LINEAR QUARTZ

THERMOMETERS
INTRODUCTION
o A thermometer is a device that measures temperature or
temperature gradient using a variety of different principles.

o The different types of thermometers are

• Liquid-in-glass thermometer
• Gas thermometer
• Infrared thermometers
• Bi-metallic stemmed thermometers
• Thermocouples
• Resistance thermometer
A thermometer has two important elements:

o The temperature sensor (e.g. the bulb on a mercury thermometer) in

which some physical change occurs with temperature.

o Some means of converting this physical change into a value (e.g. the
scale on a mercury thermometer).

o Thermometers increasingly use electronic means to provide a digital

display or input to a computer.
LINEAR QUARTZ THERMOMETERS

INTRODUCTION

o It has long been recognized that the temperature dependence of quartz

crystal resonators was a potential basis for the accurate measurement of
temperature.
o In practice, however, it has not previously been satisfactory to make
wide-range temperature-measuring systems based on quartz resonators
because of the large non-linearity in the temperature coefficient of
frequency of available quartz wafers.
o Recently, however, an orientation in quartz was predicted and verified
in the HP laboratories which resulted in a crystal wafer having a linear
temperature coefficient over a wide temperature range.
o The new orientation is called “LC” cut. LC stands for linear coefficient.
o This new orientation has permitted development of a “quartz
thermometer” that measures temperatures automatically,
quickly, and with very high resolutions .

o Temperatures can be measured over a range from -4O°C to +23O°C to a

resolution of 0.0001°C in 10 seconds or faster.

o There are two types of quartz thermometers one of which has two
inputs and can take differential measurements of temperature. They
can be made to read in Celsius as well as in Fahrenheit.

o Temperature-measuring instrument with the above capabilities

has great value in many fields.
Natural quartz crystal.
CONSTRUCTION
o The thermometer's temperature sensing quartz resonator is located in
a small sensor probe which connects through a length of cable to its
oscillator.
o The oscillator is located in the main cabinet but can be physically
removed as a unit to permit measuring temperatures at a distance
from the cabinet
o The cabinet, otherwise contains what is essentially a special frequency
counter which displays the measured temperature directly in
numerical form on a digital readout.
o The temperature measurements are made automatically, either
repetitively or initiated singly.
o Three styles of sensor probes have been designed to accommodate
measurements including even at high pressure environment
SENSOR CONSTRUCTION
o Gold is deposited on electrodes on the surface of the
quarter inch diameter quartz wafer. Each wafer is brazed
to three small ribbons so that it can be placed in a
transistor case.
o The wafer case is hermetically sealed in a helium
atmosphere which provides both a good heat conduction
path and a passive atmosphere for long term resonator
stability.
SENSOR PROBE CONSTRUCTION

o The outer shell of the sensor probes are fabricated from stainless steel for
chemical stability.
o The quartz wafer is situated parallel to and about 0.01 inch away from
the flat circular end of the probe and is sealed in a helium atmosphere.
o The connecting cable has a dielectric and outer sheath of type TFE
Teflon which can withstand temperatures up to 250°C.
o All probes may be used in pressures up to 3,000 psi.
CROSS SECTIONAL VIEW
SENSOR DESIGN
CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS
o The new modification was proposed in 1997. The resonator
disk was replaced by a “tuning fork” shaped resonator.

o Tuning fork shape is obtained by photolithography and

anisotropic etching techniques.

o This modification enabled measuring ranges from 4.2K to

250°C with a temperature coefficient of frequency of 54Hz/K.
The resonant frequency being 40KHz.
o Length of the vibrating part of the resonator is 2.3mm and its
width is 0.26mm.

o The resonator terminals are hermetically sealed in a stainless

steel sheath filled with helium gas
TEMPERATURE FREQUENCY RELATION
o Quartz wafers are widely used in oscillator circuits to hold the
operating frequency constant. Temperature has been the principal
factor influencing the stability of quartz resonators.

o The temperature coefficient of frequency is both a function of

the angle at which the resonator is sliced from the parent crystal
and of the temperature itself.

 o The resonant frequency of quartz resonator is give by the general

equation

  - Resonant frequency at Reference temperature(273K)

α,β,γ - Temperature coefficients
o By proper choice of cutting planes of crystals, the coefficients β and
γ can be made zero. So the resonant frequency is a linear function
of temperature. All presently made quartz thermometers are based
on this principle.
o Quartz thermometer made by Hewlett Packard(HP) is based on
this principle. The temperature sensor employed by them has a
small, gold plated polished quartz disk of diameter of about
6.4mm.

o It had a resonant frequency of 28MHz at reference temperature

and it varies with a sensitivity of 1000Hz/K. This gave a overall
resolution of measurement as high as 0.0001°C.

o It also had excellent long term reading stability.

THE LINEAR COEFFICIENT QUARTZ
RESONATOR
 An analysis was made of the frequency temperature behavior of the
three possible thickness modes for all possible orientations in quartz
using Bachmann’s constants.
 A single orientation of wave propagation was found for which the
second- and third-order temperature coefficients are simultaneously
zero.
Diagram below analytically-determined loci of zero second-order and
third-order temperature coefficients for the lowest frequency shear
mode, the C mode, in a primitive orientational zone in quartz.
 These loci cross at ϕ= 8.44⁰ and θ =13.0⁰. Experimental studies indicate
the actual orientation of zero second- and third-order terms to be :
ϕ = 11.17⁰and Ѳ = 9.39.⁰
ANALYTICALLY-DETERMINED LOCI OF ZERO SECOND-ORDER
AND THIRD-ORDER TEMPERATURE COEFFICIENTS FOR THE
LOWEST FREQUENCY SHEAR MODE
ADVANTAGES OF QUARTZ
o Quartz, unlike the platinum or nickel used in resistance
thermometers, can be found in a natural state and has a
high degree of purity.
o Its ordered crystalline structure resists the plastic
deformation that causes drift and retrace errors in
resistance materials.

o It permits great frequency stability.

o Quartz is a hard material that cannot be deformed

beyond its elastic limit without fracture.
o It has high chemical stability.

o Quartz is cheaper than platinum, mercury etc.

o Quartz asymmetrical structure also provides control of its temperature

characteristic through angular orientation that is unavailable in the

amorphous resistance materials.
o Platinum, for example, has a fixed deviation from the best straight line

of 0.55% over the same range as the quartz thermometer, which is

currently held to less than 0.05% It has almost perfect elasticity and its
elastic hysteresis is extremely small
WORKING
o The sensor oscillator output is compared to a reference frequency.

o By design, this frequency is also the sensor frequency at zero degree.

o The difference frequency is detected in the mixer circuit, converted into

a pulse series and passed to the electronic display.

o The two-channel instrument, which can be programmed externally,

may be switched to indicate the absolute temperature sensed by
either probe.
o Differential temperature measurements are obtained by switching
the instrument to measure the beat frequency between the two
sensor oscillators.
FREQUENCY TO DIGITAL CONVERSION

Block diagram of circuit arrangement of two-channel Thermometer. Single-

channel Thermometer circuit is similar in principle but does not include second
sensor channel, variable gate times, or difference-temperature capability.
REMOTE SENSING
o Since the sensor oscillator output is a frequency-modulated radio frequency
signal, it opens the possibility for telemetric transmission by direct radiation.
o Telemetry receivers can be made to provide a frequency output
proportional to temperature by using the quartz thermometer reference
oscillator as a beat frequency oscillator (BFO) and coupling the output
signal to an electronic counter.
o The ability of the Quartz Thermometer to transmit data in FM form over
long cable runs also opens the possibility of improved precision in
measuring temperatures at great depths and at many points in the ocean.
The measurement could be transmitted either by the extended cable
connection mentioned above or by radio telemetry from floating buoys.
o It is possible, for example, for the instrument to make measurements
through connecting wires at distances of up to 10,000 feet, with no adverse
effect on measurement accuracy caused by lead length.
PIONEERS OF QUARTZ THERMOMETER
SPEC SHEET OF AN OLD DEVICE
. Quartz Thermometer (upper unit)used with Scanner and Printer to measure and record up to 100
temperatures. Measurements can be recorded on paper tape as shown, or on punched tape, cards or
magnetic tape
CALIBRATION TECHNIQUES

o The temperature-sensing quartz resonators are calibrated after being

sealed in their cases but prior to mounting in probe shells.

o Each probe is connected to a separate sensor oscillator, and the

oscillators are scanned

o Eight calibration temperatures are used ranging from -40°C to +240⁰C

in 40⁰ steps
o The maximum deviation permitted are 0.02⁰C for the 0⁰-100⁰ range

and 0.15⁰C for the full range of the instrument.

THANK YOU . . .

Presentation done by
MANU C
MARSHAL C S
MIDHUN S
MITHUN K B
MOHAMMED RAMEES
SOORAJ A M