Keithley Introduces Source Measure Unit Instrument with Touchscreen

Keithley Instruments announced its first benchtop Source Measure Unit (SMU) instrument with a capacitive touchscreen graphical user interface, the Model 2450 SourceMeter SMU Instrument.

According to the company, the Model 2450 incorporates numerous ease-of-use features that provide 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 turn raw data into usable results.

It builds on the design of both the Model 2400 SourceMeter SMU instrument 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 integrated, half-rack instrument.

According to Keithley, 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.

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 cable adaptors, which can degrade low-level measurement performance.

The touchscreen displays error messages and an event log to simplify diagnosing instrument errors, and KickStart start-up software simplifies taking and graphing data in minutes. For more complex analyses, data can be stored to disk, and then exported to Microsoft Excel or another software environment.

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 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.

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(R) jacks simplify configuring multi-instrument test setups.

For more information, visit Keithley Instruments.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company's website.