I have designed an 8x8 antenna array with coaxial feedings using RT Duroid 5880 for high frequency milimeter wave. I am getting satisfactory simulated results in cst and now want to fabricate the design. Kindly tell me from where this fabrication can be done?
Hi Prachi,
first you have to tranfer your design from CST to a PCB layout program; before you begin you should ensure which programs generate data that are accepted by the manufacturer. It's also possible to let the manufacturer do the layout but I guess that's expensive, and I imagine that outsourcing an RF design is an error prone process.
My general experience with PCB manufacturers is that with decreasing prices the quality also decreases, e.g. dislodged solder masks. Unfortunately, the manufacturers I usually order from with satisfaction do not offer RT Duroid 5880. Therefore I cannot recommend one based on my own experience.
The following three offer prototypes. Here is one based in the UK:
http://pwcircuits.co.uk/rogers/
and two in the U.S.:
https://www.cirexx.com/rogers-materials/
https://www.pcb4less.com/services.asp
If you cannot do the assembly yourself, most universities with RF or electronics faculties will have a lab with the necessary equipment.
Hope this helps.
I assume that RT Duroid 5880 is well suited for your application. I myself design rarely analog RF circuits but mostly digital circuits. According to my experience, at clock rates up to 3 GHz the common FR4 material works fine because slightly deteriorated digital signals do not cause malfunctions in most cases.
You could try changing the material of your array to FR4 in CST, and assess the results. However, besides the difference between the electrical properties of FR4 and RT Duroid 5880, I seem to remember that most of Roger's materials are manufactured with tighter tolerances than FR4. Therefore, even if your array works fine with ideal FR4, in reality you might encounter some deviations, varying between production batches.
So, I would stay with RT Duroid 5880, unless the parameters of your antenna array are relatively insensitive to variations in the base material, and you are aiming at mass production.
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