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Isola Shows Halogen-Free PCBs at DesignCon 2023
January 26, 2023 | Isola GroupEstimated reading time: 2 minutes

Isola Group, a global leader in advanced circuit materials for printed-circuit boards (PCBs), is inviting exhibition visitors to learn more about halogen-free PCBs at DesignCon 2023. Visitors to Isola’s exhibition Booth 627 can discover how unmatched [AI1] levels of electrical performance are possible with a new trio of halogen-free circuit materials. DesignCon 2023, scheduled for January 31-February 2, 2023 in the heart if Silicon Valley, in the Santa Clara Convention Center (Santa Clara, CA), is the major conference and exhibition for high-speed communications and systems design and development.
Isola Group will be unveiling its latest TerraGreen® low-loss circuit materials: TerraGreen® 400G, TerraGreen® 400GE, and TerraGreen® 400G2. The circuit materials incorporate advances to Isola’s existing TerraGreen® standard halogen-free circuit materials and TerraGreen® (RF/MW) halogen-free circuit materials for RF and microwave circuit applications. The new TerraGreen® circuit materials are based on selected glass fibers and ultra smooth copper materials to form ultra-low-loss[AI2] circuit materials ideal for high-speed-digital (HSD) and high-frequency analog circuits typically used to interconnect wired and wireless communications equipment and networks.
Because they are RoHS-compliant for use with lead-free circuit manufacturing processes and compatible with FR-4 circuit material manufacturing processes, they are well suited for producing cost-effective hybrid, mixed-signal circuits. The three new TerraGreen® materials all feature glass transition temperature (Tg) of +200°C and decomposition temperature (Td) of +380°C.
Isola Group’s Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Sean Mirshafiei, explains: “We are very excited to offer the PCB industry our three new products that were created with a unique halogen-free resin system that has outstanding CAF and bond line resistance.” He added: “TerraGreen® 400G2 is our most advanced High Speed Digital product. We use ultra smooth copper foil and ultra low Dk glass fabric that are combined with this novel resin system for optimal performance for the next generation of high-end network and communication systems.”
The three new TerraGreen® circuit materials deliver outstanding stability with temperature and frequency, maintaining constant permittivity (Dk) and loss tangent (Df) at temperatures from -55 to +125°C. They are capable of even less loss than the company’s popular Tachyon® 100G circuit materials at 28 GHz. For example, TerraGreen® 400G exhibits typical Dk of 3.1 at 5, 10, and 20 GHz with typical loss tangent of 0.0018 at the same three evaluation frequencies. TerraGreen® 400GE halogen-free circuit laminates offer higher Dk of 3.4 at 10 and 20 GHz with slightly greater loss, with typical Df of 0.0026 at 10 and 20 GHz. The lowest-loss material of the halogen-free trio, TerraGreen® 400G2, features typical Dk of 3.1 at 5, 10, and 20 GHz with typical Df of 0.0015 at the same three frequencies.
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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.