A company has released a passivated nichrome thin-film precision chip resistor series, which performs equally well compared with tantalum nitride solutions in 3000-hour performance tests. The intermediate silicon-based passivation provides an impervious barrier to moisture, which eliminates the potential for moisture corrosion that can cause standard nichrome elements to degrade and eventually open. The RNCS also utilizes a moisture impervious polymeric overcoat to further enhance the moisture withstanding capabilities. The RNCS is available in sizes ranging from 0402 to 2512 unit?, in tolerances down to 0.1% and TCR's as low as 15 ppm. Available resistance values vary with size and tolerance and range from 10 Ω 1 MΩ.
Stackpole Electronics
(Raleigh, NC)
