- Tektronix is incorporating technology that eliminates the need for pulse tuning into its new Keithley 2601B-Pulse source meter.
- The new PulseMeter technology delivers current pulses of as little as 10μs at 10A and 10V, minimizing heating by joule effect.
- This technology thus meets the test requirements of VCSEL diodes used in LIDARs.
Tektronix announced the 2601B-Pulse System SourceMeter 10μs Pulser/SMU Instrument, integrating a high-speed current pulser with DC source and measurement functions in one instrument. The new system incorporates PulseMeter technology for sourcing current pulses as short as 10μsec at 10A and 10V without the need to manually tune the output to match device impedance up to 3μH. This is critical for minimizing device self-heating, which for optical devices, can result in erroneous measurements and the potential for damaging test equipment.
The 2601B-Pulse also includes all current and voltage source measure unit (SMU) ranges that are available in Keithley’s standard Model 2601B System SourceMeter (40V, 3A DC, 10A Pulse). In addition, Tektronix is also releasing version 2.3 of Keithley’s Instrument Control Software “KickStart” to support the pulsing function of the 2601B-Pulse.
Advancement in LIDAR Testing
The 2601B-Pulse System SourceMeter was developed to serve the needs and complications of testing vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs), which are mission-critical for automotive light detection and ranging (LIDAR) applications. The instrument is ideal for testing VCSELs and LEDs, semiconductor device characterization, fault power management testing, surge protection testing and beyond. Built-in dual 1 MS/sec,18-bit digitizers enhance the pulser’s measurement function, enabling users to acquire both pulse current and voltage waveforms simultaneously, without the need to use a separate instrument.
According to Tektronix, unlike competitive instruments that require pulse tuning to minimize overshoot and undershoot on the pulse, the patent-pending 2601B-Pulse control loop system eliminates the need to manually tune for load changes up to 3 μH. This ensures that the current pulse has no overshoot or ringing when sourcing pulses ranging from 10 μsec to 500 μsec at a current up to 10 amps.
PulseMeter technology eliminates manual pulse output tuning no matter the amplitude and pulse width to ensure pulse fidelity. For automated system applications, the 2601B-Pulse’s Test Script Processor (TSP®) technology runs complete test programs from inside the instrument. In larger, multi-channel applications, the Keithley TSPLink technology works together with TSP scripting to enable high-speed, pulser/SMU-per-pin parallel testing. Because the 2601B-Pulse System SourceMeter® offers full isolation that does not require a mainframe, it can be easily reconfigured and re-deployed as test applications evolve.
The model 2601B-Pulse System SourceMeter is now available worldwide, priced from $13,000.00 US MSRP.
