PTFE Materials for Low-Loss RF & Microwave PCB Applications

Standard FR4 has a dissipation factor (Df) of approximately 0.015–0.025, which causes significant signal loss at frequencies above 1GHz. PTFE laminates like Rogers RT5880 and Taconic TLY-5A have Df as low as 0.0009 — roughly 20x lower than FR4. This means far less signal energy is absorbed by the substrate as heat, resulting in lower insertion loss, better signal integrity and more consistent impedance at microwave frequencies. PTFE also maintains more stable Dk across temperature and frequency compared to FR4, which is critical for antenna resonant frequency accuracy and filter performance.

Both RT5880 (Dk 2.20 ±0.02, Df 0.0009) and TLY-5A (Dk 2.17 ±0.02, Df 0.0009) are PTFE laminates with virtually identical electrical performance. The main differences are brand, availability and price. Rogers RT5880 is more widely specified in aerospace and defense designs due to brand recognition and long qualification history. Taconic TLY-5A is a cost-effective alternative with the same Dk tolerance and Df. For most commercial RF and microwave applications, either material performs equivalently. We can supply both and advise based on your project specification and lead time requirements.

Choose PTFE (RT5880 or TLY-5A, Df 0.0009) over RO4350B (Df 0.0037) when your application requires the lowest possible insertion loss — typically for frequencies above 20GHz, radar receiver front-ends, satellite uplink circuits, aerospace RF modules, or any design where every 0.1dB of loss matters. For most 5G and commercial RF applications below 20GHz, RO4350B provides sufficient performance at lower cost and with simpler manufacturing. If your loss budget allows RO4350B, it is usually the more practical choice.

For frequencies below 10GHz: F4BM220 (Df 0.0010) or Taconic RF-35 (Df 0.0018) offer good performance at lower cost. For 10–30GHz: Rogers RT5880 (Df 0.0009) or Taconic TLY-5 (Df 0.0009) are standard choices. For mmWave above 30GHz: TLY-5A (Dk 2.17 ±0.02) provides the tightest Dk tolerance, which is important for maintaining accurate antenna resonant frequency at very short wavelengths. For high-Dk compact designs: Taconic CER-10 (Dk 10.0) or RF-60A (Dk 6.5) are available for filter and coupler designs requiring ceramic-like dielectric performance.

Yes. PTFE is chemically inert with very low surface energy, which prevents standard electroless copper from bonding to hole walls. We use plasma treatment before copper sinking on all PTFE boards to activate the hole wall surface and ensure reliable copper adhesion. PTFE also requires controlled lamination temperature and pressure, and specialized drill parameters to prevent material deformation. These processes are not standard at all PCB manufacturers — please confirm PTFE processing capability when sourcing.

Yes. PTFE + FR4 hybrid stackups are supported, where PTFE layers handle RF signal routing and FR4 layers handle power, ground and control circuits. PTFE + FR4 hybrids require more careful lamination control than Rogers + FR4 hybrids due to CTE mismatch and PTFE's different flow characteristics. Engineering review is included before production for all PTFE hybrid stackup projects.

Please prepare: PTFE material name and thickness (e.g. Rogers RT5880 0.254mm or Taconic TLY-5A 0.25mm), Gerber files (ZIP format), PCB stackup, board thickness, copper thickness, surface finish, quantity, impedance requirements and working frequency. For hybrid stackups, specify the material for each layer. Application details help us confirm material availability and processing requirements.