The AR series is a range of high-precision thin film chip resistors intended for surface-mount applications where accuracy, stability, and low temperature drift are the primary design requirements. Built on a ceramic substrate using thin film deposition technology, the series achieves resistance tolerances as tight as ±0.01% and temperature coefficients of resistance (TCR) as low as ±5 ppm/°C — performance characteristics that place the AR series firmly in the precision and near-metrology segment of the SMD resistor market. This level of accuracy is maintained not only at initial measurement but over the operational lifetime of the component, with the thin film construction providing inherently low noise and excellent long-term stability under continuous load.
The resistance range spans 1Ω to 3MΩ, covering the full breadth of impedance values encountered in precision analogue signal conditioning, feedback networks, and measurement circuits. Five tolerance grades are offered — ±0.01%, ±0.1%, ±0.25%, ±0.5%, and ±1% — allowing the same series to serve both high-end instrumentation designs requiring near-reference-grade accuracy and cost-sensitive production designs satisfied with ±1% precision. TCR grades of ±5, ±10, ±25, and ±50 ppm/°C are available across the range, giving engineers direct control over the temperature stability budget for each circuit node. Power ratings run from 1/32W in the smallest footprint up to 1W in the largest, accommodating both low-power signal circuits and modest power-handling requirements within the same product family.
Qualification testing is carried out in accordance with MIL-STD-202 and JIS-C 5201 standards, covering thermal shock, endurance under rated load, damp heat, high-temperature exposure, solderability, and resistance to soldering heat. These tests confirm the AR series is suitable for industrial operating environments and for assembly using standard IR reflow and wave soldering processes. The series is RoHS compliant and is supplied in tape-and-reel format for automated pick-and-place assembly. Part numbering encodes package size, resistance value, tolerance grade, TCR, and packaging type, enabling unambiguous specification across the full product matrix.
As a thin film chip type within the RARA precision resistor family, the AR series complements the aluminum nitride-substrate ARN series — which emphasises higher power density — and the SM series, which targets very high resistance values up to 1GΩ. The AR series occupies the core precision SMD segment, where the combination of wide resistance range, multiple tolerance and TCR grades, and standard SMD footprints makes it a versatile single-series solution for the majority of precision analogue design requirements.
