The LTZ1000 is a high-precision, ultra-stable

Zener diode A Zener diode is a special type of diode designed to reliably allow current to flow "backwards" (inverted polarity) when a certain set reverse voltage, known as the ''Zener voltage'', is reached. Zener diodes are manufactured with a great varie ...

voltage reference A voltage reference is an electronic device that ideally produces a fixed (constant) voltage irrespective of the loading on the device, power supply variations, temperature changes, and the passage of time. Voltage references are used in power supp ...

originally developed by Carl Nelson for

Linear Technology Linear Technology Corporation was an American semiconductor company that designed, manufactured and marketed high performance analog integrated circuits. Applications for the company's products included telecommunications, cellular telephones, ne ...

. It consists of a Zener reference packaged along with an integrated heater and temperature sensor designed to hold the device at a constant temperature for improved stability.

Overview

The LTZ1000's internal reference is an ovenized Zener diode that is kept at a constant temperature by an internal resistive heater. An internal sensing transistor is used in tandem with external hardware to drive the heater and maintain the reference's constant internal temperature. Because of its high sensitivity, the LTZ1000 must be thermally isolated from the rest of the circuit and housed in an enclosure that is well shielded from air currents for optimal performance. The device's output voltage ranges from 7 to 7.5V on a chip-to-chip basis, with a noise figure of 1.2µV peak to peak and a long-term drift of 2µV/√kHr.

Applications

The LTZ1000 is a popular reference for many high-precision

metrology Metrology is the scientific study of measurement. It establishes a common understanding of units, crucial in linking human activities. Modern metrology has its roots in the French Revolution's political motivation to standardise units in Fran ...

applications, and has served as the internal voltage reference for many high-precision devices such as the HP3458A 8½ digit multimeter and CERN's HPM7177 8½ digit voltmeter, which is used in the

Large Hadron Collider The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the world's largest and highest-energy particle collider. It was built by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) between 1998 and 2008 in collaboration with over 10,000 scientists and hundred ...

. It is also very popular among hobbyists seeking to produce their own voltage references for calibrating equipment or obtaining highly precise voltage measurements.

References

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