Taconic PCB materials are high-performance laminates manufactured by Taconic Advanced Dielectric Division—now part of AGC (Asahi Glass Company) following their 2019 acquisition. Founded in 1961, Taconic pioneered the process for applying PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) to fiberglass fabric, and they’ve been refining high-frequency substrates ever since.
What makes Taconic different from your standard PCB material? It comes down to composition. While FR-4 uses epoxy resin with woven glass reinforcement, Taconic materials are built on PTFE—commonly known as Teflon—combined with ceramic fillers or glass fiber reinforcement. This fundamental difference translates to dramatically lower signal loss and more stable electrical properties across frequency and temperature.
The dielectric constant (Dk) range spans from 2.17 to 10.0, covering frequencies from 2 GHz all the way up to 110 GHz. That’s a massive operating window compared to FR-4, which starts showing significant losses above 1-2 GHz.
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For accurate specifications, refer to official Taconic datasheets
Understanding the core properties helps you select the right material for your application. Here’s what matters for high-frequency design:
Taconic materials offer Dk values ranging from 2.17 (TLY series) to 10.0 (CER-10), with tight tolerances of ±0.02 to ±0.05. A lower Dk means faster signal propagation and reduced signal delay—critical for timing-sensitive applications. The stability of this value across frequency and temperature sets Taconic apart from commodity materials.
This is where Taconic really shines. The dissipation factor (loss tangent) measures how much electromagnetic energy gets absorbed as heat. TLY-5 achieves an incredibly low Df of 0.0009 at 10 GHz, while RF-35 comes in at 0.0019. Compare that to FR-4’s typical Df of 0.02—that’s roughly 10-20x more signal loss with standard materials.
RF-35 has a glass transition temperature (Tg) exceeding 315°C, making it compatible with lead-free soldering processes. The Z-axis coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) is well-controlled, reducing stress on plated through-holes during thermal cycling. This matters for automotive and aerospace applications where temperature swings are severe.
PTFE is inherently hydrophobic. Taconic materials typically show moisture absorption rates of 0.02-0.04%—essentially negligible compared to FR-4. This stability means your dielectric constant won’t drift in humid environments, keeping impedance consistent over the product lifetime.
Taconic offers three main categories of laminates, each engineered for specific performance requirements:
The TLY and TLX series use woven fiberglass fabric coated with PTFE. This construction provides excellent dimensional stability and more uniform dielectric properties than non-woven alternatives. The TLY-5 is particularly popular for satellite communications and automotive radar due to its ultra-low loss tangent of 0.0009.
Common materials:
These materials combine PTFE with ceramic particles to achieve specific dielectric constants while maintaining low loss. The RF-35 series has become an industry workhorse for commercial microwave applications, offering an excellent balance of performance and cost.
The HF series uses polybutadiene-based formulations, offering a cost-effective alternative for microstrip antennas and power amplifiers where extreme performance isn’t required but FR-4 won’t cut it.
RF-35 deserves special attention because it’s become the go-to material for commercial high-frequency applications. It strikes the optimal balance between performance and cost that most production environments need.
What makes RF-35 practical for volume PCB manufacturing is its fabrication compatibility. Unlike some exotic PTFE materials that require specialized processes, RF-35 uses woven glass reinforcement that behaves more predictably during drilling, routing, and plating operations. The excellent peel strength means you won’t have delamination issues during rework—a real concern with some high-frequency materials.
For hybrid multilayer designs, RF-35 bonds well with standard epoxy prepregs, allowing you to combine high-frequency RF layers with lower-cost digital sections. This is common in designs where the RF front-end needs performance but the baseband processing doesn’t.
Taconic materials serve demanding applications across multiple industries. Here’s where you’ll find them making a difference:
The rollout of 5G networks—particularly mmWave bands at 24-40 GHz—has driven significant demand for low-loss substrates. Taconic materials support phased array antennas, beamforming networks, and RF front-end modules where signal integrity directly impacts network capacity and coverage. TLY-5 and TSM-DS3 are common choices for these applications. The proliferation of small cells and distributed antenna systems further expands the addressable market for high-frequency laminates.
Modern vehicles rely on multiple radar sensors for adaptive cruise control, collision avoidance, and autonomous driving features. At 77 GHz, material selection directly affects detection accuracy and range. TLY-5’s combination of ultra-low loss and dimensional stability makes it the preferred choice for automotive radar modules operating in harsh temperature environments. As ADAS adoption increases and autonomous vehicles move toward commercial reality, demand for qualified high-frequency substrates continues to grow significantly.
Military radar systems, satellite communications, and avionics demand materials that perform reliably under extreme conditions—temperature cycling from -55°C to +125°C, vibration, altitude changes, and humidity. Taconic’s exceptional thermal stability and low moisture absorption make these materials suitable for airborne and space applications where failure simply isn’t an option. Defense contractors often specify Taconic materials for programs requiring long-term reliability and consistent lot-to-lot performance.
High-frequency imaging equipment like MRI RF coils and ultrasound probes require precise signal handling for accurate diagnostic imaging. The stable dielectric properties of Taconic materials ensure consistent performance in medical diagnostic equipment where accuracy directly impacts patient outcomes. Additionally, the materials’ biocompatibility and reliability under repeated sterilization cycles make them suitable for implantable and reusable medical devices.
Understanding the manufacturing process helps you work more effectively with your fabricator and avoid common pitfalls. Taconic PCB production involves several critical steps that differ from standard FR-4 processing.
PTFE materials are softer than FR-4 and require careful handling. Fabricators should lift laminates by two parallel edges rather than one side to prevent stretching or copper sliding. Chemical cleaning is preferred over mechanical scrubbing to maintain dimensional accuracy. Contamination prevention is critical—gloves and slip sheets should be used throughout the process.
Drilling PTFE materials requires different parameters than FR-4. Slower spindle speeds and specialized carbide bits help prevent smearing and ensure clean hole walls. For TLY-5 and similar woven glass products, hit counts typically range from 1,500 to 3,000 holes per bit. Plasma or sodium etch treatment prepares hole walls for plating—this step is essential for reliable through-hole connections in PTFE substrates.
Multilayer Taconic boards can use HT 1.5 bonding film (thermoplastic, melts at ~204°C) or FEP film (higher melt point ~260°C) for pure PTFE stackups. For hybrid builds combining Taconic with FR-4, standard epoxy prepreg bonds the dissimilar materials. The lamination cycle requires precise temperature control to achieve proper flow without damaging the PTFE layers.
Working with PTFE-based materials requires some adjustments from standard FR-4 design practices:
The tight Dk tolerance of Taconic materials (±0.02 to ±0.05) enables precise impedance matching—but only if you account for it in your calculations. Always use the actual measured Dk from your material lot, not typical datasheet values, for critical impedance calculations. Most Taconic materials maintain Dk stability across the frequency range, simplifying wideband designs.
At high frequencies, electromagnetic coupling between traces becomes significant. Maintain adequate spacing between RF signal lines—typically 3x trace width minimum for microstrip. Use ground planes and via stitching to contain fields and prevent crosstalk. For differential pairs, keep the traces tightly coupled and symmetrical.
Via transitions introduce inductance that can cause impedance discontinuities. For frequencies above 10 GHz, consider back-drilled vias or blind/buried vias to minimize stub effects. Via fencing around RF traces helps maintain isolation and reduces electromagnetic coupling between adjacent signal paths. Taconic’s dimensional stability supports tight via registration even in multilayer builds, enabling the precision needed for controlled impedance through-holes.
Combining Taconic layers with FR-4 in hybrid multilayer designs can optimize cost while maintaining RF performance. Place RF-critical layers on Taconic substrates with ground plane isolation from digital sections on FR-4. Ensure your fabricator has experience bonding PTFE materials to epoxy systems—the processes differ from all-epoxy builds.
The Taconic vs Rogers question comes up constantly in RF design. Both are quality manufacturers, but there are practical differences worth considering:
