Miniaturization of resistors Over the past years, the resistors used in signal processing have become increasingly smaller in order to minimize the losses in the control and signal circuits. This is not possible in the case of load resistors where the heat loss is intended and the resistors have to be larger the larger the heat transfer. In such applications, smaller designs are only possible by intensifying cooling. However, they cannot be compared to the compact designs of intensively cooled semi-conductors because, there, the power dissipation was reduced, too.