Keithley intros high voltage system SourceMeter instrument optimized for high power semiconductor test

CLEVELAND, USA: Keithley Instruments Inc. introduced the Model 2657A High Power System SourceMeter instrument. 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.