NI PXIe-4141 Manual

CALIBRATION PROCEDURE
NI PXIe-4141
PXIe, 4-Channel, ±10 V, 100 mA, Precision PXI Source Measure Unit
(SMU)
This document contains the verification and adjustment procedures for the NI 4141. Refer to
ni.com/calibration for more information about calibration solutions.
Please review and become familiar with the entire procedure before beginning the calibration
process.
Contents
Verification................................................................................................................................2
Required Software.............................................................................................................2
Related Documentation.....................................................................................................2
Password........................................................................................................................... 2
Calibration Interval........................................................................................................... 2
Test Equipment..................................................................................................................2
Test Conditions..................................................................................................................3
Calibration Overview........................................................................................................5
Self-Calibrating.................................................................................................................5
Voltage Output and Measurement.....................................................................................6
Current Output and Measurement.....................................................................................7
Remote Sense..................................................................................................................10
Adjustment.............................................................................................................................. 13
Adjusted Specifications...................................................................................................13
Self-Calibrating...............................................................................................................13
Initiating the Adjustment Session................................................................................... 14
Connecting and Configuring Equipment for Voltage Adjustment..................................14
Adjusting Voltage Measurement..................................................................................... 14
Connecting and Configuring Equipment for Current Adjustment..................................15
Adjusting Current Measurement.....................................................................................16
Connecting and Configuring Equipment to Adjust Residual Offset Voltage..................17
Adjusting Residual Voltage Offset..................................................................................17
Adjusting Residual Current Offset..................................................................................17
Closing the Adjustment Session..................................................................................... 17
Alternative to Adjustment Procedures............................................................................ 18
Reverification..........................................................................................................................18
Setting the Calibration Due Date............................................................................................ 18
Revision History..................................................................................................................... 19
NI Services..............................................................................................................................19

Verification
The performance verification procedures assume that adequate traceable uncertainties are
available for the calibration references.
Related Information
Reverification on page 18
Repeat the Verification section to determine the as-left status of the device.
Required Software
Calibrating the NI 4141 requires you to install the following software on the calibration
system:
• NI-DCPower. The NI 4141 was first supported in NI-DCPower 1.7.5.
• Supported application development environment (ADE)—LabVIEW or
LabWindows™/CVI™
• Supported operating system—Windows
You can download all required software from ni.com/downloads.
Related Documentation
You might find the following documents helpful as you perform the calibration procedure:
•NI DC Power Supplies and SMUs Getting Started Guide
•NI DC Power Supplies and SMUs Help
•NI PXIe-4141 Specifications
•NI-DCPower Readme
Visit ni.com/manuals for the latest versions of these documents.
Password
The default password for password-protected operations is NI.
Calibration Interval
Recommended calibration interval 1 year
Test Equipment
The following table lists the equipment NI recommends for the performance verification and
adjustment procedures. If the recommended equipment is not available, select a substitute
using the minimum requirements listed in the table.
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Table 1. Required Equipment for Calibration
Required
Equipment
Recommended Model(s) Where Used Minimum
Specifications
Digital multimeter
(DMM)
Keysight 3458A1All parameters Voltage: <±26 ppm
accuracy and <1 µV
resolution
Current: <±100 ppm
accuracy and <5 pA
resolution
Two 50 Ω
resistors
Vishay
PTF5650R000BZEK
Voltage remote
sense
0.1% tolerance, 1/8 W
Two 10 Ω
resistors
Vishay
CMF5510R000BEEK
Current remote
sense
0.1% tolerance, 1/4 W
Two 100 Ω
resistors
Vishay
PTF65100R00BYEK
Current remote
sense
0.1% tolerance, 1/4 W
Two 1 kΩ
resistors
Vishay
PTF651K0000BYEK
Voltage and
current remote
sense
0.1% tolerance, 1/4 W
Two 10 kΩ
resistors
Vishay
PTF6510K000BYEK
Current remote
sense
0.1% tolerance, 1/4 W
Two 100 kΩ
resistors
Vishay
PTF65100K00BYEK
Current remote
sense
0.1% tolerance, 1/4 W
Test Conditions
The following setup and environmental conditions are required to ensure the NI 4141 meets
published specifications:
• Keep cabling as short as possible. Long cables act as antennas, picking up extra noise that
can affect measurements.
• Verify that all connections to the NI 4141, including front panel connections and screws,
are secure.
• Ensure that the PXI chassis fan speed is set to HIGH, that the fan filters, if present, are
clean, and that the empty slots contain filler panels. For more information about cooling,
1To take measurements in the 10 µA range with the Keysight 3458A, you must send your device to
the Keysight Primary Standards Lab for a special calibration to verify the 10 µA, 1 µA, and
100 nA ranges.
NI PXIe-4141 Calibration Procedure | © National Instruments Corporation | 3

refer to the Maintain Forced-Air Cooling Note to Users document available at ni.com/
manuals.
• Allow a warm-up time of at least 30 minutes after the chassis is powered on and
NI-DCPower is loaded and recognizes the NI 4141. The warm-up time ensures that the
NI 4141 and test instrumentation are at a stable operating temperature.
• Use shielded copper wire for all cable connections to the module. Use twisted-pair wire
to eliminate noise and thermal offsets.
• To ensure the system has had adequate time to settle, wait one second after requesting a
new current or voltage or after changing a load before taking a measurement.
• Keep relative humidity between 10% and 70%, noncondensing.
• Recalculate the test limits if they differ from the newest device specifications. Test limits
in this document are based on the July 2013 edition of the NI PXIe-4141 Specifications.
• When making measurements, configure the following aperture time-related settings:
– Set the niDCPower Aperture Time property or
NIDCPOWER_ATTR_APERTURE_TIME attribute to 2 power-line cycles (PLCs) on
the module.
– Set the niDCPower Aperture Time Units property or
NIDCPOWER_ATTR_APERTURE_TIME_UNITS to power line cycles.
– Set the niDCPower Configure Power Line Frequency property or the
NIDCPOWER_ATTR_POWER_LINE_FREQUENCY attribute to either 50 or 60
depending on the frequency of the AC power line in your location.
• Do not use the NI-DCPower Soft Front Panel (SFP) to request test points for any
adjustment functions because you cannot set aperture time using the SFP.
• Ensure that properties or attributes for the module that are not specified in calibration
procedures are set to their default values.
• When making measurements, configure any specified digital multimeters (DMMs) with
the best available levels and limits for each specified test point.
• Disconnect any input signals and perform ACAL ALL function on Keysight 3458A every
24 hours or when the multimeter's temperature changes by ±1 °C from when it was last
externally calibrated or from the last autocal. Use the TEMP? command for the current
internal temperature and compare it to the calibration temperature from executing the
command CAL? 59 for DCV and CAL? 60 for OHMS.
• Configure Keysight 3458A to 7 ½ digits of resolution and 10 NPLC.
Temperature conditions specific to verification procedures:
• Maintain an ambient temperature of 23 °C ±5 °C. Maintain an internal device
temperature range of Tcal ±1 °C.2
2Tcal is the internal device temperature recorded by the NI 4141 at the completion of the last self-
calibration. Call the niDCPower Get Self Cal Last Temp VI to query Tcal from the NI 4141.
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Temperature conditions specific to adjustment procedures:
• Maintain an ambient temperature of 23 °C ±1 °C. The NI 4141 internal temperature is
greater than the ambient temperature.
Calibration Overview
Calibration includes the steps shown in the following figure.
Figure 1. Calibration Overview
Document
Post-Adjustment
Results
Document
Pre-Adjustment
Results
Calibration/
Verification
Complete
Yes No
Meets
Calibration Test
Limits?
Review Verification/
Adjustment Procedure
or Return Device
Verify
Adjust (Calibration Constants,
Dates, and Temperatures
Updated)
Verify
1. Initial Setup—Install the NI 4141 and configure it in Measurement & Automation
Explorer (MAX) .
2. Verification—Verify the existing operation of the NI 4141.
This step confirms whether the device is operating within the published specifications
prior to adjustment.
3. Adjustment—Adjust the calibration constants of the NI 4141.
4. Reverification—Repeat the Verification procedure to ensure that the device is operating
within the published specifications after adjustment.
Self-Calibrating
Complete the following steps to self-calibrate the device.
1. Disconnect or disable all connections to the device.
2. Ensure the device had 30 minutes to warm up with the PXI chassis fans set to HIGH.
3. Initialize an NI-DCPower session.
4. Call the self-calibration function.
NI PXIe-4141 Calibration Procedure | © National Instruments Corporation | 5

5. Close the NI-DCPower session.
Voltage Output and Measurement
Connecting and Configuring Equipment for Voltage Verification
1. Make the necessary connections for this procedure, as shown in the following figure:
Figure 2. Voltage Verification or Adjustment Connection Diagram
DMM
Voltage
Mode
+
–
NI-DCPower Device
Sense LO
Sense HI
HI
LO
2. Set the niDCPower Output Function property or NIDCPOWER_OUTPUT_FUNCTION
attribute to DC Voltage for the NI 4141.
Verifying Voltage Output and Measurement
Compare a set of voltages measured by the external DMM to both a set of voltage test points
requested by the NI 4141 and to the measured voltages reported by the NI 4141.
Refer to the following table as you complete the following steps.
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Table 2. Voltage Output and Measurement Verification
Level
Range
Limit
Range
and Limit
Test
Point
DMM
Range
As-Found
Output Test
Limit (% of
Voltage +
Offset)
As-Found
Measurement Test
Limit (% of Voltage +
Offset)
10 V 1 mA -10 V 10 V 0.013% +
150 μV
0.013% + 150 μV
-7.5 V 10 V
5 V 10 V
-2.5 V 10 V
0 V 100 mV
2.5 V 10 V
5 V 10 V
7.5 V 10 V
10 V 10 V
1. Set the first specified level range, limit range, and limit on the NI 4141.
2. Set the level on the NI 4141 to the first specified test point.
3. Take a voltage measurement using the DMM, and take a voltage measurement using the
NI 4141.
4. Record the values from the previous step.
5. Calculate the lower and upper voltage output test limits using the following formula:
Voltage Output Test Limits = Test Point ± (|Test Point| × % of Voltage + Offset)
6. Verify that the recorded DMM value falls within the test limits.
7. Calculate the lower and upper voltage measurement test limits using the following
formula: Voltage Measurement Test Limits = DMM Measured Voltage ± (| DMM
Measured Voltage| × % of Voltage + Offset). Record the test limits.
8. Verify that the recorded NI 4141 value falls within the test limits.
9. If more than one test point per level range is specified, repeat the previous steps for each
test point, from setting the level to the test point on the NI 4141 up to this step.
10. If more than one level range is specified, repeat the previous steps using the values
specified in each level range.
Current Output and Measurement
Connecting and Configuring Equipment for Current Verification
1. Make the necessary connections for this procedure, as shown in the following figure:
NI PXIe-4141 Calibration Procedure | © National Instruments Corporation | 7

Figure 3. Current Verification or Adjustment Connection Diagram
NI-DCPower Device
Sense LO
Sense HI
HI
LO
DMM
Current
Mode
+
–
2. Set the niDCPower Output Function property or NIDCPOWER_OUTPUT_FUNCTION
attribute to DC Current for the NI 4141.
Verifying Current Output and Measurement
Compare a set of currents measured by the external DMM to both a set of current test points
requested by the NI 4141 and to the measured currents reported by the NI 4141.
Refer to the following table as you complete the following steps.
Table 3. Current Output and Measurement Verification
Level
Range
Limit
Range
and Limit
Test Point DMM
Range
As-Found
Output Test
Limit (% of
Current +
Offset)
As-Found
Measurement Test
Limit (% of Current +
Offset)
10 μA 10 V -10 μA 10 μA 0.03% + 300 pA 0.03% + 300 pA
0 µA 1 μA
10 μA 10 μA
100 μA 10 V -100 μA 100 μA 0.03% + 3.0 nA 0.03% + 3.0 nA
0 µA 1 μA
100 μA 100 μA
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Table 3. Current Output and Measurement Verification (Continued)
Level
Range
Limit
Range
and Limit
Test Point DMM
Range
As-Found
Output Test
Limit (% of
Current +
Offset)
As-Found
Measurement Test
Limit (% of Current +
Offset)
1 mA 10 V -1 mA 1 mA 0.03% + 30 nA 0.03% + 30 nA
-750 μA 1 mA
-500 μA 1 mA
-250 μA 1 mA
0 mA 1 μA
250 μA 1 mA
500 μA 1 mA
750 μA 1 mA
1 mA 1 mA
10 mA 10 V -10 mA 10 mA 0.03% + 300 nA 0.03% + 300 nA
0 mA 10 μA
10 mA 10 mA
100 mA 10 V -100 mA 100 mA 0.03% + 3.0 μA 0.03% + 3.0 μA
0 mA 100 μA
100 mA 100 mA
1. Set the first specified level range, limit range, and limit on the NI 4141.
2. Set the level on the NI 4141 to the first specified test point.
3. Take a current measurement using the DMM, and take a current measurement using the
NI 4141.
4. Record the values from the previous step.
5. Calculate the lower and upper current output test limits using the following formula:
Current Output Test Limits = Test Point ± (|Test Point| × % of Current + Offset)
6. Verify that the recorded DMM value falls within the test limits.
7. Calculate the lower and upper current measurement test limits using the following
formula: Current Measurement Test Limits = DMM Measured Current ± (|DMM
Measured Current| × % of Current + Offset).
8. Verify that the recorded NI 4141 value falls within the test limits.
NI PXIe-4141 Calibration Procedure | © National Instruments Corporation | 9

9. If more than one test point per level range is specified, repeat the previous steps for each
test point, from setting the level to the test point on the NI 4141 up to this step. For zero
current test points, disconnect all external equipment from the I/O connector on the
NI 4141 and take a current measurement solely with the NI 4141, in order to ensure that
the output current is zero. In calculations for zero current test points, substitute 0 A for
the DMM Measured Current.
10. If more than one level range is specified, repeat the previous steps using the values
specified in each level range.
Remote Sense
Connecting and Configuring Equipment for Voltage Remote
Sense Accuracy Verification
1. Make the necessary connections for this procedure, as shown in the following figure:
Figure 4. Voltage Remote Sense Output Verification Connection Diagram
Load3
Load2
Load1
+
–
DMM
Load Voltage Measurements
DMM
LO Lead Drop Measurements
+
–
NI-DCPower Device
Sense LO
Sense HI
HI
LO DMM1
Voltage
Mode
DMM2
Voltage
Mode
2. Set the niDCPower Sense property or NIDCPOWER_ATTR_SENSE attribute to Remote.
3. Set the niDCPower Output Function property or NIDCPOWER_OUTPUT_FUNCTION
attribute to DC Voltage for the NI 4141.
Verifying Voltage Remote Sense Accuracy
Use the NI 4141 in constant voltage mode with a test circuit to simulate the voltage drop
between the device and a load.
Complete this procedure only after successfully completing all previous Verification
procedures.
Refer to the following table as you complete the following steps.
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