Near-zero temperature coefficient of resistance of hybrid resistor fabricated with carbon nanotube and metal alloy

A hybrid resistor has been fabricated by parallely connecting carbon nanotube (CNT) fiber with negative temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) and metal alloy with positive TCR to achieve near zero TCR. The CNT fibers were prepared by yarning CNTs grown on the silicone substrate by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. The CNT fiber resistors were fabricated by winding CNT fiber on the ceramic rod. Metal terminals were connected at both ends of the CNT fiber wound on the ceramic rod. The metal alloy resistors were fabricated with copper (Cu) and nickel (Ni) with different weight compositions. Electrical resistance and thermal stability (in terms of TCR in this work) of the CNT fiber resistors, the metal alloy resistors, and the hybrid resistors were measured as 7.94 Ω and −870 ppm/°C, 7.94 Ω and 1100 ppm/°C, and 3.97 Ω and −2 ppm/°C, respectively. In case of parallelly connected resistors with suitable combination, the resistance was lower than that of resistor with lower value, and the TCR approached to near zero. Finally, we propose a theoretical approach for adjusting resistance and TCR of the hybrid resistor composed of metal alloy and CNT fibers.