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Thermistors

A thermistor is a type of resistor whose resistance varies significantly with temperature. Thermistors are made from semiconductor materials like metal oxides and can be classified as either NTC (negative temperature coefficient) or PTC (positive temperature coefficient) depending on whether their resistance decreases or increases with rising temperature. NTC thermistors are commonly used as temperature sensors because their resistance drops off rapidly as temperature rises, allowing very precise measurements over a limited range typically from -90 to 130 degrees Celsius.

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316 views3 pages

Thermistors

A thermistor is a type of resistor whose resistance varies significantly with temperature. Thermistors are made from semiconductor materials like metal oxides and can be classified as either NTC (negative temperature coefficient) or PTC (positive temperature coefficient) depending on whether their resistance decreases or increases with rising temperature. NTC thermistors are commonly used as temperature sensors because their resistance drops off rapidly as temperature rises, allowing very precise measurements over a limited range typically from -90 to 130 degrees Celsius.

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Abraham96
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Thermistor

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Negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistor, bead type, insulated wires

A thermistor is a type of resistor whose resistance varies significantly with temperature, more so than in standard resistors. The word is a portmanteau of thermal and resistor. Thermistors are widely used as inrush current limiters, temperature sensors, self-resetting overcurrent protectors, and self-regulating heating elements. Thermistors differ from resistance temperature detectors (RTD) in that the material used in a thermistor is generally a ceramic or polymer, while RTDs use pure metals. The temperature response is also different; RTDs are useful over larger temperature ranges, while thermistors typically achieve a higher precision within a limited temperature range, typically 90 C to 130 C.[1]

NTC
Many NTC thermistors are made from a pressed disc or cast chip of a semiconductor such as a sintered metal oxide. They work because raising the temperature of a semiconductor increases the number of electrons able to move about and carry charge - it promotes them into the conduction band. The more charge carriers that are available, the more current a material can conduct. This is described in the formula:

= electric current (amperes) = density of charge carriers (count/m) = cross-sectional area of the material (m) = velocity of charge carriers (m/s) = charge of an electron (

coulomb)

The current is measured using an ammeter. Over large changes in temperature, calibration is necessary. Over small changes in temperature, if the right semiconductor is used, the

resistance of the material is linearly proportional to the temperature. There are many different semiconducting thermistors with a range from about 0.01 kelvin to 2,000 kelvins (273.14 C to 1,700 C). BASIC Assuming, as a first-order approximation, that the relationship between resistance and temperature is linear, then:

where = change in resistance = change in temperature = first-order temperature coefficient of resistance Thermistors can be classified into two types, depending on the sign of . If is positive, the resistance increases with increasing temperature, and the device is called a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) thermistor, or posistor. If is negative, the resistance decreases with increasing temperature, and the device is called a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistor. Resistors that are not thermistors are designed to have a as close to zero as possible, so that their resistance remains nearly constant over a wide temperature range. Instead of the temperature coefficient k, sometimes the temperature coefficient of resistance (alpha sub T) is used. It is defined as[2]

This

coefficient should not be confused with the parameter below.

A photoresistor or light dependent resistor (LDR) is a resistor whose resistance decreases with increasing incident light intensity; in other words, it exhibits photoconductivity.

A photoresistor is made of a high resistance semiconductor. If light falling on the device is of high enough frequency, photons absorbed by the semiconductor give bound electrons enough energy to jump into the conduction band. The resulting free electron (and its hole partner) conduct electricity, thereby lowering resistance. A photoelectric device can be either intrinsic or extrinsic. An intrinsic semiconductor has its own charge carriers and is not an efficient semiconductor, for example, silicon. In intrinsic devices the only available electrons are in the valence band, and hence the photon must have enough energy to excite the electron across the entire bandgap. Extrinsic devices have impurities, also called dopants, added whose ground state energy is closer to the conduction band; since the electrons do not have as far to jump, lower energy photons (that is, longer wavelengths and lower frequencies) are sufficient to trigger the device. If a sample of silicon has some of its atoms replaced by phosphorus atoms (impurities), there will be extra electrons available for conduction. This is an example of an extrinsic semiconductor. Photoresistors are basically photocells.[2]

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