Via (electronics)

In printed circuit board design, via refers to a pad with a plated hole that connects copper tracks from one layer of the board to other layer(s). Either the holes are electroplated or small rivets are inserted. High-density multi-layer PCBs may have blind vias, which are visible only on one surface, or buried vias, which are visible on neither (example image of each).

In integrated circuit design, a via is a small opening in an insulating oxide layer that allows metallic interconnect on different interconnect layers to form a connection.