Abstract
Tunnel diode oscillators can be used to measure the critical temperature of a superconductor by monitoring the frequency of oscillation. In my experiment I have constructed an LC to be used in conjunction with a tunnel diode for a stable oscillation. The tunnel diode keeps the oscillation from damping because of its unique characteristic of negative resistance at certain voltages. In order to use the tunnel diode for this purpose, I first measured its IV curve to determine at what voltage it needs to operate. Once this is done, it can be used in the oscillator circuit and set up with the superconductor. The critical temperature of the superconductor is seen as a sudden drop in the graph of frequency of the oscillator as a function of temperature.
