Patent ID: 6919543

Claim:
A method of making a resistive heater having a controlled resistivity, having a substrate, a resistive heating layer, and a power source, comprising the steps of: determining a desired resistivity of said resistive heater layer; selecting a solid metallic component and at least one reactant gas; selecting a proportion of said solid metallic component and said at least one reactant gas, so that when combined said desired resistivity of said resistive heater layer results; promoting reaction of at least a portion of said solid metallic component and said reactant gas by melting said at least a portion of said solid metallic component resulting in a stream of molten droplets, and providing controlled introduction of said reactant as to said molten droplets, thereby combining said molten droplets and said reactant gas, resulting in a free metal and reaction product; depositing said combined free metal and reaction product on said substrate to form said resistive heater layer having said desired resistivity; and providing power to said resistive heater layer.