Keysight B2980C Series Electrometer/High Resistance Meters: A Graphical Solution Breaking Through Measurement Bottlenecks for Ultra-Low Currents and Ultra-High Resistances

In the fields of materials science, semiconductor testing, nanotechnology and high-resistance component R&D, accurate measurement of ultra-low current and ultra-high resistance has always been a technical challenge. Traditional Digital Multimeters (DMM) or ordinary picoammeters often fail to provide sufficient resolution and stability for measurements down to femtoampere (fA) level or up to gigaohm (GΩ) level, and they are also complicated to operate and susceptible to environmental noise. The B2980C Series femtoampere/picoammeters and electrometers/high resistance meters launched by Keysight Technologies feature the world-leading 0.01 fA resolution, maximum 10 PΩ resistance measurement capability, graphical user interface and a variety of practical accessories, providing a reliable high-sensitivity electrical measurement solution for researchers and engineers.

1. Series Models and Positioning: Meet Measurement Requirements of Different Scenarios

The B2980C Series includes four models, covering different application levels from basic current measurement to full-featured electrometer/high resistance meter:

All four models are equipped with a 4.3-inch color LCD screen, support multiple view modes (meter, curve, histogram, scroll view), and have built-in functions such as 100,000-point data buffer, real-time histogram statistics, and auto-ranging navigation, which greatly lowers the operation threshold for high resistance and weak current measurement.

2. Core Parameters and Accessories: Providing System Support for High-Precision Measurement

Key Performance Specifications (take B2987C as an example):

• Current measurement: 0.01 fA to 20 mA, minimum range 2 pA, input burden voltage < 20 µV (at pA range)

• Resistance measurement: up to 10 PΩ (10¹⁶ Ω), built-in ±1000 V voltage source

• Voltage measurement: 1 µV to 20 V, input impedance > 200 TΩ

• Charge measurement: 1 fC to 2 µC

• Reading rate: up to 20,000 readings/second

• Battery life: approx. 5 hours for B2987C (under typical working conditions), supports automatic data saving and recovery

• Interfaces: USB, LAN, GPIB, LXI Core, supports remote control and data export

Accessories (partial list):

• Triaxial Cable (16494A Series): 1.5 m standard configuration, features a semiconductor layer design, suppresses friction potential and reduces vibration noise

• High Resistance Measurement Fixture Adapter (N1413A): Connects B2980C to high resistance measurement fixtures (such as resistivity cell N1424)

• General Purpose Adapter for High Resistance Measurement (N1414A): Simplifies wiring for high resistance measurement

• Component Test Fixture (N1428A): Suitable for high resistance testing of surface-mount and leaded components

• Thermocouple (N1423A): Supports temperature measurement (for B2985C/B2987C)

• Setup Integrity Check Software (N1420A): Helps users identify noise introduced by external factors such as cables, adapters and shield boxes

3. B2987C — Versatile Electrometer/High Resistance Meter

Among the four models, B2987C is the preferred choice for most laboratories and R&D departments due to its complete functions, wide application scenarios and battery-powered capability. Its main advantages are as follows:

• Full-function integration: It not only provides 0.01 fA current measurement capability, but also integrates ±1000 V voltage source, 10 PΩ resistance measurement, voltage/charge/temperature and humidity measurement functions, realizing multi-purpose in one unit.

• Battery power completely isolates power supply noise: When performing femtoampere-level measurements, AC power line noise is often the main source of interference. The battery mode of B2987C can completely avoid this problem, which is suitable for testing materials and devices that are extremely sensitive to noise.

• Graphical interface improves debugging efficiency: Roll View can display 100,000-point waveform in real time to help capture transient responses; Histogram View can immediately count the distribution of measurement data without exporting to PC for analysis.

• Setup integrity check function: By comparing the noise levels under different wiring methods, it can quickly locate the noise source in the measurement system and reduce debugging time.

4. Application Examples

Material Science Research:
Resistivity, leakage current and dielectric property testing of materials such as graphene, nanomaterials, polymers and ceramics. The high resistance measurement capability (up to 10 PΩ) and femtoampere-level resolution of B2987C can accurately characterize the insulation properties of materials.

• Semiconductor and Electronic Component Testing:
  Measurement of diode reverse leakage current, MOSFET gate leakage, capacitor insulation resistance, photodetector dark current, etc. The graphical I-V curve plotting function facilitates intuitive analysis of device characteristics.

• Sensor and Bioelectric Measurement:
  Weak signal acquisition of ion sensors, bioelectric signals and micro current source output. Battery-powered mode avoids power frequency interference, which is suitable for use in shielded rooms or mobile applications.

• High Resistance Standard and Calibration:
  Suitable for long-term stability testing of high resistance standards and insulating materials, and automatic measurement can be realized with high resistance fixtures (such as N1424).

V. Advantages Compared with Traditional Instruments

The Keysight B2980C Series is not only a high-precision current and resistance measurement instrument, but also a graphical, systematic low-level signal measurement solution. Through the organic combination of hardware design, software functions and supporting accessories, it significantly lowers the technical threshold for ultra-high resistance and femtoamp-level measurement, helping users obtain more reliable and intuitive data in material research, component testing, sensor development and other fields.

If you are looking for an instrument suitable for high resistance and low current measurement, or want to further improve the accuracy and efficiency of your existing test system, please feel free to contact us. We will provide a more suitable solution and technical support based on your specific application scenario.

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