Wide terminal thick film chip resistors offer high power rating

Stackpole has released a high-power version of the RMCW surface mount chip resistor, the RMCW-HP, offering higher power ratings for each chip size ranging from 0612 size rated at 1.5W to 1225 size rated 3W.

Due to thermal resistance limitations, applications for surface mount chip resistors with high power demands generally mean higher circuit temperatures. One of the most common and economical options for decreasing the effects of high power is wide terminations. By reversing the geometry of the chip resistor and applying the terminations to the long sides of the part, the hot spot temperature of a given chip size is decreased by 30% to 40%. This enables the RMCW to be employed in a wide range of applications where power to size ratio is essential.