surface mount
A circuit board packaging technique in which the leads (pins) on the chips and components are soldered on top of the board. Boards can be made faster because surface mount technology (SMT) eliminates drilling holes for thru-hole devices, in which the pins go through the board and are soldered underneath.
Surface mount also allows the real estate under the device to be used for other layers by the board designer. In addition, the boards can be smaller because the chips are smaller; for example, SMT packages such as BGA have no leads extending out from the sides (see
BGA). Contrast with
socket mount and
thru-hole.
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| Surface Mount Vs. Thru-Hole |
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| Most chips are surface mounted to the circuit board, but some are thru-hole, in which the pins go through the board and are soldered underneath. With surface mounted chips and no holes drilled through the board, the real estate under the device can be used by the circuit board designer for other board layers. |
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| Gull-Wing Surface Mounts |
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| These are examples of the common gull-wing style of leads on surface mount chips. The leads extend slightly out from the package, then down and out again. |
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| Discrete and Surface Mounted |
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| Although most discrete resistors are thru-hole devices, these resistors are surface mounted to save space as well as time making the board. |