Thin Film Resistors
Thin film resistors are built on a ceramic base, with the resistive layer sputtered on top using vacuum deposition to create a chip resistor. The material used is commonly an alloy of nickel and chrome called Nichrome. The thickness of the film determines the resistance but this can be calibrated by laser trimming if required. Alternatively, the film can be sputtered onto a cylindrical surface with axial leads; the resulting devices are typically called metal film resistors rather than thin film, but the concept is the same, albeit at the expense of parasitic inductance.