Rogers Corp. will be showing some of its high-performance electronic printed-circuit-board (PCB) materials and offering advice on optimum ways to use them at the upcoming PCB West Exhibition (http://pcbwest.com), September 10, 2014, at the Santa Clara Convention Center, Santa Clara, Calif.

At booth # 300, Rogers will display examples of its many circuit materials, including RO4835™ and RO4360G2™ circuit laminates and COOLSPAN® Thermally & Electrically Conductive Adhesive (TECA) film. As part of the technical conference, Sr. Market Development Engineer John Coonrod will review PCB material characteristics and circuit-fabrication methods and how they relate to high-frequency insertion-loss performance.

Rogers RO4835 high-frequency laminates, specially formulated with enhanced oxidation resistance, were developed for applications needing improved electrical stability over time and temperature, while maintaining the cost advantages of a thermoset, FR-4 processable material. Just as with RO4350B™ material, RO4835 laminates offer a dielectric constant of 3.48 at 10 GHz, a low loss tangent of 0.0037 at 10 GHz, and low z-axis of coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) for excellent plated-through-hole (PTH) reliability across a wide range of processing and operating conditions.

These improved oxidation resistance circuit materials exhibit x- and y-axis expansion coefficients similar to that of copper. RO4835 laminates are RoHS-compliant, do not require special preparation, and can be processed using standard fabrication methods. Typical applications include automotive radar and sensors, point-to-point microwave backhaul units, power amplifiers and phased-array radar.

RO4360G2 laminates have a tailored high Dk of 6.15 at 10 GHz, which allows next generation power amplifier designers to meet size and cost reduction targets. Specifically, the laminates’ higher Dk allows for a significant reduction in finished circuit board size (20-30%). RO4360G2 laminates process similar to FR-4, are automated assembly compatible, and offer the same reliability and repeatability that customers have come to expect from Rogers RO4350B material.

With a UL 94V-0 flame rating and fully lead-free process capable, these laminates possess excellent thermal conductivity of .81 W/m/K for improved reliability, a low Z-axis CTE for reliable plated through holes, and drill performance as good as or better than RO4350B laminates.

COOLSPAN TECA film is a thermally and electrically conductive adhesive that is designed for bonding circuit boards to heavy metal backplanes, heat sinks, and housings. The thermosetting, epoxy-based, silver-filled adhesive is a practical alternative to fusion bonding, sweat soldering, press-fit, and other mechanical approaches for attaching circuits to associated structures. COOLSPAN TECA film, which is supplied in sheet form on a PET carrier, is able to survive lead-free-solder processing and offers outstanding chemical resistance and high temperature performance, helping designers to keep things cool.  

For PCB West 2014 Conference attendees, Rogers’ John Coonrod will be examining why some PCB materials are better than others at achieving low insertion loss, during his presentation “Variables of PCB Fabrication and Design that Affect Insertion Loss.”  September 10 at 11 AM. Coonrod, who holds a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Arizona State University, is a Sr. Market Development Engineer for Rogers Advanced Circuit Materials Division. He has over 25 years of experience in the PCB industry, working with flexible, rigid, and high-frequency PCB materials.