Pulsed Measurement of IV Characteristics and S-Parameters

Model devices across their linear and nonlinear regions with pulsed measurements

Current-voltage characteristics (IV characteristics) and scattering parameters (S-parameters) are critical in understanding the performance of any active device.

Pulsed measurements of IV characteristics and S-parameters involve the application of a pulsed bias voltage to the device-under-test. Pulsed measurements can eliminate heating and trapping effects allowing device modeling to be undertaken under quasi-isothermal operating conditions in both their linear and non-linear operating regions.

Maury Microwave provides proven technology for pulsed measurements of IV characteristics and S-parameters. For pulsed measurements of S-parameters the technology is used in conjunction with the Keysight Technologies PNA-X microwave network analyzer. A complete solution comprises a Maury pulse controller that includes DC power supplies, external gate and drain pulse heads, Maury’s IVCAD software and an

Keysight PNA-X for the RF measurements. Pulse acquisition and measurement is performed via embedded hardware within the gate and drain pulse heads thereby eliminating the requirement for an external oscilloscope. The modular system offers 250V/30A pulse generation capabilities with pulse widths down to 200 ns and duty cycles between 0 and 100%. An automatic self-calibration feature makes IV calibration simple and accurate.

For pulsed measurements of IV characteristics and S-parameters, triggering and sequencing are critical. The Keysight PNA-X provides a unique gated narrowband filtering mode that performs asynchronous acquisition thereby reducing pulse desensitization and improving accuracy and dynamic range. Triggering is synchronized via the PNA-X pulse I/O adapter and the pulsed IV controller’s trigger input. Sequencing for gate, drain, RF signal and measurement pulse widths, are defined in the IVCAD software suite or as part of the self-programmable API.

With a pulsed IV and S-parameters measurement system from Maury and

Keysight you can characterize and model devices across their entire linear and nonlinear operating range providing a better understanding of device technology and more accurate simulations for your product development.