Keithley Power Supplies and Source Measure Units

Keithley’s bench products in this category fall into a few distinct families: compact SourceMeter SMUs for parametric characterization, standalone precision DC power supplies for power-delivery and low-noise measurement, and dedicated current sources or battery simulators for specialized tasks.

Representative examples: the Keithley 2400 is a compact 20 W SourceMeter that couples a DC source with a 5½-digit meter for single-channel parametric tests. The 2450 is a modern, single-channel SMU with a 5-inch capacitive color touchscreen and the same 20 W output class. For high-voltage SMU work, the Keithley 237 provides up to 1100 V. Measurement-grade DC power is represented by the 2280S-32-6 (32 V, 6 A, 192 W). The 2303 is positioned for battery-simulation use with 0–15 V and up to 3 A output.

SMUs (SourceMeter-style instruments) – combine precision sourcing and metrology-grade measurement in one channel. Instruments such as the 2400, 2450 and 2410 provide 4-quadrant operation and tight measurement resolution suitable for device I–V characterization. The 2450 adds a graphical touchscreen and modern interfaces (USB, Ethernet, GPIB, TSP-Link).

High-voltage SMUs – the 237 increases voltage span (voltage ranges up to ±1100 V) and provides high sensitivity in current measurement (down to 100 fA minimum current source and 10 fA measurement sensitivity on some ranges), useful for insulation, leakage, and high-voltage device tests.

Bench DC supplies and measurement-grade power – the 2280S-32-6 is a low-noise linear supply with an integrated 6.5-digit DMM, higher power (192 W) and readback accuracy appropriate where precise voltage and current readback are required.

Precision current sources and battery simulators – the 6220/6221 and 2303 address specialist needs: the 6220/6221 provide picoamp-to-milliamp sourcing with high output resistance and low noise, while the 2303 targets fast pulse-load stability for battery-powered device testing.

Select by the parameter that matters first: voltage range, current range, or output power. If tests require up to kilovolts with femtoamp sensitivity, a high-voltage SMU such as the 237 is the candidate (1100 V capability and very low current sensitivity). For general device I–V work at bench voltages where integrated measurement and scripting ease matter, a 20 W SMU like the 2400 or the touchscreen 2450 is typical. When the application needs higher DC power and separate DMM-grade readback, consider the 2280S-32-6 (32 V, 6 A, 192 W). For battery emulation and fast pulse-load stability at low voltages, the 2303 (0–15 V, 0–3 A, 45 W) is targeted. If the primary requirement is low-noise, low-current sourcing (delta or nanotechnology measurements), look to the 6220 or 6221 current sources with ranges down to 2 nA (and minimum outputs in the 100 fA region on some ranges).

Also compare interfaces, control and programmability: instruments range from GPIB-only models up to units with USB, LAN (LXI), TSP-Link and more (for example, the 2450 includes USB, Ethernet, GPIB and TSP-Link; the 2280S-32-6 supports GPIB, USB and LAN). Cooling and mechanical form factor matter for rack integration or quiet benches — some units are convection cooled (2400, 2410) while others are fan-cooled.