What Is a Surface Mount Capacitor?
A surface mount capacitor is a device directly mounted onto a substrate’s surface, distinguishing it from traditional leaded capacitors. This design minimizes the mounting area.
Constructed with metal plate electrodes, a high-insulation dielectric, and an outer casing, these capacitors store charge within the dielectric under applied voltage. Their compact form factor supports miniaturization and high-speed operation in devices like mobile phones, computers, and digital cameras, demanding high image quality.
Common types include multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) and tantalum capacitors. MLCCs are favored for their small size and cost-effectiveness, whereas tantalum capacitors, despite being more costly and having ignition risks, offer higher capacitance and lower equivalent series resistance (ESR).