What is a microwave RF PCB circuit board?

What is a microwave RF PCB circuit board?

PCB high-frequency board (microwave RF circuit board) is a special type of circuit board used to process signals with high electromagnetic frequencies. This type of circuit board is commonly used for high-frequency (frequency greater than 300MHz or wavelength less than 1 meter) and microwave (frequency greater than 3GHz or wavelength less than 0.1 meter) applications, and its manufacturing process may use ordinary rigid circuit board manufacturing methods or undergo special treatment. Usually, we can define PCB high-frequency board (microwave RF circuit board) as a circuit board above 1GHz.

The importance of PCB high-frequency board (microwave RF circuit board)

With the rapid development of science and technology in the 21st century, more and more equipment designs are applied in the microwave frequency band (greater than 1GHz) and even millimeter wave field (30GHz), which means that the frequency of signals is getting higher and the requirements for circuit board substrates are also increasing. In this case, the PCB high-frequency board (microwave RF circuit board) has the following important characteristics:

1. Low loss, high efficiency

The dielectric constant of PCB high-frequency boards (microwave RF circuit boards) is relatively low, resulting in less signal loss during transmission. This makes PCB high-frequency boards (microwave RF circuit boards) highly efficient in cutting-edge fields such as induction heating technology. At the same time, while pursuing high efficiency, environmental factors must also be fully considered.

2. High transmission speed

The transmission speed is directly proportional to the dielectric constant. The PCB high-frequency board (microwave RF circuit board) uses special materials to ensure a small dielectric constant, thereby ensuring transmission speed. This makes the operation of the circuit board more stable and meets the requirements of high-speed data transmission.

3. Accurate and controllable

When applied to precision metal material heating treatment and other fields, PCB high-frequency boards (microwave RF circuit boards) can achieve heating of components at different depths, and even focus on heating local characteristics. PCB high-frequency boards (microwave RF circuit boards) can easily meet the heating needs of both surface and deep layers, concentration and dispersion.

4. Strong environmental tolerance

The manufacturing materials of PCB high-frequency boards (microwave RF circuit boards) usually have low water absorption, making them suitable for environments such as humid weather. At the same time, PCB high-frequency boards (microwave RF circuit boards) also have the characteristic of resisting chemical corrosion, making them resistant to moisture in humid and high-temperature environments, and have great peel strength.

Application areas of PCB high-frequency board (microwave RF circuit board)

PCB high-frequency boards (microwave RF circuit boards) have important applications in multiple fields, some of which include:

Mobile communication products: In mobile phones, base stations, communication equipment, etc., PCB high-frequency boards (microwave RF circuit boards) are used to ensure the quality and stability of signal transmission.

RF devices: In RF devices such as power amplifiers and low-noise amplifiers, PCB high-frequency boards (microwave RF circuit boards) can provide efficient signal transmission.

Passive components: In the field of passive components such as power dividers, couplers, duplexers, filters, etc., the excellent characteristics of PCB high-frequency boards (microwave RF circuit boards) can provide outstanding performance.

Automotive electronics: fields such as automotive collision avoidance systems, satellite systems, and wireless systems require PCB high-frequency boards (microwave RF circuit boards) to ensure the normal operation of equipment.

Commonly used high-frequency PCB/high-speed PCB boards

Some common PCB high-frequency board (microwave RF circuit board) materials include:

Rogers series: such as RO4003, RO3003, RO4350, RO5880, etc.

Taiyao TUC series: such as Tuc862, 872SLK, 883, 933, etc.

Panasonic series: such as Megtron 4, Megtron 6, etc.

Isola series: such as FR408HR, IS620, IS680, etc.

Nelco series: such as N4000-13, N4000-13 EPSI, etc.

Of course, there are other brands such as Arlon, Taconic, etc. These old brands of RF microwave board manufacturers have guaranteed performance.