Taconic’s Advanced Dielectric Division has announced a thermally stable composite based on nanotechnology and PTFE that has been designed to provide consistent layer to layer registration with easier fabrication. EZ-IO High Frequency Laminate offers a solution for the next generation of digital circuitry where digital signal processing chips are at or beyond 25 gbps and cannot tolerate unpredictable dielectric constant variation. It is also designed for microwave applications operating at increasingly higher speeds where there is a need to merge both digital and microwave circuitry onto one PWB.
The EZ-IO challenges the best FR4 materials at the fabricator level in the most difficult 30-40 layer multilayer digital applications. Considering that drill bit costs can exceed material costs for complex PWBs and that drill time can be another significant cost as well, Taconic sought to provide a solution to these fabrication challenges. EZ-IO has similar hits/bit to FR4 materials (1000+ hits/bit) and an acceptable drill fabrication window that is much wider than traditional PTFE based composites.
This material is best combined with Taconic’s FR-28-0040-50S (DF=0.0018 @ 10 GHz) non-reinforced prepreg to achieve a stripline channel having 2-3 wt% fiberglass. Taconic’s fastRise™ prepregs are the lowest loss prepregs commercially available that can be laminated at FR4-like 420°F lamination temperatures. The combined low insertion loss of EZ-IO/fastRise™ is only rivaled by the fusion bonding of pure PTFE laminates, an expensive process which causes excessive movement and puts stress on plated through holes. fastRise™ enables the sequential lamination of EZ-IO at a low 420°F.
EZ-IO can be bonded with the flattest of available copper types, rolled copper, HVLP or standard copper types.
