3-19
second for thermistor beads. The thermistor type of bolometer element is usually composed of a ceramic-
like mixture of metallic oxides having a large negative temperature coefficient of resistance. Two fine
platinum-alloy wires are embedded in the bead, after which the bead is heated and coated with a glass
film. Typical dimensions of a thermistor bead used for microwave measurements are 0.015 inch along its
major axis and 0.010 inch along its minor axis. The thermistor bead may be operated at high
temperatures; it is rugged, both electrically and mechanically; it has high resistance-power sensitivity; and
it has a good temperature-power sensitivity. In addition, it can endure large pulse energies; it has a
sluggish thermal response; and it has negligible pulsed-power measurement errors. The more sensitive
thermistor requires thermal shielding or heat compensation for best operation.
Q-14.
What type of material is used in the construction of bolometers and thermistors?
Bolometer Power Meter
The standard power meter used in the Navy (Hewlett-Packard 431 C) is an automatic self-balancing
instrument employing dual-bridge circuits. It is designed to operate with temperature-compensated
thermistor mounts that enable you to measure power in a 50-ohm coaxial system from 10 MHz to 18 GHz
and in a waveguide system from 2.6 GHz to 40 GHz. This power meter can be operated from either an ac
or a dc primary power source. The ac source can be either 115 or 230 volts at 50 to 400 hertz. The dc
source is a 24-volt rechargeable battery. A seven-position range switch allows full-scale power
measurements of 10 microwatts to 10 milliwatts or of
-
20 dBm to +10 dBm. These ranges can be further
extended with the aid of attenuators. The thermistor mount (as shown in fig. 3-17) contains two
thermistors: one in the detection bridge, which absorbs the microwave power to be measured, and the
other in the compensation and metering bridge, which supplies temperature compensation and converts
the measured rf power to a meter indication. Each bridge includes its respective thermistor element as a
bridge arm.
