Voltage Plane

A conductor or portion of a conductor layer on or in a printed board which is maintained at other than ground potential. It can also be used as a common voltage source, for heat sinking, or for shielding.

Void

The absence of any substances in a localized area.

Viscosity

The property of a fluid that enables it to develop and maintain a level of shearing stress dependent upon the velocity of flow and then offer continued resistance to flow. The absolute unit of viscosity measurement is poise, or more commonly, centipoise.

Virtual Prototype

A virtual (computer model) representation of an electronic product that can be used to explore different design scenarios and then verify that the product will work as planned before building a physical implementation.

Via

A plated through-hole used as an interlayer connection and not as a terminating point for a component lead. It may also be blind (incomplete penetration) or buried (non-surfacing).

Via Hole

A plated through-hole whose only purpose is to connect a track on one layer or side of the board through to a track on another layer or side. In a via, there is no intention to insert a component lead or other reinforcing material.

Vapour Phase

The solder re-flow process that uses a vaporized solvent as the source for heating the solder beyond its melting point,creating the component-to-board solder joint.

Vacuum Pick-up

A component handling tool with a small vacuum cup for ease of pick-up and removal during de-soldering.