Beryllium Oxide Insulators in Hyper-Environmental Thermocouple Application

The concept that a “high purity” oxide ceramic is a generic term describing a family of materials, which could exhibit various performance characteristics in critical thermocouple applications, is introduced. Individual products require complete characterization of composition and micro-structure in order to predict the specific physical, chemical and thermal properties of the selected part. Recent applications of newer high purity fabrication techniques to hyper-environmental temperature sensors are presented, including the chemical vapor deposition of BeO. A brief discussion of the toxicity of BeO indicates tonnage quantities of beryllium compounds have been processed since they were recognized as toxic in the late 1940's, with few, if any, confirmed new cases of the beryllium disease.