17 Sep 2012

Keithley expands SourceMeter SMU instrument line

Keithley Instruments has introduced three source measurement unit (SMU) instruments suited for benchtop and R&D applications to its Series 2600B System SourceMeter SMU Instrument line.

The SMU instruments now provide 6-1/2-digit resolution, software emulation of Keithley’s Model 2400 SourceMeter instrument and USB 2.0 connectivity.

The new Models 2604B, 2614B, and 2634B are optimised for benchtop research, product development, student labs, and other settings where tightly integrated operation and high accuracy are important, but leading-edge, system-level test automation is not.

The Series 2600B SMU line offers both single- and dual-channel models that combine the capabilities of a precision power supply, true current source, 6-1/2-digit multimeter, arbitrary waveform generator, pulse generator, and electronic load in one tightly integrated instrument.

According to Keithley, the result is a powerful range of solutions that offer industry-leading productivity in applications ranging from benchtop I-V characterisation to highly automated production test.

The Series 2600B line provides a variety of features that enhance its performance and make it easier to use:

• 6-1/2-digit measurement resolution. This allows Series 2600B instruments to provide resolution (up to 0.1fA for the Models 2635B and 2636B), which is said to be 100x greater than the closest industry competition.

• Model 2400 software emulation: The Series 2600B is compatible with test code developed for Keithley’s Model 2400 SourceMeter SMU instrument, which can enable easier upgrade from Model 2400-based test systems to Series 2600B, and can improve overall test times by as much as 80%. In addition, it provides a migration path from SCPI programming to Keithley’s TSP technology, which the company says can improve test times even more.

• USB communications with an external controller: A back-panel USB 2.0 connector expands the interface options available for communicating with an external PC.

• Embedded Plug & Play I-V Testing: Series 2600B instruments offer embedded, Java-based test software that supports plug-and-play I-V characterization. This built-in software boosts productivity across a wide range of applications, including R&D, student labs, quality assurance/failure analysis, and many others.

The Series 2600B line builds upon the capabilities of its predecessor, the Series 2600A line, with which it is fully backward compatible.

Key productivity features include the Series 2600B’s onboard Test Script Processor (TSP), which embeds complete test programs into non-volatile memory within the instrument itself to provide the industry’s highest test throughput by eliminating the GPIB traffic problems common to systems dependent on an external PC controller.

In addition, for large, multi-channel applications, Keithley’s TSP-Link inter-unit communication and expansion bus works in tandem with the TSP to enable high speed, SMU-per-pin parallel testing.

Because Series 2600B instrument channels are fully isolated and do not require a mainframe, they can be easily re‑configured and re-deployed as new test applications are developed, says Keithley.

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