Laminates Create Lightweight, Low-Loss Antenna Designs

Tailored for base-station, RFID, and other antenna designs, the RO4730 LoPro laminate materials from Rogers Corp. combine low-loss dielectric and low-profile copper foil for reduced passive intermodulation (PIM) and low insertion loss. The specially formulated thermoset resin system incorporates a hollow microsphere filler to achieve a low-weight, light-density laminate, which is approximately 30% lighter weight than woven-glass PTFE materials. RO4730 LoPro laminates have a matched dielectric constant of 3.0, which lowers cost for high-frequency circuit boards used in base-station and other antennas. Low Z-axis coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE of about 40 PPM/C) provides design flexibility. A temperature coefficient of dielectric constant of about 23 PPM/C means the laminates provide consistent circuit performance over short-term temperature ranges. RO4730 LoPro RoHS-compliant laminates are compatible with standard PCB fabrication techniques and plated-through-hole processing.