LAMINATES: DK, DF AND TRACE WIDTH

What are the Dk and Df of ITEQ IT-988GSE?

ITEQ IT-988GSE has a dielectric constant (Dk) of 3.24 and a loss factor (Df) of 0.0014 at 10 GHz, as published by its maker. A 50 ohm surface microstrip over a 0.2 mm dielectric comes out about 0.444 mm wide on it, against 0.353 mm on standard FR-4.

  • Dielectric loss on that microstrip is about 0.044 dB per inch at 10 GHz, and the signal travels at about 134 ps per inch.
  • Buried as a stripline between planes 0.4 mm apart, 50 ohms needs a trace about 0.177 mm wide.

50 ohm surface microstrip, 1 oz copper

Dielectric heightTrace width on IT-988GSEOn standard FR-4
0.1 mm0.211 mm0.166 mm
0.2 mm0.444 mm0.353 mm
0.5 mm1.15 mm0.920 mm
1.6 mm3.77 mm3.02 mm

As published

PropertyValue
Dk @ 10GHz3.24
Df @ 10GHz0.0014
Tg (°C)205
Halogen-FreeYes
Target Data Rate112 Gbps+

How this was counted

Dk and Df are the maker's published values at 10 GHz, from the MPBxChange material catalogue, which keeps each source's test frequency and method. Where a maker publishes a range, the midpoint is used. Widths are solved with the Hammerstad and Jensen microstrip equations and Wadell's stripline form, for 1 oz copper, and are a starting point: Dk moves with frequency, resin content and glass style, and a fabricator's field solver is the authority. Standard FR-4 here is the median of 22 FR-4 grades in the catalogue (Dk 4.4).