Keithley Expands Series 2400 SourceMeter® Family

Industry’s lowest-cost SMU instrument · 1A/20V range · Alternative to power supply + DMM

Keithley Instruments, Inc., a world leader in advanced electrical test instruments and systems, announced today a low-cost addition to its popular Series 2400 SourceMeter® instrument family. Like all of Keithley’s SMU (source measurement unit) instruments, the new Model 2401 SourceMeter instrument is optimized for high precision test applications such as current vs. voltage (I‑V) characterization of photovoltaic (solar) cells, high brightness LEDs (HBLEDs), low voltage materials, and semiconductor devices, as well as resistance measurements; however, it now provides these advanced source and measurement unit capabilities at 20V and 1A signal levels and at an unprecedented low price. More information on the Model 2401 SourceMeter instrument is available on Keithley’s website: http://www.keithley.com/products/dcac/currentvoltage/highvoltage/?mn=2401.

According to marketing manager Charles Cimino, “The Model 2401 is priced at $USD2995, making it the test and measurement industry’s lowest cost standalone source-measurement instrument with a complete set of measurement ranges, features, and programmable operating modes.” He went on to note that it offers an economical alternative to test systems configured with separate programmable power supplies and digital multimeters or applications for which precision programmable power supplies lack sufficient accuracy, signal range, or resolution.

The Model 2401 operates and is programmed in exactly the same way as the other Series 2400 family member units within its 1A/20V range boundaries. Like the rest of this popular source measurement unit family, the Model 2401 integrates a highly stable DC power source with a true instrument-grade 5-1/2 or 6-1/2-digit multimeter in a single enclosure.

In operation, the Model 2401 can act as a voltage source, a current source, a voltmeter, an ammeter, and an ohmmeter, and provides four-quadrant bipolar and automatic source/sink operation. Referring to Keithley SMU convention, operating in I vs. V quadrants 1 or 3, it operates as a source, delivering power to a load. In quadrants 2 or 4, it operates as a sink, dissipating power internally from an external source such as a PV cell or other energy source.

Model 2401 Applications
The Model 2401’s combination of low cost, tightly integrated sourcing and measurement and wide dynamic range makes it well suited for a variety of both benchtop and system applications with low voltage requirements and with limited test hardware budgets:

• High brightness LED forward/reverse I-V and LIV (light-current-voltage) testing
• Solar cell efficiency test (source and sink current)
• Precision DC load characterization, replacing readback supplies or supply/DMM combinations, which typically provide insufficient accuracy (I_DDQ testing)
• Other applications include:

–   Active/passive component test, voltage/current/resistance measurements

–   Battery operation validation for portable electronic devices

–   Characterizing implantable medical devices (pacemakers, etc.)

–   Characterizing low-leakage electronic device/circuits (forward/reverse, transistor gain/leakage)

–   Calibrating 3-1/2- to 4-1/2-digit data acquisition boards, meters, and DMMs

Pricing and Availability
The U.S. list price of the Model 2401 SourceMeter instrument is $2,995, with sales beginning immediately. Units will ship within eight weeks ARO through September 2011, then within four weeks ARO thereafter.

For More Information
Additional information on the Model 2401 is available on Keithley’s website: http://www.keithley.com/products/dcac/currentvoltage/highvoltage/?mn=2401.

About Keithley Instruments, Inc.
With more than 60 years of measurement expertise, Keithley Instruments has become a world leader in advanced electrical test instruments and systems. Our customers are scientists and engineers in the worldwide electronics industry involved with advanced materials research, semiconductor device development and fabrication, and the production of end products such as portable wireless devices. The value we provide them is a combination of products for their critical measurement needs and a rich understanding of their applications to improve the quality of their products and reduce their cost of test. In 2010, Keithley Instruments joined Tektronix as part of its test and measurement portfolio.

To learn more about Keithley, contact the company at:

Products and company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.

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