Surface Mount Technology and Surface Mount Device
SMT and SMD are related terms in electronics, especially in the manufacturing and assembly processes. SMT is a process technology and methodology used to mount electronic components that are mounted on the surface of a PCB. This includes designing the PCB, adjusting the solder paste application, component placement (pick and place), reflow soldering and automatic optical control (AOI). SMT enables the use of various surface-mountable components, designed specifically to be directly mounted, including CHIP, MELF, QFN (Quad Flat No Leads), QFPs (Quad Flat Packages), SOICs (Small Outline Integrated Circuits) and BGA (Ball Grid Array). SMD components differ from THT components, as they concern only those mounted directly onto the PCB surface. These components have soldering pads, terminals, or balls on their lower surface, facilitating their surface mounting onto the PCB. SMD components come in a wide range of types and functionalities. From the typical passive chip resistors, chip capacit...