What are Rogers PCB Materials?

Rogers PCB materials are high-performance PCB substrate materials made by Rogers Corporation that offer superior performance and temperature characteristics compared to other commonly used materials like FR-4. Where FR-4 is typically made up of woven fiberglass cloth with an epoxy resin binder, Rogers materials use ceramic instead of epoxy resin as the base. This gives Rogers materials a lower dielectric constant for the ability to perform well at high frequencies and better temperature stability compared to FR-4. They are suitable for high-speed, commercial microwave and RF applications.

Key Characteristics

Some of the key features of Rogers PCB materials include:

• Low dielectric constant (Dk): Rogers PCB materials have a low dielectric constant, typically between 2.55 and 10.2, which enables them to maintain signal integrity and minimize signal loss at high frequencies. The ceramic material also enables precise control of the dielectric constant of the Rogers PCB during fabrication.
• Low loss tangent (Df): These materials have a low loss tangent measured by their dissipation factor (Df) having values typically between 0.0014 and 0.003 to minimize signal attenuation and distortion.
• High thermal conductivity: They have an above-average thermal conductivity, typically between 0.6 and 1.6 W/mK to enable effective heat dissipation and maintain stable performance even at high temperatures.
• Dimensional stability: Rogers PCB materials have a low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), typically between 10 and 20 ppm/°C, making them less likely to warp or deform under temperature changes and enabling more reliable plated through-hole quality. They also have a glass transition temperature (Tg) typically over 280°C making them thermally robust and compatible for Lead-free soldering processes.
• Uniform material structure: Rogers PCB materials have a uniform material structure, which means that they provide consistent performance across the board.

Rogers PCB materials also have a minimal water absorption property which makes them suitable for use in high-humidity applications. The use of highly reliable ceramic materials for their fabrication increases the cost compared to standard FR-4 materials. But compared to other high-frequency substrate materials which usually require special manufacturing processes, Rogers materials can be processed similarly to FR-4.

Specifications

Applications of Rogers Materials

Rogers PCB materials’ ability to operate at high frequencies and stable dielectric constants with low signal losses is ideal for RF, microwave, and millimeter-wave applications. They are preferred for use in RF PCBs with operating frequencies of over 6 GHz. Hence, they are used to make advanced electronics of networking equipment in wireless, satellites, and phased-array radar systems. These materials can maintain signal integrity, have low moisture absorption and avoid PCB deformation at high temperatures making them suitable for automotive, aerospace and defense electronics. They also have high design flexibility and can be processed with standard fabrication processes while meeting industry certification requirements.