Murata Electronics Introduces Ultra-Miniaturized NTC Thermistor
6 November 2000
Murata Electronics Introduces Ultra-Miniaturized NTC Thermistor for Temperature Compensation and Sensing
SMYRNA, Ga.--Nov. 6, 2000--Murata Electronics North America ( http://www.murata.com ), a world-leading innovator in electronics, announced the introduction of their newest and smallest thermistor, the 0201 sized chip NTC thermistor used in temperature compensation and sensing.
Murata has increased production of the NTC thermistor in response to increased market demand, cutting lead times to as little as eight to ten weeks.
"This state-of-the-art product was created in response to the miniaturization tendency in the rapidly growing mobile communications market," said Kozo Kagawa, Group Product Manager of Murata Electronics North America. "Already in mass production, Murata will increase the manufacturing capability of all the SMT package NTC thermistors by as much as 50 percent by March 2001."
Aside from the benefits of a short lead-time and miniaturization, Murata's NTC thermistor has several engineering design advantages that are particularly important for mobile communication equipment such as cell phones. For example, Murata's unique inner construction makes the Pb-free NTC thermistor suitable for high density mounting in general circuits and includes nickel barrier termination. In addition, the 0201 sized chip has excellent solderability, with re-flow soldering possible and high, long-time aging stability.
As with its benefits, the NTC thermistor's applications are numerous. The component provides temperature compensation of transistor, IC and crystal oscillators in mobile communications equipment. The 0201 sized chip also provides temperature compensation and sensing for LCD's, car audio equipment, such as the CD and tuner, as well as rechargeable batteries and several types of circuits. Currently, resistance values of 10K ohms are available, with values expanding in the future. Costs range from $0.19 to $0.21 for 100K piece orders depending on tolerance required.