{"id":7173,"date":"2022-11-21T15:00:36","date_gmt":"2022-11-21T14:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ksg-pcb.com\/?p=7173"},"modified":"2025-02-18T08:35:16","modified_gmt":"2025-02-18T07:35:16","slug":"fascination-with-high-frequency-printed-circuit-boards-success-factors-and-insights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ksg-pcb.com\/en\/faszination-hochfrequenz-leiterplatten-erfolgsfaktoren-und-einblicke\/","title":{"rendered":"The fascination of high-frequency PCBs - Part 1: Success factors and insights into the production process"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In an increasingly digitalized and fast-moving world <\/span>Speed<\/b> trump card. This applies to both everyday and industrial applications, be it wireless transmission systems, sensors or radar applications.<\/p>

High-quality and reliable PCBs are an important building block for these high-frequency applications. But what exactly are the success factors for high-frequency PCBs and what needs to be considered during planning and production? KSG Group experts provide the answers.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Mr. Hackl, what is meant by high frequency and what role does the printed circuit board play in this?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>

The boundary between low and high frequency is assumed to be at 10 MHz, as the typical thermal effects of high-frequency fields appear from this point onwards. In the electromagnetic spectrum, the high-frequency range extends to around 300 GHz. The typical high-frequency range on the PCB is between 10 and 100 GHz.<\/span><\/p>

The PCB acts here as a transmission element with deliberately trimmed conductor paths for the transmission of high-frequency signals. The desired impedance of such lines is mainly dependent on the track width and the defined distances to the plane reference layers. The etched high-frequency components on the PCB include, for example, finger couplers and filters,\u00a0<\/span>l<\/span>\/4 elements, patch antennas or ring resonators.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Interview: Johann Hackl<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Johann Hackl from Technical Support at KSG supports companies from the very first minute of the product idea with the efficient and economical development of PCBs suitable for series production. The expert knows what is important for high-frequency applications and discusses five important aspects of HF PCBs below.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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What basic requirements must an HF printed circuit board fulfill?
<\/b>Smooth and precise signal transmission is essential for high-frequency applications. Any irritation on the PCB leads to a reflection or change in the high-frequency signal, which is why a straight contour of the conductor routing is particularly important here. To illustrate this, I like to use the image of a rock in the surf, which we usually perceive as positive. However, for high-frequency applications, we don't want to have a rock like this in the conductor path. <\/span>which the waves break. This means that irritations, indentations or impressions must be avoided.<\/span><\/p>\n

As high-frequency signals are pressed against the outer skin according to the skin effect, all four sides of a conductor should also be as smooth as possible. The critical side is the underside of the copper foil, which is artificially pre-treated by oxidation. There are different levels of roughness here, which should be as low as possible for high-frequency applications. At the same time, however, the minimum adhesive strength must also be met.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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What role does the choice of material play in high-frequency printed circuit boards?
<\/b>Selecting the right material is an important success factor for HF PCBs. The most important parameters for material selection include<\/span><\/p>