Temperature fixed points are widely used in defining, realizing, maintaining, and disseminating temperature scale. To extend the fixed-point temperature range above the current practical limit of copper point (1085 ^oC), a novel series of high-temperature fixed points have been developed at the AIST, which use metal-graphite eutectic instead of pure metal as fixed-point material. Performance evaluations for 9 fixed points in the temperature range 1100 ^oC to 2500 ^oC show the fixed points can potentially improve the ultra-high temperature scale by one order of magnitude or more. The potential impact of this technique to related fields is presented.

AIST Today Vol. 1, No. 1 (2001) 5-8