Capacitance and Inductance

Measurements Using
an Oscilloscope and a
Function Generator
APPLICATION NOTE
Capacitance and Inductance Measurements APPLICATION NOTE
Using an Oscilloscope and a Function Generator

Most labs have an ample supply of digital multimeters What is Impedance?

(DMMs) for measuring DC resistance, but when it comes Impedance is the total opposition to current flow in an
to measuring inductance, capacitance and impedance, it alternating current circuit. It is made up of resistance
is not always easy to find an LCR meter. (real) and reactance (imaginary) elements and is usually
represented in complex notation as Z = R + jX, where R is the
LCR meters operate by applying an AC voltage to the
resistance and X is the reactance.
device under test (DUT) and measuring the resulting
current, both in terms of amplitude and phase relative to
the AC voltage signal. A capacitive impedance will have
a current waveform that leads the voltage waveform. An
inductive impedance will have a current waveform that RESR R ESR
lags behind the voltage waveform. Fortunately, if you
have an oscilloscope and a function generator in your lab,
you can use a similar technique to make multi-frequency CS LS
impedance measurements with good results. This
approach may also be adapted for use as an instructional
lab exercise.
Capacitive Inductive

Figure 1. Impedance modeled as a capacitor or inductor with an equivalent

series resistance.

Real-world components are made up of wires, connections,

conductors and dielectric materials. These elements
combine to make up the impedance characteristics of the
component, and this impedance changes based on the
test signal frequency and voltage level, the presence of a
DC bias voltage or current and environmental factors such
as operating temperatures or altitude. Of these potential
influences, the test signal frequency is often the most
significant factor.

Unlike ideal components, real components are not purely

inductive or capacitive. All components have a series
resistance, which is the R component in its impedance. But
they also have multiple contributors to their reactance. For
example, a capacitor has a series inductance that becomes
more apparent at high frequencies. When we measure a
real capacitor, the equivalent series inductance (ESL) will
impact the capacitance reading, but we won’t be able to
measure it as a separate, distinct component.

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Capacitance and Inductance Measurements APPLICATION NOTE
Using an Oscilloscope and a Function Generator

Impedance Measurement Methods Test Example

The I-V method described in this application note is just one The following two examples introduce capacitor/inductor/
of many methods for measuring impedance. Others include equivalent series resistance (ESR) measurement using an
the Bridge Method and the Resonant Method. oscilloscope and a function generator.

Equipment used:
Rref
• 2 Series MSO with built-in function generator
Zx (Option 2-SOURCE)
• A 1 kΩ precision resistor
V V DUT I
VA1 VA2 • Capacitors and inductors to be tested
• Two Tektronix TPP0200 10X voltage probes
For this application, most professional-grade oscilloscopes
and function generators will give acceptable results since
Figure 2. The I-V method test circuit. the test frequencies are 100 kHz and lower. For example,
the Tektronix AFG1000 and AFG2000 Series are entry-level
The I-V method uses the voltage and current value across professional-grade function generators that also work well
the DUT to calculate the unknown impedance, Zx. The in this application.
current is measured by measuring the voltage drop across
a precision resistor in series with the DUT as shown in Example 1: 10 μF ceramic capacitor
Figure 2. Equation 1 shows how the circuit can be used
Set up the test circuit as shown in Figure 3. Note that Resr
to find Z x.
and C are both associated with the ceramic capacitor
Equation 1: under test, and that Rfg is the 50 Ω output impedance of the
function generator.
VA2 VA2 Rref
ZX = ____ = __________
I VA1 – VA2
Function Generator
Theoretical Accuracy
R fg A1 R ref A2
In this application note we will use a Tektronix 2 Series
MSO Mixed Signal Oscilloscope equipped with its optional 50 Ω 1 kΩ
arbitrary/function generator (AFG). The 2 Series MSO will
Resr
serve to provide both the stimulus and measurements. The DUT
built-in AFG’s bandwidth of 50 MHz is well-suited for this
measurement. The oscilloscope’s DC gain accuracy is 3%. C
As you can see in Equation 1, the oscilloscope’s voltage
measurement accuracy is the most critical factor in the
total test accuracy.

Based on Equation 1, the theoretical accuracy of this

Figure 3. Test setup for evaluating a capacitor as in Example 1.
measurement method should be about 6%.
Set the function generator to output a 100 Hz sine wave with
Since the sample rate of the oscilloscope is much higher
1 Vpp amplitude at 50 Ω. (Note that the voltage measurement
than the frequencies of the stimuli used in these tests,
on the oscilloscope will be almost twice this amplitude since
the error contributed by the phase measurements will
measurements are being made with 10 MΩ probes.) Adjust
be negligible.
the vertical scale setting of the oscilloscope to use as much
of the display as possible – by using as much of the range
as possible, you will improve the accuracy of your voltage
measurements.

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Capacitance and Inductance Measurements APPLICATION NOTE
Using an Oscilloscope and a Function Generator

Use the oscilloscope to probe at nodes A1 and A2. Figure 4 shows the resulting waveform.

Figure 4. Voltage waveforms and measurements taken at nodes A1 and A2.

Select the oscilloscope’s average acquisition mode and The voltage at node A1 represents the total voltage drop
set the number of averages to 128. This will reduce the across the test circuit, while node A2 is the drop across the
effects of random noise on your measurements. Set the capacitor under test. As expected for a series RC circuit,
oscilloscope to measure the channel 1 frequency, phase the voltage across the capacitor lags behind the total circuit
between channel 2 and channel 1, channel 1 amplitude, voltage by the phase angle .
and channel 2 amplitude as shown in Figure 4. Record
these values. The impedance of the capacitor under test can be found
using Equation 1.
From the measurement setup, we know:
The impedance can be expressed in polar form, where the
Stimulus frequency, f = 100 Hz magnitude is given by:

Precision Resistor, Rref = 1 kΩ Equation 2:

From the measurements taken on the oscilloscope and VA2Rref

shown in Figure 4: Z=
V 2A1–2VA1VA2cos +V 2A2
Voltage amplitude measured at A1, VA1 = 1.934 V
The angle of the impedance is given by subtracting the
Voltage amplitude measured at A2, VA2 = 0.310 V two angles:

Phase difference between voltage measured at A2

relative to A1, = 280.0° = –80.0 °

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Capacitance and Inductance Measurements APPLICATION NOTE
Using an Oscilloscope and a Function Generator

Equation 3: Equation 5:
–1
–VA2 sin C = ___________
= –tan –1 2πƒZsin
VA1–VA2 cos
Using Equation 4 and Equation 5 we can calculate the ESR
and capacitance for the capacitor under test:
For the test in our example, we can use Equation 2
and Equation 3 to find the magnitude and angle of the RESR = 162.64cos(-89.22)
impedance of the capacitor under test:
RESR = 2.2 Ω
(0.310) (1×10 )
3 –1
Z= C=
(1.934) – 2 (1.934)(0.310) cos (–80.0°) + (0.310)
2 2 2π (100) (162.64)sin(–89.22)

Z = 162.64 Ω
C = 9.8 µF

–0.310sin (–80.0°) Table 1 compares the results achieved with the oscilloscope
= –80.0° – tan –1
1.934 – 0.310cos (–80.0°) and function generator to results achieved with a low-cost
= 270.8° = –89.22° VNA and a traditional LCR meter. The LCR meter used in this
case only supported test frequencies of 100 Hz and 1  kHz,
Now we can convert to the rectangular form of the which are common component test frequencies. You’ll
impedance to find the resistance and capacitance. notice that the three methods correlate reasonably well.
j Passive component values are specified with a particular
Z = RESR – _______
2πfC frequency in mind, and LCR meters often have more
Z = Zcos + jZsin than one test frequency for this reason. Table 1 shows
the results using the oscilloscope/function generator
Using the equations above, we can solve for the ESR and
combination at five different frequencies. You can see
Capacitance of the DUT:
the effect of parasitic inductance in the test circuit as
Equation 4: the test frequency increases – the measured capacitance
drops as the test frequency increases. See the section
RESR = Zcos on Measurement Range for more information on test
frequencies.

by Scope/FG by USB VNA by LCR by Scope/FG by USB VNA by LCR

Frequency capacitance (μF) capacitance (μF) capacitance (μF) ESR (ohm) ESR (ohm) ESR (ohm)
10 Hz 10.3 10.4 N/A 28.3 32.8 N/A
30 Hz 10.1 10.4 N/A 9.1 7.8 N/A
100 Hz 9.8 10.3 10.22 2.2 3.2 2.3
300 Hz 9.8 10.1 N/A 0.7 1.1 N/A
1 kHz 9.7 9.8 9.96 0.3 0.3 0.21
Table 1. Example 1 comparison chart. The LCR manual states 0.05% accuracy and the USB VNA manual states 2% accuracy.

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Capacitance and Inductance Measurements APPLICATION NOTE
Using an Oscilloscope and a Function Generator

For the best results, you will need to keep the value of the Example 2: 10 mH inductor
precision resistor (Rref) low enough to give a significant
The test circuit and procedure are almost identical to those
voltage waveform at node A2. The resistor should also
used to test the capacitor in Example 1.
be larger than 50 Ω or the function generator output
impedance will factor into the measurement. Set the function generator to output a 10 kHz sine wave
with 1 Vpp amplitude at 50 Ω. (The voltage measurement
on the oscilloscope will be almost twice this amplitude
Function Generator
since measurements are being made with high-impedance
R fg A1 R ref A2 probes.) The signal is applied to the reference resistor and
the inductor under test.
50 Ω 1 kΩ
Resr Use the oscilloscope to probe at nodes A1 and A2. Figure 6
shows the two resulting waveforms.
DUT
L

Figure 5. Test setup for evaluating an inductor as in Example 2.

Figure 6. Voltage waveforms and measurements taken at nodes A1 and A2.

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Capacitance and Inductance Measurements APPLICATION NOTE
Using an Oscilloscope and a Function Generator

Select the oscilloscope’s average acquisition mode and Now we can convert to the rectangular form of the
set the number of averages to 128. This will reduce the impedance to find the resistance and inductance:
effects of random noise on your measurements. Set the
oscilloscope to measure the channel 1 frequency, phase Z = RESR + j2πfL
between channel 2 and channel 1, channel 1 amplitude,
Z = Zcos + jZsin
and channel 2 amplitude as shown in Figure 6. Record the
measured values. Using the equations above, we can solve for the ESR and
Inductance of the DUT:
From the measurement setup, we know:
Equation 6:
Stimulus frequency, f = 10 kHz
RESR = Zcos
Precision Resistor, Rref = 1 kΩ
Equation 7:
From the measurements taken on the oscilloscope and Zsin ( )
shown in Figure 6: L = _________
2πf

Voltage amplitude measured at A1, VA1 = 1.906 V Using Equation 6 and Equation 7, we can calculate the ESR
and inductance for the inductor under test:
Voltage amplitude measured at A2, VA2 = 1.030 V
RESR = 652.93cos (88.53)
Phase difference between voltage measured at A2
relative to A1, = 55.83° RESR = 16.8 Ω

The voltage at node A1 represents the total voltage drop 652.93 sin (88.53)
L = ______________________
across the test circuit, and node A2 is the drop across the 2π(10×103)
inductor under test. As expected for a series RL circuit, the L = 10.4 mH
voltage across the inductor leads the total circuit voltage by
the phase angle . As with the capacitor, the results achieved with the
oscilloscope and function generator were close to those
We can use the same equations to calculate the impedance from an LCR meter and low cost VNA.
of the DUT that we used to measure the capacitor In
Example 1. The impedance can be expressed in polar See the section on Measurement Range for more
form, where the magnitude and angle of the impedance information on test frequencies.
are given by:
Once again, you may need to experiment with the value of
(1.030) (1×10 )
3 Rref to get the best results.
Z=
(1.906) – 2 (1.906)(1.030) cos (55.83°) + (1.030) 2
2

Z = 652.93 Ω
–1.030sin (55.83°)
= 55.83° – tan –1
1.906 – 1.030cos (55.83°)
= 88.53°

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Capacitance and Inductance Measurements APPLICATION NOTE
Using an Oscilloscope and a Function Generator

1×105 1×105
Impedance (ohms) Impedance (ohms)
ZC (f, 100 pF) ZL (f, 10 µH)
ZC (f, 1 nF) 1×104 ZL (f, 100 µH) 1×104
ZC (f, 10 nF)
ZL (f, 1 mH)
ZC (f, 100 nF)
ZL (f, 10 mH)
ZC (f, 1 µF) 1×103
ZL (f, 100 mH) 1×103
ZC (f, 10 µF)
ZC (f, 100 µF)
ZL (f, 1 H)
100 ZL (f, 10 H)
100
ZL (f, 100H)

10
10 100 1×103 1×104 1×105
Frequency (Hz)
10
10 100 1×103 1×104 1×105

Figure 7. Capacitance/frequency box. Frequency (Hz)

Figure 8. Inductance/frequency box.

Measurement Range
There are practical limits on the stimulus frequency and Conclusion
the DUT capacitor or inductor values for this impedance If you don’t have an LCR meter in your lab or you want to
measurement method. demonstrate the behavior of capacitors and inductors
under sinusoidal stimulus, an oscilloscope and a function
Figure 7 is a capacitance/frequency box. If a capacitance
generator can help you to do a simple, transparent
value and test frequency fall within the box, then you
impedance measurement. You can expect capacitance
should be able to measure it. In the shaded region, the
and inductance values with 3%–6% uncertainty. In order
measurement accuracy will be about 3%, and outside
to take advantage of this method, you need only a function
the shaded area the accuracy drops to about 5%. These
generator with good frequency and amplitude range, an
uncertainties assume that you’ve taken care to use the
oscilloscope with good specifications and the functions
full display of the oscilloscope, averaged 128 cycles of the
we’ve discussed, a few precision resistors, and a calculator
waveforms, and used the mean value of the amplitudes and
or spreadsheet.
phase to perform the calculations.

A similar inductance/frequency box is shown in Figure 8 for

the inductor test.

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