Introduction
Printed circuit boards (PCBs) made with Rogers materials are in high demand today due to their superior high frequency performance. Rogers Corporation is a leading manufacturer of advanced materials for PCBs used in high speed digital, RF wireless, and microwave circuit board applications.
Some key benefits of Rogers PCBs:
- Excellent dielectric properties enable higher frequencies, faster speeds, and lower loss
- Tight impedance control for precision transmission line performance
- Low Dk materials minimize signal crosstalk and propagation delays
- High thermal conductivity aids in heat dissipation
This article will explore the top 10 Rogers PCB manufacturers worldwide that design and produce high quality boards using Rogers laminates and prepregs. We will examine their capabilities, industries served, and factors that position them among the elite Rogers PCB fabricators globally.
Top 10 Rogers PCB Manufacturers
1. RayMing Technology
RayMing is the leading Rogers PCB manufacturer worldwide. With over 2,000 employees and multiple advanced factories in China, RayMing specializes in producing high frequency, high speed, and high complexity RF/microwave PCBs using Rogers materials.
RayMing has worked with thousands of customers globally in the aerospace, communications, industrial, automotive, and medical industries. Their expertise in Rogers PCBs spans multilayer boards from 2 to 60 layers in frequency ranges up to 77 GHz.
RayMing’s advanced Roger PCB capabilities include:
- PCB materials including RO4350, RO4003, RO4835, RO4360G2 and more
- Blind and buried vias
- Controlled impedance and tolerance down to +/-5%
- Fineline PCB capabilities down to 2 mil line/space
- Multiple lamination technologies to avoid delamination
- Sequential lamination for best thermomechanical performance
- Via tenting, plugging and filling
RayMing is a Rogers Corporation licensed fabricator and maintains the highest quality certifications including ISO9001, AS9100, and ISO 14001. Their strict tolerances, testing, and inspection ensure your Rogers PCBs perform reliably.
2. TTM Technologies
TTM Technologies is a leading global PCB manufacturer with over 50 years of experience producing high speed, multi-layer boards for advanced RF and microwave applications. They have fabrication facilities in the US and Asia specifically equipped for complex, low loss Rogers PCBs.
TTM utilizes a wide range of Rogers materials and can fabricate multilayer boards with extremely tight tolerances of +/- 2.5 mils line width and +/-0.8 mils registration. Their Rogers PCB capabilities include:
- High layer count boards >25 layers
- Fineline trace/space down to 2/2 mils
- Laser drilled microvias
- Modified semi-additive process (mSAP)
- Sequential lamination construction
- RF/microwave testing
TTM Technologies services aerospace, defense, telecom, and medical customers with Rogers designs. They also manufacture rigid-flex PCBs with Rogers RF materials integrated into multilayer sections.
3. Würth Elektronik eiSos
Würth Elektronik is a PCB and electronic components manufacturer based in Germany. Their Rogers PCB manufacturing capabilities span circuit boards for wireless, radar, navigation, communications, and industrial applications.
Key capabilities and services offered for Rogers boards include:
- Multilayer boards up to 30 layers
- Line/space down to 100/100 μm (3.9/3.9 mils)
- Stacked microvias and blind/buried vias
- Controlled impedance tolerance +/- 5%
- 0201 component assembly
- Conformal coating and potting
- 100% electrical testing
Würth Elektronik produces high frequency boards using common Rogers materials including RO4350B, RO4003C, RO4835, RO4450F, and RT/duroid® 6002. Their expertise in electrical engineering and PCB design ensures optimal performance of Rogers circuits.
4. Epectec
Epectec is specialized PCB manufacturing and design company focused on metal-backed boards using ceramic filled PTFE composites. They fabricate advanced Rogers PCBs for radar, automotive electronics, military/aerospace, wireless infrastructure, and satellite applications.
Their specific capabilities for Rogers include:
- Multilayer PCBs with 10 to 30 layers
- High layer count circuitry on thin dielectric cores
- Blind microvias and via-in-pad with 6-10 mil annular rings
- Fine lines and spaces to 5/5 mils
- Dielectric constants from 3.0 to 10.2
- Metal backing/thermal vias for thermal management
Epectec has expertise in designing for thermal performance. They use their ALTI-TechTM process to incorporate aluminum or copper base plates for optimal thermal management of high power circuits.
5. Compass Electronics Solutions
Compass Electronics provides advanced manufacturing of microwave, RF, and high speed digital PCBs using Rogers materials. Located in California, they focus on quick turn prototyping and medium volume production for aerospace, defense, telecommunications and test/measurement industries.
Their Rogers PCB capabilities include:
- Quick turn prototypes in 5 days
- 0.5 to 60 layer circuit boards
- Blind and buried vias
- Microstrip and stripline transmission lines
- Multi-up panel designs
- 100% electrical testing
- ITAR registered and J-STD certified
Compass utilizes the latest direct imaging (LDI) laser technology to achieve fine features on complex layer stacks with reduced risk of over-etching. This enables reliable plating of small microvias and fine traces/spaces.
6. Lenthor Engineering
Lenthor Engineering, located in Pennsylvania, provides advanced PCBs and full system assembly for microwave electronics. They specialize in quick turn Rogers PCB prototyping and pre-production builds.
Their Rogers capabilities include:
- Prototype circuits in 5-7 days
- Multilayer boards with 6-20 layers
- Materials including RO4350, RO4003, RO4835
- Blind/buried vias, microvias
- Routing/scoring through multiples materials
- 100% electrical and functional testing
- IPC-A-610 Class 2 & 3 assembly
Lenthor has expertise in RF filters, amplifiers, oscillators, switches, and active/passive components operating at frequencies over 20 GHz. This enables them to optimize Rogers PCB performance for radar, communications, EW, and test equipment applications.
7. Pacothane Technologies
Pacothane Technologies provides design, prototyping and volume PCB production services to industrial, military, and medical companies. They manufacture complex, multilayer Rogers PCBs for microwave antennas, transceivers, imaging devices, and radar equipment.
Key Rogers capabilities include:
- 0.5 to 60 layer PCBs
- 5 mil lines/spaces and 8 mil microvias
- Signal integrity tuning and impedance control
- Sequential lamination and thermal management
- 100% electrical testing
- Prototype to medium volume production
- MIL-PRF-31032 certification
Pacothane utilizes RF modeling and simulation to optimize the performance of high speed data transmission and ensure Rogers circuits perform as designed. This covers signal and power integrity as well as EMI/EMC analysis.
8. Spectrum Microwave
Spectrum Microwave provides made in the USA, ITAR PCB manufacturing. They produce high reliability Rogers PCBs for military radar and electronic warfare systems from prototype through production.
They offer full turnkey services including:
- Design support from concept to fabrication
- Quick turnaround prototypes
- Blind and buried microvias
- 5 to 25 layer circuit boards
- Conformal coating, potting and encapsulation
- Reliability testing – HTOL, HAST, C-SAM
- ITAR registration and secured production
Spectrum is well versed in RT/duroid® 6002, RO3006, RO4350 and RO4835 materials. They specialize in PCBs operating at frequencies above 10 GHz supporting beamforming arrays and multifunction assemblies.
9. PCB Solutions
PCB Solutions provides advanced circuit board fabrication and assembly for high speed digital and microwave systems. They manufacture complex, multilayer Rogers PCBs for use in defense, aerospace, telecom, and medical applications.
Key Rogers PCB capabilities:
- Quick-turn prototype circuits
- Multilayer board construction up to 36 layers
- 5 mil lines/spaces and 7 mil microvias
- Blind and buried vias
- 100% electrical testing with X-ray inspection
- Conformal coating and potting options
- Box builds and full system assembly
PCB Solutions leveragesRogers RO4000, RT/duroid 6000 and RO3000 series materials to produce quality boards with the electrical performance needed for RF designs.
10. Cirexx
Cirexx International manufactures printed circuit boards for high performance, high frequency applications. They offer quick turn prototype through mid-volume production of complex multilayer Rogers PCBs.
Their key Rogers capabilities include:
- Prototypes in 1-7 days
- 0.5 to 30 layer boards
- Materials including RO4350, RO4835 and RT/duroid 6002
- 5 mil lines and spaces
- Laser drilled microvias
- RF/microwave testing
- Conformal coating and potting
Cirexx has particular expertise in manufacturability consulting. They offer DFM analysis and guidelines to optimize Rogers designs for fabrication and assembly. This helps maximize yield and performance.
Rogers PCB Materials Overview
The Rogers Corporation offers an extensive line of high frequency circuit board materials to suit various RF, microwave and high speed digital design needs. Here is an overview of some commonly used Rogers PCB materials:
RO4350/RO4350B: Glass reinforced, ceramic filled laminates with a low dielectric constant of 3.48. RO4350 is well suited to millimeter wave frequencies up to 77 GHz. It provides excellent thermal conductivity.
RO3006: Ceramic filled PTFE composite with a low loss tangent of 0.002. Commonly used for aerospace and defense applications up to 60 GHz.
RT/duroid 6002: PTFE composite with a dielectric constant of 2.94 and low loss performance. Used for satellite, test equipment and radar PCBs.
RO4003C: Woven glass reinforced hydrocarbon ceramic substrate with a dielectric constant of 3.38. Provides stable electrical performance across temperature. Used for cellular, microwave and automotive electronics.
RO4835: Glass microfiber filled, high frequency laminate with a low Dk of 3.48. Provide excellent performance for high data rate digital and mmWave circuits.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the benefits of using Rogers PCB materials?
Some benefits of using Rogers materials for PCBs include:
- Excellent high frequency performance with stable dielectric constant and low loss properties
- Tight impedance tolerances that allow accurate transmission line characteristic impedance control
- Good thermal conductivity to dissipate heat from high power circuits
- Well controlled coefficients of thermal expansion for reliability during temperature cycling
- Allows smaller circuit size compared to FR4 designs
What types of applications use Rogers PCBs?
Common applications and industries that use Rogers printed circuit boards include:
- Wireless and cellular base stations
- Radar, lidar, and satellite communication
- Aerospace and defense electronics
- Automotive driver assistance and radar systems
- High speed data transmission
- Test and measurement equipment
- Medical diagnostic imaging equipment
What are some key specifications to look for in a Rogers PCB?
Important parameters when evaluating and selecting a Rogers PCB manufacturer include:
- Number of layers supported – High layer counts allow more complex, dense circuitry
- Line width/space – Fineline capabilities down to 2 or 3 mils enables microwave circuits
- Registration and impedance tolerance – Tighter control provides consistent performance
- Materials supported – More choice allows selecting ideal dielectric properties
- Testing – 100% electrical testing ensures reliability
- Qualifications – Rogers Corporation license, ISO certification
- Quick turnaround prototyping – Allows rapid design iteration
What are some tips for designing Rogers PCBs?
Here are some good PCB design practices when using Rogers materials:
- Minimize unused space to reduce etch issues with low loss materials
- Use adequate number of ground vias for good grounding
- Include thermal reliefs for good thermal management of high power areas
- Plan transmission line routing to achieve controlled impedance
- Model interconnects to match impedance and tune performance
- Review design for manufacturability (DFM)
How is Rogers PCB pricing determined?
Rogers PCB pricing depends on several factors:
- Board materials – More exotic dielectric materials carry higher cost
- Number of layers – Layer count significantly impacts cost
- Board size – Larger boards use more materials
- Production quantity – High volume orders get better pricing
- Special fabrication processes – Additional steps like burial/blind vias add cost
- Testing and inspection requirements – Rigorous testing adds cost
- Lead time – Rush orders can command higher pricing
- Location – Domestic vs. overseas production
So in summary, pricing is driven by material costs, fabrication complexity, order volume, lead time, and testing needs. Discussing your specific requirements with suppliers will get you the best quote.
Conclusion
Rogers PCB manufacturers offer the specialized processes and expertise required to fabricate high frequency microwave and RF printed circuit boards. Selecting a capable manufacturer is key to achieving electrical performance and quality requirements. We hope this overview of 10 leading global Rogers PCB fabrication companies assists you in finding the right partner for your next RF circuit board design.
