The Rogers RO3035 circuit material with high frequency are PTFE composites filled with ceramic and intended to be used in RF and commercial microwave applications. It was designed to provide mechanical and electrical stability at great and competitive prices.
They boast of circuit materials with consistent mechanical properties regardless of the chosen dielectric constant. This permits the designer to build multilayer board designs utilizing varying materials for dielectric constant for individual layers, without coming across reliability or warpage issues.
The dielectric constant against temperature of Rogers RO3035 materials is highly stable. The materials used here possess a CTE –coefficient of thermal expansion of 17 ppm/°C in both X and Y axis. This coefficient is compared to that of copper. This permits the material to show great dimensional stability and reduces the possibility of bow and twist. The expansion coefficient also gets rid of the possibility for the thick metal cladding from delaminating.
The CTE of the Z-axis is 24 ppm/°C. This delivers a great through-hole plated reliability, and will work fine even in harsh thermal environments. These laminates can be transformed into PCBs utilizing standard processing techniques of the PTFE circuit board, with mirror modifications.
Benefits of the Rogers ro3035
- Its application frequency can get to 30-40 GHz as a result of the low dielectric loss
- This application is reliable in multilayer and stripline pcb structure
- It is appropriate for pcb designs with multilayer and varying dielectric constant
- It is great for the structural design of pcb with multilayer with a mix of epoxy resin
- Great for applications that are sensitive to temperature
- Higher reliability, lower operating temperature for power amplifier applications
- Great dimensional stability
- It is available globally and therefore is great for multi-site production use.
Features of RO 3035
The Rogers RO3035 has the following features and properties:
- Dielectric loss is low
- Great mechanical properties against temperature
- Mechanical properties are uniform
- Dielectric constant is stable versus frequency and temperature
- High thermal conductivity
- In-plane expansion coefficient is low
- Low loss tangent and dielectric constant
- Works fine with processing techniques that are lead-free.
What Factors can Affect the Performance of the Rogers RO3035
The efficiency of the rogers ro3035 is dependent on some factors. Some of them depend on the material’s inherent features, while the rest are dependent on how the environment of operation is.
The way the material of your Rogers RO3035 will function depends on:
- The copper surface’s roughness
- The dissipation factor
- Cladding type utilized
- Type of surface finishing or solder mask used
- The laminate’s thickness
- The laminate’s thermal conductivity
- The copper’s thickness
- The insertion loss, which includes dielectric loss, leakage loss, conductor loss, and radiation loss
- The thermal coefficient of the dielectric constant
- The PCB’s thermal management efficiency
What are the Limitations of the RO 3035?
The PCB material of the RO3035 is much more expensive compared to the PCB material of the standard FR-4. This higher cost is as a result of the higher costs involved in the manufacturing, which has to do with the PTFT-based laminates.
Also, RO3035 is very prone to corrosion and oxidation whenever it is stored or whenever it is operating under humid conditions and high temperature.
Why are Thin RO 3035 laminates Appropriate for Fabricating PCBs used in Application requiring High-Frequency?
Making use of thinner PCB laminates comes with its benefits and pitfalls, and you must consider them carefully before making a decision regarding the use of thin laminates.
Some major benefits of utilizing thinner laminates includes their low profile and reduced weight, which makes them great for use in mobile and portable devices.
These thinner laminates are also great for much higher frequencies i.e. 30 GHz and higher. They help in preventing signal propagation modes that are unwanted, which are usually what characterize such high frequencies.
The traveling waves that are unwanted can disrupt the intended propagation of the circuit wave. This thinner laminate possesses a very low loss tangent and dielectric constant.
You can utilize a wider conductor anytime the Dk value of your ro3035 is low, and you have to maintain the controlled impedance lines.
What Processing Techniques (Lead-Free) can be used in Fabricating RO 3035 Laminates?
Consider the different processes during SMT assembly that are important when manufacturing PCBs that are RoHS compliant. You may consider these:
Materials
Try making use of other options of surface finishing that don’t have lead in it like organic solder preservatives. Make sure that you are using thermally-stable solder masks. Also, for the etch resist, make use of pure tin.
Assembly
Reflow
- Optimize your ro3035 material’s reflow profile
- Use conventional ovens and avoid using the infra-red type
- Check the temperature range of your equipment and maintain great temperature control
- This process may be performed using the atmosphere of an inert gas.
- Make use of inert gas atmosphere
- Optimization of your equipment to help resist damage due to high temperatures
- Make sure you optimize your wave design
- Consider the rising copper levels while replenishing bath
Health and Safety
- Don’t be exposed to lead fumes
- Make use of the right protective measure when high temperature is in use
- Choose the solder alloys appropriately
- Don’t use unnecessary excess temperatures when soldering to prevent damage to your equipment
ATM Standards during PCB Fabrication
Several methods are available to test and check the properties of this PCB laminate. The testing standards of the ASTM laboratory helps in harmonizing test methods.
It achieves this through specifying dimensions, standard designs, equipment types, apparatus used for testing the different aspects of the laminate. By adhering to these standards, you will be able to ascertain workmanship and quality.
Conclusion
You have a lot to gain while using the Rogers RO3035. This is because it comes with great properties. These include low dielectric loss, great mechanical properties against temperature, high thermal conductivity, and more.
