APPLICATION NOTE

No. 2

Selecting and Using Thermistors for Temperature Control

Selecting and Using Thermistors for Temperature Control By Lawrence A. Johnson

Thermistor temperature sensors are used widely in laser diode and detector cooling applications because of their high sensitivity, small size, ruggedness, fast response times, and low cost. When used with the proper thermoelectric (TE) cooler and support circuitry, a common thermistor costing less than a dollar has enough sensitivity to stabilize the temperature of a laser diode to better than 0.001 oC. The price of the thermistors high sensitivity is paid with nonlinearity, a factor which makes their selection and use a bit more challenging than might be otherwise expected. Thermistor Characteristics Thermistors are generally two-terminal semiconductor devices that have an electrical resistance that varies non-linearly with
50

temperature. Although other types are available, most thermistors have a negative temperature coefficient (NTC). That means its resistance decreases with increasing temperature. By way of example, the R-T characteristics of nine common NTC thermistors are shown in Figure 1. Each thermistor is labeled according to its resistance at 25 oC. By studying Figure 1, many of the practical aspects of selecting and working with thermistors become apparent. Resistance - Generally, thermistors are operated at temperatures where they exhibit resistances of thousands of ohms. At these high resistances, simple two-wire resistance

For Varying Room Temperature Resistances

Thermistor R/T Curves

40

Resistance (thousands)

30

20

500 10 250 0 -60 -40

1K

2.5K

5K

10K

25K

50K

100K

-20

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

Temperature (oC)

Figure 1. Resistance-temperature response curves for nine common thermistors.

measurements work well using conventional DMMs.

Resistance (thousands)

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 -40 -20 0 20 40 60 80

Sensitivity - Thermistors achieve their highest sensitivity at low temperatures. This sensitivity drops rapidly in going from low to high temperatures. For the 10 K thermistor shown, the sensitivity varies as follows: Temperature -20 oC 25 oC 50 oC Sensitivity 5,600 ohms/oC 439 ohms/oC 137 ohms/oC

Range - Although the available thermistors span a wide temperature range, in most practical applications the range of any one thermistor is limited. Thermistor Families During the manufacture of thermistors, coarse resistance control is accomplished through the use of different metal oxides to form the semiconductor junction. Often, several different material combinations may be used to arrive at the same nominal 25 oC resistance, and each combination leads to a slightly different R-T characteristic. This variety of available R-T characteristics often seems to complicate thermistor selection. However, as shown in Figure 2, the differences between thermistors of the same nominal resistance are relatively small. Calibration The non-linearity of thermistors complicates their calibration. In the past, design engineers often resorted to resistor-based linearizing networks which were effective only over narrow temperature ranges. Fortunately,

Temperature (oC)

Figure 2. R-T slope changes for differing thermistor materials.

microprocessors have greatly simplified this task with their ability to quickly calculate complex expressions. The R-T characteristic of most thermistors can be well characterized by an equation known as the Steinhart-Hart equation: 1/T = A + B*(Ln R) + C*(Ln R)3 In this relationship, T is the absolute temperature (in degrees Kelvin) and A, B, and C are constants which can be determined from measured values of resistance and temperature*. Assuming good calibration data is available**, the Steinhart-Hart equation introduces errors of less than 0.1 oC over a temperature range of -30 oC to +125 oC, and
*Calculation of the constants A, B, and C is discussed in detail in ILX Lightwaves Application Note #4. **These constants are supplied to the user with the purchase of any ILX Lightwave product which uses thermistors for temperature control, such as the LDT-5910.

errors of less than 0.01 oC between -20 oC to +50 oC. Thermistor Selection To understand practical thermistor selection trade-offs, take a look at the system block diagram shown in Figure 3. This figure shows a temperature sensing and readout system like the one used in the ILX Lightwave model LDT-5910. Thermistor resistance is sensed by forcing a known, constant current through the thermistor and then measuring the voltage drop that develops. The voltage is digitized and then input to the microprocessor. There the Steinhart-Hart equation is used to calculate temperature. Although this approach is very flexible, limitations arise at both high and low temperatures. As the thermistor temperature decreases, its resistance increases and likewise, so does the voltage across it. The practical lower temperature limit is reached when the voltage exceeds the maximum input voltage of the A/D converter. In the LDT-5910 you can select a sensing current of either 10 or 100 uA, and the maximum A/D input voltage is about 4.5 volts. These factors lead to the following typical low temperature limits. Sensing Current 10 K Thermistor Temp. 10 uA -51 oC 100 uA -10 oC As the thermistor temperature increases, its resistance decreases, and so does its sensitivity to temperature change. Since the system A/D converter has a fixed resolution, this means that temperature measurement resolution decreases with

Figure 3. Microprocessor-based temperature measurement system.

increasing temperature. In the LDT-5910 a 12-bit A/D converter is used, resulting in an A/D input voltage resolution of about 1 mV. The practical high temperature limit of the system occurs when the temperature measurement resolution drops below the minimum desired level. For example, suppose that at high temperatures you need a measurement resolution of at least 0.2 oC. In that case, typical high temperature limits would be: Sensing Current 10 uA 100 uA 10 K Thermistor Temp. 15 oC 72 oC

The low and high temperature limits of the measurement system, using a typical 10 K thermistor, are shown graphically in Figure 4. The upper part of the graph shows the voltage input to the A/D converter. This part is used to determine the low temperature limit of the system. The lower part of the graph shows the system measurement resolution in degrees C per A/D converter step. This part of the graph

(Using Typical 10K @ 25 C Thermistor)

5.0 4.5 4.0 A/D Over-Range

LDT-5910 Temperature Range

Voltage Across Thermistor

3.0

2.0

1.0

0 -60 -40 -20 0 20 10 A 0.5 40 60 80 100 A 100

0.4

Degrees/ADC Step

0.3

0.2

0.1

0 -60 -40 -20 0 20 40 60 80 100

Temperature
10 A Sense Current

(oC)
100 A Sense Current

Figure 4. Graphical representation of temperature range for LDT-5910 at 10 uA and 100 uA, using 4.5 V and 0.2 oC per A/D step as limits.

is used to determine the upper temperature limit. By varying the sensing current, the useful temperature range of a thermistor is extended for a given A/D converter. The temperature ranges for the LDT-5910 are shown by the horizontal bars in the center of Figure 4. Although Figure 4 provides data only for a typical 10 K thermistor, the same approach can be used with other thermistors. From the figure you can see that 10 K thermistors are generally a good choice for most laser diode cooling applications where high stability is required near room temperature. Similarly, 10 K thermistors are also often a good choice for detector cooling applications where operation at temperatures from -40 oC to room temperature are required.

The type of thermistor you choose will depend primarily on the required operating temperature range. Thermistor R-T curves, like that in Figure 1, are usually supplied by the thermistor manufacturer. For a given temperature range and resolution, the above method may be used to determine the type of thermistor and sensing current required. If you require more information on thermistors or any of our products, contact your ILX Lightwave representative (see the back cover). We will be glad to answer your questions.

ILX Lightwave Corporation was founded in 1986 as a privately held, venture financed manufacturer of photonic test and measurement instruments. Our commitment to you is to provide the highest quality instrumentation and technical support available.

For application assistance or additional information on our products or services you can contact us at: ILX Lightwave Corporation P.O. Box 6310 Bozeman, MT 59771-6310 Toll Free: 1-800-459-9459 in the U.S. and Canada Phone: 406-586-1244 Fax: 406-586-9405 Email: sales@ilxlightwave.com

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