Flexible Thinking: The Key to a Successful Flex Circuit Design Transfer
Happy’s Tech Talk #29: Bend-to-Install Semi-flex FR-4
Isola Brings Broad Range of Circuit Material Solutions to Electronica 2022
November 2, 2022 | Isola GroupEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Isola Group is coming to Munich, Germany and Electronica 2022 with an assortment of circuit materials expected to meet or exceed the needs of the broad range of markets the international event serves. Set for November 15-18, 2022 in the Trade Fair Center, Messe Munchen, Electronica 2022 is the world’s leading conference and exhibition for the design and production of all things electronic, from consumer products to long-lasting assemblies built for space. Isola Group will be in Hall B1, Booth #422 at the show. Isola’s material experts will welcome visitors with advice and guidance on optimum use of the company’s most popular laminates and prepregs.
Like Electronica 2022, Isola’s circuit materials cover a broad spectrum of markets, for printed circuit boards (PCBs) in everything from portable electronic devices and automotive safety systems to Fifth Generation (5G) base stations and small cells and satellite communications (satcom) systems. The materials are “made for manufacturing,” formulated with characteristics that enable different circuit materials to be fabricated with compatible processes, even when they are used to form multilayer, multiple-signal PCBs with a blend of analog, digital, and power circuitry. Isola’s materials on display will include I-Tera® MT40, I-Tera® MT40 (RF/MW), Astra® MT77, Tachyon® 100G, TerraGreen®, TerraGreen® (RF/MW), and TerraGreen® 400G.
These high-performance circuit materials feature key parameters, such as high glass transition temperature (Tg) and decomposition temperature (Td) to encourage compatibility of processing. The materials offer circuit designers and PCB fabricators a wide choice of circuit performance parameters, including permittivity (Dk) and dissipation factor or loss (Df), with behavior that remains stable over wide operating temperature ranges, making them suitable choices for many growing electronic applications including Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and their 77 GHz mmWave radar circuits, 5G wireless communications networks, and smart energy systems.
I-Tera MT40, which is a good starting point for many high-speed digital (HSD) circuits and RF/microwave PCBs, is RoHS, lead-free process compatible and FR-4 process compatible. With a Dk that is stable with frequency (3.45 through 10 GHz) and over wide temperature ranges, it forms reliable PCBs for HSD and also microwave applications. For higher microwave frequencies, I-Tera MT-40 (RF/MW) offers Dk tailored to a user’s requirements but boasts performance consistent with time, temperature, and frequency, which is true for the general-purpose/HSD versions of the material as well.
When circuit loss is a concern, few circuit materials can match the performance of Isola’s Astra MT77 laminates (also available as prepregs without copper cladding) and their low Df of 0.0017. Also, FR-4 process compatible, these materials are ideal candidates for the mmWave portions of 5G networks and the 77 GHz radar circuits in ADAS systems. For mmWave frequency coverage where low z-axis (thickness) coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) is required, Isola’s Tachyon 100G provide extremely high stability over frequency and temperature through 100 GHz analog frequencies and 100 Gb/s digital rates. And for designers and PCB producers in need of high-performance, halogen-free circuit materials, Isola’s TerraGreen, TerraGreen (RF/MW), and TerraGreen 400G provide lead-free RoHS-compliant solutions usable for PCBs operating through high microwave frequencies and high-speed digital rates. Visitors to Electronica 2022 are welcome to visit Booth #422 to learn more.
Share on:
Suggested Items
RF PCB Design Tips and Tricks
05/08/2025 | Cherie Litson, EPTAC MIT CID/CID+There are many great books, videos, and information online about designing PCBs for RF circuits. A few of my favorite RF sources are Hans Rosenberg, Stephen Chavez, and Rick Hartley, but there are many more. These PCB design engineers have a very good perspective on what it takes to take an RF design from schematic concept to PCB layout.
Trouble in Your Tank: Causes of Plating Voids, Pre-electroless Copper
05/09/2025 | Michael Carano -- Column: Trouble in Your TankIn the business of printed circuit fabrication, yield-reducing and costly defects can easily catch even the most seasoned engineers and production personnel off guard. In this month’s column, I’ll investigate copper plating voids with their genesis in the pre-plating process steps.
Elephantech: For a Greener Tomorrow
04/16/2025 | Marcy LaRont, PCB007 MagazineNobuhiko Okamoto is the global sales and marketing manager for Elephantech Inc., a Japanese startup with a vision to make electronics more sustainable. The company is developing a metal inkjet technology that can print directly on the substrate and then give it a copper thickness by plating. In this interview, he discusses this novel technology's environmental advantages, as well as its potential benefits for the PCB manufacturing and semiconductor packaging segments.
Trouble in Your Tank: Organic Addition Agents in Electrolytic Copper Plating
04/15/2025 | Michael Carano -- Column: Trouble in Your TankThere are numerous factors at play in the science of electroplating or, as most often called, electrolytic plating. One critical element is the use of organic addition agents and their role in copper plating. The function and use of these chemical compounds will be explored in more detail.
IDTechEx Highlights Recyclable Materials for PCBs
04/10/2025 | IDTechExConventional printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturing is wasteful, harmful to the environment and energy intensive. This can be mitigated by the implementation of new recyclable materials and technologies, which have the potential to revolutionize electronics manufacturing.