Full wafer-level support including high voltage capacitance-voltage testing!

Keithley Instruments has introduced new enhancements to its Parametric Curve Tracer (PTC) configurations that incorporate high power SourceMeter® Source Measure Unit (SMU) instruments. For test engineers responsible for configuring high power semiconductor test systems, the new Keithley Model 8020 High Power Interface Panel improves connectivity and simplifies complex measurements like high voltage capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements. The Model 8020 reduces set-up times, minimizes opportunities for connection errors, improves operator and test hardware protection, and increases users’ confidence in the accuracy of their results. For more information, watch Keithley’s introductory video on the topic (right).

Characterizing high power semiconductor devices like power MOSFETs, IGBTs, diodes, etc. involves several different types of measurements: on-state (high current current-voltage), off-state (high voltage current-voltage), and capacitance-voltage (C-V) at high bias voltages. However, each of these measurements requires the use of different instrumentation, cabling, connectors, and probes (for wafer-level testing) or test fixtures (for packaged device testing).

In the past, no standardized solutions for combining high power instruments, interconnects, and probers/test fixtures suitable for all three test types in the same test station were commercially available. When changing from one measurement type to another, high power test system users once had to change the type of cables used manually, as well as critical hardware in the signal path between the device under test and the test instrumentation. High voltage C-V testing was particularly complicated because no standard or reliable measurement setups and methods were established. Test engineers often had to develop their own connection solutions through trial and error, which is not only expensive and time-consuming but can create an unsafe work environment, given the high outputs involved in testing power devices.

The configurable Model 8020 High Power Interface Panel allows test engineers to select the options that match their system’s probe station, positioners, or fixture. It also improves safety for both users and any low power SMU instruments in the system, simplifies incorporating different combinations of instruments, as well as taking the confusion out of adding elements like series resistors and bias tees to the signal path.

The Model 8020 simplifies changing from one measurement type to the next by allowing test engineers to connect all measurement instruments to it at once, making further connection changes unnecessary. When the Model 8020 is configured with optional C-V bias tees on the system’s 3kV and 200V channels, it acts as a high performance I-V/C-V switch, allowing users to perform both I-V and C-V testing without re-cabling.

The Model 8020 provides input connections for Keithley Model 2657A (3kV) and 2651A (50A) High Power SourceMeter SMU instruments, Model 2636B and 2612B SourceMeter SMU instruments, and Model PCT-CVU Multi-frequency C-V Meter. Various user-configurable output connectors are available to accommodate almost any probe station.

The Model PCT-CVU Multi-frequency C-V Meter, which supports C-V measurements from 10kHz to 2MHz, can be used to upgrade any Keithley PCT configuration to include 2- and 3-terminal capacitance measurements. It is designed for use with the new Model CVU-200-KIT bias tee kit to extend the voltage bias to 200V or the Model CVU-3K-KIT bias tee kit to extend it to 3kV to support both AC and DC testing in the Model 8010 or other high power test fixture.

The latest version (V 2.1) of Keithley’s ACS Basic Edition Component Test Software expands the package’s support for I-V and C-V measurements on devices like power MOSFETS, IGBTs, diodes, etc. It complements the advanced C‑V measurements the Model 8020 and new bias tee kits make possible.

Smart device app for source measure unit (SMU) instruments!

Keithley Instruments has developed a free app for Android™-based smartphones and tablets that interacts with a Keithley Series 2600B SourceMeter SMU instrument via its front panel USB interface. IVy, which is the industry's first app developed for SMU instruments. This extends Keithley's Touch, Test, Invent® design philosophy to offer benchtop Series 2600B instrument users a fast, easy-to-use touchscreen tool for characterizing 2- and 3-terminal devices. By leveraging the power of smart mobile devices, IVy transforms the Series 2600B into a powerful instrument that enables users to visualize, interact, and share measurement results more efficiently, while helping them gain a deeper understanding of their devices behavior.

Unlike other instrument apps, IVy is more than just a tablet/smartphone version of a front panel. IVy leverages a smart device's built-in display (pan/pinch/zoom/swipe), computing (interaction with the instrument), and communication (WiFi, email, etc.) capabilities so users can visualize measurement data, interact with the instrument, and share results easily - all without programming. Like all Keithley Touch, Test, Invent solutions, the IVy app is designed to help instrument users "learn faster, work smarter, and invent easier." It helps users gain deeper insight into their device under test (DUT) performance by allowing them to toggle quickly between test modes, observe a DUT's response over time, and analyze results interactively by using fingertip control. IVy is compatible with any Android (V 4.0 or later) smartphone or tablet and the latest release (V 3.1.0) of the Series 2600B firmware 

IVy's patent-pending design provides for simultaneous control over the source level (using an on-screen slider) and monitoring of test results (on the smart device's graphical display). This unique capability makes it easy to analyze I-V characteristics, DUT stability, response time, or drift in a circuit visually. Changes in DUT performance are reflected instantly on the graphical display, and further analysis or troubleshooting is simplified by pinching, zooming, or scrolling. IVy also simplifies the process of sharing test results by utilizing built-in smart-device capabilities such as cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth, email, or other apps such as Dropbox, Google Drive, and more. This capability can be invaluable when collaborating on a task or project.

The Keithley Series 2600B SourceMeter SMU instruments are available in both single- and dual-channel models that combine the capabilities of a precision power supply, true current source, 6½-digit multimeter, arbitrary waveform generator, pulse generator, and electronic load in one tightly integrated instrument. They offer industry-leading resolution (up to 0.1fA) and dynamic range (up to 3A or 200V).

Source Measure Unit (SMU) instrument!

Keithley Instruments have announced the first benchtop Source Measure Unit (SMU) instrument with a capacitive touchscreen graphical user interface. The Model 2450 SourceMeter® SMU Instrument combines the intuitive touchscreen and icon-based control that novice SMU users can appreciate with the exceptional versatility that experienced users need to learn faster, work smarter, and invent easier.

The Model 2450’s design, Keithley’s latest generation of SMU instruments, offers a fundamentally new way for users to interact with test and measurement instruments. It is based on the company’s innovative “Touch, Test, Invent™” design philosophy.

This new design philosophy reflects recent market changes, including shrinking product design/development cycles and fewer personnel devoted exclusively to test engineering tasks. At the same time, the profile of the typical instrument user has also evolved. In addition to electrical engineers, it now includes a growing number of non-engineers (such as electrochemists, physicists, materials scientists, etc.) who need fast access to data but sometimes have limited training in electrical measurement. Additionally, as the previous generation of electrical engineers has retired, their younger replacements have tended to be more software oriented than hardware oriented. To accommodate all of these market and user changes, the Model 2450 incorporates numerous ease-of-use features that ensure a faster “time-to-answer” than competitive solutions, including a context-sensitive help function, “Quickset” modes that speed instrument configuration, and on-screen graphing capabilities that quickly turn raw data into usable results.

The Model 2450 builds on the design strengths and high precision of both the Model 2400 SourceMeter SMU instrument (an industry standard since its 1995 introduction) and the newer Series 2600B System SourceMeter SMU Instrument line. The Model 2450 combines the functionality of a power supply , true current source, 6-1/2-digit multimeter , electronic load, and trigger controller in one tightly integrated, half-rack instrument. With all of these capabilities, the Model 2450 integrates the capabilities of I-V systems, curve tracers, and semiconductor analysers at a fraction of their cost.

Benchtop Application Advantages
Many of the Model 2450’s features help speed and simplify lab/benchtop work:
• Full-color, 5-inch touchscreen user interface: The full-color display and large on-screen characters enhance legibility. A simple, icon-based menu structure allows reaching any measurement set-up panel with just a touch.
• Extended measurement ranges with superior low current performance: The new low current (100nA, 10nA) and voltage (20mV) ranges eliminate the need to add separate low-level instruments to a benchtop system. Back-panel triax cable connections eliminate the need for expensive cable adaptors, which can degrade low-level measurement performance.
• Built-in context-sensitive help function: Help information is provided right where it’s needed through the touchscreen, minimizing the need to review a manual.
• Error and event logging: The touchscreen displays error messages and an event log to simplify diagnosing instrument errors, for higher productivity.
• KickStart start-up software: This “no-programming” instrument control software simplifies taking and graphing data in minutes. For more complex analyses, data can be easily stored to disk, and then exported to Microsoft Excel® or another software environment.

System-Level Application Advantages
Several features simplify integrating the Model 2450 into automated test systems:
• Embedded Test Script Processor (TSP®): An onboard Test Script Processor embeds complete test programs into non-volatile memory within the instrument itself to provide higher test throughput by eliminating the GPIB traffic problems common to systems dependent on an external PC controller.
• TSP-Link® inter-unit communication bus: Unlike users of mainframe-based systems, Model 2450 users are not constrained by power or channel count limitations. TSP-Link connections support system expansion with multiple 2450s and other TSP instruments, including Series 2600B SMU instruments and the Model 3706A Switch/Multimeter. Up to 32 Model 2450 instruments can be linked for multi-point or multi-channel parallel test, under the direction of a master unit’s TSP controller.
• Model 2400 legacy mode: In addition to its native 2450 SCPI operating mode, the Model 2450 offers a 2400 SCPI operating mode for backward compatibility with existing 2400 SCPI programs. This preserves Model 2400 users’ software investments and eliminates the re-work normally associated with upgrading a system with a new instrument.
• PC connectivity and automation: Rear panel triax connectors, multiple instrument communication interfaces (GPIB, USB 2.0, and LXI/Ethernet), a D‑sub 9-pin digital I/O port (for internal/external trigger signals and handler control), instrument interlock control, and TSP-Link® jacks simplify configuring multi-instrument test setups.

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."

Test instrumentation

Keithley Instruments has introduced seven instrumentation, software, and test fixture configurations for parametric curve tracing applications for characterizing high power devices at up to 3,000V and 100A. They’re optimised to provide the industry’s most cost-effective solution for characterizing the growing number of high power semiconductor devices, including those based on silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) technology. These systems offer the power required for the vast majority of high power device design and development applications, and are optimized to address the characterization and test needs of research, reliability, failure analysis, and power device applications engineers; power device designers; incoming inspection technicians; and many others.

Lee Stauffer, a Keithley staff technologist, notes, “Many power device developers have told us they like the dynamic range and ease of use of a traditional curve tracer, but they know they need more flexibility in configuring the measurement channels, as well as the accuracy, capability, and graphical user interface that a modern parametric analyzer offers.”

In sharp contrast with solutions that require all instrumentation to be housed in a chassis, all seven Keithley configurations offer the flexibility to add new measurement channels economically as users’ needs evolve, with no need to return the system to the factory to install new hardware. For example, someone could start with an entry level Parametric Curve Tracer, then add the capabilities of additional System SourceMeter® instruments, such as higher voltage and/or higher current, at a later date. Six different System SourceMeter instrument models can be mixed and matched to create the optimum combination of voltage, current and power for the user’s specific needs. Keithley’s TSP‑Link® virtual backplane technology makes it easy to incorporate any number of Source-Measure channels, all of which are fully and automatically synchronized with other SourceMeter instruments in the system.

All seven configurations include the latest version of Keithley’s ACS (Automated Characterization Suite) Basic Edition software, which supports Keithley’s newest SMUs and takes maximum advantage of the Series 2600B’s TSP-Link connection trigger model, which allows for 500ns trigger synchronization between instruments. This tighter synchronization capability maximizes the high speed pulse mode capabilities of the new Model 2651A and Model 2657A High Power System SourceMeter instruments. The Windows-compatible ACS Basic Edition package provides control and analysis tools well-suited for high power device characterization, including complete parametric test libraries for MOSFETs, BJTs, triacs, diodes, IGBTs, and other device types. The software’s “trace” mode, which uses an on-screen slider control that works much like the power control knob on a traditional analog curve tracer, allows users to control the level of voltage and current levels sourced interactively and to see how the power device responds in real time. The software’s “parametric” mode provides a “fill-in-the-blanks” GUI to configure a test precisely and a comprehensive set of tools for precise parameter extraction. All seven bundles also include all cabling and adapters required for system assembly, as well as a number of sample power devices useful for training and demonstration purposes.

Picoammeter

Keithley Instruments has introduced a dual-channel picoammeter with dual ±30V independent, non-floating bias sources and 1fA measurement resolution. The Model 6482 Picoammeter, the latest addition to Keithley's popular line of sensitive instrumentation, provides two independent picoammeter/source channels in a 2U, half-rack enclosure, allowing simultaneous 6-1/2-digit measurements across both channels. It offers twice the channel density available from other high speed, high accuracy picoammeters for easier control and data aggregation and a lower cost of ownership, as well as higher measurement accuracy (±1% on the 2nA range) and a wider dynamic range (1fA to 20mA) than competing single-channel picoammeter/source combinations. At 4-1/2-digit resolution, users can take up to 900 readings/second on each channel.

Wide Range of Applications

The Model 6482 is suitable for a wide range of applications related to characterizing electronic materials and devices designed for low current operation in laboratory, R&D, and manufacturing settings. Applications include:

• Manufacturing component test
• Dual diode testing
• Semiconductor component testing
• Multi-pin component testing
• Dark current measurements
• Ion beam monitoring
• Electron microscopy

Wide Dynamic Measurement Range
The Model 6482 offers low current measurement ranges from 2nA to 20mA in decade steps.
This wide measurement range ensures high sensitivity and resolution for the growing number of low current applications that require making measurements at multiple points simultaneously.

High Accuracy Dark Current Measurements
The Model 6482's 2nA current measurement range is ideal for measuring dark currents and other low currents with 1fA resolution. Once the level of dark current has been determined, the instrument's REL function automatically subtracts the dark current as an offset so the measured values are more accurate for optical power measurements. For measuring the dark currents of photodiodes or other light-sensitive components, the Model 6482's front panel display can be switched off to avoid introducing light that would interfere with getting accurate results.

Ratio and Delta Measurements
The Model 6482 can provide ratio or delta measurements between the two completely isolated channels. These functions can be accessed via the front panel or the GPIB interface. For test setups with multiple detectors, this capability enables targeted control capabilities.

Interface Options
To speed and simplify system integration and control when building multi-instrument test systems that require tightly coupled sourcing and measurement, the Model 6482 provides the Trigger Link feature, as well as standard GPIB and RS-232 interfaces. The Trigger Link feature combines six independent software selectable trigger lines on a single connector for simple, direct control over all instruments in a system. This feature is especially useful for reducing total test time if the test involves a sweep. To make it easier to transfer measurement results from the Model 6482 to other instruments, a scaled 0-10V analog output simplifies transmitting data to DMMs, data acquisition boards, oscilloscopes, strip chart recorders, and other devices.

Programmable Limits and Filters
The Model 6482's current and voltage limits can be programmed to ensure device protection during critical points such as start of test, etc. It also provides Average and Median filters, which can be applied to the data stored in each channel's separate 3000-point buffer memory.

Adjustable Noise Protection Options
For applications that demand the highest measurement sensitivity, the Model 6482 has rear panel triax inputs for making triaxial cable connections to minimize electrical noise. For less stringent applications, the included triax-to-BNC adapters allow making connections with less costly BNC cables.

Dual- and triple-channel programmable power supplies

Keithley Instruments has added two multi-channel power supplies to the company’s Series 2200 line of programmable DC power supplies. Both combine the advantage of greater output accuracy than offerings from the market leader at prices that are substantially lower, as well as features that enhance ease of use in circuit design , university student labs , materials research , and device testing that requires the use of more than one power source. With these new models, Keithley now offers a range of one-, two-, and three-channel power supplies that complement its broad source and measurement instrumentation offering. 

The new supplies’ output levels are designed to address a wide range of sourcing requirements for characterizing components, circuits, modules, and complete devices. The Model 2230-30-1 supply provides two output channels, typically used for powering analog circuits, with each channel capable of outputting up to 30V/1.5A/45W, plus a 6V/5A/30W output channel, typically used for powering digital circuits. (In contrast, the market-leading three-channel supply’s analog outputs are limited to just 25V@1A.) The Model 2220-30-1 supply provides two output channels, each capable of outputting up to 30V/1.5A/45W. These maximum output levels, combined with voltage setting and reading resolution of 1mV and current setting and reading resolution of 1mA, allow generating a wider range of output power and reading a wider range of load currents with high precision.

Better Voltage and Current Output and Readback Accuracy than the Competition
With basic voltage setting accuracy and voltage readback accuracy of 0.03% for each output channel (compared to the market leader’s lower accuracy of 0.05%), Series 2200 multi-channel supply users can be confident the exact voltage they program for any channel is the level applied at the output terminals. Unlike the many competitive units that don’t offer remote sensing, rear-panel remote sense terminals on each channel of the new Series 2200 supplies compensate for voltage drops in the power supply leads to ensure that the correct voltage is delivered to the load terminals of the DUT, enhancing overall system accuracy. They also offer 0.1% basic current setting and readback accuracy (versus the market leader’s 0.15% accuracy) and less than 3mVp‑p ripple and noise to ensure high quality load current measurements.

Isolated and Independent Outputs for Greater Testing Flexibility than Competing Supplies
Each output channel is completely isolated, which allows the new supplies to power two isolated circuits with different reference points, eliminating the need for a second supply. Many competitive multi-channel supplies do not offer isolated channel outputs and cannot properly power isolated circuits. Each channel can also be turned on or off independently, so the supplies can be used to power up a circuit that requires turning on multiple voltage levels in a specified time sequence. A programmable timer allows setting up a test to run unattended, turning off the outputs after a specified interval.

Reconfigurable Outputs and Easier-to-Understand Output Displays
For applications that require supplying more than 30V or 1.5A, the new supplies’ 30V outputs can be combined in a variety of configurations, such as being wired in series to produce a 60V output with a maximum current output of 1.5A or wired in parallel to produce a 3A output at 30V. When configured this way, special display modes show the actual voltage and current for the combined pair. This is an important advantage over competitive units, which typically do not show the actual combined output, increasing the potential for confusion or incorrect interpretation of the displayed results. The new Keithley supplies also allow configuring the 30V outputs to test a bipolar circuit or maintain a user-defined ratio between the two outputs when using Tracking mode.

Protection for Delicate Devices under Test (DUTs)
Several features help protect fragile or experimental DUTs from damage during testing, including programmable voltage maximum values that prevent the accidental entry of a channel’s voltage above the pre-set value. These settings are in addition to the current limit setting function, which controls the level of current that can flow into the DUT, and each output channel’s limit can be set independently. In addition, all front panel controls can be locked using a user-definable password to prevent inadvertent changes during critical tests.

Optimised for Test System Integration
The new multi-channel power supplies are designed to perform as effectively in automated test systems as they do in manual configurations. A USB TMC-compliant device port makes it easy to control each remotely from a variety of programming environments. For example, Tektronix Edition LabVIEW SignalExpress™ from National Instruments provides all the tools needed for basic instrument control, data logging, and analysis. This programming environment, which supports a wide range of Tektronix bench instruments, can be used to automate the entire test bench or test system by providing access to the features of multiple instruments from one intuitive software interface.

Flexible Operation and High Ease of Use
A variety of features enhance the operating versatility and simplify operation of the new supplies:
• Instrument settings can be saved to one of 30 internal memory locations to save time when conducting repetitive tests.
• A rotary knob with adjustable step size simplifies studying a DUT’s response to voltage or current changes. A numeric keypad offers an alternative method of entering values precisely.
• Voltage and current outputs for all channels are shown simultaneously on the bright vacuum fluorescent display, unlike competitive units, which can display only one channel at a time.
• Standard IVI-Com and LabVIEW instrument drivers ease integration into automated test environments.

Economical and programmable 5-1/2-Digit DMM

Keithley Instruments continues to build on its long history in digital multimeter (DMM)  design with an economical new offering. The Model 2110 5-1/2-digit Dual-Display Digital Multimeter is optimised for a variety of general-purpose system and bench design applications. When compared with leading 5-1/2-digit DMMs, the Model 2110 offers superior throughput (up to 10x faster), accuracy (up to 2x better DC voltage accuracy), a lower purchase price, and greater integration flexibility. System features such as external triggering, a built-in reading buffer, and an optional GPIB interface enhance ease of use. To learn more about the Model 2110 DMM, visit www.keithley.com/data?asset=57008.

A Rich Feature Set at a Value Price

The Model 2110’s capabilities include DC voltage (up to 1000V) and current (up to 10A), AC voltage (up to 750V) and current (up to 10A), two- and four-wire resistance (up to 100 mega-ohms), temperature, frequency (10Hz–300kHz) and period, and capacitance (1 nanofarad to 100 microfarad ranges) measurements. A variety of mathematical functions and diode and continuity test functions are also included. Programmable A-D converter and filter settings simplify optimizing the Model 2110’s signal-to-noise ratio to improve measurement accuracy. At the fast 4-1/2-digit setting, it takes up to 50,000 readings/second.

The instrument’s dual display can show the results from two measurements simultaneously, such as DC voltage and temperature, so users can monitor temperature fluctuations without interrupting other measurements. Its intuitive front panel makes it easy enough for students to use without sacrificing measurement performance or flexibility.

Temperature Measurement Support 
Temperature is the most commonly measured parameter, and the Model 2110 includes support for making temperature measurements with RTDs, NTC thermistors, and B, C, E, J, K, N, R, S and T-type thermocouples. A built-in cold junction compensator ensures higher thermocouple measurement accuracy without the need for additional plug-ins.

Built-in Mathematical Functions and Included Test Tools
To simplify the process of converting raw measurement data into usable information, the Model 2110 includes the most often-used mathematical functions: percentage, average, min/max, null, limits, mX+B, dB, and dBm. The KI-Tool and KI-Link software tools included help users to control the instrument remotely, record measurements, and display time-series plots of the results, then import them into either Microsoft® Word or Excel files for creating reports. LabVIEW® and IVI drivers provide further programming flexibility.

Remote Interfaces
With USB-only or USB/GPIB control options, the Model 2110 is simple to integrate into test systems with other instruments, such as Keithley’s growing line of Series 2200 DC Power Supplies. The TMC-compliant USB remote interface and the optional GPIB interface allow easy re-use of existing SCPI programs.

Wide Range of Applications
The Model 2110 DMM offers high value for applications in manual, semi-automatic, and automatic testing of low-cost electronic devices, circuits, modules, electrical components, and semiconductor components. Production, R&D, and test engineers, scientists, and students will find it useful for making a wide variety of measurements in the portable, bench, and system applications that don’t demand the ultra-high precision that Keithley’s other Series 2000 DMMs provide but that do require stable, accurate, and high speed measurements.

Three SMU models optimised for benchtop applications

Enhance productivity from R&D to production test!

Keithley Instruments  has introduced three new economical source measurement unit (SMU) instruments suited for benchtop and R&D applications to its Series 2600B System SourceMeter® SMU Instrument line, which now includes new capabilities that enhance productivity and ease of use. The test and measurement industry’s most powerful, fastest, and highest resolution SMU instruments now provide 6-1/2-digit resolution, software emulation of Keithley’s widely installed Model 2400 SourceMeter instrument and USB 2.0 connectivity.

Three New Dual-Channel Models Offer Industry-Best Value and Performance
For researchers, educators, R&D engineers, and others who must deal with ever-tighter instrumentation budgets, Keithley has added three high value, dual-channel SMUs to the Series 2600B line. The new Models 2604B, 2614B, and 2634B are optimized 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. With these new models customized to the needs of these users, Keithley extends its leadership in SMU instruments. These new SMUs are also priced to fit as easily into a researcher’s budget as they do onto a benchtop.

New Features Enhance Industry-Leading Productivity
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. The result is a powerful range of solutions that offer industry-leading productivity in applications ranging from benchtop I-V characterization 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 industry-leading resolution (up to 0.1fA for the Models 2635B and 2636B), which is 100x greater than the closest industry competition. This higher level of resolution lets users discern smaller changes in their measurements, so Series 2600B instruments can provide for more complete characterization.

• Model 2400 software emulation: The Series 2600B is compatible with test code developed for Keithley’s Model 2400 SourceMeter SMU instrument, which has been an industry standard for more than 15 years. This enables an 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 can improve test times even more. For complete support of legacy test systems, the Model 2400’s Source-Memory List test command sequencer is also fully supported.

• USB communications with an external controller: A back-panel USB 2.0 connector expands the interface options available for communicating with an external PC. Series 2600B instruments give users the widest variety of PC communication busses from which to choose: USB, LAN/LXI, GPIB, and RS‑232. The addition of the USB connector offers users the flexibility to choose quick, economical, and easy-to-set-up PC communications.

• Embedded Plug & Play I-V Testing: Series 2600B instruments are the only SMU instruments on the market that can offer embedded, Java-based test software that supports true plug-and-play I-V characterization through any web browser, on any computer, from anywhere in the world. This built-in software boosts productivity across a wide range of applications, including R&D, student labs, quality assurance/failure analysis, and many others. Users can easily make a web connection to a Series 2600B instrument with the supplied LAN cable, open a browser, enter the instrument’s IP address, and begin characterizing materials or components immediately. Results can be downloaded to a spreadsheet for further analysis or imported into a document or presentation.

Built-in Tools for High Speed Test Automation
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.

Donation helps Phoenix to rise...

Keithley Instruments is helping the electrical engineers of tomorrow characterize photovoltaic devices accurately and efficiently. Oregon State University's Solar Vehicle Team (OSUSVT) has been putting the company's donated Model 2440 5A SourceMeter® instrument to work in analyzing and troubleshooting mono-crystalline silicon solar modules. These modules are powering the Phoenix, the solar race car in which the team competed in the 2012 American Solar Challenge, held in July. The donated instrument has already helped the team boost the power output of this year's vehicle by 50 percent over last year's.

The Phoenix

The team, made up of students, staff, and faculty members, has developed a soldering, testing, and laminating procedure to produce slightly flexible, lightweight solar modules based on mono-crystalline solar cells . To maximize vehicle performance, the team requires parametric data on each of the solar modules they construct in order to arrange the sub-arrays on the car in the most efficient manner. The Keithley Model 2440 SourceMeter instrument, acquired through a donation arranged between OSU's Kathy Han and Chuck Cimino, one of the company's marketing directors, is used to characterise each module's overall power output and maximum power point current using an I-V curve tracing technique. The Model 2440 allows students to gather accurate data on the performance of each module quickly and simplifies making side-by-side comparisons. Each solar module is characterized both before and after lamination and the data obtained is used in troubleshooting problems such as shorted cells and cracked cells. In addition, this data was employed in current matching in the sub-arrays, as well in projecting the output of the vehicle's entire solar array.

Kathy Han, the OSUSVT manager and lead for the body and co-lead for the solar module team, notes, "The Model 2440 allows us to obtain accurate I-V curve data on all our solar modules consistently and easily both before and after lamination. The data we obtained on maximum power output, open-current voltage, short-circuit current, maximum voltage, and maximum current let us detect problems like shorted and cracked cells, as well as to determine the best sub-array location for each module to maximize overall power output or to reject a module outright. Before we had access to the Model 2440, we had problems with one of our previous solar arrays that used solar cells that had been laser-cut from the front side, which we now know produces some melting of the p/n junction. This caused internal shorts and increased internal resistance in the cells. The Model 2440 made it possible to detect
problems that simply weren't detectable before and to match solar cells better. Because of Keithley's generous donation, this year's vehicle has 50 percent higher power output (900W instead of 600W) than last year's."

Keithley's Cimino explains, "The Model 2440 SourceMeter instrument is part of Keithley's Series 2400 line of source measurement units (SMU s), and is capable of sourcing and measuring up to 40V and 5A. Series 2400 instruments are optimized for test applications that demand tightly coupled sourcing and measurement, like the OSU's Solar Vehicle Team's. We were delighted to be asked to participate in their pursuit of the American Solar Challenge by making the SMU available for their use. We've also donated similar instrumentation to other college solar vehicle teams in previous years because of our long term commitment to supporting the development of the next generation of innovative and well trained electrical engineers and scientists."

All seven models in the Series 2400 SourceMeter line provide precision voltage and current sourcing as well as measurement capabilities. Each is both a highly stable DC power source and a true instrument-grade 6-1/2-digit multimeter. The power source characteristics include low noise, high precision, and flexible voltage, current and resistance readback. The multimeter capabilities include high repeatability and low noise signal conditioning and A-D conversion. The result is a compact, single-channel, DC parametric tester. In operation, these instruments can act as a voltage source, a current source, a voltage meter, a current meter, and an ohmmeter. By linking source and measurement circuitry in a single unit, these instruments minimise the time required for test station development, setup, and maintenance, while lowering the overall cost of system ownership. They also simplify the test process itself by eliminating many of the complex synchronisation and connection issues associated with using multiple instruments.

Ultra-fast I-V testing

Keithley Instruments  has published an informative e-guide titled “Ultra-Fast I‑V Applications for the Model 4225-PMU Ultra-Fast I-V Module.” A free copy is downloadable upon request from Keithley

Model 4225-PMU’s key features
• Integrated high speed sourcing and measurement capabilities, which allow for ultra-fast I‑V testing
• Wide dynamic range of voltage sourcing, current measurement (with auto-ranging), and timing parameters
• Broad array of applications
• Built-in interactive software for easy control

Example applications:
• General pulsed I-V testing of devices
• CMOS device characterization
• Non-volatile memory device testing
• Compound semiconductor devices and materials
• Nanotechnology and MEMs devices
• Solar cells
• A broad range of other tests

The 24-page e-guide provides an overview of ultra-fast I-V sourcing and measurement and why these have become increasingly important capabilities for many technologies, including compound semiconductors, non-volatile memory (NVM), MEMs devices, nanodevices, solar cells, and CMOS devices.

Using pulsed I-V signals to characterize devices rather than DC signals makes it possible to study or reduce the effects of self-heating (joule heating) or to minimize current drift or degradation in measurements due to trapped charge. Transient I-V measurements allow scientists and engineers to capture ultra high speed current or voltage waveforms in the time domain or to study dynamic test circuits. Pulsed sourcing can be used to stress test a device using an AC signal during reliability cycling or in a multi-level waveform mode to program/erase memory devices.

The Model 4225-PMU Ultra-Fast I-V Module, an option for the Model 4200-SCS Semiconductor Characterization System, supports many of these high speed source/measure applications. Each plug-in Model 4225-PMU module provides two channels of integrated sourcing and measurement but occupies only a single slot in the Model 4200-SCS's nine-slot chassis.

Unlike competitive solutions, each channel of the Model 4225-PMU combines high speed voltage outputs (with pulse widths ranging from 60 nanoseconds to DC) with simultaneous current and voltage measurements.

Discount on T&M instruments in Europe

Keithley Instruments is offering 20% off list price on a range of broad-purpose Test & Measurement instruments to its European customers. The offer is available for a limited period of time, starting with immediate effect and ending on June 30, 2012. 

The offer includes instruments from the following product families:

* Source&Measure SourceMeter Instruments (SMUs)

* Integrated Switch/Multimeter Instruments 

* A range of programmable DC Power Supplies

Test measurement capability expanded

Keithley Instruments is continuing to enhance the capabilities of its S530 Parametric Test Systems, the semiconductor industry's most cost-effective solution for high speed production parametric test. Supported by the latest version of Keithley Test Environment software (KTE V5.4), the S530 can now be configured for 48-pin full Kelvin switching and with new integrated options for pulse generation, frequency measurements, and low voltage measurements. These new enhancements allow S530 systems to address an even broader range of production parametric test applications with one high speed, cost-effective test solution.

48-pin full Kelvin switching configuration
The S530 Low Current System employs a high performance switch matrix to direct signals between instruments and test pins, providing sub-picoamp measurement resolution and low current guarding all the way to the probe pin. The latest enhancements to this system now support a 48-pin full Kelvin (four-wire) switching configuration, doubling the full Kelvin pin-count previously available. By maintaining the signal integrity associated with full Kelvin switching and cabling while doubling the system's maximum pin-count, the S530 combines precise high speed measurements with enhanced system configuration flexibility to ensure full test coverage well into the future.

Optional ring oscillator measurement capability
A new high speed, high resolution oscilloscope option supports ring oscillator testing over a broad frequency measurement range. With a sample rate of up to 400 megasamples/second, this new system option provides measurements from approximately 10kHz to 20MHz. Frequency measurement capability within parametric test systems has become increasingly important as a growing number of semiconductor fabs have incorporated ring oscillators into their overall process control monitoring test structures.

Optional pulse generation capability
As more integrated circuits incorporate embedded memory such as flash into their design, semiconductor fabs have increasingly added memory structures and measurements to their process control monitoring routines. Testing these devices requires sourcing user-defined voltage pulses to program and erase memory cells, followed by precise DC measurements of the device. To address this need, the S530 uses the same sub-system chassis that currently hosts the capacitance-voltage (C-V) instrument card to integrate two, four, or six channels of pulse generation capability into the configuration, so it can produce a wide range of device testing waveforms and extend system flexibility.

Optional System DMM
Testing van der Pauw and metal structures as part of process control monitoring demands a combination of low voltage measurements, high measurement resolution, and excellent repeatability. For these applications, S530 systems now offer an optional 7-1/2-digit, low-noise digital multimeter optimized for low voltage measurements. It provides 10nV resolution on its lowest (100mV) range and 100nV resolution on its next lowest (1V) range. It also offers 7ppm DC voltage repeatability.

Choice of low current or high voltage systems
Two different S530 systems are available. The S530 Low Current System was developed for measuring characteristics such as sub-threshold leakage, gate leakage, etc. The S530 High Voltage System incorporates a source measurement unit (SMU) capable of sourcing up to 1000V at 20mA (20W max.) to any system pin. This version is optimized for the difficult breakdown and leakage tests that GaN, SiC, and Si LDMOS power devices demand. Although the new 48-pin Kelvin capability is unique to the low current system, all of the new measurement options are available for both systems.

Precision source measurement

Keithley Instruments has introduced the Model 2657A High Power System SourceMeter® instrument. 

Click on picture to see video!

The Model 2657A adds high voltage to the company's Series 2600A System SourceMeter® family of high speed, precision source measurement units. Together, these instruments allow Keithley's customers to characterize an even broader range of power semiconductor devices and materials. A built-in 3,000V, 180W source allows the Model 2657A to source up to five times as much power to a device under test as the nearest competitive system, at significantly lower cost. The precision, high speed 6-1/2-digit measurement engine built into the Model 2657A enables 1fA (femtoamp) current measurement resolution to support the low-leakage requirements of next-generation power semiconductor devices. 

The Model 2657A is optimized for high voltage applications such as testing power semiconductor devices, including diodes, FETs, and IGBTs, as well as characterizing newer materials such as gallium nitride (GaN), silicon carbide (SiC), and other compound semiconductor materials and devices. It is also useful for characterizing high speed transients and performing breakdown and leakage tests on a variety of electronic devices at up to 3,000V.

Like the rest of the Series 2600A family, the Model 2657A offers a highly flexible, four-quadrant voltage and current source/load coupled with precision voltage and current meters. It combines the functionality of multiple instruments in a single full-rack enclosure: semiconductor characterization instrument, precision power supply, true current source , 6-1/2-digit DMM, arbitrary waveform generator, voltage or current pulse generator , electronic load, and trigger controller, and is fully expandable into a multi-channel, tightly synchronized system via Keithley's TSP-Link® technology. Unlike competitive solutions, which are typically limited in terms of power, the Model 2657A can source or sink up to 180W of DC power (±3,000V@20mA, ±1500V@120mA). The Model 2657A also offers 1fA resolution, allowing it to make fast, accurate sub-picoamp measurements even when sourcing up to 3000V.

Digitising or Integrating Measurement Modes
The Model 2657A provides a choice of digitising or integrating measurement modes for characterising both transient and steady-state behavior, including rapidly changing thermal effects. Each mode is defined by two independent analog-to-digital (A/D) converters-one for current and the other for voltage-that run simultaneously to ensure accurate source readback without sacrificing test throughput. The digitising measurement mode's 18-bit A/D converters support one-microsecond-per-point sampling, so users can capture voltage and current transients simultaneously. In contrast, competing solutions typically must average multiple readings to produce a result, so they aren't fast enough to characterise transient behavior. The integrating measurement mode, based on 22-bit A/D converters and common to all Series 2600A instruments, optimises the Model 2657A's operation for applications that demand the highest measurement accuracy and resolution. This ensures extremely precise measurements of the very low currents and high voltages common in next-generation power semiconductor devices.

Powerful Test Development Tools
Basic device characterization can be performed with no need for software installation or programming with TSP Express, Keithley's LXI-based I-V test software utility. Users can simply connect a PC to the LXI LAN port and access TSP Express with any Java-enabled web browser. Test results can be viewed in either graphical or tabular format and then exported to a .csv file for use with spreadsheet applications. Two additional tools for creating test sequences are provided with the Model 2657A: the Test Script Builder application (for creating, modifying, debugging, running, and managing TSP scripts) and an IVI-based LabVIEW® driver (to simplify integrating the Model 2657A into LabVIEW test sequences). The Test Script Builder application has new debugging capabilities that make test program development easier and more productive.

ACS Basic Edition software is also available as an option for component characterization. The latest release offers a rich set of features for characterizing high voltage and high current components. The included measurement libraries have been updated to support both DC and pulse mode operation of both the high voltage Model 2657A and high current Model 2651A High Power System SourceMeter instruments. These libraries address a variety of power devices, including FETs, BJTs, diodes, IGBTs, etc., with tests that include input, output, and transfer characteristics on most devices. A special "Trace Mode" provides real-time control over an instrument's voltage or current output using a simple slider.

Flexible, High Accuracy Connection and Probing Solutions
The Model 2657A can be connected to other instruments in a test system with standard safe high voltage (SHV) coaxial cable connections compatible with existing high voltage test applications. However, for applications that depend on getting the most from the instrument's low current measurement performance, Keithley also offers special HV triaxial (guarded) connections to optimize the Model 2657A's measurement accuracy.

The optional new Model 8010 High Power Device Test Fixture provides connections for testing packaged high power devices at up to 3000V or 100A, making it safer and simpler to configure a device test system that includes the high voltage Model 2657A, one or two high current Model 2651A instruments, and up to three low power SMU instruments (other Series 2600A instruments or the Model 4200-SCS semiconductor characterization system). In addition to standard banana jumpers, the Model 8010 has rear-panel oscilloscope and thermal probe ports to simplify system integration for further DUT characterization. The Model 8010 has full safety interlock capability. To prevent instrument damage if a device fault occurs, integrated protection circuits in the Model 8010 safeguard the inputs of the lower voltage Series 2600A instruments from the high voltages the Model 2657A can output. Individual protection modules are also available to simplify connecting multiple SMUs safely to a third-party probe station, component handler, or other test fixture.

New test & measurement catalogue!

Keithley Instruments has published its 2012 Test & Measurement Product Catalogue. The catalog,
which is provided on a CD, offers details and technical specifications on Keithley's general-purpose and sensitive sourcing and measurement products, DC switching, and semiconductor test systems and low leakage switch solutions. Useful selector guides and technical tutorials simplify choosing the right solutions for specific applications.

The catalog is arranged by test and measurement product category:
• Source Measurement Unit (SMU) instruments
• Semiconductor test solutions
• Low level measurements and sourcing
•  Switching and control
• Digital multimeters (DMMs) and systems
• DC power supplies
• Optoelectronics test
• Accessories

It highlights a variety of Keithley's most technically advanced test solutions:
• Low level measurement and sourcing products, including current sources, picoammeters, nanovoltmeters, electrometers, and a system configured for Hall effect testing.
• Semiconductor test solutions, including the S530 Parametric Test System, the latest options for and enhancements to the company's Model 4200-SCS parameter analyzer (including support for nonvolatile
memory characterisation and other emerging pulse testing applications), and the latest low leakage semiconductor switch systems.
• The company's expanding lines of source measurement unit (SMU) instruments, including the new Model 2651A High Power System SourceMeter® instrument and Model 2401 20V SourceMeter instrument.

AS91000 Rev C Standard approval

Keighley Labs Accredited To Aerospace AS9100 Rev C Standard 

Debbie Mellor, MD Keighley Labs

The Heat Treatment division of Keighley Laboratories has been certificated to the AS9100 Revision C standard, the quality management system for the aviation, space and defence industries. Designed to meet the stringent and complex demands of the international aerospace industry, AS9100 is the highest certification in the sector and Revision C is the latest version of a standard with which all suppliers must comply, in order to ensure a listing on the OASIS (online aerospace supplier information system) database.

The company was audited over a three-day period by BSI, Britain's premier certification body, and was recommended for accreditation to AS9100 Revision C, strengthening its position as a specialist technology provider and augmenting its existing accreditation to BS EN ISO 9001:2008. Earlier, a 4-man team led by Heat Treatment Technical Manager, Allan Carter, a qualified metallurgist and chartered engineer, had put in place a year-long programme aimed at implementing changes to internal systems and procedures necessary under Revision C.

“The major themes for the new AS9100 specification were risk assessment and customer satisfaction,” says Allan. “This has entailed reviewing all of our First Article Inspection reports and developing risk management procedures for all new aerospace work, including treatment process sheets identifying temperature and soaking times, quenchants used, testing stages, case depth and other technical criteria. We have also introduced methods for measuring customer satisfaction, by recording on-time delivery performance and customer feedback, as well as carrying out routine calls and surveys. These procedures are primarily aimed at organisations in the aerospace sector, although our clients in other industries also appreciate these enhanced standards.”

Quality and reliability are critical values for the aerospace industry, where errors or product failures could prove fatal, so the effective operation of a quality management system plays a critical role in reducing risk. Recognising the need for compliance across the industry, in 1997 a group of major US aerospace manufacturers released a single, unified quality standard, AS9000, which was subsequently replaced and updated by the internationally-adopted AS9100 that is based on ISO 9001.

Released in January 2009, Revision C is the fourth and latest release of the standard, which takes in the revised requirements of ISO 9001:2008 and nearly 100 additional criteria specific to the aerospace industry, Revision C changes include greater focus on planning and project management, additional emphasis on risk management and mitigation, and the need to develop plans for continuous improvement of customer satisfaction.

A major requirement within Revision C is for organisations to take responsibility for their specific supply chains and ensure that all products making up aircraft components conform to standard, including implementing the necessary processes to verify procured products and services. As an AS9100 Rev C accredited supplier of heat treatment services, Keighley Labs can offer its customers a quality management system accepted by the aerospace industry and ensure compliance with risk management throughout the supply chain.


“This accreditation underlines our ongoing commitment to quality assurance and strengthens our supplier status,” says Keighley Labs MD, Debbie Mellor. “The revisions to AS9100 make the standard even more rigorous than before and it demonstrates that we can meet the most exacting requirements. We are grateful to Allan and his project team for steering us through the accreditation process and to our whole workforce for their commitment to continuous improvement. Hopefully, this will open up fresh market opportunities for us.”

Greater support for reliability/high power device test

Keithley Instruments has upgraded the capabilities of its Automated Characterization Suite (ACS) Test Environment. ACS Version 4.4 is designed for use with a number of the company’s instrument and system configurations used mainly for automated device characterization and reliability analysis. It supports a newly enhanced reliability test option (Model ACS-2600-RTM), as well as expanded ultra-fast bias temperature instability (BTI) testing capabilities, high current testing of power components, and new project libraries designed for high voltage reliability, charge pumping, pulse-stress reliability, and stress migration testing applications. The latest revision also adds support for Windows® 7 operating systems, which simplifies staying current with a facility’s PC/system OS requirements.

New Reliability Test Option
ACS V4.4 supports an updated optional reliability test module (Model ACS-2600-RTM) that simplifies creating and executing complex stress-measure-analyze test sequences used in device reliability tests, such as HCI, TDDB, NBTI, J-Ramp, and more. This updated software module gives semiconductor test engineers doing device reliability testing and analysis in R&D or production test environments the tools they need to test more productively, whether they’re characterizing single devices or managing high device count test applications. ACS helps users manage complex system instrumentation configurations, quickly define test parameters common to large groups of devices or many sub-groups, execute tests with run-time results feedback, and begin analyzing large datasets of measurement results sooner.

In order to respond to the high-speed behaviors associated with semiconductor device failure mechanisms and produce the masses of data associated with reliability testing of multiple devices in parallel, each source measurement unit http://www.keithley.com/products/dcac/currentvoltage (SMU) instrument in a test configuration must not only be fast, but all SMU channels working as a group or several sub-groups must be fast as well. For reliability test applications of this type, the Model ACS-2600-RTM is designed to maximize the performance of Keithley’s Series 2600A System SourceMeter® instruments, which combine powerful embedded scripting capability (through the use of on-board Test Script Processors) with multi-unit integration via the TSP-Link® high-speed inter-unit communication bus. ACS leverages the inherent speed of Series 2600A instruments, accelerating the system reconfiguration process, uploading test conditions and scripts to the embedded processors in individual instruments, and beginning execution quickly. Test engineers have the flexibility of using ACS and the optional Model ACS-2600-RTM with individual Series 2600A units or with Keithley’s S500 Integrated Test Systems.

The updated reliability test module also provides other important advantages for device reliability testing. For example, dynamic limit current protects devices under test from severe damage by reducing the maximum breakdown current possible during the progress of the test sequence. In addition, device reliability test sequences can require hours, days, or even weeks to complete, producing enormous amounts of measurement data. The Model ACS-2600-RTM reliability test module provides compression techniques that allow the test system to capture the most important measurement results while continuing to make measurements over these extended periods.

Support for Additional Pulse-Measure Units for Ultra-Fast BTI Testing
Owners of Keithley’s Model 4200-SCS parameter analyzer can now make use of all six of the pulse-measure units (Model 4225-PMU) that system supports for ultra-fast bias temperature instability (BTI) testing. Previously, ACS supported operating a maximum of four units at once. The ACS V4.4 update allows testing more devices in parallel for higher system utilization and faster acquisition of BTI data.

Support for Keithley’s Newest SMU, Optimized for High Power Testing
The ACS V4.4 upgrade provides support for the Model 2651A High Power System SourceMeter instrument, the latest addition to the Series 2600A line. This instrument’s high current capability (up to 50A at 40V) is critical to labs and fabs involved in the development and production of vertical structure power components like insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs http://www.keithley.com/data?asset=55786 ) and double-diffused metal-oxide semiconductors (DMOSs).

New Projects for Emerging Device Technologies
ACS V4.4 includes several turnkey test projects designed to address high voltage reliability, charge pumping, Wafer Level Reliability (WLR) with specified pulse/AC stress, and stress migration (reliability) testing. Many users will be able to employ these projects as provided; for others, they offer a starting point that can help them develop their own custom test projects more quickly.

ACS Test Environment Background
ACS combines multiple instruments used for semiconductor device characterization and parametric measurements into a unified test environment optimized for flexibility, speed, and productivity in testing and analysis. Its intuitive GUI helps novice users test devices productively almost immediately, regardless of their level of test programming experience. The GUI simplifies configuring test instrumentation, setting measurement parameters, making I‑V measurements, and displaying results. Even infrequent users can go from creating a new test setup to characterizing new devices in a fraction of the time older test development approaches require. Just as important, ACS provides all the tools needed to set up tests, analyze data, and export results—without ever leaving the ACS environment. ACS also simplifies integrating a variety of popular semiautomatic and fully automatic wafer probe stations into a test setup.

High quality calibration and service!

Keithley  has introduced KeithleyCare Plans to provide owners of Keithley instrumentation with fast, high quality instrument calibration and repair services at a fraction of the cost of “per-event” service. KeithleyCare plan purchasers receive priority service on repairs and calibration, as well as minimize their equipment downtime, service costs, and administrative hassles.

KeithleyCare Gold Plans
KeithleyCare Gold Plans offer multiple years of protection in three- and five-year increments. These plans include free repairs, expedited priority service that reduces equipment downtime by three days, and complimentary shipping both to and from Keithley’s facility (within the United States). Each repair service includes calibration and adjustment to OEM specifications and verification to unpublished specifications.

KeithleyCare Calibration Plans
KeithleyCare Calibration Plans offer multi-year coverage in three- or five- year increments and are designed to simplify calibration management and help ensure covered equipment provides peak operating performance. These plans include expedited priority service that reduces downtime by two days and complimentary shipping one way. Calibration and adjustment to OEM specifications is included, as well as verification to unpublished specifications.

Purchasers of either plan automatically receive the latest reliability and performance enhancements for their instrumentation when they return it to Keithley for service.

These plans offer purchasers a variety of important benefits:
*    Lower costs: Customers realize significant savings over per-event repair and calibration prices while eliminating unbudgeted expenses. For example, although an expedited repair of a critical instrument might cost $1,700 to $3,200 without KeithleyCare coverage, that same expedited repair would cost just $120 per year if the instrument was covered by a KeithleyCare five-year Gold Plan.
*    Less downtime: Plan purchasers get expedited service with faster turnaround times (typically three days for calibration and five days for repair).
*    Greater convenience: Customers can place just one order for multiple years of KeithleyCare services, eliminating administrative hassles.
*    Higher service quality: Keithley follows strict guidelines and requirements to provide the highest quality of service. The company is registered to ISO 9001:2000 , and its Metrology Services Group is accredited to ISO 17025:2005 .
*    Greater accuracy: Keithley calibration equipment and measurement uncertainties are among the best in the industry, so customers can be assured their instruments are providing their most accurate readings. Keithley’s lab takes more measurements than most calibration providers, providing additional assurance that all the instrument's specifications have been adequately verified.

(No details on deliveries or rates outside the US given in this release! Ed)

Semiconductor parameter analyser enhanced!

Keithley Instruments has introduced a variety of enhancements for its award-winning Model 4200-SCS Semiconductor Characterization System. The Keithley Test Environment Interactive (KTEI) V8.2 upgrade includes new non-volatile memory (NVM) test libraries and sample projects for a variety of emerging memory technologies. The upgrade also supports making very low frequency capacitance-voltage (C‑V ) measurements, which are useful for characterizing device technologies such as polymer electronics, organic LEDs (OLEDs), and OLED-based displays. In addition, KTEI V8.2 supports Model 4200-SCS system configurations with more ultra-fast current-voltage (I‑V ) test modules than any competitive solution, so users can test even more devices in parallel, increasing test throughput and reducing time to market.

New Non-Volatile Memory Test Libraries
The new NVM test libraries included in KTEI V8.2 expand the system’s capabilities for testing all types of non-volatile memory devices, including flash, phase change memory (PRAM and PC-RAM), resistive memory (RRAM or ReRAM), and magnetoresistive (MRAM) memory devices. KTEI V8.2 provides a common set of test libraries for testing the various NVM technologies while incorporating the unique measurement hardware requirements associated with each. The sample projects included for each type of NVM provide the flexibility that researchers need to set up and execute tests quickly, as well as to analyze data. The examples are designed to adapt easily to use with most emerging memory technologies.

The test libraries are designed to build on the capabilities provided in two of the newest hardware options for the Model 4200-SCS, the Model 4225-PMU Ultra-Fast I‑V Module, and the Model 4225-RPM Remote Amplifier/Switch Module. Together, these new modules allow precise sourcing of high speed pulses, as well as accurate measurements of the transient signals produced during testing. The Model 4225-PMU measures voltage and current simultaneously at high speeds over a wide dynamic range. The Model 4225-RPM moves the measurement circuitry of the Model 4225-PMU module closer to the DUT to minimize the effects of stray capacitance while providing additional low current measurement ranges. The Model 4225-RPM also provides fast automatic switching between the 4225-PMU and the system’s capacitance-voltage (C-V) and DC source-measure units, which helps simplify the test configuration and reduces the time required to complete test sequences.

Very Low Frequency C‑V Measurements
Semiconductor R&D typically requires a combination of quasistatic (ramp rate) and high frequency techniques for measuring the capacitance of device structures. However, when applied to devices with too much current flow or leakage, quasistatic C-V has some limitations; for example, parallel resistance cannot be extracted effectively and the results can be quite noisy. A variety of device technologies now require AC-based capacitance characterization at very low frequencies—much lower than the minimum frequency of multi-frequency C-V meters or LCRs.

Measuring small capacitances at low frequencies translates to extremely high impedance values, which AC-based measurement instruments often cannot characterize accurately. KTEI V8.2 includes a new patent-pending technique for making very low frequency capacitance-voltage (VLF C-V) measurements with the system’s DC SMUs and low current remote pre-amplifier that allows measuring device capacitance and resistance at frequencies from 10Hz down to 10mHz. This new technique complements the optional Model 4210-CVU capacitance meter ’s existing high frequency (1kHz to 10MHz) capabilities.

Extended Support for Ultra-Fast I‑V Hardware
The Model 4200-SCS system can now support up to six Model 4225-PMU modules in its nine-slot chassis. Each module provides two channels of voltage pulse sourcing (with pulse widths ranging from 60 nanoseconds to DC) and simultaneous current and voltage measurement at acquisition rates of up to 200 megasamples/second (MS/s), so it’s now possible to configure a system with up to 12 simultaneous ultra-fast I‑V channels.

By boosting the maximum number of Model 4225-PMU modules the Model 4200-SCS can support, KTEI V8.2 expands the system’s ability to characterize multiple devices quickly by testing them in parallel, which is increasingly important as new devices move from the R&D lab toward production. This higher level of parallel test can be applied to testing a device’s ultra-fast bias temperature instability (NBTI), a transient failure mechanism that requires high speed measurements to characterize, as well as to other forms of device reliability testing and multi-DUT NVM testing. By supporting higher test throughput, KTEI V8.2 helps shorten time to market and offers more effective process control.

Model 4200-SCS Background
Keithley’s Model 4200-SCS semiconductor parameter analyzer replaces a variety of electrical test tools with a single, tightly integrated characterization solution that is ideal for a wide variety of semiconductor test applications including technology development, process development, and materials research in reliability labs, materials and device research labs and consortia, as well as any lab needing a benchtop DC or pulse instrument. Keithley has continually enhanced the Model 4200-SCS’s hardware and software ever since its introduction. This commitment to ongoing system innovation ensures a cost-effective upgrade path, so users don’t have to buy a new parametric analyzer because their old one is obsolete. Systems can be upgraded cost-effectively to keep up with the industry's evolving test needs, so capital investments in the Model 4200-SCS stretch much further than with competitive test solutions.

Semiconductor software upgraded

Keithley Instruments has introduced an upgrade to its popular Keithley Test Environment (KTE) semiconductor test software. KTE Version 5.3 is designed for use with their S530 Parametric Test Systems, the company's fastest, most cost-effective line of process control monitoring solutions to date.

KTE is a powerful test development and execution software platform that has served hundreds of semiconductor fabs worldwide with their previous-generation parametric test systems. Now, Keithley's S530 test systems can leverage the same industry-proven software platform, providing flexible test plan development and high speed test execution for even the most demanding production environments. Users of existing Keithley S400 and S600 Series parametric testers especially benefit from KTE Version 5.3 on the S530 because existing measurement routines can easily be ported to the S530, and identical test plans can be shared between existing testers and new S530 systems.

Extending the KTE test development and execution environment to S530 systems brings together the advantages of Keithley's three decades of field experience in parametric test code development with the fastest, most advanced system hardware available in the market. S530 instrumentation provides the speed and wide measurement range that parametric test applications like process control monitoring demand.

Keithley is committed to supporting its parametric test customers by providing new test systems that are highly compatible with its earlier systems. This commitment to maintaining software compatibility ensures a smoother migration path and protects fabs' test software investment when adding newer, faster testers to their test floors. For new Keithley parametric test customers, this commitment to system software continuity means they can be confident their test systems are based on industry-proven software.

For customers already using earlier versions of KTE, KTE V5.3 speeds and simplifies integrating S530 test systems into their test floors:

The same test recipes and test plans can be used for all Keithley automated parametric test systems, which not only shortens the learning curve for test engineers and operators working with multiple systems but offers a smooth migration path to protect the fab's test development investment when adding new high speed systems to the test floor or replacing older ones.

Users can continue working with the familiar user libraries they've developed for earlier Keithley systems over the years after recompiling and rebuilding them for use with the S530. Typically, only minimal debugging is required.

KTE V5.3 simplifies creating new user access point (UAP) source code for conditional test sequencing and customizing the flow of the S530's system operation. UAP source code developed for earlier systems is applicable to S530 systems with minimal adjustments.

The tools within KTE provide identical functionality for all Keithley parametric test platforms.

KTE for the S530 is designed to run on a Linux operating system on a standard industrial PC to ensure long-term stability and ease of maintenance. The software has been optimized for speed and extended reliability in high throughput production test environments. S530 systems running KTE V5.3 can address all the DC I-V and C-V measurements required in process control monitoring, process reliability monitoring, and device characterization. They are optimized for use in production parametric test environments that must accommodate a broad mix of products or wherever wide application flexibility and fast test plan development are
critical.