What Is SOT Soldering?

S.O.T soldering mounts components to electronic preprinted circuit boards.

The term "SOT soldering" refers to a rarely-used electronics acronym when discussing Surface Mount Technology (SMT), which is the process of soldering onto preprinted circuit boards. SOT is the acronym for a Small Outline Transistor components.

Definition of Soldering

Soldering is the process which joins together metal items by melting and flowing a filler metal into the joint between them.

Definition of Surface Mount Technology (SMT)

Surface Mount Technology (SMT) is a system for assembling small electronic components on printed circuit boards through automated assembly. SMT components have short pins or flat contacts that are held onto the preprinted circuit board by a thin layer of solder paste. The board and components are heated in an infrared oven, which eliminates the solder paste and melts the remaining solder. When the circuit board cools, the solder solidifies.

Definition of Small Outline Transistor (SOT)

A transistor is a key component in modern electronics. It is a solid-state semiconductor device that amplifies and switches using terminals. SOTs range in size from approximately 1 mm to 6.7 mm long, depending on the number of terminals.

References

• BEST: PCB, SMT and Soldering Terms
• Fact Index: Transistor

Resources

• PC Magazine: Definition of Surface Mount