Text Book of IT-125 Principles of Electricity and Electronics DAE 1st

Year Instrumentation Technology.

Chapter No. 17
HEAT AND LIGHT SENSORS
17.1 THERMISTORS:
17.1.1 PRINCIPLE OF THERMISTORS:
The Thermistor works on a simple principle: Change in temperature of the
Thermistor, leads to a change in its resistance.
A thermistor is a resistance thermometer, or a resistor whose resistance is
dependent on temperature. As temperature varies the resistor of the thermistor
varies. The term thermistor is a combination of “thermal” and “resistor”. It is
made of metallic oxides, pressed into a bead, disk, or cylindrical shape and then
encapsulated with a waterproof material such as epoxy or glass.

Figure.17.1
17.1.2 CONSTRUCTION OF THERMISTORS:
It is made up of ceramic like semi-conducting materials such as copper oxide,
manganese oxide, nickel oxide, cobalt oxide, titanium oxide and lithium oxide.
These oxides are blended in a suitable proportion and compressed into the
desired shapes from the mixed powers and heat treated to recrystallize them,
resulting in a dense ceramic body with the required resistance temperature
characteristics. The different types of the thermistor are shown in the figure
below.

Figure.17.2
17.1.3 USES OF THERMISTORS:
The applications of thermistors are as follows:
 Temperature sensor in Digital Thermometers.
 In automotive industry to measure the temperature of the coolant and the oil
in the trucks as well as in cars these are preferred.

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 Household appliances make use of thermistor to increase or decrease the

amount of heat required.
 To protect the circuits from the overloading effect that is by increasing the
resistance value. Hence the thermistors are considered as the circuit
protection elements.
 In the circuits of Wheat stone Bridge, Rechargeable batteries, Electronic
device circuits thermistors are utilized.
17.2 LISTTYPES OF THERMISTORS:
The main two types of thermistors are:
1. NTC (Negative Temperature Coefficient)
2. PTC (Positive temperature coefficient)
17.3 NTC TYPE OF THERMISTORS:
NTC or negative temperature coefficient thermistor is a device whose resistance
decreases with increase in temperature. These types of resistor usually exhibit
a large, precise and predictable decrease in resistance with increase in
temperature.
NTC Thermistor Symbol:
The symbol for NTC thermistor is given as:

Figure.17.3
17.4 PTC TYPE OF THERMISTORS:
PTC or Positive temperature coefficient Thermistors are those resistors whose
resistance increases with increase in ambient temperature.
PTC Thermistor Symbol:
The following figure shows the symbol used for PTC Thermistors in a circuit
diagram.

Figure.17.4

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17.5 LIGHT DEPENDENT RESISTER (LDR)

A Light Dependent Resistor (LDR) is also called a photoresistor or a cadmium
sulfide (CdS) cell. It is also called a photoconductor. It is basically a photocell
that works on the principle of photoconductivity. The passive component is
basically a resistor whose resistance value increases when the intensity of light
decreases. This optoelectronic device is mostly used in light varying sensor
circuit, and light and dark activated switching circuits. Some of its applications
include camera light meters, street lights, clock radios, light beam alarms,
reflective smoke alarms, and outdoor clocks.
The symbol of LDR is shown.

Figure.17.5
17.6 CONSTRUCTION OF LDR:
The photo-resistor is composed of light-sensitive semiconductor material.
Usually, it is made up of cadmium sulphide having negligible free electrons in
the absence of any incident radiation.
In the absence of light, LDR possesses very high resistance of about several
mega ohms. However, in the presence of light, it exhibits low resistance
property, having the resistance of about a few hundred ohms.
The figure below shows the basic construction and symbol of photo-resistor:

Figure.17.5
The device consists of a snake-like or zigzag pattern track which is made up of
cadmium sulphide. The snake-like arrangement is done in order to get the
expected power rating and resistance.

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This track separates a pair of metal contact. The whole structure is placed in a
plastic case so as to have direct exposure to the incident radiation. As it is
required to change the resistance by the action of light in LDR, so the resistance
of the metal contacts must be low.
17.7 WORKING OF LDR:
When light is incident on a photosensitive material, the following events take
place:
 The incident photons collide with the atoms of the light sensitive material
and impart energy to them.
 Due to this energy, the valence electrons will cross the energy band gap
and enter the conduction band.
 Thus, the conductivity of the material increases.
 Resistance is inversely proportional to the intensity of light.
 ‘Dark Resistance’ is the resistance offered by the LDR in the absence of
light
 The value of resistance depends on the memory effect or the light history
effect.

Figure.17.6
17.8 USES OF LDR:
The LDRs are used in many of applications such as:
 Infrared astronomy.
 Light failure alarm circuits and used in light meter.
 Smoke detectors.
 Automatic contrast and brightness control in television receivers.
 photosensitive relay
 Optical coding.

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 Street light control circuits.

 Camera light meters.
 Security alarm.
 Proximity switch.
 Light activated control circuits.

EXERCISE # 17
PART-A
Chose the correct answer
1. Thermistor is a contraction
(a) thermal resistor (b) laser resistor
(c) electric resistor (d) mechanical resistor
2. Thermistor material is pressed thermal resistor under
(a) zero pressure (b) low pressure
(c) high pressure (d) low volume
3. Which of the following has a negative temperature coefficient of
resistance?
(a) Thermistor (b) capacitor
(c) Resistor (d) diode
4. How many types of a thermistor?
(a) 2 (b) 3
(c) 4 (d) 6
5. Thermistors are used for
(a) Security alarm (b) Street light
(c) Smoke detectors (d) All of these
6. Thermistors are used for
(a) Security alarm (b) Street light
(c) Smoke detectors (d) All of these
7. In NTC thermistor on increasing temperature, the resistance
(a) increases (b) remains constant
(c) decreases (d) now change
8. How many terminals of a thermistor?
(a) two (b) three
(c) four (d) five
9. A thermistor is made of
(a) Conductor (b) insulator

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(c) Semiconductor (d) none of these

10. A thermistor is a sensor
(a) pressure (b) temperature
(c) level (d) flow
11. A LDR is a sensor
(a) light (b) air
(c) fuel (d) flow
12. In dark, LDR has
(a) low resistance (b) high current
(c) low current (d) high resistance
13. LDR’s are also called
(a) Photoconductor (b) Photoresistor
(c) Photo detector (d) All of these
14. The material used for LDR is
(a) lead sulfide (b) cadmium sulfide
(c) zinc copper (d) None of these
15. LDR is
(a) Active device (b) passive device
(c) Insulating device (d) self-generating device
ANSWER KEY
1. a 2. c 3. a 4. a 5. d
6. d 7. c 8. a 9. c 10. b
11. a 12. b 13. d 14. b 15. b
PART-B
Give the short answer of the following questions
1. Define thermistor.
2. Name the two types of thermistor.
3. Write the working principle of thermistor.
4. State the construction of thermistor.
5. Enlist the shapes of thermistor.
6. Describe the working of thermistor.
7. Differentiate NTC and PTC thermistor.
8. State NTC thermistor.
9. State PTC thermistor.
10. Write the applications of thermistors.

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11. Define LDR.

12. Write the principle of LDR.
13. Describe the construction of LDR.
14. Draw the diagram of LDR.
15. State the working of LDR.
16. Name the materials of LDR.
17. Write the applications of LDR.

PART-C
Give the detailed answer of the following questions.
1) What is thermistor? Explain its construction and working in detail.
2) Explain the types of thermistors and also write its application.
3) Describe principle, construction of LDR with the help of diagram.
SOLVE THE PROBLEMS

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