Chip-On-Board

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What Does Chip-On-Board Mean?

A chip-on-board (COB) is a chip that is mounted directly on a circuit board as opposed to being socketed. This kind of circuit board is also known as a “glop-top” for the blob of protective epoxy that protects and insulates the chip and its connections. All of the chip’s connections are hard-wired.

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Techopedia Explains Chip-On-Board

A chip-on-board is a chip that is wired directly to the motherboard. The chip is usually covered with a coating of epoxy or resin to protect it the way a heatsink does, as well as protecting the chips and wires from damage. This is where the term “glop-top” comes from. It is a cost-effective method of electronic packaging, but the disadvantage is that a chip cannot be replaced without desoldering, the way a socketed chip can. COBs are popular in small circuit boards because they require little physical space the way a heatsink does.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert

Margaret is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.