Murata Manufacturing has developed the NCU01 series, the world’s smallest* 008004-inch NTC thermistor, measuring just 0.25mm × 0.125mm. The new component is significantly smaller than Murata’s previous smallest 01005-inch model, which measures 0.4mm × 0.2mm, reducing the required mounting area by approximately 60% while maintaining comparable temperature-sensing performance. It offers a resistance tolerance of ±1% and a B-constant tolerance of ±1%.
The ultra-miniature design allows the thermistor to be installed in extremely limited spaces and positioned closer to heat-generating components. This enables more accurate and responsive temperature monitoring in smartphones, wearable devices, and other compact electronic products with densely integrated components.
Murata plans to start shipping samples in October 2026, followed by mass production in 2027. The product range will initially include 100kΩ and 10kΩ resistance options, with additional models to be introduced gradually.
Bringing Temperature Sensing Closer to the Heat Source
As electronic devices continue to become smaller and more sophisticated, component density on circuit boards and inside modules continues to increase. As a result, mounting space for electronic components is limited, making it difficult to place NTC thermistors close to heat-generating components. If a thermistor must be placed farther from the heat source, the measured temperature can differ from the actual component temperature, while rapid temperature changes may also take longer to detect.
This creates a demand for smaller NTC thermistors that can be positioned closer to critical components without consuming valuable board space. However, continued miniaturization makes high-precision processing and manufacturing more difficult, making it more challenging to maintain consistent sensing characteristics. For NTC thermistors, tight resistance and B-constant tolerances are critical to enable stable temperature sensing.
High-Precision Performance at 008004-inch Size
Murata addressed these challenges through its proprietary ceramic materials technology, high-precision processing, and optimization of the component structure and manufacturing process to develop the world’s smallest 008004-inch size NTC thermistor. Despite its significantly smaller footprint, the new NCU01 series maintains the ±1% resistance and B-constant tolerances achieved by Murata’s previous 01005-inch size product.
By reducing the mounting area by approximately 60%, the NCU01 can be placed in locations that are difficult to accommodate with larger thermistors, including closer to heat-generating components. This can help reduce the temperature difference and detection delay associated with more distant measurement points while contributing to the stable operation of electronic devices with high-density component layouts.
Primary applications include temperature monitoring on circuit boards in smartphones and wearable devices, as well as in integrated circuit (IC) packages and system-in-package (SiP) modules.
Murata will continue to expand its NTC thermistor lineup and contribute to further miniaturization and improved reliability of electronic devices.
