5 electronic measurement pitfalls you’ve probably forgotten about…
Kevin Carmichael, of Lake Shore Cryotronics, has authored a paper outlining common errors that can be made during precision electronic measurements. Whether you are new to electronic device measurements or a pro, you’ll want to avoid these pitfalls to prevent:
- Voltage errors
- Current leakage
- Ground loops
- Field-induced interference
- Source-related noise
To read more about how to do this, download 5 Electronic Measurement Pitfalls You Learned About in School But Probably Forgot.
About the Author
Kevin Carmichael is Senior Marketing Product Manager for Lake Shore Cryotronics responsible for material characterisation systems and instrumentation. This includes the company’s new line of high-performance, simple-to-use MeasureReady™ I/V sources for engineers and scientists requiring a very precise, low-noise source of current or voltage in the lab.
New electronic Polarisation Controller/Scrambler from OZ Optics
OZ Optics now offers a high speed electrically operated Polarisation Controller (EPC) that provides continuous polarisation control with negligible insertion and return losses in a compact, easy to operate package. Four birefringence transducers, each controlled by an analogue input signal, modify the polarisation in orthogonal directions. The device can be operated from 1260 to over 1650 nm (custom wavelengths available) with the response speed of each transducer surpassing 30 kHz.
Applications include polarisation controllers for optical networks, Polarisation Dependent Loss (PDL) control, Polarisation Mode Dispersion (PMD) compensation modules, and polarisation scramblers for polarisation parameter characterisation systems. The redundant transducer design allows continuous control of polarisation without having to ‘reset’ voltages.
High Speed Polarisation Controllers are offered as base modules requiring external electrical signals to operate, OEM modules with driver electronics and control interface, or stand-alone benchtop test instruments. For more information, please contact us.
New THz-frequency contact probing for cryogenic applications from Lake Shore
Lake Shore have released details of their new THz-frequency contact probes. Compatible with Lake Shore’s CPX, CPX-VF, CRX-4K, and CRX-VF cryogenic probe station systems, the THz arm offers:
- Precise on-wafer contact THz probing of millimetre wave devices
- New measurement possibilities for next-generation electronics
- THz probes can be combined with standard DC/RF/microwave probe arms
- Features a low-loss THz waveguide
- Supports vector network analysers (VNAs) with suitable frequency extenders
- Enables calibrated S-parameter and other hf electrical measurements at cryogenic temperatures and in magnetic fields
Signal deterioration at frequencies above 75 GHz has limited high-frequency contact measurement of electronic devices at room temperature, let alone cryogenic ones. Now Lake Shore’s breakthrough technology of a specially developed low-loss THz-frequency waveguide delivers excellent signal integrity over longer distances, at lower temperatures, and with superior arm mobility. All without interefering with the other probes in the system.
Download he THz probe arm flyer here or contact us for more details.
Materials science: New MicroMag™ catalogue from Lake Shore
Lake Shore’s range of materials characterisation systems were complemented earlier this year by the company’s acquisition of Princeton Measurements Corporation and its range of MicroMag™ magnetometers.
Consequently, a new Lake Shore MicroMag™ catalogue has just been released to add to the two existing publications covering products for advanced materials research. The three downloadable catalogues now encompass:
- Hall Effect Measurement Systems (HMS)
- Vibrating Sample Magnetometers (VSM)
- MicroMag™ Alternating Gradient Magnetometer (AGM) and VSM
Lake Shore has grown to become a leading provider of the sensors, instruments, and systems that materials researchers increasingly rely upon for exploring and developing new magnetic, electronic, electro-optic, and related materials.
Contact us for the best advice on choosing the right system for your research.
New Probe Stations catalogue from Lake Shore now in stock
Lake Shore has released a new printed catalogue covering their expanded range of cryogenic/cryogen-free and vacuum micro-manipulated Probe Stations for testing the electronic and magneto-transport properties of chips, wafers, and packaged devices.
The 10 systems covered feature variable temperature operation, from 1.6 K to 675 K depending on model, and can accommodate up 4″ wafers with up to 6 probes, again depending on model chosen.
Probes are available for use with signals ranging from DC to 67 GHz, and a combination of both low and high frequency probes can be supplied with a single system.
Additionally, these systems can be configured with horizontal or vertical field superconducting magnets, high-resolution microscopes, and CCD cameras for precision positioning of the probe tips on the wafer or device under test.
Full specifications can be found in the downloadable catalogue, or contact us for more information.
Lake Shore to launch THz Materials Characterisation System and upgrade the CRX-VF Probe Station
Lake Shore Cryotronics have announced a THz technology system that will provide a contactless, fully integrated solution for exploring the electronic, magnetic, and chemical properties of materials such as:
- Antiferromagnetic resonances: important to spin-based computing
- Carrier scattering time in semiconductors: important to development of high speed electronics
- Vibrational resonances in molecular solids: important to chemical identification and research in organic electronic and magnetic materials
Due for release in 2013, Lake Shore are refining the instrument’s capabilities in line with the requirements of leading researchers from labs around the world. Click here for more information on this new THz system and details on how you can contribute to its development.
CRX-VF Cryogenic Probe Station gets an upgrade
Lake Shore’s Model CRX-VF cryogenic probe station now features:
- Increased maximum magnetic field: Up from ±2.25 to ±2.5 T
- Improved vacuum performance: < 5 × 10-7 Torr is now an option for customers whose applications require lower base pressures or less chance of contamination
- Improved magnetic field at high temperatures: ±2 T from 10 to 400 K and up to ±1 T from 400 to 500 K. Previously, only ±0.5 T was possible above 400 K and no magnetic field was possible above 450 K at all
Ideal for measuring electrical, electro-optical, parametric, high Z, and Hall effect, as well as DC, RF, and microwave properties of materials and test devices, the CRX-VF is widely used to measure nanoscale electronics, quantum wires and dots, semiconductors, and spintronic devices.
Please contact us for more information about any of these or other Lake Shore products.
Elliot Scientific 