RF and Microwave Circuits

The production of printed circuit boards for RF and microwave applications require additional considerations when compared to standard digital or analog PCBs. Materials with special electrical characteristics that have highly sensitive surfaces must be handled accordingly, and secondly, very accurate geometry is almost always required to achieve the desired frequency results.

Apart from the purely technical requirements, data security can be a large factor. By manufacturing the PCB prototypes in-house no one outside sees the data, which avoids both errors and the unwanted drain of information.

LPKF systems and tools meet all of these requirements. The ProtoMat S103 and ProtoMat H100 are equipped with a high-speed spindle motor of 100,000 RPMs. Both systems have an accurately adjustable milling depth that when combined with the appropriate RF tool to ensure clean vertical geometry, work very well with soft RF base material. The non-contact working depth limiter, where the milling head slides on an air cushion over the base material with no physical contact, guarantees scratch-free processing of the printed circuit board. The laser system LPKF ProtoLaser S is unbeatable in speed and precision when working with RF and microwave applications. Fine structures and large rubout surfaces are manufactured in just a few minutes with use of the LPKF ProtoLaser S.