Quantum Design UK and Ireland (QDUKI), is the UK distributor for Lake Shore Cryotronics. A new module for the Lake Shore Cryotronics M81-SSM has been launched, the M81-SMU-10. This is the first SMU on the market with DC, AC and lock-in detection, optimised for characterising nanoscale devices.
The source measure unit (SMU-10) is the latest module addition to the MeasureReady™ M81-SSM synchronous source measure system. It is specifically designed to handle the delicate nature of nano and ultra- cold samples with exceptionally low source noise and high measurement sensitivity. The SMU-10 offers both DC and AC capabilities and an integrated lock-in, providing a comprehensive suite of measurements tailored to advanced research applications.
“The new SMU-10 makes highly sensitive, selective AC detection technology used in research labs conveniently available to semiconductor design and test engineers. Using the familiar four-instruments-in-one SMU format, they can easily make extremely sensitive, low-noise measurements”
Chuck Cimino, Senior Product Manager for Lake Shore.
Ideal for Multi-Terminal Device Testing
Source/Measure
When testing multi-terminal devices in a cryogenic probe station, use the M81-SSM with SMU-10 modules to apply voltage or current to the DUT and measure the corresponding current or voltage. The SMU’s topology reduces the number of probe arms by half, significantly minimising thermal impact. Set compliance limits to protect the DUT from
accidental overloads.
Advanced Resistance
The M81-SSM’s advanced resistance mode compensates for phase shifts caused by parasitic capacitance in cryogenic environments, ensuring more accurate resistance measurements. This technique reduces errors significantly, improving measurement accuracy.
Four-wire voltage monitoring
Ideal for high-current devices. The Sense-HI and Sense-LO leads enable 4-wire measurements for built-in device voltage monitoring while sourcing currents. Synchronised sampling Patented MeasureSync™ technology ensures perfect timing coordination for AC or DC measurements across multiple SMU-10 modules, eliminating data misalignment errors.
“The SMU has got this convenience argument … whether you want to put a voltage or a current – measure voltage – it’s simply a programming choice. You don’t have to move wires around. You don’t have to get another instrument.”
Chuck Cimino, Senior Product Manager for Lake Shore.
Applications
The SMU-10 module is useful in any low-power test applications that have challenging signal-to-noise ratios. Primary applications include I-V characterisation of transistors used in specialised sensors, nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS), quantum computer readout electronics, and emerging sand integrated circuit nanoscale semiconductor-based devices.
“This is equivalent to putting a car on a dynamometer, then running it through its operating range. You plot your voltages and currents, and then you look at the bends and the straight parts and the magnitudes and all the data behind it.”
Chuck Cimino, Senior Product Manager for Lake Shore.
Download the Lake Shore M81 SMU-10 Module Datasheet
The MeasureReady™ M81-SSM is a unique instrument architecture that provides a reliable and streamlined approach for advanced measurement applications. Its modular design allows multiple compact modules to connect to the main M81-SSM instrument, enabling a variety of source and measure configurations. Available with two, four, or six channels, the M81-SSM dedicates half of its channels to measure modules and the other half to source modules.
The SMU-10, which occupies two channels (one for sourcing and one for measuring), exemplifies this flexibility. While it can operate on a single source channel, that setup limits its measurement functionality. The M81-SSM simplifies complex instrumentation setups by integrating DC/AC sourcing, DC/AC measuring, resistance measurements, and lock-in capabilities into a single, ultra low-noise solution.
“We’re about one-tenth of the noise [of competing instruments],” notes Cimino, emphasising the noise performance improvements in comparison to other SMUs.
To find out more about the M81-SSM and the SMU-10 module, please get in touch with our Technical Sales Engineer, Dr. Alex Murphy by email or call (01372) 378822.
