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There are always ways to improve printed circuit boards (PCBs). Through the use of new materials and technology, manufacturers and suppliers can enhance the performance, stability and durability of PCBs across a broad range of applications and industries. Meeting the growing need for efficient, high-speed and high-performing electronic products can help organizations stand out, which is why it’s important to know which materials provide the most value.
While there are many laminates that meet these criteria, the Rogers 4000 Series materials come with many benefits to make PCB fabrication easier. These laminates maintain excellent power efficiency and distribution, thermal management and high resistance to heat and chemicals, making them a popular choice for PCB construction. Learn more about Rogers 4000 Series materials and their applications and benefits.
What Is the Rogers 4000 Series?
The Rogers 4000 Series is a hydrocarbon ceramic laminate material designed to offer easier use in circuit fabrication and streamlined properties over traditional polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) materials.
These laminates offer cost-effective circuit fabrication and improved high-frequency performance. The properties within Rogers materials allow for the design of matching networks and RF microwave circuits while maintaining controlled impedance transmission lines. These laminates uphold the technical performance that meets requirements and demands of many smart devices, such as withstanding environmental stresses like high temperatures.
The Rogers material has some similarities and differences when compared to the Panasonic Megtron 6, which can make it easier for you to determine which laminate better suits your industrial, technology and PCB needs. Both substrates are available in low-profile foils to avoid signal reflections at high frequencies, have similar low Dk and Df values and are commonly used in high-speed digital product manufacturing.
Some Rogers laminates require higher pressure for proper lamination than Megtron 6 materials. Rogers 4000 Series materials are flat and repeatable, which helps with impedance control, but the Megtron 6 materials don’t always meet this standard.
Rogers 4000 Series Applications
There are many different applications for Rogers PCB substrates in computing, industrial, telecommunication and automotive industries. However, they’re most often used when high operating frequencies are present, which don’t allow for conventional circuit board laminates. The temperature coefficient of the dielectric constant is one of the lowest of the available circuit board materials across a broad frequency range, making it the ideal choice for broadband applications.
Here are the most common application examples of Rogers 4000 Series materials:
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- Cellular base station antennas
- Servers
- Routers
- Power amplifiers
- Radar and sensors
- Microwave equipment
- High-speed backplanes
- Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Tags
- 5G stations
- Automated Test Equipment (ATE)
- Backhaul radios
- Low-noise block downconverter (LNB) for direct broadcast satellites
Features and Benefits of Rogers 4000 Series Laminates
The Rogers PCB substrates come in a few different types, and each one has its distinct properties and benefits. This variety gives you more to choose from, so you may want to consider several factors, including:
- Decomposition temperature
- Moisture absorption
- Dielectric constant
- Coefficient of thermal expansion
There are many other reasons why the Rogers PCB materials are highly preferred over others for high-power applications. Here are the primary attributes that stand out in the Rogers 4000 Series laminates.
Minimal Dielectric and Electrical Signals Loss
A dielectric material provides an insulating layer between two other conducting layers with minimal electricity. Dielectric loss can have detrimental consequences, such as failure of the material. The Rogers 4000 Series maintains a proper electrical design that prevents these issues from occurring.
Minimal Moisture Absorption
The Rogers 4000 Series laminates have minimal water and moisture absorption, which is beneficial for a few reasons. Moisture absorption can affect the chemical, electrical and mechanical properties of industrial laminates, such as their appearance and stability. Minimal absorption rates help ensure the lowest possible insulation degradation and dimensional change for electrical application in high humidity conditions. These low water absorption rates are also important for chemical resistance to alkalis and acids.
Low Thermal Expansion
As with moisture, thermal expansion can disrupt the performance and stability of laminates. As the temperature increases and reaches extremes, the material can increase in volume and size, weakening its durability. The Rogers 4000 Series laminates maintain a low Z-axis coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), which helps them stay intact through various temperatures.
The CTE within these laminates is similar to copper because of its dimensional stability, which is necessary for multilayer board constructions. The low Z-axis CTE also generates reliable plated through-hole qualities, which help it remain stable through thermal shocks applications and a wide range of circuit processing temperatures.
Enhanced Impedance Control
As new PCB designs, materials and components become smaller and faster, they also become more complicated, so it’s critical to know how your board impacts your signal performance. Impedance control within a substrate material facilitates the signals traveling along a PCB trace and its reference planes. Without this control, these signal integrity (SI) issues can put the signals out of the required range. Impedance control, as within the Rogers 4000 Series laminates, can eliminate these issues and enhance the overall design of the connection.
For PCBs used in high-speed digital applications, such as computing with high frequencies, telecommunications and RF communication, you will need to rely on controlled impedance, so it’s important to use materials that are up for the challenge.
Reliable Resistance to Various Chemicals
Rogers 4000 materials also contain chemical-resistant properties. These properties help make them more compatible with certain materials and keep them from deteriorating or reacting with aggressive ingredients, such as acids or other common chemicals.
Other Features and Benefits
There are many other advantages to using Rogers 4000 Series laminates to enhance your PCBs. These include:
- High circuit density
- Ease of fabrication
- High-speed and high-frequency performance
- Lower insertion loss
- Design flexibility
- Lead-free process and soldering compatible
- Thinner options for improved multilayer design flexibility
- Excellent mechanical rigidity for efficient and reliable installation
- High dimensional stability
- Reduction of outgassing
Get Your PCB Support From Millennium Circuits Limited
The Rogers 4000 Series laminates are ideal for a wide variety of applications and have many technical performance benefits for PCBs and other products. At Millennium Circuits Limited, we supply various solutions for your manufacturing and engineering needs, including circuit board technology. Our capabilities extend to PCB layer stackups, PCB electrical testing, RoHS compliant circuit boards and many other technologies and materials to exceed your quality and customer service expectations.
At MCL, our extensive experience and competitive pricing allow you to focus on the most critical needs in your organization, from your boards to many other products, in a streamlined process. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you.
