What is a PCB Via? | Sierra Circuits

We all know that PCBs are made up of multiple layers. But how are these multilayers connected to each other in order to establish the electrical continuity? Vias were brought into this world to solve this problem.

Vias are miniature conductive pathways drilled into the PCB to establish electrical connectivity between the different layers. Basically, a via is a vertical trace in a PCB.

The precision to which a PCB manufacturer can drill a via that meets the designer’s requirement makes that manufacturer the best in the industry.

The different types of vias are through-hole, blind, buried, and microvias.

Microvias are drilled with lasers and possess smaller diameters compared to through-hole vias. The depth of a microvia is not more than 2 layers.

Aspect ratio (microvias) = (drill depth) / (diameter of the drilled hole). The aspect ratio decides the reliability of a PCB. The ideal aspect ratio for micorvias is 0.75:1.

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