-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- pcb007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueVoices of the Industry
We take the pulse of the PCB industry by sharing insights from leading fabricators and suppliers in this month's issue. We've gathered their thoughts on the new U.S. administration, spending, the war in Ukraine, and their most pressing needs. It’s an eye-opening and enlightening look behind the curtain.
The Essential Guide to Surface Finishes
We go back to basics this month with a recount of a little history, and look forward to addressing the many challenges that high density, high frequency, adhesion, SI, and corrosion concerns for harsh environments bring to the fore. We compare and contrast surface finishes by type and application, take a hard look at the many iterations of gold plating, and address palladium as a surface finish.
It's Show Time!
In this month’s issue of PCB007 Magazine we reimagine the possibilities featuring stories all about IPC APEX EXPO 2025—covering what to look forward to, and what you don’t want to miss.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - pcb007 Magazine
Against the Density Wall: Landless Vias Might be the Answer
June 27, 2016 | Happy Holden, PCB Technologist-RetiredEstimated reading time: 1 minute

You may not know about landless vias. This has been a well-kept secret for the last 30 years, possibly because it is not permitted on military boards, and therefore, discouraged in all IPC standards. Consequently, when our Japanese partner, OKI Electric, showed us their landless via boards, we said, “You can’t do that; the vias have to have lands!” They replied, “You’ve been listening to IPC again! Try it out and test it!” So we created a test vehicle and tested thousands of vias with various diameters against numerous annular ring vias. Guess what? They were right! As the annular ring got smaller, the failures occurred earlier until we got to landless, and then they jumped to 10X fewer failures. Not understanding this result, the PhDs of HP labs went to work and came up with an explanation (included in this paper). This was so radical a discovery that HP made the data, explanations and results proprietary and a company secret.
Introduction
I saw my first landless via multilayer while visiting NEC at Toyama, Japan back in 1985.
They were an enormous automated facility making Japanese telecom and mainframe computer boards, kind of like IBM and Western Electric rolled into one. NEC was using the liquid electrophoretic, positive-acting photoresist process with panel-plating. I wouldn’t see another landless via multilayer until our Japanese partner (OKI) introduced it to us in 1988. OKI was using the landless vias to achieve higher density without having to pay the extra costs of finer lines. They knew about the higher reliability that resulted, and they had done their own testing, but were after the higher routing density and it allowed them to route five traces between 0.100 inch PTH centers.
The Electrodeposited-Positive Acting Photoresist
My first introduction to the positive-acting photoresist (+PR) was at Hewlett-Packard’s integrated circuit fabrication facility in Palo Alto, California in 1970. HP used this in the liquid form and it was spin-coated on wafers. The photoresist was supplied by Shipley Company of Newton, Massachusetts. I was further exposed to the +PR after moving to the printed circuit fabrication facility.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the June 2016 issue of The PCB Magazine.
Suggested Items
EIPC Summer Conference 2025: PCB Innovation in Edinburgh
04/18/2025 | EIPCEIPC have very wisely selected this wonderful city in Scotland as the venue for their Summer Conference on June 3-4. Whilst delegates will be distilling the proven information imparted by the speakers in the day, in the evening they will be free spirits at the Conference Dinner.
IPC President’s Award: Xaver Feiner
04/17/2025 | Nolan Johnson, SMT007 MagazineThroughout his career, Xaver Feiner, vice president of marketing and sales at Zollner Elektronik, has developed extensive expertise in account management and new business development with a strong focus on the semiconductor industry, aerospace, and industrial electronics. Xaver has cultivated a profound understanding of global markets and remains deeply engaged with the challenges and opportunities presented by digital transformation. Since 2020, he has been an active member of the IPC Europe Advocacy Group, where he is dedicated to advancing the position of the electronics industry and the EMS sector across Europe.
New High Power 3D AXI for Power Electronics from Test Research, Inc.
04/17/2025 | TRITest Research, Inc. (TRI), a leading provider of Test and Inspection solutions for the electronics manufacturing industry, proudly announces the launch of the 3D AXI TR7600HP system. Designed for power semiconductor inspection, the TR7600HP enhances accuracy and efficiency in detecting defects in components such as IGBTs, MOSFETs, SiC inverters, and Paladin Connectors.
Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2025: IPC Mexico Building Community and Partnerships
04/17/2025 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPOLorena Villanueva highlights IPC Mexico's three-year journey focused on community building and partnerships with governments and educational institutions. Key milestones include collaboration agreements with state governments and universities to enhance the electronics industry. IPC Days promotes networking and education, while a partnership with UNAM aims to integrate IPC training into engineering programs. The discussion wraps up with congratulations on IPC Mexico's achievements and the launch of the Mexico pavilion at this year's show.
IPC Strengthens Electronics Industry Awareness with Appointment of Carrie Sessine as Global Communications Vice President
04/16/2025 | IPCIPC, the global electronics association, announces the strategic appointment of Carrie Sessine as vice president of global communications. This newly created executive position underscores the association’s commitment to championing the electronics industry's critical contributions to global innovation and economic growth.