Dk 2.20 ± 0.02 with Df 0.0009 at 10 GHz, in a laminate that runs on standard processes — what the TLY series buys from 5G MIMO to 77 GHz radar.
Among the elite tier of high-frequency laminates, Taconic’s TLY series occupies a specific and valuable position: electrical performance close to the theoretical ceiling, delivered in a form a production line can actually process. This article looks at what the series is built on, the advantages that decide designs, and where it shows up.
TLY laminates are ceramic-filled PTFE composites, engineered to balance electrical performance against mechanical stability and manufacturing practicality. The headline consistency is a dielectric constant of 2.20 ± 0.02 that holds across frequencies and environmental conditions — the kind of predictability that lets a designer trust a simulation all the way to the finished board. Individual family members have their own parameter sheets; the TLY-3 material breakdown covers one in detail.
Ultra-low loss. A dissipation factor of 0.0009 at 10 GHz keeps signal loss minimal, and the advantage compounds as designs move into millimeter-wave territory where ordinary materials surrender. Thermal stability. Electrical properties hold across roughly −50 °C to +150 °C, which is what outdoor equipment, automotive systems and aerospace hardware need when temperature is not a controlled variable. Manufacturability. Unlike some pure PTFE materials that fight the fabrication line, TLY offers strong dimensional stability and runs on standard PCB processes — good drillability, clean routing, compatibility with common plating chemistries — the same discipline set described in the high-frequency material overview.
Four sectors account for most deployments. In telecom infrastructure, 5G base station antennas and Massive MIMO systems rely on the consistent dielectric for precise beamforming. Aerospace and defense — radar, satellite communications, electronic warfare — use the combination of electrical performance and environmental stability. Automotive radar at 77 GHz increasingly specifies TLY for the accuracy that ADAS and autonomous driving demand. And in test and measurement, the low-loss foundation is what lets instruments analyse high-frequency signals without corrupting them first.
The practical benefit is predictability end to end. Documented, stable characteristics mean accurate simulation and fewer design iterations; uniform dielectric properties carry through to consistent characteristic impedance across the board; and the material processes conventionally enough to move from prototype to volume without a process change, keeping yields high on high-performance builds. That prototype-to-volume continuity is rarer than it sounds, and it is often the deciding factor over a marginally cheaper laminate — a trade-off the laminate selection guide quantifies.
As wireless systems push toward higher frequencies and denser modulation — 6G research, autonomous systems, advanced satellite communications — demand for materials that hold their numbers at millimeter-wave will keep growing. Expect the series to evolve on the usual axes: lower loss at higher frequencies, better thermal management, and even easier processing. For engineers who need performance and production efficiency in the same laminate, TLY remains a difficult combination to match.
Frequently Asked Questions
Electrically it sits in the same tier — Dk 2.20 ± 0.02 and Df 0.0009 at 10 GHz — but the ceramic filling and reinforcement give it dimensional stability and standard-process compatibility that pure PTFE lacks. For most programs that manufacturability decides the choice.
The family members differ in thickness options and exact parameters, so the choice follows the stack-up. Start from the series' common electrical floor — Dk 2.20, Df 0.0009 — then match thickness and copper weight; the TLY-3 parameters give a worked example of reading a member's sheet.
It covers under-hood and exterior electronics in most climates, which is why 77 GHz radar designs specify the series. As always, the full qualification profile — thermal cycling, not just range — should be tested on the actual stack-up.
No, and that is one of its practical advantages over pure PTFE. It drills, routes and plates with conventional high-frequency process discipline, keeping both cost and lead time down.
Send your frequency band and stack-up and we will match the right TLY member and confirm process compatibility before you commit.
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