High-Frequency Material Selection Comparison: Hydrocarbon Resin vs. Traditional Materials—A Deep Dive

When designing high-frequency circuits, material selection is the first and most critical factor determining project success. For years, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) has been hailed as the “king” of high-frequency applications due to its extremely low dielectric loss. However, its high cost, soft texture, and specialized processing requirements have deterred many engineers. Meanwhile, traditional FR-4 materials, while inexpensive and easy to process, suffer unacceptable performance degradation at high frequencies. In the trade-off between “performance” and “cost/manufacturability,” the market has long sought a superior solution balancing both. It is against this backdrop that high-frequency, high-speed hydrocarbon resins have emerged as a highly competitive new alternative.

Traditional Champion PTFE: Exceptional Performance but “Delicate”
The advantages of PTFE (or Teflon) materials are undeniable. Its non-polar molecular structure endows it with exceptionally low and stable Dk and Df values across an extremely wide frequency band. However, its drawbacks are equally pronounced. First, PTFE is a thermoplastic material with a soft texture, poor mechanical strength, and limited dimensional stability, making it prone to deformation during multilayer board lamination. Second, its extremely low surface energy results in inherently weak adhesion to copper foil, necessitating complex special processes like plasma treatment to enhance bonding. This inevitably increases manufacturing costs and introduces process uncertainties. Finally, its high material cost limits its use primarily to cost-insensitive top-tier military and aerospace applications.

Performance Bottleneck: FR-4 – Economical but Underpowered
FR-4 epoxy resin remains the most widely used PCB substrate to date, yet its practical application is primarily confined to the low-to-mid frequency range. When operating in the GHz-level high-frequency range, FR-4's polar molecular structure causes its dielectric loss to surge dramatically, resulting in severe signal attenuation. Additionally, its Dk value exhibits significant frequency variation, and its high moisture absorption leads to further performance degradation in humid environments. These factors render FR-4 increasingly inadequate for demanding high-frequency applications, failing to meet basic signal integrity requirements.

The Game-Changer: Hydrocarbon Resin—A Perfect Balance of Performance and Process
The emergence of high-frequency, high-speed hydrocarbon resin precisely fills the vast market gap between PTFE and FR-4. As a thermosetting resin, it achieves ultra-low dielectric loss comparable to PTFE through precise molecular engineering and deep hydrogenation processes. Unlike PTFE, however, it overcomes numerous physical and processing limitations while maintaining exceptional electrical properties.
1. Superior Mechanical and Thermal Properties: As a thermoset material, hydrocarbon resin forms a rigid cross-linked network upon curing. Its high glass transition temperature (Tg > 180°C) and excellent dimensional stability minimize deformation during processing and assembly, enhancing reliability.
2. Strong Copper Foil Bonding: Through specialized interface technology, hydrocarbon resin forms robust chemical bonds with copper foil, achieving peel strength far exceeding PTFE. This eliminates complex surface treatments, simplifies lamination processes, and improves yield rates.
3. Superior process compatibility: Its processing characteristics closely resemble traditional epoxy resins, allowing lamination and drilling using standard PCB manufacturing equipment. This eliminates the need for manufacturers to invest in costly specialized machinery for new materials, reducing switching costs.

In summary, when comparing high-frequency materials, high-frequency carbon-hydrogen resin does not merely compete with PTFE but offers a novel value proposition: it achieves performance significantly superior to FR-4 while matching most core electrical properties of PTFE. Simultaneously, it delivers far greater processing convenience, mechanical reliability, and cost-effectiveness than PTFE. It is not a compromise option but a smarter, more balanced engineering solution.