ABSTRACT

Surface mount technology is the method of attaching both leaded and non-leaded electrical components to the surface of a conductive pattern that does not utilize leads in feed through holes. It is an innovative trend in the field of Printed Circuit. In through-hole technology the components are placed on one PCB side (component side) and soldered on the other (solder side) whereas in surface mount technology the components can be assembled on both sides of the board. The components are attached to the PCB by solder paste or non-conductive glue and then soldered. In the near future mixed assemblies, i.e. a combination of leaded and surface mounted components, will prevail, since not yet all component types are available as surface mount version. Automatic assembly machines are a must for an expedient production; there are systems for simultaneous and for sequential assembly. A method of assembling printed wiring boards or hybrid circuits, where components are attached to pads on the board surface, as distinct from through hole technology, where components leads are inserted in to holes. In the electronic industry it has largely replaced the throughhole technology construction method of fitting components with wire leads into holes in the circuit board. Both technologies can be used on the same board for components not suited to surface mounting such as transformers and heatsinked power semiconductors.

INTRODUCTION
Virtually all of today's mass produced electronics hardware is manufactured using surface mount technology, SMT. The associated surface mount devices, SMDs provide many advantages over their leaded predecessors in terms of manufacturability and often performance. It was not until the 1980's that surface mount technology, SMT became widely used. Once SMT started to be used, the change from conventional leaded components to surface mount devices, SMDs took place quickly in view of the enormous gains that could be made using SMT. Surface mount devices (SMDs) are used in a growing number of commercial and industrial products. Due to their small size, prototype manufacturing, rework, and repair can be difficult and are best performed using specialized techniques specific to this technology. Learning these techniques will help you succeed when working with these small components. Mass produced electronic circuit boards need to be manufactured in a highly mechanized manner to ensure the lowest cost of manufacture. The traditional leaded electronic components do not lend themselves to this approach. Although some mechanization was possible, component leads needed to be pre-formed. Also when the leads were inserted into boards automatically problems were often encountered as wires would often not fit properly slowing production rates considerably.

It was reasoned that the wires that had traditionally been used for connections were not actually needed for printed circuit board construction. Rather than having leads placed through Holes, the components could be soldered onto pads on the board instead. This also saved creating the lead holes in the boards which added cost to the production of the bare PCBs.

Typical SMT board with transistors, and passive components

As the components were mounted on the surface of the board, rather than having connections that went through holes in the board, the new technology was called surface mount technology or SMT and the devices used were surface mount devices, SMDs. The idea for SMT was adopted very quickly because it enabled greater levels of mechanization to be used, and it considerably saved on manufacturing costs. To accommodate surface mount technology, SMT, a completely new set of components was needed. New SMT outlines were

required, and often the same components, e.g. ICs were sold in both traditional leaded packages and SMT packages. Despite this, the gains of using SMT proved to be so large that it was adopted very quickly.

SMT board with typical IC packages

HISTORY
Surface mounting was originally called "planar mounting". Surface-mount technology was developed in the 1960s and became widely used in the late 1980s. Much of the pioneering work in this technology was by IBM. The design approach first demonstrated by IBM in 1960 in a small-scale computer was later applied in the Launch Vehicle Digital Computer used in the Instrument Unit that guided all Saturn IB and Saturn V vehicles. Components were mechanically redesigned to have small metal tabs or end caps that could be directly soldered to the surface of the PCB. Components became much smaller and component placement on both sides of a board became far more common with surface mounting than through-hole mounting, allowing much higher circuit densities. Often only the solder joints hold the parts to the board, although parts on the bottom or "second" side of the board may be secured with a dot of adhesive to keep components from dropping off inside reflow ovens if the part has a large size or weight. Adhesive is also used to hold SMT components on the bottom side of a board if a wave soldering process is used to solder both SMT and through-hole components simultaneously. Alternatively, SMT and through-hole components can be soldered together without adhesive if the SMT parts are first reflow-soldered, then a selective solder mask is used to prevent the solder holding the parts in place from reflowing and the parts floating away during wave soldering. Surface mounting lends itself well

to a high degree of automation, reducing labor cost and greatly increasing production rates. SMDs can be one-quarter to onetenth the size and weight, and one-half to one-quarter the cost of equivalent through-hole parts.

PROCESS INVOLVED

Surface mount design Solder paste application Component placement

Soldering Cleaning
Repair/rework

SOLDER PASTE APPLICATION

Most professionally produced PCBs have (or should have!) a layer of solder mask on them (sometimes called solder resist). This solder mask naturally repels the solder when it reflows, and keeps the paste where it should be when you put it in the reflow oven. Thanks to this layer of solder mask, solder paste is remarkably forgiving stuff. As long as you don't apply too much paste (particularly with 0.5mm fine pitch components), the solder mask usually prevents the solder from joining and forming 'bridges' even if it wasn't placed with perfect machine accuracy. Once it reflows or 'melts', it will naturally (within reason) tend to remain 'on' the pads. If solder mask takes care of 90% of our paste placement problems, though, you still need to apply the right amount of paste. The problem is that if you add too much solder paste, you'll still end up with bridges since when the paste 'reflows' it will be forced to join together with the paste on the neighboring pads, simply because it has nowhere else to go (meaning you'll need to pull out the soldering iron to fix the bridges). The key to success when manually applying solder paste is applying just enough paste to establish the bond between the components and the pads on the PCB, but not so much that it seeps over and forms bridges with neighboring pads. The good thing with solder paste, though, is that if you really muck something up, you can just wipe the pads clean (or the entire board for that matter) and start all over again.

Which brings us to the question of 'how' to apply the paste in the right position and in the right amount? Thankfully, all you really need is the right type of solder paste (actually, the right packaging for solder paste), an inexpensive dispensing tip, and ideally some magnification and a bit of patience. Solder Paste Solder paste typically comes in two main packages: in flat, round 'jars' (which is what you probably want when working with stencils), or in 'syringes', the latter being what we want for applying paste without a stencil. It's important to note that the difference isn't just the packaging. Solder paste in syringes often has smaller solder 'beads' than the paste bought in jars, since it needs to easily flow through a much smaller area (the needle tip). As such, if you can only buy one type of paste, you should probably purchase paste in a syringe, since it can be used for both stencil and no-stencil applications.

Syringe Tips I personally tend to start with a 0.43mm plastic dispensing tip (store), simply because it's a decent general purpose size. It's not so small that you can't force the small beads of solder out of it, and it's not so large that you have a really difficult time

controlling the flow. Some people might find blunt metal syringe tips (store) easier to use (similar to the type you see at the doctor's office, but without the sharp end to allow it to pierce your skin). It's really a personal preference. Personally, though, I have a preference for the plastic tips because: 1. I find it takes a lot less pressure to start the flow of paste with the 'conical' plastic tips 2. I find them a bit safer, having a 4 year old child and a dog around when I'm working from home 3. I feel less creepy than if I were to leave a dozen discarded syringe tips sitting on my desk when an absolute stranger walks in. :-)

Plunger Assuming you can find a good source for decent quality solder paste in a syringe (which is a lot harder than it should be outside of North America), you'll be unpleasantly surprised when that package arrives and you have no way to get the paste out of the tube. That's because the syringes are typically used in automated dispensers (with their own pressure-delivery systems), meaning there is no real need for a manual 'plunger' since it would probably just end up in the garbage anyway.

What that means is that you will also need to purchase an appropriately sized plunger (10cc is a standard size, for reference sake).Unfortunately, they can be a bit of a headache to find, which is why we've decided to sell them ourselves. Thankfully, you really only need one of these since they are reusable.

COMPONENT PLACEMENT
Components were mechanically redesigned to have small metal tabs or end caps that could be soldered directly on to the PCB surface, instead of wire leads to pass through holes. Components became much smaller and component placement on both sides of the board became more common than with through-hole mounting, allowing much smaller PCB assemblies with much higher circuit densities. Surface mounting lends itself well to a high degree of automation, reducing labor costs and greatly increasing production rates. Components can be supplied mounted on carrier tapes. Surface mount components can be about one-quarter to one-tenth of the size and weight of through-hole components, and passive components much cheaper; prices of semiconductor surface mount devices (SMDs) are determined more by the chip itself than the package, with little price advantage over larger packages. Some wire-ended components, such as 1N4148 small-signal switch diodes, are actually significantly cheaper than SMD equivalents.

A printed circuit board, or PCB, is used to mechanically support and electrically connect electronic components using conductive pathways, tracks or signal traces etched from copper sheets laminated onto a non-conductive substrate. When the board has only copper tracks and features, and no circuit elements such as capacitors, resistors or active devices have been manufactured into the actual substrate of the board, it is more correctly referred to as printed wiring board (PWB) or etched wiring board. Use of the term PWB or printed wiring board although more accurate and distinct from what would be known as a true printed circuit board.

ASSEMBLY TECHNIQUES Where components are to be placed, the printed circuit board normally has flat, usually tin-lead, silver, or gold plated copper pads without holes, called solder pads. Solder paste, a sticky mixture of flux and tiny solder particles, is first applied to all the solder pads with a stainless steel or nickel stencil using a screen printing process. It can also be applied by a jet-printing mechanism, similar to an inkjet printer. After pasting, the boards then proceed to the pick-and-place machines, where they are placed on a conveyor belt. The components to be placed on the boards are usually delivered to the production line in either paper/plastic tapes wound on reels or plastic tubes. Some large integrated circuits are delivered in static-free trays. Numerical control pick-and-place machines remove the parts from the tapes, tubes or trays and place them on the PCB.

The boards are then conveyed into the reflow soldering oven. They first enter a pre-heat zone, where the temperature of the board and all the components is gradually, uniformly raised. The boards then enter a zone where the temperature is high enough to melt the solder particles in the solder paste, bonding the component leads to the pads on the circuit board. The surface tension of the molten solder helps keep the components in place, and if the solder pad geometries are correctly designed, surface tension automatically aligns the components on their pads. There are a number of techniques for reflowing solder. One is to use infrared lamps; this is called infrared reflow. Another is to use a hot gas convection. Another technology which is becoming popular again is special fluorocarbon liquids with high boiling points which use a method called vapor phase reflow. Due to environmental concerns, this method was falling out of favor until lead-free legislation was introduced which requires tighter controls on soldering. Currently, at the end of 2008, convection soldering is the most popular reflow technology using either standard air or nitrogen gas. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages. With infrared reflow, the board designer must lay the board out so that short components don't fall into the shadows of tall components. Component location is less restricted if the designer knows that vapor phase reflow or convection soldering will be used in production. Following reflow soldering, certain irregular or heat-sensitive components may be installed and soldered by hand, or in large-scale automation, by focused infrared beam (FIB) or localized convection equipment.

If the circuit board is double-sided then this printing, placement, reflow process may be repeated using either solder paste or glue to hold the components in place. If a wave soldering process is used, then the parts must be glued to the board prior to processing to prevent them from floating off when the solder paste holding them in place is melted. After soldering, the boards may be washed to remove flux residues and any stray solder balls that could short out closely spaced component leads. Rosin flux is removed with fluorocarbon solvents, high flash point hydrocarbon solvents, or low flash solvents e.g. limonene (derived from orange peels) which require extra rinsing or drying cycles. Water soluble fluxes are removed with deionizer water and detergent, followed by an air blast to quickly remove residual water. However, most electronic assemblies are made using a "NoClean" process where the flux residues are designed to be left on the circuit board [benign]. This saves the cost of cleaning, speeds up the manufacturing process, and reduces waste. Certain manufacturing standards, such as those written by the IPC - Association Connecting Electronics Industries require cleaning regardless of the solder flux type used to ensure a thoroughly clean board. Even no-clean flux leaves a residue which, under IPC standards, must be removed. Proper cleaning removes all traces of solder flux, as well as dirt and other contaminants that may be invisible to the naked eye. However, while shops conforming to IPC standard are expected to adhere to the Association's rules on board condition, not all manufacturing facilities apply IPC standard, nor are they

required to do so. Additionally, in some applications, such as low-end electronics, such stringent manufacturing methods are excessive both in expense and time required. Finally, the boards are visually inspected for missing or misaligned components and solder bridging. If needed, they are sent to a rework station where a human operator repairs any errors. They are then usually sent to the testing stations (incircuit testing and/or functional testing) to verify that they operate correctly.

SOLDERING
Soldering is a process in which two or more metal terms are joined together by melting and flowing a filter metal into the joint the filter metal having a relatively low.

TYPES OF SOLDERING TECHNIQUES IN SMT 1.INFRARED SOLDERING 2.CONVENTOINAL HOT GAS SOLDERING

There are three forms of soldering, each requiring progressively higher temperatures and producing an increasingly stronger joint strength: 1. Soft soldering, which originally used a tin-lead alloy as the filler metal,

2. silver soldering, which uses an alloy containing silver, 3. Brazing which uses a brass alloy for the filler. The alloy of the filler metal for each type of soldering can be adjusted to modify the melting temperature of the filler. Soldering differs from gluing significantly in that the filler metals alloy with the work piece at the junction to form a gasand liquid-tight bond. Soft soldering is characterized by having a melting point of the filler metal below approximately 400 C (752 F),[7] whereas silver soldering and brazing use higher temperatures, typically requiring a flame or carbon arc torch to achieve the melting of the filler. Soft solder filler metals are typically alloys (often containing lead) that have liquids temperatures below 350C. In this soldering process, heat is applied to the parts to be joined, causing the solder to melt and to bond to the work pieces in an alloying process called wetting. In stranded wire, the solder is drawn up into the wire by capillary action in a process called 'wicking'. Capillary action also takes place when the work pieces are very close together or touching. The joint strength is dependent on the filler metal used. Soldering produces electrically-conductive, water- and gas-tight joints. Each type of solder offers advantages and disadvantages. Soft solder is so called because of the soft lead that is its primary ingredient. Soft soldering uses the lowest temperatures but does not make a strong joint and is unsuitable for mechanical load-bearing applications. It is also unsuitable for high-

temperature applications as it softens and melts. Silver soldering, as used by jewelers, machinists and in some plumbing applications, requires the use of a torch or other high-temperature source, and is much stronger than soft soldering. Brazing provides the strongest joint but also requires the hottest temperatures to melt the filler metal, requiring a torch or other high temperature source and darkened goggles to protect the eyes from the bright light produced by the whitehot work. It is often used to repair cast-iron objects, wroughtiron furniture, etc. Soldering operations can be performed with hand tools, one joint at a time, or en masse on a production line. Hand soldering is typically performed with a soldering iron, soldering gun, or a torch, or occasionally a hot-air pencil. Sheet metal work was traditionally done with "soldering coppers" directly heated by a flame, with sufficient stored heat in the mass of the soldering copper to complete a joint; torches or electricallyheated soldering irons are more convenient. All soldered joints require the same elements of cleaning of the metal parts to be joined, fitting up the joint, heating the parts, applying flux, applying the filler, removing heat and holding the assembly still until the filler metal has completely solidified. Depending on the nature of flux material used, cleaning of the joints may be required after they have cooled. Each alloy has characteristics that work best for certain applications, notably strength and conductivity, and each type of solder and alloy has different melting temperatures. The term silver solder likewise denotes the type of solder that is

used. Some soft solders are "silver bearing" alloys used to solder silver-plated items. Lead based solders should not be used on precious metals because the lead dissolves the metal and disfigures it. SOLDERING AND BRAZING The distinction between soldering and brazing is based on the melting temperature of the filler alloy. A temperature of 450 C is usually used as a practical delineating point between soldering and brazing. Soft soldering can be done with a heated iron whereas the other methods require a higher temperature torch or furnace to melt the filler metal. Different equipment is usually required since a soldering iron cannot achieve high enough temperatures for hard soldering or brazing. Brazing filler metal is stronger than silver solder, which is stronger than lead-based soft solder. Brazing solders are formulated primarily for strength, silver solder is used by jewelers to protect the precious metal and by machinists and refrigeration technicians for its strength but lower melting temperature than brazing, and the primary benefit of soft solder is the low temperature used (to prevent heat damage to electronic components and insulation). Since the joint is produced using a metal with a lower melting temperature than the work piece, the joint will weaken as the ambient temperature approaches the melting point of the filler metal. For that reason, the higher temperature processes produce joints which are effective at higher temperatures.

Brazed connections can be as strong or nearly as strong as the parts they connect, even at elevated temperatures.

SILVER SOLDERING
"Hard soldering" or "silver soldering" is used to join precious and semi-precious metals such as gold, silver, brass, and copper. The solder is usually referred to as easy, medium, or hard. This refers to its melting temperature, not the strength of the joint. Extra-easy solder contains 56% silver and has a melting point of 1,145 F (618 C). Extra-hard solder has 80% silver and melts at 1,370 F (740 C). If multiple joints are needed, then the jeweler will start with hard or extra-hard solder and switch to lower temperature solders for later joints. Silver solder is absorbed by the surrounding metal, resulting in a joint that is actually stronger than the metal being joined. The metal being joined must be perfectly flush, as silver solder cannot normally be used as filler and any gaps will remain. Another difference between brazing and soldering is how the solder is applied. In brazing, one generally uses rods that are touched to the joint while being heated. With silver soldering, small pieces of solder wire are placed onto the metal prior to heating. A flux, often made of borax and water, is used to keep the metal and solder clean and to prevent the solder from moving before it melts. When silver solder melts, it tends to flow towards the area of greatest heat. Jewelers can somewhat control the direction the

solder moves by leading it with a torch; it will even run straight up along a seam. INDUCTION SOLDERING Induction soldering uses induction heating by high-frequency AC current in a surrounding copper coil. This induces currents in the part being soldered, which generates heat because of the higher resistance of a joint versus its surrounding metal (resistive heating). These copper coils can be shaped to fit the joint more precisely. A filler metal (solder) is placed between the facing surfaces, and this solder melts at a fairly low temperature. Fluxes are commonly used in induction soldering. This technique is particularly suited to continuously soldering, in which case these coils wrap around a cylinder or a pipe that needs to be soldered. Some metals are easier to solder than others. Copper, silver, and gold are easy. Iron, mild steel and nickel are next in difficulty. Because of their thin, strong oxide films, stainless steel and aluminum are even more difficult to solder. Titanium, magnesium, cast irons, some high-carbon steels, ceramics, and graphite can be soldered but it involves a process similar to joining carbides: they are first plated with a suitable metallic element that induces interfacial bonding. ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS (PCBS) Currently, mass-production printed circuit boards (PCBs) are mostly wave soldered or reflow soldered, though hand

soldering of production electronics is also still standard practice. In wave soldering, parts are temporarily kept in place with small dabs of adhesive, and then the assembly is passed over flowing solder in a bulk container. This solder is shaken into waves so the whole PCB is not submerged in solder, but rather touched by these waves. The end result is that solder stays on pins and pads, but not on the PCB itself. Reflow soldering is a process in which a solder paste (a mixture of pre alloyed solder powder and a flux-vehicle that has a peanut butter-like consistency[4]) is used to stick the components to their attachment pads, after which the assembly is heated by an infrared lamp; a hot air pencil; or, more commonly, by passing it through a carefully controlled oven. Since different components can be best assembled by different techniques, it is common to use two or more processes for a given PCB. For example, surface mounted parts may be reflow soldered first, with a wave soldering process for the throughhole mounted components coming next, and bulkier parts hand-soldered last. For hand soldering, the heat source tool should be selected to provide adequate heat for the size of joint to be completed. A 100 watt soldering iron may provide too much heat for printed circuit boards, while a 25 watt iron will not provide enough heat for large electrical connectors, joining copper roof

flashing, or large stained-glass lead came. Using a tool with too high a temperature can damage sensitive components, but protracted heating by a tool that is too cool or under powered can also cause extensive heat damage. Hand-soldering techniques require a great deal of skill to use on what is known as fine-pitch soldering of chip packages. In particular ball grid array (BGA) devices are notoriously difficult, if not impossible, to rework by hand. For attachment of electronic components to a PCB, proper selection and use of flux helps prevent oxidation during soldering, which is essential for good wetting and heat transfer. The soldering iron tip must be clean and pre-tinned with solder to ensure rapid heat transfer. Components which dissipate large amounts of heat during operation are sometimes elevated above the PCB to avoid PCB overheating. After inserting a through-hole mounted component, the excess lead is cut off, leaving a length of about the radius of the pad. Plastic or metal mounting clips or holders may be used with large devices to aid heat dissipation and reduce joint stresses. A heat sink may be used on the leads of heat sensitive components to reduce heat transfer to the component. This is especially applicable to germanium parts. (Note the heat sink will mean the use of more heat to complete the joint.) If all metal surfaces are not properly fluxed and brought above the melting temperature of the solder in use, the result will be an unreliable "cold solder joint".

Since non-eutectic solder alloys have a small plastic range, the joint must not be moved until the solder has cooled down through both the Liquids and solidus temperatures. When visually inspected, a good solder joint will appear smooth and shiny, with the outline of the soldered wire clearly visible. A matte gray surface is a good indicator of a joint that was moved during soldering. Other solder defects can be detected visually as well. Too little solder will result in a dry and unreliable joint; too much solder (the familiar 'solder blob' to beginners) is not necessarily unsound, but tends to mean poor wetting. With some fluxes, flux residue remaining on the joint may need to be removed, using water, alcohol or other solvents compatible with the parts in question.

CLEANING
In general, cleaning of SMT assemblies is harder than that of conventional assemblies because of smaller gaps between surface mount components and the PB surface. The smaller gap can entrap flux, which can cause corrosion, which leads to reliability problems. Thus, the cleaning process depends upon the spacing between component leads, spacing between component and substrate, the source of flux residue, type of flux, and the soldering process. RMA cleaning requires chemicals and has waste effluents to deal with. OA cleaning uses water that must flush down the drain. However in this

chemistry, lead is often found in the wastewater and creates an environmental concern. No clean is generally becoming the preferred solder process since it eliminates cleaning all together. This eliminates the environmental issues and saves in capital costs. One of the key issues in SMT has been to determine the cleanliness of SMT assemblies. The Omega meter is a common tool originally used for DIP boards. For SMT, the industry also uses Surface Insulation Resistance (SIR) surface mount boards. These boards check for ionic contaminates left on the PB by measuring the electrical resistance between adjacent traces or circuits.

REPAIR/REWORK
Repair and rework of SMT assemblies is easier than that of conventional components. A number of tools are available for removing components, including hot-air machines for removing active surface mount components. As with any rework tool, a key issue in using hot-air machines is preventing thermal damage to the component or adjacent components. No matter which tool is used, all the controlling de-soldering /soldering variables should be studied, including the number Of times a component can be removed and replaced, and de soldering temperature and time. It is also helpful to preheat the board assembly to 150F - 200F for 15 to 20 minutes before rework to prevent thermal damage such as mea sling or white

spots of the boards, and to avoid pressure on pads during the rework operation. To prevent moisture induced damage, SMT components may require bake-out prior to removal from the board.

TYPES OF SURFACE MOUNTING

There are three major types of surface mount assembly Type1 Full SMT Board with Parts on One Or Both Side Of The Board. Type2 Surface mount chip components are loaded on the secondary side of the printed board (PB) active SMCs & DIPs are then found on the primary side. Type3 They are passive chip SMCs on the secondary side, but on the primary side only DIPs are then found.

ADVANTAGES
The main advantages of SMT over the older through-hole technique are:

Smaller components. As of 2012 smallest was 0.4 0.2 mm (0.016 in 0.008 in: 01005). Much higher component density (components per unit area) and many more connections per component. Lower initial cost and time of setting up for production. Fewer holes need to be drilled. Simpler and faster automated assembly. Some placement machines are capable of placing more than 136,000 components per hour. Small errors in component placement are corrected automatically as the surface tension of molten solder pulls components into alignment with solder pads. Components can be placed on both sides of the circuit board. Lower resistance and inductance at the connection; consequently, fewer unwanted RF signal effects and better and more predictable high-frequency performance. Better mechanical performance under shake and vibration conditions. Many SMT parts cost less than equivalent through-hole parts.

Better EMC compatibility (lower radiated emissions) due to the smaller radiation loop area (because of the smaller package) and the smaller lead inductance.

DISADVANTAGES
Manual prototype assembly or component-level repair is more difficult and requires skilled operators and more expensive tools, due to the small sizes and lead spacings of many SMDs. SMDs cannot be used directly with plug-in breadboards (a quick snap-and-play prototyping tool), requiring either a custom PCB for every prototype or the mounting of the SMD upon a pin-leaded carrier. For prototyping around a specific SMD component, a less-expensive breakout board may be used. Additionally, strip board style proto boards can be used, some of which include pads for standard sized SMD comportments. For prototyping, "dead bug" bread boarding can be used. SMDs' solder connections may be damaged by potting compounds going through thermal cycling. Solder joint dimensions in SMT quickly become much smaller as advances are made toward ultra-fine pitch technology. The reliability of solder joints becomes more of a concern, as less and less solder is allowed for each joint. Voiding is a fault commonly associated with solder

joints, especially when reflowing a solder paste in the SMT application. The presence of voids can deteriorate the joint strength and eventually lead to joint failure.

SMT is unsuitable for large, high-power, or high-voltage parts, for example in power circuitry. It is common to combine SMT and through-hole construction, with transformers, heat-sinked power semiconductors, physically large capacitors, fuses, connectors, and so on mounted on one side of the PCB through holes. SMT is unsuitable as the sole attachment method for components that are subject to frequent mechanical stress, such as connectors that are used to interface with external devices that are frequently attached and detached.

APPLICATIONS
Surface mount technology makes PC boards smaller. When using SMDs on both sides of the board, size can be reduced by more than 50 per cent. On the other hand, maintaining the PCB size implies reduced packing density and thus higher yields and higher reliability. Light weight makes them ideal for mobile appliances. Used with typical IC packages in electronics equipments. Used in all new electronics products to reduce size and coast. The failure rate of SMDs does not exceed that of leaded components. Omission of leads means one point of contactless. Owing to their small size and light weight SMD assemblies feature a higher resistance to mechanical stress (vibration, shock) than the corresponding assemblies with leaded components. Provides wide range of applications in the manufacturing and designing of various electronic products.

CONCLUSION

Maximum packing density is one of the primary goals in surface mount technology requires the use of miniature components, i.e. certain IC packages (e.g. VSO or MIKROPACK). Surface mount technology makes PC boards smaller. When using SMDs on both sides of the board, size can be reduced by more than 50 per cent. On the other hand, maintaining the PCB size implies reduced packing density and thus higher yields and higher reliability. SMDs are designed with soldering leads or short leads and are much smaller than comparable leaded components. In contrast to conventional components, the leads of which must be inserted into holes, SMDs are directly attached to the surface of the PCB and then soldered. In the near future mixed assemblies, i.e. a combination of leaded and surface mounted components, will prevail, since not yet all component types are available as surface mount version.

REFERENCES

From websites: http://www.google.com/surfacemounttechnology.ht ml http://www.hiroxusa.com/catalog/catalog_pdf/Surf ace_Mou nt_Technology.pdf http://www.intel.com/assets/pdf/pkginfo/ch_07.pdf http://www.rhombus-ind.com/app-note/sm-tech.pdf