Vishay Announces New Ultra-High-Precision Z-Foil Resistor

Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. announced the improved Z201 ultra-high-precision Z-Foil resistor, which the company claims is the industry's first device to provide a very low TCR of ±0.05 ppm/°C from 0°C to +60°C and ±0.2 ppm/°C from -55°C to +125°C, an excellent PCR of ±5 ppm at rated power, tight tolerances of ±0.005%, and a load life stability of ±0.005%.

Vishay's "Z-based" foil technology provides a significant reduction of the resistive component's sensitivity to ambient temperature variations (TCR) and applied power changes (PCR). This level of stability allows designers to guarantee a high degree of accuracy in fixed-resistor applications. Applications for the new Z201 include precision amplifiers; high-precision instrumentation; medical and automatic test equipment; high-end stereo equipment; electron beam scanning and recording equipment; and military, aerospace, and down-hole equipment and instrumentation.

The Z201 device has a load-life stability of ±0.005% for 2000 hours at 70°C; a resistance range of 10 to 100kΩ; a power rating of 0.3W at 125°C; current noise < -40 dB; and thermal EMF of 0.1 µV °C max (0.05 typical). It offers high-frequency operation with a rise time of 1.0 ns without ringing, and features a non-inductive, non-capacitive design. The device offers a small package size, and functions as a drop-in replacement for the earlier S102C/K series of resistors.

Despite a great deal of effort during the past decade, electrostatic discharge (ESD) still affects production yields, manufacturing costs, product quality, product reliability, and profitability. Industry experts have estimated actual cost of ESD damage to the electronics industry as running into the billions of dollars annually. The Z201 resistor has an ESD above 25,000V, putting it well over the top requirements of all three of the highest ESD standard classifications and making it exceptionally insensitive to ESD.

Samples and production quantities of the improved Z201 Z-Foil resistor are available now, with lead times of four to six weeks for larger orders. Pricing for U.S. delivery varies with value, tolerance, and volume.