The HP/Agilent 4140A is a precision picoammeter and dual DC voltage source engineered for characterization of semiconductor devices and low-current materials analysis. It combines femtoampere-level current measurement with programmable voltage sourcing and ramp/staircase generation, enabling DC I-V curves, leakage current quantification, and quasi-static C-V measurements essential to device development and manufacturing yield analysis.
Technical Specifications
Picoammeter
• Measurement range: 10 fA to 1 µA and up to 10 mA
• Maximum resolution: 10⁻¹⁵ A (1 fA)
• Basic accuracy: 0.5% across measurement ranges
• Integration time: 20 ms to 2000 ms (short, medium, long modes)
• Zero offset cancellation: up to 100 fA of test lead leakage; up to 100 pF stray capacitance in C-V mode
• Trigger modes: Internal (~200 ms rate), External, Manual, HOLD
DC Voltage Sources
• Dual programmable sources
• Output range: ±100 V DC and ±10 V DC (–100 V to +100 V operating range)
• Voltage resolution: 10 mV
• Maximum output current: 10 mA
• Programmable current limit: 100 µA, 1 mA, 10 mA
• Functions: Voltage sourcing, ramp generation, staircase generation
Capacitance-Voltage Measurement
• Measurement ranges: 0–100 pF and 200–1000 pF full scale
• Overrange capability: 99.9%
• Method: Current measurement synchronized with ramp voltage (dV/dt)
• Display: Capacitance change as percentage of oxide capacitance (Cox = 100%)
– Key Features
• Triaxial input connector for test lead and fixture connection
• X-Y recorder outputs for I-V and C-V plotting with pen control and limit voltage signals
• IEEE 488 (GPIB) remote operation: all functions remotely programmable and controllable
• Selectable integration times reduce noise in low-current measurement
• Dual-range C-V measurement spans dielectric characterization from thin oxides to bulk materials
– Typical Applications
• Gate leakage current and junction characterization in semiconductors
• Insulation and dielectric leakage analysis
• Ultra-low current behavior in materials research
– Compatibility & Integration
Full IEEE 488 bus control enables integration into automated test systems and remote data acquisition. X-Y recorder interface supports direct connection to pen plotters for real-time I-V and C-V curve documentation.
