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Low Level Measurements Handbook

Low Level Measurements Handbook

Low Level Measurements Handbook

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known for their low input bias current, which is usually a few femtoamps.Picoammeters and SMUs also have very low input bias currents, althoughusually not as low as an electrometer’s.Although input bias current is a common source of this type of error,currents generated by external circuits can also result in errors due to voltagedrops across the source resistance. Typical sources of such offset currentsare insulators and cables.Shunt Resistance Loading and GuardingExternal shunt resistances, such as leaky cables and dirty insulators, mayalso cause loading errors.Any external shunt resistance across the voltage source will attenuatethe measured voltage, as shown in Figure 2-3. As in the case of input resistancevoltage loading, the shunt resistance (R SHUNT ) and the source resistance(R S ) form a voltage divider that reduces the measured voltage (V M ) asfollows:R SHUNTV M = V S ––––––––––––––( RSHUNT + R S)For example, assume R S = 10GΩ and R SHUNT = 100GΩ. If V S has a valueof 10V, the measured voltage (V M ) is:10V 11M = 10( 10)–––––––––––– 1011+ 10V M = 9.09VIn this instance, the error due to shunt loading is approximately 9%.FIGURE 2-3: Effects of Shunt Resistance on Voltage Measurement AccuracyHIR SV SShuntResistanceR SHUNTV MLOVoltage SourceVoltmeter Measuring V SIndicating V MR SHUNTV M = V S R S + R SHUNT<strong>Measurements</strong> from High Resistance Sources 2-5

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