(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a new calibration technique that will improve the reliability and stability of one of NIST’s most versatile technologies, the microhotplate. The novel NIST device is being developed as the foundation for miniature yet highly accurate gas sensors that can detect chemical and biological agents, industrial leaks, and even signs of extraterrestrial life from aboard a planetary probe.

The NIST microhotplate uses its thermal efficiency in conjunction with a thermocouple to form a self-test temperature sensing system. Four microhotplates (left image) are seen with a strip of rhodium film (marked by an arrow) crossing the bottom right microhotplate. This strip makes contact with the platinum in the microhotplate structure (seen in the closeup image on the right) to form a stable thermocouple for measuring temperature. Credit: M. Afridi, NIST

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