Blind and Buried Vias in PC Board Technology

PCBs are used to enhance a circuit’s function and stability. There are different vias in a PCB, PC Board, including the blind and buried via. We need to connect different layers in the PCB through a specific via, depending on its design. In general, vias are holes finished in copper, and their position depends on if the PCB is double-sided, or multi-layered.

Here, we will explore the blind and buried via, their benefits, construction, and guidelines to implement them. Before we go into details, you must know the meaning of via, and its role in the PCB.

Understanding Vias

A copper-finished hole in the PCB is known as via, and it joins both layers of a two-sided PCB. The standard via is a hole that starts from one layer and goes up to the second layer in a double-layer board, and it is also known as a through-hole via. A through via is not ideal for a high-density PCB because it takes more space, affecting the board thickness or density.

So, PCB designers prefer a blind or buried via for the multi-layered or HDI boards.

What Is A Blind Via

In blind via, the hole connects the outer layer of the PCB to its inner layer. The outer layer, in this case, can be either top or the bottom layer. It is applied to the HDI or high-density interconnection boards. Blind via enhances the PCB density through the closed placement of its components.

What Is A Buried Via?

The buried via is a hole that connects two inner layers of a PCB board. The name buried is because the hole is buried in between both upper and lower layers. Besides, you can drill it in many layers of a multi-density PCB. A buried via is also used in the HDI PCBs. There are also other types of PCB vias that we will discuss in the end.

Manufacturing Of Via

There are two ways to make a PCB via like the hole is drilled either before adding various layers to the circuit board, or after making all layers. The manufacturer drills all vias and then finishes them in copper.

• You must take care of the drill depth while making the buried and blind vias, because an extra deep hole can distort signals, reducing their speed.
• On the other hand, a very shallow hole can break a connection, affecting the PCB performance. Even, the PCB can stop working due to poor drilling, so give it to expert hands.
• The manufacturer should also know all the dos and don’ts of pcb assembly. So, always hire a good designer and manufacturer for your custom PCB.

How To Fill Or Cover Vias

Via cover must prevent the entrapment of chemicals or other substances within the holes, which can eventually cause defects to the printed circuit board. Vias are filled with conductive or non-conductive paste. Blind vias and via-in-pads are filled with well-designed electroplating.
If you are looking to move heat from one side of the printed circuit board to the other, you will likely opt for a conductive fill.
Vias must be sealed or covered by copper plating. The combination of the sequential build-up of technology and the mechanical processes can disturb the buried via plating, resulting in problems with the board. To prevent this problem, the vias are filled with resin before being plated.
A via-in-pad must be plated because you are putting in a component connection, and you can’t have a recessed hole.
Now, we will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of blind and buried vias.

Advantages That You Get From Blind And Buried Vias

1. The blind and buried vias help design a PCB faster than other methods.
2. In the case of typical boards, these vias are compatible with the component density, and you don’t need to add more layers to your board.
3. Both blind and buried vias enhance the function of the HDI boards, providing high power. They are ideal for BGA components of precise pitch, as they provide a wide surface area, unlike the through-hole vias.
4. They are the best for a multilayered PCB, like a board with a minimum of 4 layers. These vias help where a through-plated via fails to meet the PCB performance requirements. These holes don’t have to face the density limitations of a typical PCB design.
5. They enhance the board density without a need to increase the PCB size. So, you can use the blind and buried vias for high-end PCB products. Such types of vias are ideal for consumer products or electronics.

Disadvantage

The blind and buried vias increase the overall cost of the PCB because of extra manufacturing work. So, they are costly than typical PCBs, because you need more time for hole drilling and other processes. Keep this factor in your mind before ordering your HDI circuit board with blind and buried holes.

Tips To Consider For Selecting The Right PCB Via

Both users and PCB designers should work together to bring the best product. The buyer should tell the designer about his requirements, like PCB components, size, type of via, number of connectors, etc.

Select A Suitable Type Of Via

You must choose the right type of via for a PCB. Like, if the board has several layers, go for blind and buried via. But, choose a through-hole via for a one-sided PCB. There are also other types of vias and the designer must know where to fit them.
Compatible Via Size And Tolerance

Generally, the PCB thickness determines the size of via it should have. A standard via has a 10 mil size that becomes 7 mils after copper plating. Whereas in micro via, you can have a 4 mil via, be it mechanically or laser drilled. Moreover, the hole or via should have enough size or tolerance to hold the connectors.

Compatible Technology

The blind and buried vias don’t go well on all boards. So, the PCB supplier must choose a stack up compatible with via technology, and the same goes to other via types.

Follow The IPC Guidelines

The designers should always consider the IPC guidelines in terms of technology. Like, they should focus on the right distance between vias in case of several layers. Every PCB supplier should have the IPC design guidelines to avoid any mistakes. The guidelines regarding Class 2, Class 3, Class 3DS are essential to consider as they are not similar.

Consider The Angular Ring Requirements

After drilling each layer’s pad, comes the stage of the annular ring and its requirements should be according to Class 2 and 3. The driller should know how to deal with tolerances while drilling through PCB.

The annular ring helps to have enough surface in the internal layers, maintaining the copper connection on a specific layer before a through-hole plating. Like, you should maintain the electrical connections keeping in mind the material and drill tolerances,

Micro Via Plating

When it comes to a micro via, you should give the right requirements to your PCB supplier. Like, how do fill via; through electrical or thermal epoxy and then copper plate it? This step helps to have a well-finished PCB, preventing vias from external elements.

The Drill File
Each connection has a via or hole that must be according to the drill file. In a blind via, the drill diameter and hole’s depth ratio should be 1:1; however, it can be more depending on the PCB thickness.
In the case of buried via, this ratio should be 1:12, but it can be more depending on the HDI PCB.

Other via Types

We have discussed the blind, buried, and through-hole vias, but there are also types of vias used for PCB design, so let’s study them.
Micro via: A micro via is smaller than all other vias. Even a naked eye can’t see it as it’s so small, so you need a microscope. They are used for a high-density PCB to provide more routing area.
A micro via reduces the issues, such as parasitic resistance that is common in the HDI boards. But, the micro via involves more time to drill and care, so the PCB designers prefer teardrops.
Stacked via: The stacked vias are also laminated and they are either buried or blind vias. A stacked via connects different layers on PCB. They appear to be on top of each other, so they are known as stacked vias.
Staggered via: the staggered vias are also used for multilayered PCBs, but they don’t overlap so we call them staggered. This via has a complex design but it involves less cost compared to the stacked via.
Skip via: The skip via is a hole that passes through different PCB layers but it does not have any electrical connection with specific layers. A skip via is either blind, buried, or overlapping.
Via-in-pad: It is common via used for large PCB pads, such as BGA or MOSFET. Such vias help to have components’ thermal dissipation. However, the designer knows if via in pad is suitable or not because it may affect soldering.
Whether it’s blind, buried, or some other via, you must hire an experienced PCB manufacturing company. The manufacturer should be professional and know the drilling techniques to make these vias.

PNC is providing top-notch PCB design and assembling services at affordable rates. Interested to know more about PCB Vias, write us at sales@pnconline.com

Written by Sam Sangani

Sam Sangani is the President & CEO of PNC Inc., a Nutley, NJ based Printed Circuit Board manufacturer. Sam graduated from L. D. Engineering College with a BS Degree in Mechanical Engineering. He also continued his education and graduated from Steven’s Institute of Technology where he acquired a Master’s degree in Computer Science.

After completion of his BS, Sam worked as a QC Manager, for Xerox, Romania and London. He was responsible for the Quality Control of Cable and Wire Harness imports from Romania. After completing his Master’s Degree, he worked as a Senior Programmer with IBM, Tucson, Arizona. Sam was responsible for leading the Mainframe System Programming Team.

In 1997, Sam acquired PNC INC., a Nutley, NJ based PC Board fabrication Shop. From 1997-2013, Sam has made tremendous improvements and changes within PNC INC., as he added many new Products and Technologies in PNC’s portfolio. With his proven track record and leadership, PNC has never had an unprofitable year and has continued its growth yearly since 1997.

His current responsibilities are Strategic Planning, Corporate Management, New Business Ventures, Sales & Marketing, Trade Shows, Professional Services and leading productive teams to achieve peak potential. He has also utilized Lean Management techniques which have built a foundation for PNC’s high-paced growth. Sam also enjoys real-estate investing, web design & SEO, trading stocks, options, futures and Forex markets.