9103 USB Picoammeter

Rugged, portable, affordable, and ASCII programmable, RBD's 9103 USB Picoammeter measures bi-polar DC current from picoamps to milliamps. It can be biased with an optional built-in fixed +90V DC bias, or your own low-noise DC power supply.

Data Logging and graphing software is included for Microsoft Windows. The 9103 is compatible w/ OSx, Linux, Matlab, and LabView, and can be controlled via a simple ASCII interface.

The 9103 works well in noisy environments. It was designed for measuring electron and ion beams as well as diode and IC I/V characterization. The 9103 is multi-channel capable - up to 127 can be synchronized

The 9103 is Now Available in Four Configurations:

• Standard: sample rate 40 reads/second
• High-speed: sample rate 500 reads/second
• High-voltage: sample rate 40 reads/second, floats up to 5 kV DC *
• High-speed / High-Voltage: sample rate 500 reads/second, floats up to 5 kV DC *

Two Bias Options are available on the Standard and High-speed Models:

• +90 V Fixed
• External:  Dual-BNC input

For information about why you would use an internal or external bias, please see this blog post.

* High-voltage supply provided by user.
* Bias options not available with high-voltage version.

Complete configuration and ordering information...

Frequently Asked Questions

Datasheet / Specifications

 

Applications

• Electron & ion current measurements
• Photodiode current & dark current measurements
  (up to 127 devices at the same time.)
• Beam and particle monitoring
• Data logging current comparisons
• Leakage current testing
• Mass spectrometer current measurements
• Materials resistance testing
• Direct measurement of electron multiplier output (with HV option)
• High resistance measurement (with HV option)
• Health and medical diagnostics

Features

• Accurate Current Measurement:
  Ranges 2 nA to 2 mA, .001 nA to 2.499 mA
• Programmability: ASCII command interface for user-defined testing and automation as well as integration with third-party instrumentation software
• Auto or Manual Range: automatic or manual range selection
• Interval or Single Sampling: take samples of current at timed intervals ranging from 25 ms to 9999 ms per point
• Automatic Input Grounding (prevents specimen stage from charging on electron microscopes and vacuum spectrometers)
• Optional Bias Use your own isolated voltage source to measure current vs. voltage, or a fixed +90 V bias
• Optional 5 kV DC Isolation
• Optional high-speed sampling (500 reads/sec.)

Application Notes and Whitepapers

• RBD 9103 Picoammeter for Floating Ion Current Measurements _pdf - Dr. Stephan Raushenbach’s lab at Oxford University
• Application of the RBD 9103 Picoammeter in Ion Beam Experiments _pdf - Paul Scheier - Nano-Bio-Physics Group at Institute of Ion Physics and Applied Physics – University of Innsbruck
• Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) setup _pdf - Mara Corbetta, CERN 2017

 

Actuel Data Logging and Graphing Application

Actuel is RBD’s 9103 control and data acquisition application. Actuel provides the interface to RBD’s new 9103 Picoammeter, including a control and display medium for the Picoammeter. It also includes an interface that provides data sampling and recording (data logging). In addition, the software provides a console for accessing advanced features of the Picoammeter, including calibration and diagnostics.

The latest version of Actuel is available here.

 

More Detailed Technical Information and Downloads.