Setup : polaris

What can it do?
  1. Room temperature 2, 3, 4 terminals IV.
  2. The 4155C can basically perform three types of measurements- sweep measurement, sampling measurement, and quasi-static C-V measurement.
  3. Stress Measurements/ Pulse Measurements.
  4. Temperature dependent measurements
What it cannot do?
  1. Frequency/Noise Measurements
  2. Low Temperature Measurements
What instruments are present?
  1. Agilent 4155C Semiconductor Parameter Analyzer
    1. Highly accurate medium power source/monitor units (SMUs)
    2. Voltage source units (VSUs)
    3. Voltage measurement units (VMUs)
  2. Agilent 81101A Pulse Generator (50MHz)
  3. Keithley 708 A Switch Matrix
  4. Agilent DSO6012A Oscilloscope(100MHz,2 GSa/s)

  • - 4 Nos
  • - 2 Nos
  • - 2 Nos
  • - 1 No.
  • - 1 No.
  • - 1 No.

What are the current, voltage and frequency specifications?
  1. MPSMU (Medium Power SMU) Specifications

    1. Voltage Range, Resolution, and Accuracy

      Voltage Range Set Reso Set Accuracy Meas Reso Measurement Accuracy Max.Current
          ± 2 V   100 μV ± (0.03 % + 900 μV + 0.3 × Iout)  2 μV ± (0.02 % + 700 μV+ 0.3 × Iout) 100 mA
         ± 20 V    1 mV ± (0.03 % + 4 mV
      + 0.3 × Iout)      		  20 μV ± (0.02 % + 2 mV+ 0.3 × Iout) 100 mA
         ± 40 V   2 mV ± (0.03 % + 7 mV
      + 0.3 × Iout)      		 40 μV ± (0.02 % + 3 mV+ 0.3 × Iout)

      100 mA (Vout ≤ 20V)

      50 mA

      (20 V < Vout ≤ 40 V)
        ± 100 V   5 mV ± (0.04 % + 15 mV
      + 0.3 × Iout)      		 100 μV ± (0.03 % + 5 mV+ 0.3 × Iout) 100 mA (Vout ≤ 20V)

      50 mA

      (20 V < Vout ≤ 40 V)

      20 mA
      (40 V < Vout ≤ 100 V)


    2. Current Range, Resolution, and Accuracy

      Current  Range Set Reso Set Accuracy Meas Reso Measurement Accuracy Max.Voltage
       ± 1 nA 100 fA ± (0.5 % + 3 pA+ 2 fA×Vout) 10 fA ± (0.5 % + 3 pA + 2 fA × Vout)  100 V
       ± 10 nA 1 pA ± (0.5 % + 7 pA+ 20 fA ×  Vout) 10 fA ± (0.5 % + 5 pA + 20 fA × Vout)  100 V
       ± 100 nA 10 pA ± (0.12 % + 50 pA
      + 200 fA × Vout)      		 100fA ± (0.1 % + 30 p + 200 fA × Vout)  100 V
       ± 1 μA 100 pA ± (0.12 % + 400 pA + 2 pA × Vout) 1 pA ± (0.1 % + 200 pA + 2 pA × Vout)  100 V
       ± 10 μA 1 nA ± (0.12 % + 5 nA
      + 20 pA× Vout)      		 10 pA ± (0.1 % + 3 nA + 20 pA × Vout)  100 V
       ± 100 μA 10 nA ± (0.12 % + 40 nA
      + 200 pA × Vout)      		 100pA ± (0.1 % + 20 nA + 200 pA × Vout)  100 V
       ± 1 mA 100 nA ± (0.12 % + 500 nA+ 2 nA × Vout) 1 nA ± (0.1 % + 300 nA + 2 nA × Vout)  100 V
       ± 10 mA 1 μA ± (0.12 % + 4 μA
      + 20 nA× Vout)      		 10 nA ± (0.1 % + 2 μA + 20 nA × Vout)  100 V
      ± 100 mA 10 μA ± (0.12 % + 50 μA
      + 200 nA × Vout)      		 100nA ± (0.1 % + 30 μA + 200 nA × Vout) 100 V (Iout ≤ 20mA)
             40V
      (20mA < Iout ≤ 50mA)
            20V
      (50mA < Iout ≤ 100mA)


    3. Output terminal/connection

      Single triaxial connector, non-Kelvin (no remote sensing)

    4. Voltage/Current Compliance (Limiting)

      The SMU can limit output voltage or current to prevent damaging the device under test.
        Voltage 0 V to ± 100 V
        Current ± 1 pA to ± 100 mA
      (Compliance accuracy Same as current (voltage) set accuracy.)

    5. MPSMU supplemental information
      Voltage source output resistance typical 0.3 Ω
      Voltage measurement input resistance ≥ 1013 Ω
      Current source output resistance ≥ 1013 Ω (1 nA range)
      Current compliance setting accuracy (for opposite polarity)
      For 1 nA to 10 nA range:
      V/I setting accuracy ± 12 % of range
      For 100 nA to 100 mA range:
      V/I setting accuracy ± 2.5 % of range

  2. VSU (Voltage Source Unit) Specifications.

    1. Voltage Range, Resolution, and Accuracy
      Voltage Range Resolution Accuracy Max Output Current
          ± 20 V     1 mV ± (0.05 % of setting + 10 mV)     100 mA

    2. VSU supplemental information
               Output resistance typical - 0.2 Ω
               Capacitive load maximum - 10 μF
               Slew rate maximum - 0.2 V/μs
               Current limit typical - 120 mA
               Output Noise typical - 1 mV rms


  3. VMU (Voltage Monitor Unit) Specifications

    1. Voltage Range, Resolution, and Accuracy

      Grounded measurement mode
                Voltage Range             Meas. Reso.            Meas. Accuracy
                     ± 2 V                  2 μV       ± (0.02 % + 200 μV)
                    ± 20 V                  20 μV       ± (0.02 % + 1 mV)

      Differential measurement mode
       Differential Voltage Range   Meas. Reso.   Meas. Accuracy Max. Common Mode Voltage
                     ± 0.2 V      0.2 μV ± (0.03 % + 10 μV 0.3 μV × Vi  )            ± 20 V
                    ± 2 V      2 μV ± (0.02 % + 100 μV + 3 μV × Vi )           ± 20 V


    2. VMU supplemental information
      Input impedance ≥ 1 GΩ
      Input leakage current ≤ 500 pA (at 0 V)
      Measurement noise typical 0.01 % of range (p-p). when the integration time is 10 PLC.
      Differential mode measurement noise typical 0.005 % of range (p-p). when the integration time is short.

  4. Agilent  81101A Pulse Generator (50MHz)

    The Agilent 81101A is a single-channel pulse generator with variable transition times. It is capable of generating all standard pulses and bursts of pulses needed to test current logic technologies (for example, TTL, CMOS, ECL, PECL, LVDS, GTL) and other digital designs up to 50 MHz.
    The instrument features two internal oscillators:
      A. a synchronously triggerable internal oscillator
      B. an accurate, stable internal PLL
    For even more accuracy, an external frequency reference can be connected.
How are instruments connected?
  1. Four SMUs connected to switch matrix columns 1 (SMU1), 2 (SMU2), 3 (SMU3) & 4 (SMU4) respectively
  2. GNDU is connected to switch matrix column 7
  3. Manipulator A, B, C & D connected to switch matrix rows A, B, C & D respectively.
  4. PGU connected to switch matrix column 6
  5. Chuck connected to Row G
  6. DSO connected to Row H
How are Measurements done?

 In general the 4155C is remotely controlled by a PC using an USB the GPIB connector. The codes are written in 4155/4156 SCPI command mode. SCPI means Standard Commands for Programmable Instruments. This mode is the default mode of the 4155C/4156C, and allows you to control all functions of the 4155C/4156C.
 The code is compiled & an .exe is created which can be executed to start the measurements. The process of compiling the code is go to start → run → cmd → then write cd & give the path where you have your code written (e.g. CD E:\Subhadeep\My Work).
 Where you have your code(in .cpp format) in your folder ,you need to have a bcsicl32.lib file there as well. Then in the Command window (already opened) you have to write bcc32 bcsicl32.lib your_code_name.cpp. It will generate the your_code_name.exe in your folder itself & you can do the measurement with that.

 One can do the measurement by manually pressing the soft keys as well. Though in this case the switch matrix connection has to be done manually and the measurement data can either be extracted using a floppy disk or it can be extracted by remotely operating like above.

Switch Matrix Connection

For example if you are doing a 4 terminal IV measurement by using all the SMUs and you have probed the sample by Manipulator A, B, C & D and you want to make the connection of SMU1 with A, SMU2 with B, SMU3 with C & SMU4 with D then it can be done by writing A1,B2,C3,D4 in the code and compiling it in the above mentioned way. While runing the .exe file this connection will be automatically done

How to use temperature controller

 The first thing to do before changing the temperature of the chuck (containing the device) is to un-probe the device. After Un-probing all the probe tips,one has to put the power switch on of the Temperature controller first. This will show the present temperature of the chuck in its screen, which is room temperature i.e. 25 C.

 Then to increase the temperature say to 100C, one has to press SET → Temperature Value → Enter.The user may wait for 10 minutes or so,to get the entire wafer uniformly heated,then the user can probe & do the measurement.

 While cooling down the device again needs to be unprobed & lower Temperature has to be set in the above said manner.The chuck is cooled by passing air through it, so there is air pressure controlling switch (or valve) in the behind of the system,which has to be opened.After the temperature controller screen shows the room temperature,the device can be removed.