NI Redefines the SMU with Industry-Leading Speed, Density and Flexibility

AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- National Instruments (Nasdaq: NATI) today announced the NI PXIe-4139 system source measure unit (SMU), a high-performance addition to the company's SMU portfolio. This SMU can reduce overall cost of test and accelerate time to market for test engineers in a broad range of industries, from semiconductor to automotive and consumer electronics.

"With the NI PXIe-4139, engineers and scientists get broad IV boundaries, including extended range pulsing capability up to 500 W and sensitivity down to 100 fA, to test a wide range of devices with a single instrument," said Luke Schreier, senior group manager of test systems for National Instruments. "The compact size of the NI PXIe-4139 is also critical. It can reduce system footprint significantly compared with legacy box instrument SMUs."

The NI PXIe-4139 features NI SourceAdapt technology to help engineers produce optimal SMU response to any load by customizing the SMU control loop. This protects devices under test and improves system stability. Additionally, the NI PXIe-4139 system SMU can take measurements at 1.8 MS/s, which is 100X faster than traditional SMUs. This helps reduce test time and offers engineers the ability to capture transient device behavior without an external scope.

"A redefined approach to instrumentation is necessary if you want to keep pace with the increasing complexity of modern electronics," said Schreier. "SourceAdapt technology, coupled with the inherent benefits of PXI modular instrumentation and NI LabVIEW system design software, gives engineers a competitive edge in reducing test times and protecting their devices under test."

Key Features:

• 100 fA current measurement sensitivity: Precisely characterize high-performance semiconductor devices.
• 1.8 MS/s sampling rate: Capture transient device characteristics without an external scope.
• Up to 17 SMU channels in 4U 19 in. rack space: Minimize test system footprint for high-channel-count systems.
• SourceAdapt technology: Reduce transient times to improve overall test times and protect the device under test from overshoots and oscillations even on highly inductive or capacitive loads.

To learn more about NI SMU devices, visit www.ni.com/smu.

About National Instruments

Since 1976, National Instruments (www.ni.com) has equipped engineers and scientists with tools that accelerate productivity, innovation and discovery. NI's graphical system design approach to engineering provides an integrated software and hardware platform that speeds the development of any system needing measurement and control. The company's long-term vision and focus on improving society through its technology supports the success of its customers, employees, suppliers and shareholders.

LabVIEW, National Instruments, NI, ni.com and SourceAdapt are trademarks of National Instruments. Other product and company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.

Contact:  beth.williams@ni.com, (512) 683-6394

SOURCE National Instruments