Tektronix Adds Industry-First Technology Which Eliminates Pulse Tuning in New All-In-One 2601B-PULSE System SourceMeter^®

Poised for VCSEL and LIDAR advancement, new PulseMeter technology sources current pulses as short as 10μsec, minimizing joule heating effects, at 10A and 10V.

Tektronix announced the new 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 new 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.

“The 2601B-PULSE System SourceMeter^® affirms Tektronix’s commitment to the advancement of technology through leading test and measurement solutions,” says Chris Bohn, vice president and general manager at Keithley/Tektronix. “This new instrument will bring better testing capabilities for engineers, including those who rely on industry-first technology to take innovative strides in automotive applications, connected vehicles and autonomous driving.”

Advancement in Testing with LIDAR in Mind

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.

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, resulting in a fast rise time, accurate pulse output and high fidelity.

Industry-First Technology

New 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 for industry-best throughput. 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.

Availability

The model 2601B-PULSE System SourceMeter^® is now available worldwide, priced from €12,600 / £10,900. Each unit receives Tektronix’s one-year warranty.

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