Examples of Technology Application ~Product Introduction~ Murata's Thermistors: Change Leading the Way to Driving Innovation or Shaping the industry

Murata's thermistors are semiconductor devices whose resistance changes in response to temperature variations, enabling them to function as high-precision temperature sensors. They primarily come in two types: NTC and PTC.

NTC thermistors: NTC thermistors are composed of metal oxide ceramics, such as manganese oxide and cobalt oxide, and exhibit a decrease in resistance as temperature rises. They excel in stable temperature characteristics and high thermal responsiveness, widely serving roles in temperature detection and temperature compensation for various devices. They are also characterized by their ease of use, allowing simple temperature detection circuits to be easily implemented with microcontrollers equipped with standard ADCs (analog-to-digital converters).

PTC thermistors: PTC thermistors, also known as POSISTOR, are barium titanate ceramic elements first commercialized by Murata in 1959. They rapidly increase resistance, protecting circuits from overcurrent and overheating during temperature rises. Once the fault condition is resolved, their resistance returns to normal, enabling their use as resettable fuses. They excel in repeated protection operations and stable characteristics.

Murata's thermistors leverage proprietary material and processing technologies to deliver high precision and reliability as their key strengths.

NTC thermistors: Murata has established proprietary processing technologies that precisely control the particle size and shape of ceramic materials and achieve a high-density, uniform distribution. In addition, by applying thin ceramic sheet lamination technology cultivated through Multilayer Ceramic Capacitors development, Murata has realized more stable temperature characteristics and faster thermal response.

PTC thermistors: A layered structure technology enables ceramic firing while suppressing internal electrode oxidation. Leveraging the characteristics of barium titanate-based materials, we ensure reproducibility of resistance changes and stability during repeated operation, enabling high-precision implementation of safety functions such as overcurrent protection and overheat prevention.

Our seamlessly integrated production system, from raw material blending to manufacturing and inspection, backed by unified global quality control, guarantees a reliable supply and exceptional quality you can trust. Furthermore, we focus on environmental aspects such as lead-free compliance and improved heat and weather resistance. This makes our products widely adopted in temperature detection and protection applications demanding high precision and long-term reliability.

Murata's thermistors are utilized in diverse fields, leveraging their high precision and reliability.
In the communications and consumer electronics sector, they are employed for temperature monitoring of batteries and processors in mobile devices such as smartphones and PCs.
In the mobility sector, they are used in battery management systems for electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid vehicles, as well as for body temperature measurement and internal temperature control in medical devices.
In the industrial equipment sector, they are widely adopted for applications such as overheating detection in motors and inverters, cooling fan control, and short-circuit protection for I/O terminals.
In recent years, with the proliferation of IoT and wearable devices, the demand for miniaturization and higher precision has increased. Murata continues to evolve its technology to meet these needs. In this way, Murata's thermistors play a vital role in supporting the safety, comfort, and energy efficiency of the electronic devices around us.