Enhanced Software Provides New Capabilities

Keithley Instruments, Inc has enhanced its popular ACS Basic Edition software, adding support for a broader line of source-measure (SMU) instrumentation. This broader choice of compatible instruments should prove

especially useful in expanding the software’s voltage and current limits available for testing solar cells, photovoltaic panels, and discrete power semiconductors. ACS Basic Edition combines high speed hardware

control, device connectivity, and data management into an easy-to-use tool optimised for part verification, debugging, and analysis.

With the introduction of Version 1.1, ACS Basic Edition, a member of Keithley’s Automated Characterisation Suite (ACS) family, can now support a far broader range of DC voltage and current test capabilities. It’s compatible with the company’s full SMU offering, the broadest array of choices in the industry. Depending on the SMU selected, ACS Basic Edition supports sourcing and measuring up to 5A or 1100V DC on individual channels. The newly expanded source and measure ranges are especially useful for tests on evolving photovoltaic panels/solar cells and high power electronics in research, failure analysis and inspection applications. ACS Basic Edition now also supports combining different SMU models into a single test, allowing easier configuration, test creation, and test execution – with no need to write code.

Keithley developed ACS Basic Edition to maximise the productivity of technicians and engineers responsible for packaged part characterisation in applications ranging from early device research through development, quality verification, and failure analysis. It is delivered complete with a library of pre-configured component test routines to minimise start-up time, reduce the need for code development, and simplify the component testing process. Even novice users can test a semiconductor component in seconds and compare the characteristic curves with reference curves immediately. Much like a traditional analogue curve tracer, ACS Basic Edition can generate a family of curves on a packaged part quickly but also offers the flexibility to save, compare, and correlate results easily.

Version 1.1 of the package provides a variety of new and enhanced capabilities: expanded hardware options; test saving enhancements; updated test selection dialogue; easier data visualisation; and script editor enhancements.