Meaning
Hydrocarbon ceramic laminates offer the electrical performance of PTFE materials with the processing ease of standard epoxy glass. As a glass-reinforced material, rogers ro4350b provides a low dielectric constant and low dissipation factor suitable for high frequency applications. It is frequently used in the design of cellular base station antennas and power amplifiers.
Thermal Stability
The material maintains its dimensions and electrical properties across a wide temperature range. This stability is due to a low coefficient of thermal expansion, which closely matches that of copper. Circuit traces remain securely bonded during thermal cycling, reducing the risk of delamination.
Reliable performance is maintained even in harsh outdoor environments.
Processing Compatibility
Fabricators can use standard FR-4 manufacturing processes to build boards with this material. It does not require special plasma etching or sodium naphthenate treatments for via preparation. This compatibility reduces the cost of production compared to pure PTFE substrates.
Multiple layers can be laminated together using standard prepreg materials. This makes it a preferred choice for hybrid boards where high frequency layers are combined with low cost digital layers.
Loss Characteristic
Lower dissipation factors minimize the energy converted to heat as signals pass through the board. Efficiency is high even at frequencies reaching into the tens of gigahertz. This characteristic is particularly useful for battery powered devices where every milliwatt of power is a priority.
Lower loss translates to better receiver sensitivity and higher transmitter output.
