Apparatus, system, and method for designing via pads having extended contours

A computer-readable storage medium, comprising:

• code to identify a via pad of a via and a trace that is connected to said via pad, said via pad having an initial contour that corresponds to a first circle positioned with respect to a center of said via, said first circle having a first radius;
• code to determine a vertex of said via pad such that said vertex corresponds to an intersection of said trace and a second circle positioned with respect to said center of said via, said second circle having a second radius that is greater than said first radius;
• code to define a pair of line segments that extend between respective points on said initial contour and said vertex;
• and
• code to define a modified contour of said via pad based on said pair of line segments and a first portion of said initial contour, wherein said code to define said pair of line segments includes code to define said pair of line segments such that a contribution of said pair of line segments to an electrical length design characteristic of said trace is substantially zero and wherein said first portion of said initial contour extends between said respective points on said initial contour and is positioned farther from said vertex than a second portion of said initial contour.