What is the use of thermal reliefs on vias for a copper pour?

My EDA software (PCAD, but I guess others do this too) adds thermal reliefs on vias in a copper pour. What's the use? Vias aren't soldered.
  1. Easier routing and fan-out of BGAs and other dense parts. Particularly when putting planes under the BGA.
  2. Greater heat transfer to the planes on the PCB. You see this the most on QFNs and other packages with a ground pad on the bottom of the part in the center. This pad is intended to transfer heat to vias and then to the ground plane.
  3. There is less chance for the via to get messed up due to plating, drill accuracy issues, or other PCB manufacturing problems (not a huge benefit, but a benefit nonetheless).

Read More: Heavy Copper PCB

#PCB manufacturing  #PCB Materials

Picture of Oliver Smith

Oliver Smith

Oliver is an experienced electronics engineer skilled in PCB design, analog circuits, embedded systems, and prototyping. His deep knowledge spans schematic capture, firmware coding, simulation, layout, testing, and troubleshooting. Oliver excels at taking projects from concept to mass production using his electrical design talents and mechanical aptitude.
Picture of Oliver Smith

Oliver Smith

Oliver is an experienced electronics engineer skilled in PCB design, analog circuits, embedded systems, and prototyping. His deep knowledge spans schematic capture, firmware coding, simulation, layout, testing, and troubleshooting. Oliver excels at taking projects from concept to mass production using his electrical design talents and mechanical aptitude.

What Others Are Asking

Is aluminium foil a good substitute for kapon tape when soldering?

I want to desolder a tiny surface mount button from the motherboard of a phone. There are a lot of similarly tiny components surrounding it that I do not want to damage with heat from the soldering iron. Can I use aluminium foil in lieu of kapton tape to protect these components?

Why should we bake bare PCB?

The assembly note states: Bake bare PCBs in a clean and well ventilated oven prior to assembly at 125*C for 24 hours. Why is this necessary?

Read Detailed Advice From Blog Articles

Scroll to Top