TEK 371A Curve Tracer

Features

The 371A, the industry leader in high power curve tracers is used for testing a wide variety of power semiconductors. It performs DC parametric characterization of thyristors, SCRs and power MOSFETs.

The high voltage collector mode permits testing the Off-Characteristics of a device up to 3,000 volts. The pulsed high current collector mode provides output current pulses greater than 400 amps peak for testing On-Characteristics. It also permits high power testing up to 3,000 watts.

In the R&D lab, the 371A is used for characterization of new designs of power devices, extraction of SPICE parameters, failure analysis and data sheet generation.

In manufacturing test, the 371A is used to verify device quality and process monitoring.

The 371A is used for incoming inspection to verify power device performance and perform failure analysis.

Interactive control of all measurements can be done from the full featured front panel or over the GPIB. Operating parameters can be adjusted and stored and recalled using several storage methods including the 371A non-volatile memory, the built-in DOS compatible floppy disk or to an external controller.

The 371A provides three cursor measurement modes. The Dot cursor provides direct screen readout of voltage, current, gm or DC beta at any point. The Window cursor can be positioned between two curves to measure small signal beta or gm, and can also be used for visual go/no-go tests. The Function Line cursor provides screen readout of a slope or intercept value.

In the sweep measurement mode, the 371A will automatically construct a family of curves while stimulating the device with low duty-cycle pulses. With this capability, power curves can be displayed without excessive heating of the device.

A test fixture is a standard accessory that provides safe device enclosure to ensure operator protection during measurements. The test fixture accommodates standard A1001 through A1005 adapters with Kelvin sensing, 3-Pin adapters without Kelvin sensing and the A1023 and A1024 surface mount adapters.

Metrics ICS software offers computer-controlled DC parameter characterization of numerous semiconductor devices. Through Metrics ICS control of the 371A, measurements can be performed without the need to interact with the instrument's front panel. Every aspect of instrument control and data analysis is available through a set of interactive dialog boxes that are configured in a graphics-oriented Microsoft Windows environment.

Specifications

Modes -
High Current: 250 µsec pulses with max. peak of 30 volts.
High Voltage: Full rectified sine with max. peak of 3000 volts (positive and negative polarities for both modes).