Section 6: Leakage current and insulation resistance
Model 2450 Interactive SourceMeter® Instrument User's Manual
6-4
2450-900-01 Rev. C / December 2013
Measuring leakage current
The following application demonstrates how to use the Model 2450 to measure the leakage current of
a 1 nF capacitor by sourcing a voltage and measuring the resulting current using the front panel or
over the remote interface. The remote interface examples show SCPI commands and TSP
commands.
This application sets the Model 2450 to source 20 V and measure the resulting leakage current as a
function of time. The instrument takes current measurements for a specific period.
For this test, you will:
•
Reset the instrument
•
Set the instrument to read the rear terminals
•
Select the source voltage function and measure current function
•
Set the magnitude of the voltage source
•
Turn on autoranging
•
Set the measure delay
•
Use the Duration Loop trigger model template to make readings for a specified time period
•
Turn on the source output
•
Take readings for a specified period of time
•
Turn off the source output
When you use the Model 2450 to measure small current values, ensure that the device under test is
electrostatically shielded. If the capacitor rating is greater than 20 nF, enable the high capacitance
mode for best results.
For more information about making optimized capacitor leakage measurements and minimizing
noisy measurements, see the Keithley Instruments
Low Level Measurements Handbook
, available
on the
http://www.keithley.com
).
Set up the leakage current application using the front panel
To set up the application from the front panel:
1. Use the test leads to make the connection from the capacitor to the rear panel of the Model 2450,
as described in
(on page 6-2).
2. Reset the Model 2450.
a. Press the
MENU
key.
b. Under System, select
Manage
.
c. Select
System Reset
, and then select
OK
.
3. Press the TERMINAL FRONT/REAR switch to set the instrument to use the rear-panel terminals
(R is displayed to the left of the switch).
4. Press the
HOME
key.
5. Press the
FUNCTION
key.
6. Under Source Voltage and Measure, select
Current
.
