PCB leakage

A PCB leakage is a type of short, sometimes referred to as a high-resistance short. It is a partial connection between two or more nets that exhibits a resistance value between the limit defined for an acceptable continuity and an acceptable isolation.

A leakage path on a board can create metal migration from one trace to another. This happens while the board is in operation, to build a hard short. Sources are ionic contamination (deposits of metal salts) and moisture.

In static printed circuit board designs, leakage resistance is the dominant effect. Contamination of the PCB surface by flux residues, deposited salts, and other debris can create leakage paths between circuit nodes.


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