Measurement of Excess Noise in Thin Film and Metal Foil Resistor Networks

TL;DR

This paper measures excess noise in various resistor networks, revealing that metal foil resistors exhibit the lowest noise levels, with thin film resistors showing higher and more variable noise depending on substrate type.

Contribution

It provides comparative measurements of excess noise in thin film and metal foil resistors, highlighting the influence of substrate and resistor type on noise performance.

Findings

Metal foil resistors have the lowest excess noise.

Thin film NiCr resistors on silicon show moderate noise levels.

Thin film resistors on ceramic substrates exhibit higher and more variable noise.

Abstract

Low-frequency resistance fluctuations cause excess noise in biased resistors. The magnitude of these fluctuations varies significantly between different resistor types. In this work measurements of excess noise in precision thin film and metal foil resistor networks are presented. The lowest levels were found in metal foil devices, followed by thin film NiCr networks deposited on silicon substrates. Higher excess noise with a significant spread between different types was seen in thin film devices deposited on ceramic substrates.