Ceramic glow plug

A ceramic heater for a DC power source, comprising:

• an insulating ceramic sintered body having a surface,
• a heating resistor embedded in the sintered body, and
• at least two leads connected to the heating resistor, the at least two leads comprising at least two electrodes exposed on the surface of the ceramic sintered body,
• the heating resistor comprising at least two printed layers of inorganic conductive material,
• the at least two electrodes comprising at least a printed layer of inorganic conductive material, and
• the at least two leads comprising at least a high melting point metal wire,
• wherein the ceramic sintered body comprises a substantially rod-shaped body having a substantially spherical tip, the heating resistor, the at least two leads and at least a portion of the at least two electrodes are disposed in the ceramic sintered body, the heating resistor comprises at least two substantially U-shaped, mutually parallel layers, and each of the at least two electrodes comprises a separate layer and each separate layer comprises a plurality of pieces.