PCB board is widely used in the electronics industry, as one of the important components of electronic equipment, responsible for connecting a variety of 

electronic components. PCB board performance directly affects the quality and stability of electronic equipment. The material selection of the PCB board is one of the key factors affecting the performance of the PCB board. This paper will provide a comparative analysis of common PCB materials in order to facilitate the selection of suitable materials for application in different circuit board designs.

According to the needs of different applications, the types of PCB board materials are different. Currently common PCB board materials are divided into the 

following categories:

1、Silicon carbide material

The thermal conductivity of silicon carbide material is relatively high, is currently the ideal choice for higher temperature circuit boards, such as automotive 

electronics, aerospace electronics and other fields,and silicon carbide material also has the advantages of high temperature resistance, low energy consumption, etc.. However, the cost of silicon carbide materials is relatively high, and the hardness is also relatively large, not easy to process.

2、FR-4 material

FR-4 material is one of the most common PCB board materials and widely used.FR-4 material has good insulation performance, mechanical strength, thermal 

stability and other characteristics, and low price.But FR-4 material also has some problems,such as large drift of dielectric constant, flame retardant performance is not enough.

3、metal materials

Metallic materials are aluminum, copper, tungsten, cobalt and other metal materials, these materials have good electrical conductivity, can effectively improve 

the PCB board conduction performance, and has a good cooling performance. The disadvantage of metal materials is the higher cost of materials, and easy to 

generate electromagnetic fields, the need for shielding treatment.

4、 polytetrafluoroethylene（PTFE） material

PTFE material has good chemical resistance, high temperature resistance, dielectric properties, etc., can be applied to high-speed transmission circuit boards, 

and PTFE material can also be applied to microwave circuit boards, but the disadvantage of PTFE material is the higher cost.

PCB board material performance comparison

1、Dielectric constant

Dielectric constant is one of the important indicators that affect the conductivity of PCB boards,different PCB board materials have different dielectric constants. In general, the smaller the dielectric constant, the smaller the attenuation of electrical signals in the transmission process, the faster the transmission speed. For high-speed circuit board design, the choice of materials with a small dielectric constant can improve the transmission speed and transmission distance.

2、 mechanical strength

PCB board in the use of the process needs to withstand a variety of mechanical stress, so the need to have a certain mechanical strength. Mechanical strength 

mainly includes bending strength, tensile strength, hardness and other indicators. The hardness of silicon carbide material is larger, with better bending and 

tensile strength, suitable for high temperature and high strength environment, and the mechanical strength of FR-4 material is also better, but it is easy to 

produce deformation and cracking in high temperature and high humidity environment, so it needs to be reinforced. The mechanical strength of PTFE material 

is poor, so it needs to be compounded with other materials.

3、Thermal stability

PCB board needs to bear certain thermal stress in the process of use, so thermal stability is also one of the key indicators. Silicon carbide materials and FR-4 

materials have high thermal stability and can work stably in high temperature environment, and can withstand repeated hot and cold cycles. PTFE material also has good high temperature resistance and can work in high temperature environment.

4、Flame retardant performance

PCB board in the use of the process needs to have a certain degree of flame retardant properties to prevent the board from fire and other safety accidents. The flame retardant properties of silicon carbide materials are better, with high heat resistance and fire resistance. FR-4 materials also have better flame retardant 

properties, but in some special high temperature and high humidity environment flame retardant properties will decline, need to be processed. The flame 

retardant performance of PTFE material is poor and needs fireproof treatment.

Comprehensive analysis of the above, silicon carbide materials for high temperature and high intensity environment circuit board design, FR-4 materials for 

general circuit board design, PTFE materials for high-speed transmission and microwave circuit board design. Selecting the right PCB material can effectively 

improve the board's conduction performance, mechanical strength, thermal stability and flame retardant properties, improve the quality and stability of the 

circuit board for different electronic equipment applications.