Introduction to Commonly Used Rogers PCB Materials

Specialised and high-performance PCBs are required now more than ever and while there are many manufacturers of high-performance PCBs, one of the market leaders is Rogers Corporation. The manufacturer is renowned for its high-performance PCBs, so much so that the term “Rogers PCB” is synonymous with high-performance PCB materials.

What are Rogers PCBs?

Rogers PCBs are PCBs built using prepreg or laminates manufactured by Rogers Corporation. Rogers Corporation is a renowned material science company whose product portfolio is limited to PCB materials and 3D printing materials, electrical busbars and cooling solutions. Rogers Corporation was founded in 1832 in Manchester, Connecticut, USA. In the early, 1900s Rogers Corporation started insulation material for electrical equipment and is one of the oldest companies to manufacture PCB materials with 150 years of total industrial experience. Rodgers Corporation also acquired Arlon, which has been a brand under Rogers Corporation since 2015 (when it was bought by Rogers Corporation in 2015) and is known for its high-performance laminates and prepregs used in printed circuit boards (PCBs) for demanding applications. Under the Arlon brand, Rogers Corporation offers Polyimide and specialised PCB materials. Arlon also has products other than PCB materials. Another company that was acquired by Rogers Corporation was Curamic, a German Company under which, Rogers Corporation offers its ceramic solutions.

Commonly Used Rogers PCB Materials

Rogers Corporation offers a wide variety of PCB Materials segregated by their series as per their applications. Some of the PCB materials commonly used in the Rogers printed circuit board fabrication are as below.?

Read: A Guide to Rogers PCB Material: Commonly Used Types, Features, and Applications

RO3000 Series?

The RO3000 series of Rogers PCB materials is a popular Radio Frequency and Microwave application. RO3000 materials are known for their wide range of options catering to different applications. Laminates in this series have low loss, and low CTE and are available for dielectric constant ranging from 3 to 10.2. RO3000 series materials also boast a stable dielectric constant over a wide temperature range. A few of the laminates in the series are -

• RO3003 - RO3003 is one of the most popular laminates in the series of Rogers PCB materials. It has a Dk of 3.00 +/- .04 and a Dissipation factor of .0010. It can also maintain low Dk loss of up to 77 GHz. RO3003 has a high availability and can be considered an economical laminate. A newer version with the name RO3003G2 was also introduced with added micro vias capabilities.
• RO3010 - RO3010 is an advanced Rogers PCB board material. It is a ceramic-filled PTFE composite material that has a Dk of 10.2 +/- .30 and a dissipation factor of .0022. RO3010 is a cost-saving material with excellent mechanical and electric stability. However, high Dk allows for circuit miniaturization along with multi-layer capabilities.

RO4000 Series

The RO4000 series of Rogers PCB board materials are perhaps the most popular high-frequency materials available. Its high availability and most importantly its compatibility with standard FR-4 fabrication process have made this material series a popular choice among designers. RO4000 has well-controlled DKs, above-average thermal conductivity, low CTE, and a fairly wide range of Dk and is an economical option for RF and Microwave applications. A few of the materials in the RO4000 series of Rogers PCB board materials are -

• RO4350B - RO4350B is one of the most popular high-frequency Rogers PCB materials available in the market. It is UL V-0 rated for active and high-power devices and according to Rogers Corporation it is a “Market-leading material for base station power amplifier designs”. Like other materials in the series it has a fabrication process like FR-4 and hence is cheap to manufacture. It has a very high availability and is economical. It has a Dk of 3.48 +/- 0.05 and a Dissipation factor of 0.0037 at 10 GHz
• RO4003C - RO4003C is a popular high-frequency laminate that is used for performance-sensitive and high-volume applications. This Rogers PCB material offers properties of a high-frequency material but at the fabrication process of standard FR-4 like the other materials in the series. It has a Dk of 3.38 +/- 0.05 and a Dissipation factor of 0.0027. However, it does not have a UL-95 V-0 flame rating which might make it suitable for some applications.

RT/duroids

Rogers RT/duroid series of laminates are high-frequency Rogers PCB board materials that are filled with PTFE (random glass or ceramic) composite laminates. They are suitable for use in high-reliability, aerospace and defence applications. RT/duroid laminates have low outgassing which is the ability of a material to release volatile substances under the presence of heat or vacuum. RT/duroid laminates have been in the market for some time now, in fact, it was one of the first high-performance PCBs specifically designed for RF and microwave applications. However, these materials have evolved to cater to modern industry needs. A few of the Rogers printed circuit board materials from this series are -

• RT/duroid 5870 - RT/duroid 5870 is a well-established laminate designed to cater to aerospace applications. It is a PTFE composite with glass microfibers which results in uniformity of Dk, which requires a different fabrication process than that of an FR-4. It has a Dk of 2.33 +/- .02 and a Dissipation factor of .0012. Being a legacy material it is a proven and highly reliable material.?
• RT/duroid 5880 - RT/duroid 5880 is a high-frequency laminate that is a PTFE composite reinforced by glass fibres like RT/duroid 5870. It has very similar physical and mechanical properties to RT/duroid 5870 but with better electrical properties. It has a Dk or 2.20 +/- .02 and a dissipation factor of .0009.
• RT/duroid 6035HTC - RT/duroid 6035HTC laminates are high-frequency Rogers PCB board materials that are ceramic-filled PTFE components designed for high-power RF and microwave applications. Its thermal conductivity is around 2.5 times of normal RT/duroid products. This laminate is also cheaper to drill, unlike alumina filler ceramic PCBs. It has great performance, a dielectric constant: of 3.50 +/- .05, a dissipation factor: of 0.0013, thermal conductivity: of 1.44 W/m/K @ 80°C.

TMM Series

Rogers TMM thermoset microwave laminates are designed for high reliability. A few laminates from the series namely TMM 10 and TMM 10i were designed to replace alumina PCBs, meaning these laminates have exceptionally low Dk and do not require any specialised fabrication process. These laminates have a high range of dielectric constants( 3.27 to 15+). A few laminates from this series are -

• TMM 10 - TMM 10 laminates are a ceramic thermoset polymer composite. TMM 10 offers the benefit of both PTFE and ceramic-based laminates. Since, TMM laminates are based on thermoset resins, and do not soften when heated.? It has a Dielectric Constant (Dk) of 9.20 +/-.230 and a Dissipation factor of .0022.???
• TMM 10i - TMM 10i is a ceramic thermoset polymer composite that is very similar to TMM 10. It shares mechanical properties with TMM 10 with better electrical properties. It has a Dk of 9.80 +/- .24 and a Dissipation factor of .0020.

Kappa 438 Laminates?

Kappa 438 is not a series but a single laminate offering for Rogers Corporation. It was designed using a glass-enforced hydrocarbon ceramic material which is excellent in high frequency uages. It is considered a high-performance replacement for FR-4. It was designed to replace already designed FR-4 PCBs for better electrical properties with minimal or no changes. It has a Dk of 4.38, which is the average Dk of general FR-4. However, it has a tighter thickness and Dk tolerance with a high Tg of 280°C which is much better than even high Tg Fr-4. Along with Dk similarity, this kind of Rogers PCB fabrication is also similar to standard FR-4 PCB fabrication. While it is certainly more expensive than regular FR-4 considering its better high-frequency performance justified the extra cost that comes with it.