Ultra-low noise current meter for measuring quickly changing currents from attoampere to nanoampere

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Titel in ÜbersetzungExtrem rauscharmes Strommessgerät zur Messung schnell veränderlicher Ströme von Attoampere bis Nanoampere
OriginalspracheEnglisch
Seiten (von - bis)847-858
Seitenumfang12
Fachzeitschrifttm - Technisches Messen
Jahrgang89
Ausgabenummer12
Frühes Online-Datum27 Aug. 2022
PublikationsstatusVeröffentlicht - 25 Dez. 2022

Abstract

Low-noise current meters are usually designed using high value feedback resistors. However, a high resistance reduces the maximum measurable current at a given output voltage and the maximum bandwidth at a given parasitic capacitance. Capacitive transimpedance amplifiers integrating the current to be measured correspond to a nearly infinite resistance. Here, we present a novel active reset architecture for discharging the integration capacitor that eliminates the leakage currents and charge injection of the necessary switches. This enables a capacitive current meter achieving the noise current of an ideal resistive transimpedance amplifier with an ideal resistance of 650 GΩ, while the dynamic range, bandwidth and zero-point stability are orders of magnitude greater due to the capacitive operating principle. At a 3-dB bandwidth of 50 Hz, the noise current standard deviation is σ i = 2.6 fA with a dynamic range of six orders of magnitude from femto- to nanoamperes. Digitally adjusting the 3-dB bandwidth to 0.45 mHz for measuring direct currents reduces the noise by three orders of magnitude down to σ i = 8.7 aA, resulting in a dynamic range of nine orders of magnitude. This is possible due to an excellent zero-point stability within ± 25 aA without temperature or humidity compensation.

Schlagwörter

    active reset circuit, attoampere, Capacitive current meter, flame ionization detector, gas chromatography, ultra-low noise

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Ultra-low noise current meter for measuring quickly changing currents from attoampere to nanoampere. / Wendt, Cornelius; Bohnhorst, Alexander; Zimmermann, Stefan et al.
in: tm - Technisches Messen, Jahrgang 89, Nr. 12, 25.12.2022, S. 847-858.

Publikation: Beitrag in FachzeitschriftArtikelForschungPeer-Review

Wendt C, Bohnhorst A, Zimmermann S, Kirk AT. Ultra-low noise current meter for measuring quickly changing currents from attoampere to nanoampere. tm - Technisches Messen. 2022 Dez 25;89(12):847-858. Epub 2022 Aug 27. doi: 10.1515/teme-2022-0049
Wendt, Cornelius ; Bohnhorst, Alexander ; Zimmermann, Stefan et al. / Ultra-low noise current meter for measuring quickly changing currents from attoampere to nanoampere. in: tm - Technisches Messen. 2022 ; Jahrgang 89, Nr. 12. S. 847-858.
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N1 - Funding Information: The project “Femtoampere (fA) bis Mikroampere (μA) schnell erfassen – FUSE” is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action and the European Social Fund as part of the EXIST pro-gram (Grant Number: 03EFQNI090). The ACKISION GmbH was founded from this EXIST project with the goal of commercializing its results.

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