Introduction

The Plug Hole Mask Creation is a read-write DFM action intended to create plug layers for defined drill layers. The DFM action enables you to define complex filters to specify which drill holes should be plugged, and from which side to plug a specific drill hole. Using this DFM action will save time and reduce errors when defining plug layers.  This DFM action requires the license option viapdfm .

Select  DFM > Yield Improvement > Plug Hole Mask Creation

Filter Types

Simple Filters
Basic filter 

excludes text, arc, and surface features.

Slot and laservia filter

Whether slot and laservia features should have plugs.

Filter by size
Filter by attribute

If a drill feature includes one or more specified attributes, the drill should be plugged.

If a drill feature does not include any of these specified attributes, than it should not be plugged.

Complex Filters
Filter by relation between a drill hole and a single reference feature

This is related to the screen parameter Plug Hole if Mask Clearance ... Smaller than Hole, Equal to Hole, Larger than Hole. This filter decides whether or not to plug a drill hole depending on the relationship between the drill hole and a single (top or bottom) reference feature for that drill hole.

To implement this filter:

1.  The size of the annular ring (AR), for both the top and bottom reference features, must be smaller than the maximum AR value as defined by the parameter pp_max_ar .

2.  Examine the relationship between the size of the drill hole and the mask clearance for either reference feature (top or bottom). See examples below that illustrate how these relationships appear in the Graphic Editor.

3.  Based on the criteria defined in the screen parameter Plug Hole if Mask Clearance , decide whether you need to create a mask plug, or should consider other factors in making your decision.

 

Examples of single-sided filters
 

Single-side relation

Illustration

Mask clearance > hole

 

Mask clearance = hole

 

Mask clearance < hole

 

Filter by relation between drill hole and both reference features

Related to the screen parameters One Side is Partially Open, Both Sides Fully Open, One Side Not Open and One side Open. This filter decides whether or not to plug a drill hole depending on the relationship between the drill hole and both (top and bottom) reference features.

Example

If one side is partially open, and the other is fully open, decide whether

·                the partially open side needs to be plugged

·                the fully open side needs to be plugged

·                both sides need to be plugged

·                report only

Open --the feature from the reference layer fully covers the drill hole, or is the same size as the drill hole.

Partial --the feature from the reference layer partially covers the drill hole, or is smaller than the drill hole.

Close --there is no feature in the reference layer above the drill hole.

·         If there is no reference feature on either side of the drill hole (i.e. both sides are Closed) , then both sides must be plugged.

The pictures below illustrate these relationships in the Graphic Editor.

Note> The definitions given above may seem contrary to logic, i.e. that an open hole is one where "the reference layer fully covers the drill hole". But note that the reference layer is a negative layer in Genesis. This means that where there is a feature in the layer mask, there is a clearance (an open area) above the drill on the physical board.

 

Examples of double-sided filters
 

Two-sided relation 

Illustration

One side partial -
one side open

 

One side partial -
one side closed

 

Both sides partial

 

Through-hole
(Both sides open)

 

One side open -
one side closed

 

 
How to resolve rules that are in conflict with each other
 The following hypothetical example creates a situation where certain drill plug rules conflict, and shows how you can resolve the situation.

A drill hole has two reference features. The top reference feature partially covers the drill hole; the bottom reference feature fully covers the drill hole (i.e. is open).

The following rules were created to decide whether or not to plug the hole:

·     For holes with only one reference feature, if the hole is open from that side (the reference feature is larger than the drill hole), there is no need to plug the hole.

·     For holes with two reference features, the drill hole must be plugged if one side is open and the other side is partially open.

In this situation, the rules conflict with each other. To resolve such cases, there is an order of precedence that specifies, for the various items that make up the relation between a drill hole and its reference features, in what situations you should or should not add a hole plug.

The order of precedence for resolving plug or no plug decisions:

Highest priority> size of drill hole

Next highest priority > relation of drill hole to a single reference feature

Lowest priority > relation of drill hole to both reference features.

In the example given above, the single-sided relation has a higher priority, in accordance with the rules of precedence defined above. In this example, the final result is that the top side is without a plug, and the bottom side has a plug.

If no reference feature has been defined

If you have not defined both reference features, the DFM action will not process the mask clearance relation filter. If only one reference layer is defined, the relation of the drill hole to the undefined side is defined by the ERF variable v_no_mask_full_open . For a blind drill layer, if the blind side completely masks the drill clearance, the single-sided relation is defined as closed (i.e. no clearance above the drill hole).