Tenting closes a via by covering its pad and hole with soldermask or dry film rather than leaving a mask opening around it. Tented vias cannot take solder, cannot be shorted by nearby parts and do not suck in paste, but mask stretched over larger holes can crack or trap process chemistry. Plugging the via with resin or mask material before covering gives a more reliable seal.
Tent every via under the QFN, I don't want solder from the thermal pad running down them.
Also heard as
- tented via
- masked via
- covered via
Related terms
Soldermask
Thin polymer coating over a board's copper that leaves pads exposed and keeps solder where it belongs.
Via-in-pad
Via placed directly in a component pad, filled and plated over so solder cannot drain down it.
Wicking
Solder or plating chemistry drawn by capillary action where it is not wanted, up a lead, into a via or along glass.