Auxiliary circuits for pulse bias and equivalent series resistance measurements with a Boonton 72B capacitance meter

Pulse bias and equivalent series resistance circuits have been developed to expand the capabilities of a Boonton 72B capacitance meter used in MOS capacitor characterization. With the help of tuned parallel and series LC circuits, pulses of 5 μs length can be applied directly to the capacitor under test, avoiding the built-in bias circuitry of the capacitance meter. The equivalent series resistance measurement circuit, used in a computer-controlled automated measurement system, makes it possible to determine both the real and imaginary components of an unknown impedance rather than the equivalent parallel capacitance only.