Like the other members of the 2600A Series, the 2651A offers a 4-quadrant IV electronic voltage and current source/load, along with a precision voltage and current meter. It combines the functionality of multiple instruments into a single, complete rack unit: semiconductor characterizer, precision power supply, ideal current source, digital multimeter, arbitrary waveform generator, V or I pulse generator, electronic load, and trigger controller. It is expandable thanks to Keithley's TSP-Link® technology, which allows for the creation of multi-channel systems with multiple synchronized units. The 2651A can supply or absorb up to 2000 W of pulsed power (±40 V, ±50 A) or 200 W of continuous DC power (±10 V @ ±20 A, ±20 V @ ±10 A, ±40 V @ ±5 A). It can make precise measurements of signals as low as 1 pA and 1 µV.
Connecting two units in parallel via the TSP-Link extends the current range from 50 to 100 A. This is more than double the current offered by similar equipment from other competitors. The voltage range can also be doubled to 80 V by connecting two units in series. The embedded TSP® Script Processor, included in all instruments in the series, simplifies testing by allowing users to combine multiple units to operate as a single instrument. The internal trigger controller enables synchronization of all channels within 500 ns.
Digitizer Mode and Integrator Mode
The 2651A has two measurement modes: Digitizer or Integrator for high-speed or high-precision characterization. Each mode uses two independent A/D converters (one for current measurement and one for voltage) that operate simultaneously to accurately read the generated signal (Source Readback) without sacrificing test speed.
The 18-bit A/D converter used in Digitizer mode allows for continuous measurement of up to 1 million readings per second, capturing waveforms and transients at 1 MS/s with a high accuracy of 0.05%. Similar solutions require averaging multiple readings to obtain an accurate measurement and often cannot capture transients quickly enough. Integrator mode, using 22-bit A/D converters, optimizes instrument performance for applications requiring the highest resolution and measurement accuracy. It ensures the best accuracy in low-current and low-voltage measurements, which are critical in state-of-the-art devices. All instruments in the 2600A series operate in Integrator mode
In pulsed mode, the 2651A can generate and absorb higher power levels and minimize heating of the device under test with short pulse durations, a common problem in high-power materials and semiconductors. This ensures accurate results, undistorted by the typical sample heating associated with continuous operation. The minimum permissible pulse width is 100 µs, and the duty cycle can be configured between 1% and 100%.
A wide range of applications.
All the above features make it a highly flexible and powerful solution for characterization and testing applications of high-current and high-power devices, including:
- Characterization of power semiconductors, HBLEDs, and optical devices.
- Characterization of GaN, SiC, and other composite materials.
- Characterization of semiconductor junction temperatures.
- Reliability testing.
- High-speed, high-precision digitization of high-power devices.
- Electromigration studies.
Communications:
The 2651A model includes Ethernet/LXI, GPIB, and RS232 interfaces for PC communication, and a USB port for external storage. The instrument includes the TSP-Express IV characterization software tool on its internal web server, eliminating the need for software installation or programming to perform simple tests, including pulsed mode for high currents and power levels. TSP-Express delivers results in three simple steps: connect, configure, and obtain data. Data can be monitored in graphical or tabular format and exported to a .csv file for spreadsheet analysis. LabVIEW drivers and powerful Test Script Builder software are also provided for developing complex applications in advanced coding languages.
Author: Measuring Instruments, SL.
