PCB Blog - Arlon electronic materials

Arlon microwave materials focus on fluoropolymers (i.e. PTFE), ceramic-filled fluoropolymers, and low-loss ceramic hydrocarbon thermosetting laminates, providing the electrical performance required for frequency-dependent circuit applications.

Arlon's materials are used in various applications, including wireless communication infrastructure, military and commercial avionics equipment, as well as semiconductor testing and measurement equipment.

Arlon polyimide laminates and prepregs can be utilized to produce multi-layer PWBs with excellent thermal stability, low Z-direction expansion during reflow soldering, and excellent magnetic field expected repairability of Arlon polyimide. Modified to be tougher than traditional polyimide, Arlon PCB material is less sensitive to drilling and route changes. Provide first-class thermal stability temperature for applications with sustained high usage rates and lead-free welding applications.

Polyimide is increasingly used in military and high-end commercial PWB projects with high reliability, which can be used normally under extreme temperatures, and can be repaired on-site under unfavorable conditions at high temperatures. The high glass transition temperature (Tg 250 ℃) of Arlon PCB material results in the product having a low Z-direction thermal expansion coefficient (CTE), allowing for the plating of holes with higher aspect ratios and the use of materials after hotter treatment on boards thicker than any other commercial board.

The main application areas of Arlon materials

1) Military and high-reliability applications: In some regions, applications such as flight control that cannot tolerate any risk of PCB failure must use polyimide materials as PCB substrates. Because such applications cannot cause problems cannot be repaired, and directly involve the life of pilots under extreme conditions.

2) High-temperature applications: such as probe control systems for oil drilling, semiconductor performance testing under high-temperature conditions (commonly known as aging testing), high-power power modules, etc. The high-temperature resistance of polyimide materials has become the main reason for such applications. For example, Schlumberger oil drilling control and INTEL chip aging testing all use Arlon.

3) Space applications: Space satellite rocket control systems, etc. Due to the working conditions of PCBs in space, there is a large amount of space radiation. To ensure the stability of PCB electrical characteristics and high-reliability requirements, polyimide materials are also used. For example, NASA/JPL MARS Lander.

The 25N and 25FR materials in Arlon materials are composite dielectric materials reinforced with woven glass fibers and filled with ceramic powder, which are designed and developed by engineering for the manufacturing of microwave and RF multilayer circuit boards. A ceramic powder that combines a non-polar thermosetting resin system to control expansion, 25N and 25FR provide low dielectric constant and loss, as well as a low dielectric constant thermal coefficient that facilitates signal stability over a wide room temperature range. For multi-layer packaging application design, 25N and 25FR provide semi-cured sheets that have the same chemical composition and physical properties as copper foil laminates, providing the possibility of a completely uniform and consistent finished product packaging, and ensuring the optimal signal integrity of the finished product.