Industries
5G & Telecom PCB
mmWave antenna boards, massive MIMO, hybrid RF/digital constructions.
5G and telecommunications infrastructure boards operate at the intersection of RF performance and digital processing complexity. A single 5G base station module may combine millimeter-wave antenna arrays on PTFE or Rogers substrates, beamforming network boards with controlled impedance at 28 or 39 GHz, digital baseband processing boards on Megtron laminates carrying 56G SerDes signals, and power distribution boards with heavy copper for the amplifier supply rails. AstroPCB manufactures PCBs across this full range of telecom board types.
5G mmWave boards
5G New Radio (NR) at FR2 frequencies (24.25-52.6 GHz) requires PCB substrates with stable dielectric properties and low loss at millimeter-wave frequencies. Antenna element substrates use Rogers RO4835 or PTFE-based laminates optimized for patch antenna efficiency. Beamforming distribution networks use Rogers 4350B or 4003C for the feed lines and Wilkinson dividers. The combination of tight impedance tolerance, controlled Dk and low insertion loss at 28-39 GHz pushes these boards into the most demanding fabrication category for RF PCBs.
Massive MIMO antenna boards
Massive MIMO base stations use antenna arrays with 32, 64 or more elements, each requiring its own feed network and phase-controlled signal path. The antenna board combines all these feed networks on a single large-format PCB (sometimes exceeding 400 x 400 mm) with impedance-matched traces for every element. Registration accuracy, impedance uniformity across the full panel and RF leakage between adjacent channels are critical manufacturing parameters. The engineering review process verifies that the fabrication process can maintain impedance tolerance and registration accuracy across the full board area.
Baseband and backhaul processing
The digital processing side of telecom equipment uses high-layer-count multilayer boards similar to data center switch boards. Layer counts of 16-30+ layers, Megtron 6 or 7 laminates for high-speed SerDes channels, HDI features for FPGA and processor escape routing, and controlled impedance for 25G/56G signaling are standard requirements. These boards often combine the RF front end and digital back end on a single construction using hybrid stackups — RF layers on Rogers, digital layers on Megtron, separated by FR-4 or bonding layers.
Power amplifier boards
GaN and LDMOS power amplifiers for base station transmitters generate significant heat that must be removed through the PCB. Metal-core PCBs, ceramic substrates (AlN for GaN devices) or heavy copper constructions with thermal via arrays are used depending on the power level and thermal design. The PA board often includes bias networks, harmonic filtering and impedance matching on RF laminates alongside the thermal management substrate — requiring careful material selection and fabrication process planning.
Request a telecom PCB quote
Specify the application (antenna, beamforming, baseband, PA), laminate requirements, impedance targets and operating frequency range. Upload design files for engineering review.