Skip to main content
Search

Company Blog

Achieving High Data Transfer Rates with the UHFLI

07.07.2015

Scope Streaming Schematic

The UHFLI Lock-in Amplifier features the smallest time constant on the market, making it an excellent instrument for fast measurements like in imaging applications. The UHFLI can provide demodulated data at a bandwidth of up to 5.2 MHz and sampled at up to 14 MSa/s...

SPM User Meeting in Leiden

17.06.2015

Dan's Tutorial

On June 3rd my colleague Romain Stomp and I welcomed Zurich Instruments' users with a focus in scanning probe microscopy (SPM) to visit us for the day at Leiden University in the Netherlands. In the morning, Romain shared his expertise with a presentation outlining how to optimally configure the HF2...

Pass/Fail Tests for Failure Analysis

08.06.2015

Pass/Fail Graph

For quality control in manufacturing process, there are many ways to tests for transistors or other component failure, but for high throughput verification usually simple Pass/Fail tests are required. Since devices are tested for various functions, different tests need to be performed in this pass or fail mode. The basic...

Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy with the HF2LI Lock-in Amplifier

23.05.2015

DLTS vs Temperature

A very small concentration of lattice point defects, or simply defects, such as vacancies, impurities, dislocations, grain boundaries or cavities, are responsible for creating many different properties in semiconductors. Defects play a crucial (beneficial or detrimental) role in determining the suitability in terms of performance and reliability of a specific material to be used in a semiconductor device...

Measuring the I-V Characteristic of PN Junction Devices with the HF2LI

13.05.2015

I-V Setup

Co-author and main contributor: Dr. Antonio Braga Introduction The p-n junction is the fundamental building block of semiconductor material electronics device such as transistors, diodes, sensors, laser, light emitting diodes, as well as solar cells. If one wants to know the fundamental functional properties of these devices, it is crucial...

DFRT-PFM Workshop

27.11.2014

Earlier in November 2014, Zurich Instruments participated in a 2-day workshop on Piezoresponse Force Microscopy (PFM) organized by the Institut des Nanotechnologies de Lyon (INL) and the CNRS network RéMiSoL (Réseau des Microscopies à Sondes Locales). Starting with some theoretical introduction by Prof Brice Gautier, 2 parallel sessions on practical...

Demodulating Down to DC with the HF2LI

18.11.2014

DC Demod

Many of our customers use the possibility to measure DC voltage and current, together with an ac signal by setting the demodulation frequency ω=0. The measured value is seemingly incorrect as you need to divide the obtained rms value with the factor of √2 to get the actual signal amplitude...

Basic Vector Network Analyzer Measurements with the UHFLI

03.07.2014

Reflection

Introduction This blog post describes how to measure reflection and transmission coefficients using the Zurich Instruments UHFLI Lock-in Amplifier and a directional coupler. Network analysis is commonly performed in radiofrequency (RF) measurements. A network analyzer is an instrument that measures the network parameters of electrical circuits. Circuits that can be...

How to Achieve More Stable Z-feedback in FM-AFM Mode

15.05.2014

Choice of set point

The challenge with FM-AFM mode (or NC-AFM) is that tip-sample interaction can be either attractive (negative frequency shift, -df) or repulsive (positive frequency shift, +df) which leads to different parameter settings for the Z feedback loop with, respectively, either a positive or negative slope. For atomically smooth surfaces this is...

Sideband Analysis with Lock-in Amplifiers

27.02.2014

When a sinusoidal waveform is periodically modulated in either amplitude or frequency, sidebands are generated as a result of this carrier modulation. These sidebands can be measured using a lock-in amplifier. Zurich Instruments' lock-in amplifiers (such as the HF2LI and the UHFLI) can measure up to 8 frequencies simultaneously and...

Reducing Ground Disturbances with the HF2TA

26.02.2014

Ground Test Setup

Ground loops can pose a serious problem in many measurement setups. Due to the multiple connections to and from the HF2TA Current Amplifier and other external components, several ground loop related issues can pop up in the signal being measured. These issues can be high-frequency oscillations (> 10 MHz), 50/60...

High-Speed AFM Measurements

19.02.2014

Typically, for biological and catalysis applications time matters - and AFM images recorded in 10 minutes or longer are not acceptable. We often receive inquiries about what constitutes a complete solution for 'fast AFM' and what Zurich Instruments can offer in this area. Therefore, I would like to describe here...

Contact Us