GreenSource Fabrication announces exhibition at IMS 2026 (June 7-13, Boston) featuring advanced RF and microwave PCB manufacturing including PTFE, hybrid stackups, and controlled impedance for defense and 5G/6G applications.
GreenSource Fabrication has announced it will exhibit at IMS 2026, the IEEE International Microwave Symposium, taking place June 7-13, 2026, at the Thomas M. Menino Convention and Exhibition Center in Boston, Massachusetts. The company will showcase its advanced PCB manufacturing capabilities specifically tailored for RF, microwave, and millimeter-wave applications.
IMS is the premier annual event for the RF/microwave engineering community, attracting over 10,000 attendees from defense, telecommunications, aerospace, and automotive radar sectors. The 2026 edition comes at a critical time as 5G mmWave deployments scale, 6G research accelerates, and defense systems increasingly require advanced RF electronics.
Source: I-Connect007/PCB007 — June 2026
GreenSource Fabrication specializes in PCB fabrication for high-frequency applications, offering capabilities that standard FR-4 fabricators cannot support:
Materials expertise:
Process capabilities:
Applications served:
The 2026 IEEE International Microwave Symposium brings together the entire RF ecosystem. This year’s exhibition features a notable increase in PCB fabrication and material vendors, reflecting the growing recognition that RF performance is increasingly determined by PCB manufacturing quality — not just circuit design.
6G research presentations — Early-stage research into sub-THz (100-300 GHz) communications is driving interest in PCB materials and fabrication processes that can support frequencies above current 77 GHz automotive radar.
Defense modernization — US DoD programs for next-generation electronic warfare, AESA radar, and satellite constellations are creating unprecedented demand for RF PCBs with complex stackups and tight performance specifications.
Chip-to-board transitions — As IC packaging pushes RF functionality off-chip (using substrate-integrated waveguides, on-PCB antenna arrays), fabricators must deliver semiconductor-grade precision on PCB substrates.
GreenSource joins several other PCB companies at IMS 2026:
Standard PCB fabricators face significant challenges with RF designs:
Material handling: PTFE and ceramic-filled substrates are soft, dimensionally unstable, and don’t bond well with standard prepreg. Specialized processes (plasma treatment, sodium etching for PTFE adhesion) are required.
Impedance accuracy: At 28 GHz and above, a 5% impedance variation creates meaningful insertion loss increase. Fabricators need tight dielectric thickness control (±0.5mil) and copper etch uniformity.
Via transitions: Every layer transition in an RF circuit creates discontinuity. Fabricators must control via pad size, anti-pad geometry, and back-drilling depth with micrometer precision.
Copper roughness: At mmWave frequencies, copper surface roughness directly impacts signal attenuation. RF PCBs require HVLP or RTF copper foils with roughness < 1.5μm RMS — far smoother than standard electrodeposited copper.
For engineers attending IMS 2026 or designing RF boards:
Early fabricator engagement is critical — RF PCBs have the highest re-spin rate in the industry. Engaging your fabricator during stackup design (not after layout) can prevent costly iterations.
Material selection drives lead time — Specialty RF laminates (Rogers 3003, Taconic TLY-5) often have 4-6 week lead times. Factor this into project planning.
Hybrid stackups offer cost optimization — Not every layer needs expensive RF material. Combining Rogers on RF layers with FR-4 on digital layers reduces cost while maintaining performance where it matters.
Test coupon design for RF — Include impedance test coupons and insertion loss test vehicles on your production panel to verify RF performance.
