The LM60 can be applied easily in the same way as other integrated-circuit temperature sensors. The device can be glued or cemented to a surface. The temperature that the LM60 is sensing is within approximately +0.1°C of the surface temperature that the leads of the LM60 are attached to.

This presumes that the ambient air temperature is almost the same as the surface temperature. If the air temperature is much higher or lower than the surface temperature, the actual temperature of the device die is at an intermediate temperature between the surface temperature and the air temperature.

To provide good thermal conductivity, the backside of the device die is directly attached to the GND pin. The lands and traces to the device are part of the printed-circuit board, which is the object whose temperature is being measured. These printed-circuit board lands and traces do not cause the temperature of the device to deviate from the desired temperature.

Alternatively, the device can be mounted inside a sealed-end metal tube, and can then be dipped into a bath or screwed into a threaded hole in a tank. As with any IC, the device and accompanying wiring and circuits must be kept insulated and dry to avoid leakage and corrosion. Specifically when the device operates at cold temperatures where condensation can occur. Printed-circuit coatings and varnishes such as a conformal coating and epoxy paints or dips are often used to verify that moisture cannot corrode the device or connections.