Taconic RF PCB Materials: TLY-5, RF-35, CER-10 Grade Selection Guide

The key practical difference between Taconic and Rogers is availability and pricing, not electrical performance. For most RF designs, Taconic TLY-5 and Rogers RT5880 are interchangeable — the Dk difference of 0.03 (2.17 vs 2.20) produces a trace width difference of less than 2% for the same 50Ω impedance. Confirm material availability before committing to either brand in your design.

Grade-by-Grade Selection Guide

TLY-5A, TLP-5, TLY-5 — Lowest Loss (Dk 2.17–2.22, Df 0.0009)

The TLY-5 family is the Taconic equivalent of Rogers RT5880 — PTFE glass construction with Df 0.0009, suitable for wideband applications from 2 GHz to 40 GHz and above. TLY-5A (Dk 2.17) has the lowest Dk in the range; TLP-5 (Dk 2.20) and TLY-5 (Dk 2.22) are within the same performance class. All three are available in thin substrates down to 0.09 mm — useful for Ka-band and mmWave antenna designs. Use for: wideband EW PCB (2–18 GHz), 5G mmWave PCB (24–40 GHz), Ka-band PCB.

TLY-3 — Dk 2.33, Df 0.0012

TLY-3 is the Taconic equivalent of Rogers RT5870. Slightly higher Dk than TLY-5 gives narrower traces for the same impedance — useful when board area is constrained. Same PTFE glass construction, same plasma activation requirement, same available thicknesses.

TLT Series — Dk 2.45–2.65, Df 0.0015–0.0021

The TLT series covers a mid-range Dk band not well served by Rogers. Useful for designs requiring Dk between 2.33 and 3.0 where RO3003 is too high and RT5870 is too low. Available in a wider thickness range including 3.18 mm for lower frequency applications.

RF-35 — Dk 3.5, Df 0.0018

RF-35 is the most direct Rogers RO4350B alternative in the Taconic range — similar Dk (3.5 vs 3.48) but significantly lower Df (0.0018 vs 0.0037). For designs currently using RO4350B where insertion loss is marginal, switching to RF-35 reduces Df by 50%. Important difference: RF-35 is PTFE-based and requires plasma activation, while RO4350B is hydrocarbon ceramic and does not. Lead time for RF-35 is 7–10 days vs 5–7 days for RO4350B. Available thicknesses: 0.25 / 0.51 / 0.76 / 1.52 mm.

RF-60A — Dk 6.5, Df 0.0038

RF-60A is a high-Dk PTFE material used for compact antenna and filter designs where element miniaturization is the priority. Higher Dk reduces antenna element size proportionally to √Dk — a patch antenna on RF-60A is approximately 40% smaller than on TLY-5. Available thicknesses: 0.25 / 0.64 / 0.79 / 1.27 / 1.52 / 3.18 mm.

CER-10 — Dk 10.0, Df 0.0035

CER-10 is Taconic’s highest-Dk material — ceramic-filled PTFE with Dk 10.0 and Df 0.0035. Used for miniaturized bandpass filters, diplexers, and antenna elements where maximum size reduction is required. At Dk 10.0, patch antenna elements are approximately 55% smaller than on TLY-5. Available thicknesses: 0.28 / 0.64 / 0.76 / 1.19 / 1.58 / 3.18 mm.

Manufacturing Requirements

Plasma Activation — All Taconic PTFE Grades

All Taconic materials listed above are PTFE-based and require in-house plasma or sodium naphthalene hole wall activation before copper plating. This is identical to the requirement for Rogers RO3003 and RT5880. See PTFE PCB manufacturing challenges for full process detail. Riching PCB performs in-house plasma activation on all Taconic orders as standard process.

Lamination Limit

Maximum 2 lamination press cycles for all Taconic PTFE materials — same constraint as Rogers PTFE. For hybrid Taconic + FR4 stackups, use Rogers 4450F or equivalent PTFE-compatible bondply.

Drill Parameters

PTFE-specific drill parameters (reduced spindle speed) apply to all Taconic grades. Standard FR4 drill parameters cause hole wall smearing on PTFE, degrading copper adhesion even after plasma activation.

Impedance Control

±10% standard, ±5% available with TDR verification. Confirm production Dk from material certificate before calculating trace width — Taconic TLY-5 Dk 2.17 produces slightly different trace widths than Rogers RT5880 Dk 2.20. For phased array designs requiring panel-level Dk uniformity, request material lot Dk data from the fabricator.

Applications

• Wideband EW receiver and jammer PCB — TLY-5 / TLP-5 for 2–18 GHz
• 5G mmWave antenna PCB — TLY-5A for 24–40 GHz phased arrays
• Ka-band satellite terminal PCB— TLY-5A or RF-35
• RF bandpass filter PCB — RF-60A or CER-10 for compact filter design
• 77 GHz automotive radar PCB— TLY-5A as RT5880 alternative
• Antenna PCB for patch and slot antennas — full TLY range

Conclusion

Taconic TLY-5 series (Df 0.0009) is the direct equivalent of Rogers RT5880 for wideband and mmWave applications. Taconic RF-35 (Df 0.0018) is a lower-loss alternative to Rogers RO4350B. Taconic CER-10 (Dk 10.0) is used for maximum miniaturization. All Taconic PTFE materials require the same in-house plasma activation and process constraints as Rogers PTFE. Riching PCB stocks TLY-5, RF-35, CER-10, and other Taconic grades with in-house plasma activation, no MOQ, and prototype lead time of 7–10 working days. See high frequency PCB materials overview for the full materials capability.