TechXchange: Source/Measure Units

June 28, 2021

The source measure unit (SMU), capable of both sourcing and measuring simultaneously, delivering precise voltage and/or current measurements.

Alix Paultre

This article is part of TechXchange: Source/Measure Units

SMUs are and have been useful tools in power engineering since they were first developed in the early 1980s for semiconductor characterization. The growth in utility and functionality of these products also are a testament to the extent semiconductor-based solutions have permeated the marketplace. SMUs address high-accuracy and -resolution applications beyond characterizing and testing semiconductors, testing other nonlinear devices and materials in which voltage and current embrace both positive and negative values. The Source/Measure Unit TechXchange provides informative and interesting material on this critical topic in power test.

About the Author

Alix Paultre | Editor-at-Large, Electronic Design

An Army veteran, Alix Paultre was a signals intelligence soldier on the East/West German border in the early ‘80s, and eventually wound up helping launch and run a publication on consumer electronics for the US military stationed in Europe. Alix first began in this industry in 1998 at Electronic Products magazine, and since then has worked for a variety of publications in the embedded electronic engineering space. Alix currently lives in Wiesbaden, Germany.

Also check out his YouTube watch-collecting channel, Talking Timepieces.