M9601A PXIe Precision Source/Measure Unit

The industry high-performance PXIe SMU enabling faster precise dynamic measurement from DC to 20 µs pulse, output up to 210 V/315 mA, and with the best-in-class 10 fA resolution and lowest source noise

Introduction

The Keysight M9601A PXIe precision source/measure unit is a precision source/measure unit (SMU) with the capability to source and measure both voltage and current. It covers currents from 10 fA to 315 mA and voltages from 500 nV to 210 V. It can make precise measurements broadly from DC to pulsed down to 20 μs pulse width with the sampling rate up to 1.25 MSa/s. The M9601A is ideal for a wide variety of current versus voltage (IV) measurement tasks that require both high resolution and accuracy such as the characterization, parametric/reliability tests of semiconductors, active/passive components, and general electronic devices.

Overview

Integrated source and measurement capabilities simplify challenging IV measurement tasks

The M9601A PXIe SMU integrates different source and measurement capabilities into one PXIe module (please see Figure 1). It can operate as a seamless symmetry 4-quadrant precision voltage/currentsource, an electrical load, an accurate voltage/current meter, and a pulse generator. Its versatile all-in[1]one integrated source and measurement capabilities allow it to perform a wide variety of measurements from DC to pulsed without the need to change connections or use additional equipment.

Since SMUs can very accurately measure their current and voltage output, they have many advantages over conventional power supplies. All SMUs have internal feedback loops that provide instantaneous feedback to the sourcing circuitry, which allows the SMU output to remain accurate and stable even if the load conditions change unexpectedly.

SMUs also possess a voltage and current limit (compliance) feature that allows you to set limits to protect devices from damage caused by excessive voltage or current.

Low current measurement noise performance reduces the measurement time

The low measurement noise performance is important for the low-level measurement as well as the high measurement resolution capability. The long aperture time is commonly used to eliminate the measurement noise, especially for small current measurement, but the measurement time becomes longer accordingly. The Keysight M9601A can achieve 30 fArms noise level with 1 power line cycle (PLC) aperture time (at 50 Hz power line frequency), which is three times lower than the conventional PXIe SMU under the same condition (aperture time) and 10 times faster than the conventional PXIe SMU module to achieve the same level noise (please see Figure 2 and 3). This capability enables you to reveal more of the true characteristics of your devices and shorten the measurement time significantly.

Narrow pulse suppresses self-heating effect

The M9601A can make precise measurement broadly from DC to pulsed down to 20 μs pulse width with the sampling rate up to 1.25 MSa/s, which makes the M9601A ideal for a wide variety of current versus voltage (IV) measurement tasks that require both high resolution and accuracy (please see Figure 4).The narrow pulse capability down to 20 μs width enables you to suppress the self-heating effect to reveal the true characteristics of the devices.

Fast transient captures the actual transient response from the devices and circuits

Commonly, the slew rate of the conventional SMUs varies with the measurement conditions, which affects the measurement results. The M9601A has two operation modes such as standard mode (works the same as a conventional SMU) and the PS mode which enables fast transient with 1.4 V/μs slew rate at maximum (please see Figure 5). The unmatched fast transient capability enables you to capture the actual transient response from the devices and circuits without the influence of the measurement equipment’s performance.

Programmable output resistance function provides flexible measurement capabilities

The M9601A has a programmable output resistance feature that allows you to control the output behavior of the SMU. It allows you to specify an output resistance value (either positive or negative) such that the output will respond exactly as if the specified resistance value were in series (voltage source mode) or in parallel (current source mode) with the source output. It can emulate resistance values over a wide range, and the negative resistance capability is particularly useful for cancelling out unwanted external resistances. For example, you can use the negative resistance feature to eliminate the resistance of long connection wires without the need to use a 4-wire (Kelvin) connection scheme. This is especially useful in situations where a 4-wire measurement is not possible due to packaged device limitations or to the absence of sense pads for probing.