CERAMIC CHIP CAPACITORS AS LOW-TEMPERATURE THERMOMETERS

The results of thermal and magnetic field studies are reported for commercially available ceramic chip capacitors commonly used in hybrid microwave circuits. Capacitors with room temperature values of 51 and 45 pF have been investigated down to 4.2 K and in magnetic fields up to 9.0 T. The results show that these capacitors can be used as accurate, reproducible temperature sensors at low temperatures, especially in high magnetic fields. These capacitors also have the useful properties of small size, ease of mounting, ruggedness and low cost.