The Keithley 2520 Pulsed Laser Diode Test System is a single-channel, half-rack instrument engineered for precise characterization of pulsed laser diodes across manufacturing stages where active temperature control may not be deployed. It delivers synchronized source and measurement capabilities for both pulsed and continuous Light-Current-Voltage (LIV) testing, with pulse widths as short as 500 ns and currents up to 5A in pulsed mode or 1A in DC mode.
Technical Specifications
• Current capability: 5A pulsed / 1A DC; measurement range 0–5A with 700 nA resolution
• Voltage range: 0–10V with 0.33 mV resolution
• Measurement accuracy: 14-bit across three channels (forward voltage, front photodiode, back photodiode)
• Pulse timing: 500 ns to 5 ms programmable on-time (100 ns resolution); 20 µs to 500 ms off-time (10 µs resolution)
• Duty cycle limit: 4% for currents exceeding 1A
• Power consumption: 50 W
• Data buffer: 1000-point measurement storage per sweep
• Stored test setups: Five user-defined configurations
• Weight: 5.44 kg
– Key Features
• Single Digital Signal Processor (DSP) synchronizes source and measure functions to maintain accuracy during ultrashort pulses
• Three independent measurement channels: one laser diode drive circuit with voltage feedback plus two photodetector bias/compliance channels
• IEEE-488 and RS-232 interfaces for system integration
• Digital I/O for handler control and binning operations
• Trigger Link with six software-selectable trigger lines on single connector
• Minimized thermal artifacts through tight pulse synchronization
– Typical Applications
• Pulsed and continuous LIV characterization
• Thermal impedance analysis
• Junction temperature response evaluation
• High-volume chip and bar-level manufacturing test
– Compatibility & Integration
• Telecommunication laser diodes
• Optical storage read/write head laser diodes
• Vertical Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers (VCSELs)
• Pump laser designs for Raman amplifiers
