Thermal Converters for Audio-Frequency Voltage Measurements of High Accuracy

The ac-dc differences of a reference group of thermoelements have been evaluated at audio frequencies to a few parts per million (ppm) at currents from 5 to 20 mA. A technique for comparing the ac-dc differences of two thermoelements with an uncertainty of about 2 ppm has been developed. Two 5 mA thermoelements are used with a plug-in set of resistors of computable reactances to form thermal voltage converters for voltage measurements. With this same technique adjacent ranges of these converters can be compared to step up from 0.5 to 500 V to better than 10 ppm.     

A planar Bi-Sb multijunction thermal converter with small ac-dctransfer differences

A planar Bi-Sb multijunction thermal converter was fabricated on the LPCVD Si₃N₄/SiO₂/Si₃N ₄-diaphragm, prepared by silicon bulk micromachining, which thermally isolated a bifilar Pt- or NiCr-heater and the hot junctions of a Bi-Sb thermopile from the silicon substrate. The voltage responsivity, the ac-dc transfer difference, and the fluctuations of the output thermoelectric voltage and heater resistance were discussed to investigate the design factors of a thermal converter. The respective voltage responsivities in air and in a vacuum of the thermal converter with a built-in NiCr-heater were about 14.0 mV/mW and 54.0 mV/mW. The ac-dc voltage and the current transfer differences in air were about ±0.60 ppm and ±0.11 ppm in the dc reversing frequency range from 10 Hz to 10 kHz. They are sufficiently small to be used as practical ac standards. Compared to the thermal converter with a built-in Pt-heater, the thermal converter with a built-in NiCr-heater demonstrated a higher voltage responsivity and smaller ac-dc transfer differences, while exhibiting slightly larger fluctuations in output thermoelectric voltage and in heater resistance     

A reevaluation of the NIST low-frequency standards for AC-DCdifference in the voltage range 0.6-100 V

A reevaluation of the NIST standards of ac-dc difference was undertaken in an effort to reduce the calibration uncertainty offered by NIST for thermal voltage converters (TVC's) at frequencies below 100 Hz. This paper describes the measurements taken in support of this effort, as well as the devices used for the reevaluation process and the analysis of the uncertainty of the measurements. This reevaluation of the NIST low-frequency standards will permit a significant reduction in uncertainty for ac-dc difference calibrations at 10 Hz in the voltage range from 0.6-100 V     

An Automatic System for AC/DC Calibration

An automatic ac/dc difference calibration system using direct measurement of thermoelement EMFs is described. The system operates over a frequency range from 20 Hz to 100 kHz, covering the voltage range from 0.5 V to 1 kV. For all voltages, the total uncertainty (including the uncertainty of the specific reference thermal converters used) is 50 ppm at frequencies from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, inclusive, and 100 ppm at higher frequencies up to 100 kHz. In addition to ac/dc difference testing, the system can be used to measure some important characteristics of thermoelements, as well as to calibrate ac voltage calibrators and precision voltmeters. Results of intercomparisons between the new system and the manual NBS calibration system, using single-range, coaxial-type, thermal voltage converters as transfer standards, are reported. The results indicate that the ac/dc differences measured are accurate to well within the combined total uncertainty limits of the two systems.     

Development and Implementation of Current Tee for AC High Current Calibration

Thermal current converters or thermal transfer standard with AC–DC current shunts act as the reference standards for accurate and precise measurements of low frequency current in the frequency range from 40 Hz to 10 kHz. At present CSIR-NPL, India has the AC–DC current transfer difference (δ _x) calibration facility upto 20 A. To extend our AC current calibration range from 20 A to 100 A, a current Tee for AC high current using LC connectors has been indigenously designed and developed. This paper presents the development of current Tee for AC high current calibration. The calibration results for assigning ‘δ _x’ at 30 A current shunt with respect to 20 A are shown and the same measurement technique has been used to extend the current range up to 100 A.     

NIST Sampling System for Accurate AC Waveform Parameter Measurements

This paper summarizes efforts at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop a waveform sampling and digitizing system with accuracy comparable to that of an ac-dc thermal transfer standard for ac voltage measurements over the frequency range of 10 Hz to 1 MHz. In the frequency range from 1 kHz to 1 MHz, the sampler's gain flatness is better than that available from the best commercial digital multimeter. In ac-ac comparisons referenced to 1 kHz, the system agrees with a NIST-calibrated thermal transfer standard to within 17 muV/V from 20 Hz to 100 kHz for measurements made at both 1 and 0.1 V. The sampler's excellent dynamic linearity and flat input impedance are also discussed     

Automation and Evaluation of Two Different Techniques to Calibrate Precision Calibrators for Low Frequency Voltage Using Thermal Devices

Low frequency (LF) voltage and current are important parameters in electrical metrology. The standards for LF voltage and current are established by assigning AC–DC transfer difference to thermal devices, i.e. thermal converters or thermal transfer standard along with current shunts. Automated calibration systems have been developed based on Null method and measurement technique developed by Budovsky for calibration of precision calibrator in LF voltage and current against thermal devices. The technique based on the Algorithm developed by Dr. Ilya Budovsky (National Metrology Institute (NMI), Australia) has been compared with the conventional null technique. Indigenously developed software has been used to calibrate the precision calibrator in the entire LF voltage and current range using Holt thermal converters and current shunts. Calibration results at 1 V, 10 V in the frequency range from 10 Hz to 1 MHz as well as calibration results of 1 A in the frequency range from 40 Hz to 10 kHz are presented in this paper. These result shows that the measurement technique developed by Budovsky has reduced the complexity of AC–DC transfer measurements, measurement time and the uncertainty in measurement.     

The ac-dc difference of single-junction thermal converters

A nonlinear parabolic partial differential equation of heat conduction subject to the Robin boundary conditions is considered. The equation describes energy conservation in the heater wire of a single-junction thermal converter for both ac and dc currents. In the audio-frequency range the temperature distribution along the heater is calculated and the ac-dc difference deduced by means of the Picard iterative technique. The previously neglected effects of radiation and the thermal properties of the heater wire are included. An expression for the ac-dc difference is also derived in the low-frequency regime. The thermal conductance of the thermocouple, which has previously been neglected, is taken into account. The calculated increase in the ac-dc difference is consistent with recent measurements. The solution in this limit is found by both an eigenfunction-expansion method and the Laplace-transform method. Comparison of the solutions obtained by the two methods gives some useful formulae for the summation of numerical series. Key words: alternating current standard, single junction thermal converters, heat conduction     

A low-voltage and high-frequency ac-dc transfer system usinginductive dividers

A setup for the calibration of high-input-resistance ac-measuring instruments for low voltages (mV) and high frequencies (1 MHz) is presented. The low voltages generated down to one hundredth of an ac standard voltage (0.5 V to 2 V) are traced by means of a one-decade inductive voltage divider (IVD) cascaded by a sub-IVD with a fixed ratio of 10-to-1. Construction details of the main IVD which are necessary to meet the requirements are given. The error characteristics are mainly determined by capacitive currents acting on stray and mutual inductances. The internally built-in resistive dc voltage divider and a special switch allow calibrations to be performed via effective ac-dc transfer at the standard voltage level. The first results for the calibration of a transfer standard, Fluke 792A, at 100 mV and 200 mV were in good agreement with results obtained with very sensitive multijunction thermal converters. Using such converters as standards in the new system will enable ac calibrations down to voltages below 1 mV     

Design and Fabrication of MJTCs on Quartz Substrates at NIST

Wet and dry etching is employed in the fabrication of new planar thin-film multijunction thermal converters (MJTCs) on quartz membranes and crystalline quartz chips at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The use of crystalline quartz as a material for the membrane and chip improves the performance of the MJTC in the frequency range of 100 kHz–100 MHz. Simulations of the ac–dc voltage transfer difference for a heater resistance of 400 $Omega$ in the frequency range of 1–100 MHz show a reduction in the ac–dc transfer difference of more than one order of magnitude, in comparison with the MJTCs fabricated on silicon chips. The devices that have been fabricated, although not optimized for 100 MHz, have been shown to have reasonable performance for their 20-V maximum input.      

Correction of Systematic Errors Due to the Voltage Leads in an AC Josephson Voltage Standard

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has recently reported the first application of a quantum ac Josephson voltage standard for the calibration of thermal transfer standards in the 1- to 10-kHz frequency range. This paper describes preliminary work on extending its frequency calibration range up to 100 kHz by correcting the systematic errors due to voltage leads. A ground loop created by the dc blocks, which is a previously unaccounted source of high-frequency systematic error, has been identified, and its effects are partially mitigated.      

Integrated Calibration System for Accurate AC Current Measurements up to 100?kHz

This paper describes the establishment of an integrated calibration system for accurate AC current measurements at National Institute of Standards, Egypt. The measurement system consists of a new assembled thermal current converter (TCC) associated with an appropriate hardware and automation software. The system has been used for a wide range of AC current from 5?mA to 20?A at frequencies from 10?Hz to 100?kHz. The assembled TCC at rated current of 5A was modified and recalibrated in PTB, Germany to enhance the system reliability. The estimated uncertainty budget of this system is presented in this paper.     

The Ampere and Electrical Standards

This paper describes some of the major contributions to metrology and physics made by the NIST Electricity Division, which has existed since 1901. It was one of the six original divisions of the National Bureau of Standards. The Electricity Division provides dc and low-frequency calibrations for industrial, scientific, and research organizations, and conducts research on topics related to electrical metrology and fundamental constants. The early work of the Electricity Division staff included the development of precision standards, such as Rosa and Thomas standard resistors and the ac-dc thermal converter. Research contributions helped define the early international system of measurement units and bring about the transition to absolute units based on fundamental principles and physical and dimensional measurements. NIST research has helped to develop and refine electrical standards using the quantum Hall effect and the Josephson effect, which are both based on quantum physics. Four projects covering a number of voltage and impedance measurements are described in detail. Several other areas of current research at NIST are described, including the use of the Internet for international compatibility in metrology, determination of the fine-structure and Planck constants, and construction of the electronic kilogram.     

An Automatic RMS/DC Comparator

The design of an instrument for the automatic comparison of an ac voltage with a stable dc source is described. A differential multijunction thermal converter is used as an rms/dc converter with an FET-switched input amplifier for ac/dc substitution. The output voltages of the rms/dc converter with ac and dc input voltages are sampled and stored, and the difference amplified and displayed on a panel meter or chart recorder. Accuracy is ±20 ppm of input ranges of 10-200 V at frequencies of 50 Hz-1 kHz, and maximum full scale deflection sensitivity is 0.01 percent of input range. The instrument may be used either as an rms comparator with a linear voltage scale or as a mean-square comparator with a linear power scale.     

AC–DC Transfer Standard Measurements and Generalized Compensation With the AC Josephson Voltage Standard

We present AC-DC transfer standard measurements using the National Institute of Standards and Technology's pulse-driven AC Josephson voltage standard source. We have investigated the frequency dependence for several output voltages up to 200 mV for frequencies from 2.5 to 100 kHz. We found that, as the frequency increases, the ac-dc differences for the two arrays on the same chip do not agree. We explored this deviation in ac-dc difference for the two arrays by investigating different configurations of the probe cabling and wiring, chip carriers, and on-chip circuit design. We found that the circuit design produced the greatest improvement, particularly at the highest frequency (100 kHz), where the deviation in ac-dc difference was reduced by more than 60%. In this paper, we also demonstrate tenfold higher output voltages and improved operating margins for arbitrary (nonsinusoidal) waveforms. These enhancements were accomplished by implementing a more general current bias to the arrays having the same harmonic content as that of the synthesized arbitrary waveform.     

AC/DC Thermal Converters of the ETL

In order to establish alternating current and voltage standards, various types of thermal current and voltage converters have been constructed. From their detailed analysis, the specifications and characteristics have been determined. These converters have been used in a circular international comparison. A precise comparator of 0.1-ppm resolution has been also constructed. The estimated accuracy of current converters is better than 10 ppm up to 100 kHz and that of voltage converters is better than 25 ppm up to 50 kHz and 30 ppm at 100 kHz.     

A new power standard for audio-frequency measurements

A thermal power comparator for audio-frequency measurements is presented. It is essentially a double-bridge-type multiplier that consists of two multijunction thermal converters that contain two heaters. Together with a precision inductive voltage divider and current transformer for extending the voltage and current range, the comparator ensured a high-precision power standard with an AC/DC transfer error of less than 15 p.p.m. in the audio-frequency range     

New Thin-Film Multijunction Thermal Converter Design for Improved High-Frequency Performance

New thin-film planar multifunction thermal converters (PMJTC) were developed to improve the high-frequency ac-dc transfer differences. The heater resistor and thermocouples of these PMJTCs were produced on different substrates: an AIN chip for the heaters and polyimide film for the thermocouples, using simple fabrication processes. The thermocouples were moved from the conventional high-potential heater position, and placed close to the ground electrode of the input circuit. This new configuration upgrades the performance of ac-dc transfer differences above 10 kHz by improving both the electromagnetic coupling between the heater and thermocouples and the output resistance of thermocouples. Using a high thermal conductivity AIN substrate, through which heat is conducted from the heater to the hot junctions of the thermocouples, almost the same sensitivity as that of PMJTCs on silicon is obtained.     

PTB所建激光干涉振动一次绝对校准标准简析

按照ISO/16063-11：1999《激光干涉绝对法振动校准》所述,激光干涉振动一次绝对校准方法主要有条纹计数法、最小点法与正弦逼近法三种,其复现频率范围为1Hz～10kHz.而德国联邦物理技术研究院（PTB）现已建立和保存的低频、中频、高频振动激光干涉一次绝对校准标准的复现频率范围则达0.1Hz～20kHz.此外,PTB还实现了旋转运动物理量值--角加速度的复现;其复现频率范围也达到0.3Hz～1kHz.作为曾在PTB1.22实验室进行过研究工作的访问学者,作者旨在通过对PTB所建激光干涉振动一次绝对校准标准的