how to measure very low current <1uA

[jefferylai]

Hello Everyone,

Does anyone knows how to measure a very lower current <1uA? What test equipment that able to carry out this kind of precise measurements? 

Thanks, 

-MJ 

[Now_With_Underscores]

Hey MJ,

1uA is low current, but we can certainly measure it.  Depending on what you're trying to do, the PXI-4071 and PXIe-4141 are great candidates.  Of course, if your application permits a large voltage drop (e.g. 10mV), you could use a large enough shunt resistor (e.g. 10kΩ) to convert 1uA to something a handheld DMM could measure... it all depends on your application.

Tell us more about your application and we can provide more specific guidance.

[Jeffrey_Zola]

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@Now_With_Underscores wrote:

Hey MJ,

1uA is low current, but we can certainly measure it.  Depending on what you're trying to do, the PXI-4071 and PXIe-4141 are great candidates.  Of course, if your application permits a large voltage drop (e.g. 10mV), you could use a large enough shunt resistor (e.g. 10kΩ) to convert 1uA to something a handheld DMM could measure... it all depends on your application.

Tell us more about your application and we can provide more specific guidance.

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I have used both the PXI-4071 DMM and the PXI-4141 SMU for such measurements. Both have pros and cons- just like any other engineering decision. The SMU solution turned out to be an elegant way to measure current with a zero effective voltage burden to the circuit.

PM me if you would like more details .

Jeff