Temperature sensors with high sensitivity and single point calibration that increase accuracy by 50%

Texas Instruments has added its linear thermistors to its portfolio of temperature detection products, which are 50% more accurate than negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistors. Texas Instruments thermistors are more accurate and can operate close to the thermal limits of other components and the entire system, helping engineers achieve greater performance while reducing bill of materials (BOM) and total solution cost.

NTC thermistors are widely used due to their low price, but they also present some challenges for design engineers, such as reduced performance at extreme temperatures and increased design time due to complex calibration requirements. Texas Instruments' new linear thermistors offer a higher value at a similar price - not least by reducing design time, reducing component count and improving system performance.

Extend system performance and reliability

Texas Instruments' new thermistors provide reliable, high-precision thermal measurements, especially at temperatures above 80°C. This is especially important for industrial, automotive and consumer applications. In these applications, accurate real-time temperature readings are critical for system performance and protection. To learn more about the differences between NTC and TI linear Thermistors, read the white paper "Temperature Sensing with Thermistors."

NTC thermistors have low sensitivity and high resistance tolerance at extreme temperatures, so they provide less accurate temperature readings. To compensate for these problems, many engineers need to perform three-point calibration over the entire temperature range, or use multiple thermistors to monitor different temperature ranges. These methods still produce unreliable temperature readings, making it impossible for the system to reach its actual thermal limits. The linearity and high precision of Texas Instruments thermistors enable single point calibration, which further improves system performance and simplifies design.

Texas Instruments thermistors also provide extremely low typical drift of 0.5%, which improves the reliability of temperature measurements and enables designers to improve system performance while maintaining safe operation. Engineers can use the Texas Instruments Thermistor Design tool (available on the thermistor product page and data sheet on TI.com.cn) to quickly and easily calculate the temperature resistance and initiate the design with an example conversion method and code.

Reduce system cost and size

Compared to NTC thermistors, Texas Instruments thermistors do not require additional linearized circuits or redundant NTC thermistors, helping engineers simplify designs, reduce system costs, and reduce the layout size of printed circuit boards (PCBS) by at least 33%. In addition, Texas Instruments thermistors are one-tenth the size of similar silicon-based linear thermistors, have a compact form factor and a smaller package footprint, and can be placed closer to hot spots for faster thermal response and more consistent temperature measurement.