Semiconductor thermometer

Temperature measurements below 100°K are generally accomplished using one of four basic sensing elements—thermocouples, resistance thermometers, semiconductors, and gas thermometers. The first three devices depend on the conversion of an output voltage to the desired temperature information. They are, therefore, basically electrical in nature. The latter, depending only on the unique temperature-pressure relationship of a pure gas, is inherently thermodynamic in character. 

Thermocouples, bolometers and pyroelectric and semiconductor detectors are also used. The first three are basically resistance thermometers. A semiconductor detector counts photons falling on it by measuring the change in conductivity due to electrons being excited from fhe valence band info fhe conduction band. 

Temperature The level of the temperature measurement (4 K, 20 K, 77 K, or higher) is the first issue to be considered. The second issue is the range needed (e.g., a few degrees around 90 K or 1 to 400 K). If the temperature level is that of air separation or liquefact-ing of natural gas (LNG), then the favorite choice is the platinum resistance thermometer (PRT). Platinum, as with all pure metals, has an electrical resistance that goes to zero as the absolute temperature decreases to zero. Accordingly, the lower useful limit of platinum is about 20 K, or liquid hydrogen temperatures. Below 20 K, semiconductor thermometers (germanium-, carbon-, or silicon-based) are preferred. Semiconductors have just the opposite resistance-temperature dependence of metals—their resistance increases as the temperature is lowered, as fewer valence electrons can be promoted into the conduction band at lower temperatures. Thus, semiconductors are usually chosen for temperatures from about 1 to 20 K. 

If the temperature range of interest is large, say 1 to 400 K, then diode thermometers are recommended. Diodes have other advantages compared to resistance thermometers. By contrast, diode thermometers are veiy much smaller and faster. Bv selection of diodes all from the same melt, they may be made interchangeable. That is, one diode has the same cahbration cui ve as another, which is not always the case with either semiconductor or metallic-resistance thermometers. It is well known, however, that diode thermometers may rectify an ac field, and thus may impose a dc noise on the diode output. Adequate shielding is required. 

Instruments based on the contact principle can further be divided into two classes mechanical thermometers and electrical thermometers. Mechanical thermometers are based on the thermal expansion of a gas, a liquid, or a solid material. They are simple, robust, and do not normally require power to operate. Electrical resistance thermometers utilize the connection between the electrical resistance and the sensor temperature. Thermocouples are based on the phenomenon, where a temperature-dependent voltage is created in a circuit of two different metals. Semiconductor thermometers have a diode or transistor probe, or a more advanced integrated circuit, where the voltage of the semiconductor junctions is temperature dependent. All electrical meters are easy to incorporate with modern data acquisition systems. A summary of contact thermometer properties is shown in Table 12.3. 

Soft, silver white metal that melts in the hand (29.8 °C) and remains liquid up to 2204 °C (difference 2174 °C, suitable for special thermometers). Gallium is quite widespread, but always in small amounts in admixtures. Its "career" took off with the advent of semiconductors. Ga arsenide and Ga phosphide, which are preferential to silicon in some applications, have extensive uses in microchips, diodes, lasers, and microwaves. The element is found in every mobile phone and computer. Ga nitride (GaN) is used in UV LEDs (ultraviolet light-emitting diodes). In this manner, a curiosity was transformed into a high-tech speciality. 

Ge resistors are specifically produced for low-temperature thermometry carbon and Ru02 resistors are commercial products for electronics. Pure carbon is not a semiconductor. The negative slope R(T) is due to the production process which consists in pressing and sinterization of carbon particles with glue. The resulting resistance is probably determined by the contact resistance between the particles. The cost of the carbon resistor thermometer is very low. Manufacturers such as Speer, Allen-Bradley and Matsushita have produced in the past carbon resistors for many years. Most of firms have now ceased manufacture, although their products may still be found in the storerooms of research laboratories. 

G. Beheim, Fibre-optic thermometer using semiconductor etalon sensor, Elec. Lett. 22(5), 238-239 (1986). 

Thermotropic chiral LCs whose pitch vary strongly with temperature can be used as crude thermometers since the color of the material will change as the pitch is changed. LC color transitions are used on many aquarium and pool thermometers. Other LC materials change color when stretched or stressed. Thus, LC sheets are often used in industry to look for hot spots, map heat flow, measure stress distribution patterns, etc. The LC in fluid form is used to detect electrically generated hot spots for failure analysis in the semiconductor industry. LC memory units with extensive capacity were used in Space Shuttle navigation equipment. 

Thermistor and resistance thermometer elements Thermoelectric-bolometric sensors Semiconductor-based elements... 

There are two principal classes of this type of sensor, viz. (i) resistance thermometers (resistance temperature detectors)—which are constructed from normal metallic conducting materials, and (ii) thermistors—which are bulk semiconductor sensors. 

These instruments use photon detectors which are semiconductor devices that are responsive only to a narrow band of wavelengths. Many narrow-bond thermometers further restrict the wavelength bandwidth by means of a narrow pass filter. In this case the total power detected is(4> ... 

Thermocouples, or thermal junctions, or thermoelectric thermometers have two intermetallic junctions between two different metals (or semimetals, or semiconductors) A, B in a loop (Fig. 10.21). When these two junctions are held at different temperatures (T i, and T2), then a potential difference A Vis set up this is the Seebeck98 effect. For instance, for a Cu-constantan thermocouple, with T2 = 300 K and T, 273.15 K, AV = 1.0715 mV. Its converse is the Peltier99 effect If a current at a fixed voltage is applied in a loop like in Fig. 10.21, then a temperature difference AT can be maintained (thermoelectric heaters and coolers). The Seebeck effect arises because, before the junctions are made, the two metals have different Fermi levels after the junctions are made, electrons will flow from the higher-level metal to the lower-level metal, until a single Fermi level results across the junction. 

The thermisters (TMs) are semiconductor device with a high resistance dependence on temperature. They may be calibrated as a thermometer. The semiconductor sensor exhibits a large change in resistance that is proportional to a small change in temperature. Normally TMs have negative thermal coefficients. Like RTDs, they operate on the principle that the electrical resistance of a conductive metal is driven by changes in temperatures. Variations in the conductor s electrical resistance are thus interpreted and quantified, as changes in temperature occur. 

Look up and then describe the physical principles on which the operation of the following thermometers is based (a) semiconductors, (b) paramagnetic salts, (c) optical pyrometers, (d) thermocouples. 

The bolometer is another type of thermal detector that can offer extreme sensitivity for specialized applications, t This is essentially a resistance thermometer, usually with a platinum, nickel, carbon, or germanium element, although a semiconductor thermistor can also be used. Typically, two elements are used in a bridge circuit with one exposed to radiation and the other kept dark as a reference. The germanium bolometer provides exceptional... 

Thermistors are resistance thermometers, where the temperature-sensible element is the semiconductor, and are made of a mixture of different metal oxides. The large resistance of the thermistor enables us to lower substantially its dimensions in comparison to the resistance thermometer. Thermistors are very sensible and give a fast response, which is very suitable for use in small calorimeters. 

Another type of resistance thermometer uses metal oxides, instead of metals it is frequently referred to as a thermistor. Electrical resistance of these metal oxides changes rapidly with even rather small temperature changes. Hence, thermistors are often emplyed to measure small temperature changes such as 1°C to 5 °C. The thermistor proper tends to have low purchase prices. Metal oxides, which are semiconductors, include mixtures of the following oxides nickel, manganese, copper, cobalt, tin, germanium, etc. [1]. 

Semiconductor p-n junction diode thermometers (Swartz and Gaines, 1972 Verster, 1972 Ohteetal., 1982) are becoming widely used throughout the range from liquid helium temperatures (1 K) to about 200°C. The diodes are currently made of germanium, silicon, or gallium arsenide. These thermometers are based on the principle that for forward-biased... 

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