Negative Temperature Coefficient Thermistor

A Negative Temperature Coefficient Thermistor (or NTC Thermistor) is the most common type of thermistor. They are one of many numerous types of highly sensitive temperature sensor and are often small in size.

A negative temperature coefficient thermistor alters its resistance characteristics with temperature.

What is a Negative Temperature Coefficient Thermistor?

The name thermistor comes from the fact it is a THERMally sensitive resISITOR and Negative Temperature Coefficient refers to the resistance change based on the temperature change.

In a negative temperature coefficient thermistor, the resistance will DECREASE as the temperature INCREASES.

The opposite of an NTC thermistor is a PTC thermistor, this stands for Positive Temperature Coefficient. In a PTC thermistor, the resistance will INCREASE as the temperature INCREASES.

The diagrams below show the difference between NTC and PTC thermistors:

Both types of thermistor are made from a semiconductor material that has been sintered to exhibit large changes in resistance in proportion to very small changes in temperature. They have two wires so that the thermistor can be connected to the circuit.

Negative Temperature Coefficient thermistors can be potted into different terminals making them versatile and suitable for different applications. This creates an NTC probe. At Variohm we manufacture these probes on-site and have many custom options available with a skilled engineering team to cater for your bespoke application.

Negative Temperature Coefficient Applications

NTC Thermistors are used to measure temperature in various applications, some of these applications are;

• Medical applications
• Patient monitoring 
• Industrial processing 
• Environmental monitoring
• Applications in aerospace
• Computing and communications equipment 
• Automotive applications 

Advantages of Negative Temperature Coefficient Thermistors

NTC Thermistors are selected for temperature monitoring applications because they have the following advantages;

• High accuracy
• Fast response
• Low cost
• Easy to install and use
• Highly sensitive and therefore suitable for applications in small temperature ranges 
• Compatible with many devices with their two-wire connection system

NTC Thermistors from Variohm 

Our NTC thermistors can be seen on our website. They come from our trusted suppliers as well as our own range.

If you are looking for an NTC thermistor probe these can be found in the Temperature Probe section of our site.

For more information or to discuss your application please contact a member of our team.