PCB Vias

Browse our library of resources to learn more about pcb design and PCB vias.

When Should You Use a Flex Circuit? The two predominant reasons for using flex or rigid flex, are to solve a packaging issue or reduce the space and weight of the electronics package. These two are often interrelated and space, weight and packaging, (SWaP) will continue to be a driving force in PCB design. Read Article

PDS Impedance: The Traditional Approach To PDS Design vs. Energy Flow Take a look at traditional PDS impedance versus the “energy flow” view of PDS design. We’ll debunk misleading information that could cause your designs to fail. Read Article

Making the Most of Your Crystal Oscillator “Blindly” adopting what a crystal oscillator data sheet says usually results in adequate frequency stability. An oscillator requires the phase shift around the loop to be 360° and this total phase shift must be a precise and stable oscillation frequency. Read Article

What Happens to PCIe Signals Traversing Blind Vias at Higher Speeds? In our one, two and three-day courses, which we conduct at technical and trade conferences as well as at private on-site classes, we will frequently be asked about particular technology trends and their impact on current designs. Of late, a number of these questions have focused on how the use of PCI Express (also known as PCIe) at higher frequencies impacts signals that change layers through vias. Limits on the number of vias in PCIe generations Read Article

How to Approach Microvia Reliability Issues With Jim Brown of GreenSource Many people struggle with microvia reliability issues. Listen to Jim Brown discuss how GreenSource has handled many of these problems allowing them to make great strides! Listen to the Podcast: Download this episode (right click and save) Watch the video: {"preview_thumbnail":"/sites/default/files/styles/video_embed_wysiwyg_preview/public/video_thumbnails/TdakhkfOlVk.jpg?itok=jCRmTeix","video_url":"https://youtu.be/TdakhkfOlVk","settings":{ Read Article

How Do Pads and Vias Impact Total Capacitor Parasitic Inductance? In this blog article we discuss how the footprint and mounting style affect capacitor parasitic inductance. The pads and vias back to the PCB power planes increase the total series inductance of the capacitor. Read Article

Non-functional pads—what are they and what problems can they create? In previous articles on my blog, I have stated that non-functional pads should always be removed from PCB artwork, but I have not gone into detail as to why this should be the case. In the industry at large, there is some confusion about these pads and whether or not they serve a useful purpose. In this article, I will define what they are, how their use originated, the problems they can create and why they should be removed from PCB artwork Read Article

Blind And Buried Vias—what Are They And How Are They Used? As noted in several of my previous articles as well as a large majority of other published documents, component lead pitches have become increasingly fine, and smaller form factor devices have come to dominate a large number of the products (cell phones) being developed today. The question of how to connect components to both sides of these crowded PCBs should be among the first factors taken into account by a product development team. Typically Read Article

Meeting Standards: IPC 6012 Class 3 Annular Ring If you’re like me, things like embedded computing and device miniaturization are fascinating topics. Moore’s Law is causing IC manufacturers to build successively smaller devices, and PCB design standards will eventually have to follow suit. Working under industry standards may seem onerous at first glance, and working under certain standards may seem to eliminate some design freedom. In reality, industry standards are designed to ensure that Read Article

From Mechanical Drilling to Laser Drilling of Microvias The first PCBs I made as a young engineer were pretty simple, with wires used to connect components on the top side of the board. Once things got more complicated, board space became a real consideration, and components were packed too close for comfort. I eventually had a tangled mess of wires on the top and bottom sides of the board connecting multiple components. Later on, I learned more about using design software for multilayer design. Using Read Article

Sizing Vias in Your Next Multilayer PCBs If you’ve ever opened up an old cell phone, you’ve likely noticed the intricate dance between traces and vias. These elements tango with the signal traces on inner board layers, and sizing them properly is as much art as it is science. Your vias are critical for accessing the inner layers in a multi-layer PCB. So how do you choreograph the balance between your vias, traces, and components? Your vias should be sized appropriately if they are to be Read Article

Microvia Sizing in Your Next Multi-layer PCB If you’re not familiar with PCB design or electronics in general, you probably wonder how newer electronics can pack so much functionality into progressively smaller devices. It takes more than just Moore’s Law, it takes creative PCB design methods to pack all that functionality into a single device. Vias make their mark in multi-layer PCBs and are used to route connections between board layers. PCB designers should consider via inductance, via Read Article

Laser-drilled Via-in-pad Technology in Your PCB If you’re my age, you probably grew up playing Super Mario Brothers. Whether it’s diving through those green copper pipes, or jumping up through the clouds, moving between worlds in Super Mario is like moving between layers in a multi-layer PCB. Your vias are that critical feature that allows signals to move between different layers. Okay, maybe you there’s less copper and plating involved in Super Mario world, but it’s the same idea. Via-in-pad Read Article

Copper Wrap Plating in Your PCB No one wants to purchase a new electronic device, only to have it fail a week later. I’ve had the same flat screen monitor for over five years, and it is probably the toughest electronic device I’ve ever owned. If you love reliable designs, then you probably pay attention to industry standards designed to improve device lifetime. Via plating in a PCB should be reliable enough that it can withstand shock and thermal cycling. This is where plating Read Article

PCB Via Noise Coupling in Multilayer PCBs Call me boring, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve become tired of taking my dates to bars. Shouting over people just to get to know someone is not my idea of a great time. The funny thing is that as everyone else talks louder, I have to talk louder to compensate. This level of crosstalk creates a vicious feedback loop and does not make for a romantic evening. Vias are critical features in multilayer PCBs that are used to route connections between Read Article

Planning Your Next HDI Stackup with PCB Layer Management Not to toot my own horn, but I just became a homeowner. The moving process will start soon: everything needs to be packed in boxes and creatively arranged in a truck on moving day. I only hope that I can minimize my number of trips between my old apartment and new house without damaging anything. Packing all the family belongings in a truck evokes images of packing more features and components into the limited real estate available on a PCB. At Read Article

Should You Use Thick or Thin FR4 for Your PCB Substrate? If you’ve ever made a pie with your kids, you know that the thickness of your crust is important. Too thin, and the pie falls apart into a mess of filling. Too thick, and you might as well be chewing on a loaf of bread. Getting the thickness just right is what makes a pie worth eating. Even though PCB substrate materials are non-conductive and do not carry current, the thickness of your FR4 PCB substrate determines the board's structural strength Read Article