The current 0.25 mm Pad/Via Keep Out applies to every copper layer. To reduce only the top/bottom clearance while retaining larger inner-layer antipads, use layer-specific rules.
Top and bottom copper
Create rules for surface copper:
Top/Bottom pads Keep Out:0.15 mm
Top/Bottom vias Keep Out:0.15 mm
Traces Keep Out:0.15 mm
Keep Thermal Relief → Relief Connect
Inner GND planes
Keep a separate inner-plane clearance of:
Mid-Layer 1:0.25 mm
Mid-Layer 2:0.25 mm
The important distinction is:
Top/bottom clearance should be measured from the copper-pad or via edge.
Inner-layer antipad clearance must clear the plated barrel and annular copper completely.
Do not simply change the existing global Pads/Vias rule to 0.15 mm; that would also shrink the inner-plane antipads. In the rules interface, create layer-specific rules targeting Top/Bottom, while leaving the inner GND-fill clearance at 0.25 mm.
A practical target is:
Table
Feature
Clearance
Top/bottom trace-to-pad
0.15 mm
Top/bottom via-to-copper
0.15 mm
Inner-plane drill-to-GND
0.25 mm
Approximate inner pad-edge-to-GND
0.10 mm
After changing it, export and inspect F.Cu, B.Cu, In1.Cu, and In2.Cu separately. The standard DRC previously missed this failure, so Gerber-level verification remains necessary.
Without changing the copper clearance in regards to pads and vias, please export me the working gerber based on my latest design that DOES NOT have any vias shorting with GND which should not.
I’ll leave your current pad/via clearances unchanged, export the latest design, and inspect the actual Gerber copper for any non-GND via or pad touching GND before handing it over.
The latest design passed DRC with 0 airwires and no reported copper overlaps, and I exported it without changing your current 0.12 mm pad/via clearance:
The final Gerber-vs-IPC geometric short analysis could not run because your account ran out of available ACUs. Do not submit this package for fabrication until that verification is completed, given the previous exporter failure.