M9602 and M9603A PXIe Precision Source/Measure Units

15 MSa/s, 1 pA/100 fA, 60 V, 3.5 A DC/10.5 A pulse

PXIe precision SMU with a best-in-it-class narrow pulse width as narrow as 10 μs, a fast sampling rate of up to 15 MSa/s and a wide output range enabling dynamic/pulsed measurements for broad emerging applications such as VCSEL optical devices and IC testing.

Introduction

With the growing importance of dynamic and pulsed measurements in emerging fields such as device characterization and circuit testing, there is new demand for the ability to utilize source/measure unit (SMU) in DC, dynamic, and pulsed measurements. The Keysight M9602A and M9603A are PXIe precision SMUs which offer a best-in-their-class narrow pulse width of 10 μs, a fast sampling rate of up to 15 MSa/s, and a wide output range. They enable dynamic/pulsed measurements for a broad range of emerging applications such as vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) optical devices, integrated circuit (IC) testing across a wide output range of up to 60 V/3.5 A DC/10.5 A pulse, and high resolution to a precision of 6 μV/100 fA. In addition, the M9602A and M9603A improve test throughput by providing low-noise performance of as low as 400 fArms at 1 power line cycle (PLC) for low current measurements of less than nA, which enables measurements with shorter aperture times. The seamless current measurement ranging function also eliminates range change time. These capabilities make the M9602A and M9603A ideal for emerging applications that require dynamic/pulsed measurements.

10 μs Narrow Pulse and 15 MSa/s High Sampling Rate Enabling Emerging Dynamic/ Pulsed Measurements

Dynamic/pulsed measurements are getting more important in emerging applications such as VCSEL optical devices and IC testing. The evaluation of the VCSEL optical devices requires narrow current pulse applications with a duration of tens of microseconds to suppress the self-heating effects during measurement. In addition, the capability of measuring at fast sampling rates is also required to capture such a narrow pulse while ensuring its output. IC testing also requires a sampling rate of more than  10 MSa/s to capture its dynamic behavior. The M9602A and M9603A have the capability to apply narrow pulse at a width as small as 10 μs and enable dynamic/pulsed measurements at a sampling rate of up to 15 MSa/s.

There are a variety of cables available for electrical measurements. However, it is important to select cables with less inductance when applying a narrow current pulse with a width as small as 10 μs, because cable inductance is critical when applying a clean and narrow current pulse. Keysight provides the PX0104A Low Inductance Cable for the M9602A and M9603A, enabling the application of a clean and narrow current pulse. Another issue of cable inductance is the voltage drop on the measurement cable when applying a narrow current pulse. The Remote Transient Voltage Measurement function of the M9602A and M9603A has a dedicated voltmeter with higher bandwidth and reduces the influence of cable inductance and voltage drop on the measurement cable using a 4-wire connection when applying narrow current pulse. Once the function is enabled, the M9602A and M9603A can make transient measurements of voltage at the device terminal with reducing the influence of cable inductance when applying a narrow current pulse.

These capabilities make the M9602A and M9603A suitable for emerging applications such as VCSEL optical devices and IC testing with enabled dynamic/pulsed measurements.