The substrates and materials integrated in PCB manufacturing should feature excellent dielectric and electrical properties.

Dielectric constant

The dielectric constant measures the ability of a material to store electrons in an electric field. This property is crucial for substrates utilized in electronic devices. Also, dielectric constant refers to relative permittivity. Most circuit board materials feature a dielectric constant between the range of 2 and 4.6. The dielectric constant of a substrate helps in determining the performance of the printed circuit board in high frequency applications.

Volume resistivity

This defines the ability of a material to resist insulation. Also, it measures the resistance of an insulating material to leakage current via its body. High volume resistivity refers to low leakage current. Materials with high volume resistivity are less conductive.

Surface resistivity

This property measures the ability of the circuit board materials’ surface to resist the transfer of electrical charge. Surface resistivity and volume resistivity are similar in measure, but their location of measurement is different. Temperatures and moistures are factors that affect surface resistivity.

Dissipation factor

Dissipation factor of PCB materials measures how inefficient an insulating material is. Also, it measures the amount of electrical energy lost and obtained when you apply electrical current to an insulating material. It describes the inefficiency of a printed circuit board material to act as an insulating material.