Newark element14 announces world’s first source measure unit instrument with capacitive touchscreen

CHICAGO, USA: Newark element14, a high-service distributor of technology products and engineering solutions, has launched the first Source Measure Unit (SMU) instrument with a capacitive touchscreen graphical user interface.

Made by Keithley Instruments Inc., the Model 2450 SourceMeter SMU Instrument is ideal for characterizing modern scaled semiconductors, non-scale devices, organic semiconductors, printed electronics and other small-geometry and low-power devices.

The model 2450 combines the capabilities of I-V systems, curve tracers and semiconductor analyzers in one unit costing far less than those products together. The US list price is $5,400, and a version without a front panel for automated systems integration is available for $5,100. As the next iteration of the Model 2400 SourceMeter SMU instrument, the product is available for orders now at element14.

"The new Keithley Model 2450 is an outstanding addition to our already broad range of technology tools and solutions," said Newark element14 Product manager, Erik Linell. "The touchscreen on this product is one of the unique features in the SMU category, and we're happy to offer this to our customers so they can move from design to production more quickly."

To accommodate shrinking design cycles, the Model 2450 incorporates numerous ease-of-use features that ensure a faster "time-to-answer" than the competition. These include a context-sensitive help function, "Quickset" modes that speed instrument configuration and on-screen graphing capabilities that turn raw data into usable results quickly.

Benchtop application advantages include:

* Full-color, 5-inch touchscreen graphical user interface (GUI) with built-in help.
* Extended measurement ranges with superior low current performance.
* Error and event logging.
* KickStart start-up software providing a more intuitive operation and requiring 50 percent fewer configuration steps.

Test system integration advantages include:

* Embedded Test Script Processor - provides higher test throughput by eliminating common GPIB traffic problems.
* TSP-Link inter-unit communication bus - multiple TSP instruments can be linked for multi-point or multi-channel parallel test.
* Model 2400 legacy mode - backward compatibility with existing 2400 SCPI programs.
* PC connectivity and automation - simplifies configuring multi-instrument test setups.