Fundamentals of Transient Low

Current Measurement
October 25, 2016

Alan Wadsworth
Keysight Technologies

Agenda for Today

High speed data acquisition basics
Challenges & solutions for transient current
measurement
Considerations when making transient current
measurement on-wafer
Advanced material & device characterization
examples
Summary

DC Versus Fast (Transient) Current Measurement

DC Measurement (Milliseconds)

Fast I/V Measurement

(Microseconds and below)

Transient Response
Wait time for DC Measurement

Measurement Value

Basically static measurement

Can wait for the system to settle down
before making the measurement
Long measurement times allow sufficient
averaging / integration time for high
accuracy

Minimum Averaging

Wait time for Fast

IV Measurement

Long Averaging
(DC)

Dynamic measurement
Must make measurement during the
transient response
Trade-offs must be made between speed
and accuracy

Time

Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 3

Waveform Acquisition Definitions

Term

Definition

Bandwidth

Maximum frequency content acquired by the instrument.

Sample Rate

Rate at which the signal is digitized. Using real time

sampling, it is the inverse of the time between sample
points.

Memory Depth

Amount of memory allocated to a waveform record.

Acquisition Time

Time to acquire the waveform record.

Dead Time

Time after the acquisition when the instrument

microprocessor is busy with other bus activity such as
drawing the waveform record or making measurements
on the record.

Update Rate

Number of waveform updates to the display per second.

Update Rate = 1 /(Acquisition Time + Dead Time).
Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 4

Waveform Update Rate

Any glitches occurring during the dead time are not displayed

Acquired 1

Processed and
Displayed

Acquired 2

Dead Time

Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 5

Square Waves Require Enough Bandwidth to

Capture the Higher (Odd) Harmonics
TIME DOMAIN
1+3+5+7+9
1+3+5+7
AMPLITUDE

1+3+5
1+3
1

TIME
Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 6

The Required Bandwidth Depends on What You

Need to Measure

Spectrum

Freq

Sufficient BW

Accurate Result

True signal

Spectrum

Freq

Insufficient BW

Inaccurate Result
Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 7

Necessary Bandwidth Depends on Rise Time NOT

the Data Rate

tr

tr
Edge Rate is the key
determinant when choosing
analog bandwidth

Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 8

What Does a 1 ns Rise Time Look Like at

Different Bandwidths?

60 MHz
100 MHz
350 MHz
500 MHz
Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 9

Real Time Sampling Explained

1

Sample Clock

1
1

All samples are taken on a single trigger event

Pre-trigger acquisition is possible (taking data before
trigger)

Bandwidth depends on the sampling frequency

Sampling frequency is also called the digitizing rate

Resolution of points on screen is 1/sample rate

Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 10

What is High Resolution Mode?

1.5 MHz clock with Real-Time

sampling

1.5 MHz clock with High

Resolution sampling
Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 11

High Resolution Mode Pros and Cons

Waveform is sampled at maximum rate

Samples from the same trigger are averaged
Reduces noise at the expense of bandwidth

Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 12

The Weakest Link Determines the Bandwidth

Connection
Bandwidth

Probe BW

Instrument
BW

Sample Rate

System bandwidth can be viewed as a chain, where the lowest

performance component in the measurement system will limit the
bandwidth of the measurement.

Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 13

The Probe You Use is Part of What You Measure

All probes become part of the
circuit under test and will
affect circuit operation
Probing connection
accessories can degrade
performance significantly
Properly damped accessories
minimize loading and improve
faithful reproduction of your
signals
Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 14

Agenda for Today

High speed data acquisition basics
Challenges & solutions for transient current
measurement
Considerations when making transient current
measurement on-wafer
Advanced material & device characterization
examples
Summary

Challenges for the Fast Low Current Measurement -1

Using a DMM
Viable solution for the
measurements down to 1 mA
Sufficient resolution
Current accuracy is calibrated

Current Flow

Bandwidth is <100 kHz, not

sufficient to see the current
waveform in the time domain.

DMM
Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 16

Challenges for the Fast Low Current Measurement -2

Using an Oscilloscope
A current probe cannot measure
currents lower than 1 mA.

Shunt resistors force you to trade

off between sensitivity and
bandwidth.
Limited resolution (scope ADCs run
from 8 to 12 bit)
Oscilloscope noise floor is too high
for low-level current measurements
No vertical (current) accuracy

Current
Probe

Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 17

Issues Traditional Shunt Resistor Method

Oscilloscope using a shunt-R
DUT

Stray capacitance
I
R

Tr = 2.2*CR
1 M, 10 pF 22 ms (16 kHz)
Larger shunt resistances improve sensitivity, but they combine with
stray capacitance to limit the bandwidth.
It is not possible to switch in and out the optimal shunt resistance as
the current level changes.
Current sensitivity is limited by the noise floor of oscilloscope.
Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 18

A New Solution for Transient Current Measurement

CX3300 Device Current Waveform Analyzer
Wide Dynamic
Range

14-bit / 16-bit

Wide Band Width

Fast Sampling

Max. 200 MHz

1 GSa/s

Low Noise
Measurement

150 pA 10 A

Analysis
Functions

CCDF, FFT, Automatic

Current Profiler, etc.
Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 19

CX3300 Current Sensor Capabilities

Basic current sensor
CX1101A
Current Sensor,
Single Channel
100 MHz max bandwidth
40 nA to 10 A
+/- 40 V Common mode
voltage
Sensor Head required

More dynamic range

Sensor Head required

More BW & lower noise

CX1102A
Current Sensor,
Dual Channel
100 MHz max bandwidth
40 nA to 1 A
+/- 12 V Common mode
voltage

CX1103A
Current Sensor,
Low Side
200 MHz max bandwidth
150 pA to 20 mA
+/- 0.5 V Common mode
voltage

Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 20

CX3300 Sensor Heads and Connector Types

SMA

CX1201A

CX1202A
(with a voltage monitor)

CX1203A

Furnished with
CX1101A and
CX1102A

CX1204A
Shielded twisted pair

CX1205A
Test lead

CX1206A
Banana plug for 10 A
measurement

Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 21

The CX3300 Sensors Are NOT Simple Shunts

Conventional current measurement

CX3300 Current Sensors

Shunt resistor example

DUT

DUT

I
I
Rs

High-Frequency
Low Current
Sensing Circuit

A trade-off exists between sensitivity

and bandwidth
The oscilloscopes noise floor limits the
sensitivity
Since a single resistor (Rs) is used, the
measurable range is limited

Low noise
amplifier

New technology enables wide bandwidth and

low current measurement simultaneously
Sensor and mainframe work together to optimize
bandwidth, sensitivity and low noise.
The multiple current ranges supported by the
sensors provide a wide dynamic range.
Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 22

Effective Measurement Bandwidth

For the case of a CX3300 mainframe with 200 MHz bandwidth we

have the following total effective bandwidths:
Sensor Maximum
Bandwidth (-3 dB)
CX1101A

100 MHz

CX1102A

100 MHz

CX1103A

200 MHz

Mainframe Maximum
Bandwidth (-3 dB)

Effective Maximum
Measurement
Bandwidth (-3 dB)
~ 90 MHz

200 MHz

~ 90 MHz
~ 140 MHz
Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 23

CX3300 Performance vs. Current Probe

12-bit Oscilloscope & Current Probe vs. CX3300
Competitor Current Probe &
Oscilloscope (12 bit)

1 mV=1 mA/div
100 s/div

CX3300A

1 mA/div
100 s/div
CX1101A
(20 mA range)

Current Probe
RMS Noise
Bandwidth

250 mA
100 MHz

CX1101A (20 mA range)

RMS Noise 20 mA
Bandwidth
100 MHz
Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 24

CX3300 Pulse Measurement Example

100 A, 20ns pulse width

100 A current pulse measured in less than 100 ns.

100 mA
20 ns

Useful for NVM cell transient characterization

Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 25

The Advantage of 14/16 bit Resolution

Anywhere Zoom function facilitates waveform analysis

This area can

be magnified.

40 mA

Anywhere Zoom

10 A

Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 26

Agenda for Today

High speed data acquisition basics
Challenges & solutions for transient current
measurement
Considerations when making transient current
measurement on-wafer
Advanced material & device characterization
examples
Summary

Wafer Chuck Capacitance Considerations

Wafer Chuck

Chuck to ground
capacitance
1000 pF

If left open the chuck will charge up and the

substrate potential may not be stable during
measurement
If a pulse generator unit (PGU) is connected to
the chuck then it will have a very long settling
time due to the large chuck capacitance

Difficult to change chuck voltage quickly

Vtop
Vchuck

Alternative method
Vtop

Use a shorting plug to ground the wafer chuck

(do not leave it open!)
If the chuck must be biased, keep the voltage
constant throughout your measurement

Vchuck
Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 28

Probe Contact Resistance

Maintaining low contact resistance is
critical for pulsed measurements

High contact resistance combines with stray capacitance to

degrade pulse shape (sometimes quite significantly)
High contact resistance also reduces both the amplitude of the
pulse voltage and the current flowing into the DUT

Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 29

Cable Capacitance Can Affect Results

Measured Id

Measurement Distortion

Id

50 W
Cable charging
current

A
50 W

Actual Id less than

measured by
instrumentation

Rising Edge

Falling Edge

Vd
One way to avoid this issue (other than making your
cables as short as possible) is to measure current at
the source (low side), since it is usually at a stable
voltage (i.e. close to zero volts).
Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 30

Typical Setup for On-Wafer Measurement

Current measurement instrument

Parameter analyzer or pulse

generator unit (PGU)

Shorten the cables as

much as possible, and
be sure to connect up
the circuit common.

A 3D positioner is
helpful to fix the sensor.
CX3300 Seminar
Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 31

DC Probe Connection Details

To measurement equipment

To measurement equipment
16493R-101 or 102
16493R-202
SSMC(Plug) SMA(m) 200 mm

16493R-202
SSMC (Plug) SMA(m) 200 mm

Cable Accessories
Establishes return path
for Drain Current

Establishes return path

for Gate Pulse
Terminates Well
and Source

Advantages:
Cheaper than RF probes
Bandwidth OK for CX3300
Flexible pad layouts

Disadvantages:
Minimum achievable pulse width ~100 ns
Mechanical tension created on probes
Not supported by all prober companies
Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 32

Wafer Probing Example Using DC Probes

Proper way to connect to the manipulators
Connect the shields together
using a cable to maintain the
circuit common and to provide a
current return path.

Keep the cables as

short as possible

Current sensor
Signal from PG

Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 33

Make Sure that Your Setup is Shielded

Problem:
Measurement result is very noisy.
External noise from the power line,
light, electromagnetic waves, etc.
prevents accurate measurement. It
infiltrates the measurement path via
capacitive coupling.

Solution:
Shield the measurement circuit to
prevent external noise from
permeating the measurement.
Shield must be grounded.
Fundamentals of
CX3300 Seminar
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

34
Page 34

The Benefits of a Shielded Measurement

Measurement results with and without shielding
Without shield

With shield

5nA/div

Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 35

Agenda for Today

High speed data acquisition basics
Challenges & solutions for transient current
measurement
Considerations when making transient current
measurement on-wafer
Advanced material & device characterization
examples
Summary

Device Trends: Lower Power and Higher Speed

Advanced devices require fast low current measurement
Examples of innovative devices:

Non Volatile Memory (NVM)ReRAM, PRAM, etc.

Wide Band Gap Semiconductor SiC, GaN, etc.
Organic devices OLED, OTFT, etc.

Trend and changes for innovative devices:

Device characteristics are varied by the timing of the measurement

Time domain current measurement and analysis are becoming

important to accelerate device development and debug.

Devices are becoming lower power and higher speed.

Need to measure fast low current waveforms to understand the
current profile of the low power devices
Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 37

Innovative Device Example #1

New Types of NVM (ReRAM, PRAM, etc.)
ReRAM Set and Reset Cycle
Set

Read

Current

<100ns

<100ns
Reset

Non-transistor based NVM cell characterization requires current

measurements faster than 100 ns and lower than 1 mA.
Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 38

What are Advanced Non-Volatile Memory Cells?

Goal: Replace existing Flash memory technology
FeRAM

PRAM

ReRAM

Emerging NVM positioning

These devices consist of very special materials and have very complex
operating mechanisms. To understand device behavior, it is important to
measure current flow characteristics between two electrodes.

Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 39

Advanced NVM Cells are Difficult to Characterize

Need to measure transient currents during short pulses
Voltage pulse for ReRAM evaluation

Difficult to measure
transient current in this
short pulse

Existing analyzers can

measure current here, but

< 100 ns

< 100 ns

Pulse width: 10 ns to 100 ns

Dynamic current: from 1 A level

Difficult to measure
transient current in
this short pulse

1 A measurement under
> 100 MHz BW

Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 40

PRAM Cell Measurement using CX3300

Phase-Change RAM

CX1102 dual channel sensor

is used for this measurement.

Triangular voltage

CX3300 visualizes the

phase change by the
triangular voltage

2 V/div
2 mA/div

2 s/div

Blue : 20 mA range (primary)

Magenta: 200 A range (secondary)

Secondary range captures the

behavior in low current domain

10 A/div

Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 41

Standard Power Transistor Response

Si and SiC transistors do not have memory
Standard transistor switching waveforms

Drain Voltage

OFF

ON

OFF

ON

Drain Current
Time

Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 42

GaN Power Transistor Response

GaN transistors remember how long they are in the off state
GaN transistor switching waveforms show different current levels when
turning on depending how long the device has been in the off state

Short Stress

Drain Voltage

OFF

Long stress
ON

OFF

ON

Drain Current
Time

Transient analysis is required to improve performance and reliability

Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 43

GaN Current Collapse Results Using CX3300 (1)

GaN Transistor (Pulse Width = 1.5 ms
Vd off 100 s

10 V/div

Vd off 8.5 ms

Vd off: 40 V
Vd on: 1 V
Vg
Current collapse transient
can be measured.

2 ms/div
1 mA/div

Id

Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 44

GaN Current Collapse Results Using CX3300 (2)

GaN Transistor (Pulse Width = 1.5 s
Vd off 100 ns

10 V/div

Vd off 8.5 s

Vd off: 40 V
Vd on: 1 V
Vg
Current response
captured with 1 ns
sampling rate

2 s/div
1 mA/div

Id

Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 45

Innovative Device Example #3

Organic Thin Film Transistor (OTFT)
Frequency
1kHz to 10MHz

Switching of OTFT

Vg
Id

D
OTFT
G

Current
1 nA to100 mA

Improving carrier mobility is one of the key challenges.

Need to measure the current levels ranging from nA to A.
Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 46

Agenda for Today

High speed data acquisition basics
Challenges & solutions for transient current
measurement
Considerations when making transient current
measurement on-wafer
Advanced material & device characterization
examples
Summary

Summary
Key Takeaways from Todays Webcast
Total measurement bandwidth is the concatenation of the
bandwidths of all of the elements in your measurement system.
Conventional measurement instrumentation can measure
transient currents down to ~1 mA; smaller current levels require
an instrument like the CX3300.
It is especially important when performing high-speed current
(and voltage) measurements on-wafer to take all elements of
your system into account (wafer chuck, cables, probes, etc.).
The CX3300 offers capabilities not found on any other highspeed current measurement solution, and it has the ability to
characterize many new types of materials and devices.

Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 48

Want More Information?

Go to: www.keysight.com/find/cx3300

Here you can find:

Data sheets
Application notes
Manuals
Links to web videos

Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 49

Circuit Modeling
We can supply load models for the CX3300 sensors

Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 50

Parametric Measurement Handbook Available

>200 pages of invaluable

information on parametric test

You can download the PDF file (Rev 3) from the web:
http://www.keysight.com/find/parametrichandbook

Fundamentals of
Transient Low-Current
Measurement

Page 51

Question & Answer Session

Low Current &

High Resistance
Measurement

Page 52