Sulphur-resistant resistors prevent automotive app failure

Article By : Graham Prophet

The sulphuration-resistant construction of Rohm's chip resistors contributes to their long-term reliability.

Rohm's new line of anti-sulphuration chip resistors are optimised for applications exposed to sulphur-rich environments such as communication infrastructure, automotive systems, and industrial equipment.

Sulphur particles are generally present in the air in various forms due to automotive exhaust gases and other sources. In sulphurous environments, these particles can be adsorbed by the silver plating used in electronic components, including on the surface of the inner and side electrodes of conventional chip resistors, which can eventually lead to silver migration and the formation of silver sulphide, causing resistance changes and, ultimately, application failure.

__Figure 1:__ *(Source: Rohm)*

To meet the growing demand in recent years for increased sulphuration resistance in a variety of fields, Rohm adopted an original electrode structure and protective material that significantly improve anti-sulphuration performance, contributing to increased safety and long-term reliability.

__Figure 2:__ *(Source: Rohm)*