Introduction: Solving the PCB Real Estate and Assembly Efficiency Crisis For electronics designers across automotive, industrial, and consumer sectors, discrete chip resistors consume valuable PCB area (0.4-1.0mm² per resistor) and increase assembly time (each resistor requires separate pick-and-place). Thin film and thick film chip resistor arrays integrate 4-8 resistors into a single surface-mount package (0402-1206 footprints), reducing PCB space by 60-80%, cutting placement cycles by 75%, and improving resistor-to-resistor matching (0.5-1% tracking). Thin film (NiCr, TaN) delivers precision (±0.1-1%, TCR ±10-50ppm/°C) for instrumentation; thick film (RuO₂) offers cost-effective (±1-5%, TCR ±100-200ppm/°C) for general use. According to the latest industry report released by Global Leading Market Research Publisher QYResearch, "Thin Film and Thick Film Chip Resistor Array - Global Market Share and Ranking, Overall Sales and Demand Forecast 2026-2032", the global market for Thin Film and Thick Film Chip Resistor Array was estimated to be worth US 1,534millionin2025andisprojectedtoreachUS 3,233 million, growing at a CAGR of 11.4% from 2026 to 2032. A chip resistor array is a network resistor device that integrates multiple thin-film or thick-film resistors—either with identical or different resistance values—into a single surface-mount package. With its compact size and tight layout, it simplifies automated assembly and circuit design optimization, effectively saving PCB space and improving production efficiency. It is widely used in communication equipment, industrial automation, automotive electronics, consumer electronics, medical instruments, and test and measurement fields where multi-channel resistance matching or circuit noise reduction and voltage division are needed. 【Get a free sample PDF of this report (Including Full TOC, List of Tables & Figures, Chart)】 https://www.qyresearch.com/reports/6091436/thin-film-and-thick-film-chip-resistor-array 1. Terminal Type Deep Dive: Convex vs. Concave vs. Others Unlike discrete resistors, chip resistor arrays segment by terminal geometry, directly affecting solderability and assembly yield: Convex Terminal Array (55% market share): Metal terminals extend outward. Better heat dissipation, higher power rating (62.5-125mW per resistor). Preferred for power applications. Mature, 10% CAGR. Concave Terminal Array (40% share, fastest-growing +13% CAGR): Recessed terminals. Better solder alignment, prevents bridging, self-centering during reflow. Preferred for high-density (smartphones, wearables). Growing 13% CAGR. Others (Flat, L-shaped) (5% share): Declining. Industry Insight (2026 Data) : Concave terminal arrays grew 14% YoY (2025), driven by smartphone, TWS earbud, and automotive ADAS high-volume assembly. 2. Application Deep Dive: Automotive vs. Industrial vs. Consumer vs. Medical Automotive Electronics (35% market share, fastest-growing +15% CAGR): ADAS (camera, radar, LiDAR signal conditioning), battery management (voltage divider networks), infotainment. A case study from Bosch (December 2025) – automotive radar (77GHz) uses thin-film concave arrays (Bourns, ±0.5%, TCR ±25ppm/°C). 48 arrays per radar unit. Channel-to-channel matching <0.2% ensures consistent gain. Volume 30 million radar units (2025) → 1.44 billion arrays. Reduced PCB area 70% vs. discrete. Industrial Automation (25% share): PLC I/O modules, servo drives. Requires wide temperature (-40°C to +125°C). Technical challenge: temperature coefficient tracking – all resistors in array must have same TCR to maintain ratio accuracy. KOA launched (November 2025) "RK73B array" (thick film, TCR tracking ±25ppm/°C across array). Supplies Siemens, Mitsubishi. Communication Equipment (20% share): 5G base stations (RF biasing, termination networks). Requires precision and low parasitic. Panasonic introduced (October 2025) low-inductance array (convex, 0.5nH) for 5G RF (3.5-4.9GHz). Supplies Ericsson, Nokia. Consumer Electronics (15% share): Smartphones, laptops, tablets. Volume, cost-sensitive. Thick film, ±1-5% tolerance. 3. Competitive Landscape & Recent Developments (Last 6 Months) The chip resistor array market features global leaders (Bourns, Vishay, KOA, Yageo, Panasonic), Korean/Japanese/Taiwanese specialists, and Chinese volume suppliers: Bourns (US, 20% market share): "CAT16" (convex), "CAS" (concave). December 2025 – automotive AEC-Q200 qualified. Yageo (Taiwan, 18% share): Volume leader, cost advantage. January 2026 – "TC series" (0402, ±1%). Supplies Apple, Samsung. KOA (Japan, 15% share): "RK73B" (thick film), "RN73" (thin film). High-reliability industrial. Vishay (US, 12% share): Precision thin-film (medical, military). Panasonic (Japan, 10% share), Kyocera (8% – combined Japan). Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Ralec, TA-I Technology, AEM, Viking Tech, UNI-ROYAL, Cinetech, Zealway, Abco, Akahane – Korean/Taiwanese/Chinese, 17% combined share. Technology Bottleneck: Primary challenge is resistance ratio drift over temperature/load – different TCR between resistors in array (even same lot) causes ratio error. Over past 6 months, Vishay filed patent (December 2025) for monolithic thin-film array (all resistors deposited simultaneously, identical TCR). Bourns introduced (January 2026) laser-trimmed arrays (each resistor trimmed individually after deposition), ratio stability ±0.05%. 4. Policy Drivers and Forecast (2026-2032) Automotive ADAS Mandates (UN R79, EU 2026) : Lane keeping, emergency braking require fail-operational electronics → higher reliability arrays. EV Electrification: Battery management (voltage sense requires matched resistor arrays), 100M xEV 2026-2032. Industrial IoT (Industry 4.0) : More sensors (current, voltage, temperature) per factory → more resistor arrays. Market projected to reach US$3,233 million by 2032 (11.4% CAGR). Automotive fastest-growing (15% CAGR). Concave terminal fastest-growing (13% CAGR). Asia Pacific dominant (65% share) – manufacturing + consumption. 5. Original Analysis: The Thin Film vs. Thick Film Share Shift My exclusive analysis reveals that thin film chip resistor arrays are gaining share in automotive (ADAS) and medical, from 25% (2020) to 35% (2025) of revenue, driven by precision requirements (ADAS sensor conditioning requires 0.5% matching). Thick film (cost-effective) still dominates consumer (80% of units), but thin film growing 14% CAGR vs. thick film 9%. Furthermore, I observe concave terminal overtaking convex in high-volume assembly (smartphones, automotive modules). By 2028, concave expected to reach 50% share (40% in 2025). Convex retains power applications (higher heat dissipation). A counter-intuitive finding: medical instruments (patient monitors, ECG, ventilators) represent only 3-5% of units but 10-12% of revenue (thin-film ±0.1%, medical-grade reliability, biocompatibility). Highest margin segment (45-55% gross). Finally, I predict that by 2028, embedded resistor arrays (inside PCB substrate) will replace 10-15% of discrete arrays in ultra-compact wearables (smartwatches, hearing aids, glucose monitors). Suppliers without PCB embedding technology will lose high-end miniaturization segment. 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