Surface mount resistors and methods of manufacturing same

1. A resistor comprising:

a resistive element;

first and second conductive elements electrically insulated from one another by a dielectric material, the first and second conductive elements thermally coupled to an upper surface of the resistive element via an adhesive, the first conductive element and the second conductive element each having an upper portion that is stepped, angled or rounded;

wherein the first conductive element has a first outer edge in alignment with a first outer edge of the resistive element so as to form a generally planar first side surface, and the second conductive element has a second outer edge in alignment with a second outer edge of the resistive element so as to form a generally planar second side surface;

a first plated layer disposed so as to directly contact the first side surface and extend beneath at least a portion of a bottom surface of the resistive element; and

a second plated layer disposed so as to directly contact the second side surface and extend beneath at least a portion of the bottom surface of the resistive element.

2. The resistor of claim 1 , wherein the first conductive element and the second conductive element comprise heat spreaders.

3. The resistor of claim 1 , wherein the first conductive element and the second conductive element provide support for the resistive element.

4. The resistor of claim 1 , wherein the adhesive is positioned only between the first and second conductive elements and the resistive element.

5. The resistor of claim 1 , wherein the first conductive element comprises a wider inner portion and a narrower outer portion, and wherein the second conductive element comprises a wider inner portion and a narrower outer portion.

6. The resistor of claim 5 , wherein at least a portion of the first plated layer follows a shape of the first conductive element adjacent the wider inner portion and the narrower outer portion, and wherein at least a portion of the second plated layer follows a shape of the second conductive element adjacent the wider inner portion and the narrower outer portion.

7. The resistor of claim 1 , wherein a first dielectric material covers at least a portion of a top of the resistor, and a second dielectric material covers at least a portion of a bottom of the resistor.

8. The resistor of claim 1 , wherein the resistive element comprises copper-nickel-manganese (CuNiMn), nickel-chromium-aluminum (NiCrAl), or nickel-chromium (NiCr).

9. The resistor of claim 1 , further comprising a first conductive layer positioned along the bottom surface of the resistive element adjacent the first outer edge of the resistive element, and a second conductive layer positioned along the bottom surface of the resistive element adjacent the second outer edge of the resistive element.

10. The resistor of claim 1 , wherein the conductive elements comprise copper or aluminum.

11. A method of manufacturing a resistor, the method comprising:

laminating a conductor comprising a heat spreader to an upper surface of a resistive element using an adhesive;

masking and patterning the conductor to divide the conductor into a plurality of conductive elements, wherein each conductive element has an upper portion that is stepped, angled or rounded;

plating side surfaces of the conductive elements and the resistive element with first and second plated layers to thermally couple the resistive element to the plurality of conductive elements, wherein the first and second plated layers each have a portion that extends beneath a bottom surface of the resistive element; and

depositing a dielectric material on at least the plurality of conductive elements to electrically isolate the plurality of conductive elements from each other.

12. A resistor comprising:

a resistive element having an upper surface configured to be positioned away from an attached circuit board, a bottom surface, a first side surface, and an opposite second side surface; and

a first conductive element comprising a heat spreader thermally coupled to the upper surface of the resistive element adjacent the first side surface, the first conductive element having an outer side edge, the first conductive element comprising an upper portion that is stepped, angled or rounded; and

a second conductive element comprising a heat spreader thermally coupled to the upper surface of the resistive element adjacent the second side surface, the second conductive element having an outer side edge, the second conductive element comprising an upper portion that is stepped, angled or rounded, wherein a gap is provided between the first conductive element and the second conductive element;

a first plated layer covering the first side surface of the resistor and outer side edge of the first conductive element, the first plated layer comprising a portion extending beneath a portion of the bottom surface of the resistive element;

a second plated layer covering the second side surface of the resistor and outer side edge of the second conductive element, the second plated layer comprising a portion extending beneath a portion of the bottom surface of the resistive element;

a first dielectric material covering upper surfaces of the first conductive element and the second conductive element and filling the gap between the first conductive element and the second conductive element; and,

a second dielectric material covering at least portions of the bottom surface of the resistor.

13. The resistor of claim 12 , further comprising an adhesive along the upper surface of the resistive element and thermally coupling the conductive elements to the resistive element.

14. The resistor of claim 12 , wherein the first conductive element comprises a wider inner portion and a narrower outer portion, and wherein the second conductive element comprises a wider inner portion and a narrower outer portion.

15. The resistor of claim 14 , wherein at least a portion of the first plated layer follows a shape of the first conductive element between the wider inner portion and the narrower outer portion, and wherein at least a portion of the second plated layer follows a shape of the second conductive element between the wider inner portion and the narrower outer portion.

16. The resistor of claim 13 , wherein the first dielectric material covers at least a portion of the adhesive, and the second dielectric material covers at least a portion of the bottom surface of the resistor.

17. The resistor of claim 12 , wherein the first side surface of the resistive element and the outer edge of the first conductive element are in alignment and form a first flat side surface, and wherein the second side surface of the resistive element and the outer edge of the second conductive element are in alignment and form a second flat side surface.

18. The resistor of claim 12 , further comprising a first conductive layer positioned along the bottom surface of the resistive element adjacent the first side surface of the resistive element, and a second conductive layer positioned along the bottom surface of the resistive element, adjacent the second side surface of the resistive element.

19. A method of manufacturing a resistor, the method comprising:

laminating a conductor comprising a heat spreader to an upper surface of a resistive element configured to be positioned away from a circuit board using an adhesive, wherein each conductor has an upper portion that is stepped, angled or rounded;

masking and patterning the conductor to divide the conductor into a plurality of conductive elements;

plating the resistive element with plated layers along each side surface of the resistor, wherein at least a portion of each of the plated layers extends beneath at least a portion of a bottom surface of the resistive element; and

depositing a dielectric material on at least the plurality of conductive elements to electrically isolate the plurality of conductive elements from each other.