Thermistor:

 Temperature Dependent Resistor.

 Large variation in resistor for small variation in temperature.

Types

PTC – Positive Temperature Coefficient.

When Temperature Increases, Resistance Increases.

NTC - Negative Temperature Coefficient

When Temperature Increases, Resistance Decreases.

Applications:

1. Temperature Measurement
2. Temperature Compensation
3. Temperature Control

Essential Considerations When Selecting an NTC Thermistor

1. Temperature Range
 The temperature range of the application.
 Good performance in operating range between -50°C and 250°C, they are well suited
for a wide range of applications in many different industries.
2. Accuracy
 Of the basic sensor types, an NTC thermistor’s ability to achieve the highest accuracy
is within the -50°C to 150°C range, and up to 250°C for glass encapsulated
thermistors.
 Accuracy ranges from 0.05°C to 1.00°C.
3. Stability
 Stability is important in applications where long-term operation is the goal.
Temperature sensors can drift over time, depending upon their materials,
construction, and packaging.
  An epoxy-coated NTC thermistor can change by 0.2°C per year while a hermetically
sealed one changes by only 0.02°C per year.
4. Packaging
 Packaging requirements are dictated by the environment the sensor will be used in.
 NTC Thermistors can be customized and potted into various housings dependent on
application requirements. They can also be epoxy coated or glass encapsulated for
further protection.
5. Noise Immunity
 NTC Thermistors offer excellent immunity to electrical noise and lead resistance.

Types of NTC Thermistors

1. Disc and Chip:

They come configured with or without coating with bare or tinned copper leads. There
are thermistors for a broad span of resistance values to suit every situation.

2. Epoxy:

Epoxy dip coated and soldered between jacketed Teflon/PVC wires. Their small
dimensions allow for easy installation, and they can be point or curve matched.

3. Glass-Encapsulated:
An excellent choice when dealing with extreme environmental conditions and when
stability is of the utmost importance. Configurations include Radial leaded or Axial leaded
thermistors.

4. Probe Assemblies:

Available in a variety of housings depending on application requirements.

5. Surface Mount:

Configuration options include Bulk, Tape & Reel, Two-Sided, and Wrap-Around with
Palladium Silver Terminations. Made with Nickel Barrier, these thermistors work great in
precision circuits.
You can use Equation 1 to convert the measured 12-bit ADC LSB value to a voltage:

where the ADC resolution (12-bit ADC (212)) is 4,096 total bits, VREF is 3.3 V and the measured
ADC LSB value is 2,024 (example ADC LSB value from a Texas Instruments (TI) TMP61
thermistor family test board).

For example:

Equation 2 calculates the resistance from the voltage divider’s VSense:

For example:

Equation 3 calculates the resistance from the constant current, Ibias:

where Ibias is 200 µA (default standard current for a TMP61 family part) and VSense is 1.63 V.

For example: 
Calculations You May Need

 α – constant (%/°C)
The temperature coefficient of resistance is the ratio at a specified temperature, T, of the
rate of change of zero-power resistance with temperature to the zero-power resistance
of the thermistor.

Negative Temperature Coefficient [NTC]

The temperature coefficient of resistance or alpha ( ∝) of a thermistor is defined as the

ratio of the rate of change of resistance with temperature to the resistance of the
thermistor at a specified temperature (T), as shown by the following expression:

 Where T  = temperature in Kelvin and R = Resistance in Ohms at temperature T.

The alpha value is used to calculate the temperature coefficient of a NTC thermistor at a
temperature point.

For NTC thermistors, the alpha or temperature coefficient is expressed in units of a

minus percent resistance change per degree Celsius.  Due to the semiconducting nature
of an NTC thermistor, the temperature coefficient of resistance decreases as the
temperature increases and vice-versa.  Typically, when used to specify a R/T curve
material, the NTC at R25 is used.

NTC Thermistor Beta

Calculation of Beta

A thermistor’s “b” value, or beta value, is an indication of the shape of the curve
representing the relationship between resistance and temperature of an NTC thermistor.
Calculating the beta value is a vital step in the component selection process as it gives the
characteristic at a given temperature vs the resistance for a specific application.
 Beta Value and NTC Thermistors

NTC thermistors are non-linear resistors that alter their resistance characteristics
with temperature. Simply put, as temperature increases the thermistor’s resistance
decreases. The manner in which the resistance of a thermistor decreases is related to
a constant known in the thermistor industry as beta (β).

Beta is measured in degrees Kelvin (K) and is computed based on the formulation
given below.

Where:
Rt1 = Resistance at Temperature 1
Rt2 = Resistance at Temperature 2
T1 = Temperature 1 (K)
T2= Temperature 2 in (K)

 The β value is not a true material constant and is temperature dependent.  However, it is
useful for calculating resistance values over a narrow temperature range.  Depending on the
temperature span, errors associated with Beta calculations range from 0.01 ̊C error over a 10
̊C span to 0.3 ̊C error over a 50 ̊C span.
You can calculate the resistance of NTC Thermistors at a given temperature using beta as
shown above, but there is an even more accurate way to do this using the Steinhart & Hart
Equation.

You can measure a temperature range of an NTC Thermistor with a Wheatstone Bridge.