R&D 100 Award for high power SMU instrument!

The Model 2657A High Power System SourceMeter® Source Measure Unit (SMU) Instrument from Keithley has received the R&D 100 Award from R&D (Research & Development) magazine. This R&D 100 Award recognizes the Model 2657A, which was introduced in 2012, as one of the year's 100 most significant technology innovations worldwide and marks the 23rd time that Keithley has been honoured with this distinction by the editors of R&D magazine. Representatives from the Model 2657A Development Team will accept the award on behalf of Keithley during ceremonies to be held November 7 at the Renaissance Orlando Hotel (FL USA).

High voltage electronics, materials, and power semiconductor end applications are becoming increasingly demanding, requiring test instrumentation capable of characterizing devices with
significantly higher breakdown voltages and lower leakage currents and higher power levels than ever before. The Model 2657A, which allows researchers and engineers to make electrical measurements at up to 3,000 volts while measuring down to 1fA, is part of Keithley's growing line of precision sourcing and measurement instruments. The Model 2657A can source up to five times as much power to test a device as the nearest competitive solution, at significantly lower cost.

The Model 2657A is the highest voltage instrument a Keithley development team has ever designed. Its combination of requirements necessitated re-evaluating all Keithley safety practices and demanded exceptional discipline and ingenuity in terms of design.

Lee Stauffer, the senior staff technologist who led the Model 2657A Development Team, noted, "It's gratifying that the editors at R&D recognized the advantages the Model 2657A offers. Its
combination of high voltage at high power levels and ultra-low current resolution lets researchers and engineers capture important data that other solutions can't."