6221

AC AND DC CURRENT SOURCE

The Model 6220 DC Current Source and Model 6221 AC and DC Current Source combine ease of use with exceptionally low current noise. Low current sourcing is critical to applications in test environments ranging from R&D to production, especially in the semiconductor, nanotechnology, and superconductor industries. High sourcing accuracy and built-in control functions make the Models 6220 and 6221 ideal for applications like Hall measurements, resistance measurements using delta mode, pulsed measurements, and differential conductance measurements.

The need for precision, low current sourcing. Device testing and characterization for today’s very small and power-efficient electronics requires sourcing low current levels, which demands the use of a precision, low current source. Lower stimulus currents produce lower—and harder to measure— voltages across the device. Combining the Model 6220 or 6221 with a Model 2182A Nanovoltmeter makes it possible to address both of these challenges.

AC current source and current source waveform generator. The Model 6221 is the only low current AC source on the market. Before its introduction, researchers and engineers were forced to build their own AC current sources. This cost-effective source provides better accuracy, consistency, reliability, and robustness than “home-made” solutions. The Model 6221 is also the only commercially available current source waveform generator, which greatly simplifies creating and outputting complex waveforms.

Simple programming. Both current sources are fully programmable via the front panel controls or from an external controller via RS-232 or GPIB interfaces; the Model 6221 also features an Ethernet interface for remote control from anywhere there’s an Ethernet connection. Both instruments can source DC currents from 100fA to 105mA; the Model 6221 can also source AC currents from 4pA to 210mA peak to peak. The output voltage compliance of either source can be set from 0.1V to 105V in 10mV steps. Voltage compliance (which limits the amount of voltage applied when sourcing a current) is critical for applications in which overvoltages could damage the device under test (DUT).

Drop-in replacement for the Model 220 current source. These instruments build upon Keithley’s popular Model 220 Programmable Current Source; a Model 220 emulation mode makes it easy to replace a Model 220 with a Model 6220/6221 in an existing application without rewriting the control code.

Define and execute current ramps easily. Both the Models 6220 and 6221 offer tools for defining current ramps and stepping through predefined sequences of up to 65,536 output values using a trigger or a timer. Both sources support linear, logarithmic, and custom sweeps.