Printed Circuit Board Design and MethodAn apparatus and method for providing a vented blind via in pad of a printed circuit board (PCB). A vent in the blind via in pad to allow gases formed during reflow soldering to escape from the solder joint. In one embodiment, the vent extends from the outer edge of the pad to the blind via.

A PCB typically includes a number of insulation and metal layers selectively patterned to provide metal interconnect lines (referred to herein as “traces”), and a plurality of 15 electronic components mounted on one or more surfaces of the PCB and functionally interconnected through the traces. The routing traces typically carry signals that are transmitted between the electronic components mounted on the PCB. Some PCBs have multiple layers of routing traces to accom- 20 modate all of the interconnections.