the top 10 Blogs from the first 49 Blogs appearing since August 2010, at least 10 of these ROG Blogs deserve mention for how they have attempted to help readers with their different uses of PCB materials.

Making the Most of Millimeter-Wave Circuits

March 18, 2013

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Millimeter-wave frequencies (about 30 to 300 GHz) were once associated with at least two things: circuits for these frequencies are extremely difficult to fabricate, and they will probably be used for some military-electronics application. Because these frequencies are available for use without licenses, a growing number of circuit designers are considering different applications at these higher frequencies and, of course, choosing the right printed-circuit-board (PCB) material is an important part of any practical efforts to realize millimeter-wave circuits. Here are some things to be aware of and tips on how to design for millimeter-wave circuits.

Taming Loss In Transmission Lines

February 19, 2013

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Transmission lines are akin to electronic roadways, routing signals along different paths of a printed-circuit board (PCB). At RF/microwave frequencies, circuit designers often create PCBs based on three popular planar transmission line approaches: microstrip, stripline, or coplanar waveguide (CPW). Each uses circuit-board materials in a different way, with different results in terms of insertion-loss performance. By getting a grasp on the insertion-loss mechanisms for these different transmission-line formats, circuit designers can better match the mechanical and electrical characteristics of their circuit substrates to their intended applications and transmission lines when choosing PCB materials.

Matching Materials To Bandpass Filters

Bandpass Filters, Part 2

February 5, 2013

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Part 1 of this two-part series on bandpass filters—highlighted the versatility of one circuit material from Rogers Corporation, RT/duroid® 6010.2LM laminate, for fabricating RF/microwave bandpass filters. But not all circuit materials are the same and there may be some advantages to designing bandpass filters on other materials, such as Rogers RO4000® family of printed-circuit-board (PCB) materials. This blog will examine different grades of these and other circuit materials and the impact they have on the design and fabrication of high-frequency bandpass filters, especially compared to filters formed on filled-PTFE-based circuit materials.

Choose Circuit Materials For Bandpass Filters

Bandpass Filters, Part 1

January 16, 2013

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Bandpass filters are essential to many RF/microwave circuits and systems. They eliminate unwanted signals and noise, and can work with both receivers and transmitters. This first of two blogs on RF/microwave bandpass filters will review some of their basic performance parameters and how they relate to PCB material characteristics, with a focus on one material in particular, RT/duroid® 6010.2LM circuit material from Rogers Corp. As a followup, the next blog will explore how bandpass filters perform on other circuit materials.