Agilent Technologies Inc. has announced the B2900A Series, its first line of compact benchtop source/measure units for testing of semiconductors, components and materials. These SMUs provide wide voltage/current ranges and superior performance at modest prices, and they provide an intuitive graphical interface with the industry’s first color displays.

They excel at fast, simple current-versus-voltage (I-V curve) characterization of semiconductors, active/passive components and materials in research, development, manufacturing and education applications.

The series provides best-in-class voltage/current ranges and precision in a single instrument. For example, the voltage range is a broad ±210 V while current ranges are ±3 A DC and ±10.5 A pulsed. With the instruments in this series, sourcing is precise and measurements are accurate with minimum resolution of 100 nV and 10 fA.

This level of performance is unprecedented in a benchtop SMU and is more typical of high-cost semiconductor device analyzers.

The intuitive user interface is presented on a 4.3-inch color LCD screen that supports graphical and numerical displays in single, dual, graph and roll views. By making it easy to quickly complete a variety of measurements and view the results on a color display, the B2900A Series performs interactive testing, debugging and characterization faster than conventional SMUs.

In automated testing, the B2900A Series complements accuracy and repeatability with best-in-class measurement speed. These units also archive 12,500 readings per second (maximum sweep-operation reading rate, source/measure to GPIB), which is double the rate of competing SMUs. Under programmatic control the new SMUs support the SCPI command set, enabling basic compatibility with—and easy migration from—conventional SMUs.

The B2900A Series consists of four models: the one-channel B2901A and B2911A and the two-channel B2902A and B2912A. These SMUs are further distinguished by capabilities such as the number of displayed digits, measurement resolution, minimum timing interval and supported view modes. This makes it easy for customers to select a combination of price and performance that fits their testing needs.