Surface mount technology encompasses the method and process used in a particular type of circuit construction. In this process components are directly affixed to the surface of the printed control board, providing a secure and sturdy connection to power or data. Unlike circuits made using, now dated, through-hole methods of electronic circuit construction, surface mount technology provides a precise and relatively secure approach to regulating an electronic system.

The through-hole approach to circuitry construction dictated that components be large enough to be fitted with the small wires. These wires were used to attach the package to holes drilled in the PCB. Surface mount technology allows for much smaller, more precise components, as they don't need to be manipulated by awkward wires, or even by clumsy human hands. Most aspects of surface mount technology can now be regulated either through

Out with the Old, in with the New

Surface mount technology is not only responsible regulating and transmitting currents, but also the complex and intricate functions of more sophisticated integrated circuits, such as microprocessors and memory chips. Microprocessors are tiny devices consisting of hundreds or thousands of interacting electrical components, such as transistors. The components are connected to each other on the surface of a small, integrated circuit known as a microchip. The final product, the microprocessor, functions as a miniature central processing unit (CPU), administering the variable and "thinking" aspects of the device. With such high sophistication, the microprocessors can best be attached to the PCB through surface mount technology.

By eliminating the need for through-hole technology, and the bulky, inefficient layouts that it required, surface mount technology makes it possible for increasingly compact components to be created and implemented. The smaller the components, the more difficult they are to integrate. However, surface mount technology employs heat, surface tension, and solder in order to insure strong, safe, and secure connections between the PCB and its components.