Focus on test, measurement, and data acquisition

Programmable DC power platforms

Ametek Programmable Power’s Asterion power-supply platform line now includes programmable DC supplies with high power density and either fixed or auto-ranging output. The compact DC-series supplies offer rated outputs of 40 V and 60 V for 1.7 kW, 3.4 kW, and 5.0 kW power levels. The fixed-range units are economical, traditional rectangular-wave output-power supplies; the auto-ranging supplies offer expanded current and voltage range at the full output-power level, so users can fulfill wider testing needs without purchasing additional models. An auto-paralleling capability supports operating multiple units in parallel to increase the total output-power level. Applications include electronics test, DC power simulation, R&D, and a wide range of automatic test equipment. Ametek Programmable Power Inc, 9250 Brown Deer Rd, San Diego, CA 92121, www.powerandtest.com

Spectroscopic ellipsometer

The RC2 spectroscopic ellipsometer from J. A. Woollam combines the best features of previous models with innovative new technology. Dual rotating compensators provide complete Mueller-matrix measurements to characterize advanced samples and nanostructures. Synchronous operation of both compensators delivers highly accurate data without waiting to “zone-average” over optical elements. A patent-pending achromatic compensator design yields optimized performance over a wide spectral range. According to the company, the RC2 is the first commercial ellipsometer to use the latest thermoelectrically cooled, strained indium gallium arsenide array to collect hundreds of wavelengths in the IR out to 2500 nm. An advanced dual light source includes computer-controlled beam intensity to optimize the signal on low- or high-reflection samples. J. A. Woollam Co Inc, 645 M Street, Ste 102, Lincoln, NE 68508, www.jawoollam.com

Entry-level oscilloscopes

Keysight Technologies designed its 200 MHz, four-channel InfiniiVision 1000 X-Series oscilloscopes to provide professional-level measurements and capabilities at lower cost. They feature the same user interface and measurement technology as the company’s higher-performance InfiniiVision oscilloscopes, and are bandwidth-upgradable via software license as designs evolve. The InfiniiVision 1000 X-Series oscilloscopes are available at 70, 100, and 200 MHz bandwidth. Custom Keysight MegaZoom IV application-specific integrated-circuit technology delivers an update rate of 50 000 waveforms/s and sample rate of 2 GSa/s, which allow visualization of random, infrequent glitches and anomalies that similarly priced oscilloscopes might miss. Keysight Technologies Inc, 1400 Fountaingrove Pkwy, Santa Rosa, CA 95403-1738, www.keysight.com

Hall effect measurement controller

The MeasureReady M91 measurement controller from Lake Shore Cryotronics features the company’s patented FastHall technique, which allows for fast, accurate, and convenient measurements of electronic materials, especially when using high-field superconducting magnets and when measuring very-low‑mobility materials. By eliminating the need to switch the polarity of the applied magnetic field during the measurement, the M91 fundamentally changes the way the Hall effect is generated and measured. It combines all the necessary Hall-effect measurement functions into a single instrument, automates and optimizes the measurement process, and directly reports the relevant parameters. The M91 performs Hall analysis, including calculation of derived parameters for van der Pauw and Hall bar samples. Lake Shore Cryotronics Inc, 575 McCorkle Blvd, Westerville, OH 43082, www.lakeshore.com

High-speed semiconductor test pulser

The AVRQ series of semiconductor test pulsers from Avtech Electrosystems is suitable for generating the high-speed, high-voltage waveforms needed for transient immunity testing of optocouplers and other semiconductor devices. The instruments can also be used for applications that require a high-voltage “sweep” waveform, such as sweep-control of particle-beam systems. The company’s latest common-mode transient immunity tester, model AVRQ-5-B, provides 1.5 kV pulses with linear leading edges, followed by a slower exponential decay back to zero. The transition time (10–90%) of the leading edge is less than 10 ns into a noncapacitive load, which provides transition rates of up to 120 kV/μs. The transition time may be increased up to 50 ns by adding capacitance across the load. Avtech Electrosystems Ltd, PO Box 265, Ogdensburg, NY 13669-0265, www.avtechpulse.com

Fast time-domain terahertz system

According to Toptica Photonics, its TeraFlash smart time-domain terahertz (TD-THz) platform sets new standards for measurement speed. Using the company’s proprietary technique called electronically controlled optical sampling or “ECOPS,” the system replaces the mechanical delay of conventional TD-THz systems with two synchronized femtosecond lasers and an electronic scanning scheme. The new platform attains scanning speeds up to 1600 pulse traces per second. It is suitable for measurements on rapidly moving samples such as extrusion lines, particularly if high spatial resolution is required. Other potential applications include measurements under rapidly changing environmental conditions and studies of the properties of samples in pulsed magnetic fields. Both transmission and reflection measurements can be made. Toptica Photonics Inc, 5847 County Rd 41, Farmington, NY 14425, www.toptica.com