Tektronix KEITHLEY 2600B Series

Series 2600B System SourceMeter® instrument Reference Manual Section 2: Sourcing and measuring
2600BS-901-01 Rev. F/August 2021 2-59
Pulse duty cycle
Duty cycle is the percentage of time during the pulse period that the output is on. It is calculated
as follows:
Duty cycle = Pulse width / (Pulse width + Off time)
For example, if the pulse width is 10 ms and the off time is 90 ms, the duty cycle is calculated
as follows:
Duty cycle
= 10 ms / (10 ms + 90 ms)
= 10 ms / 100 ms
= 0.10
= 10 percent
See Maximum duty cycle equation (on page 5-3) for additional information on calculating the
maximum duty cycle for a SMU.
Pulsing in the extended operating area
Pulse sweeps can be performed outside of the standard operating area by setting the appropriate
compliance level. Review the specifications for the 2600B to determine the maximum current and
voltage values available in pulse mode. When pulsing in the extended operating area, the
source-measure unit (SMU) forces the pulse to end early if the pulse width exceeds the maximum
value. It also delays the next source action as necessary to stay within the duty cycle capabilities of
the SMU. The following figure and table illustrate the pulse regions for a SMU when pulsing in the
extended operating area. Refer to the 2600B specifications on tek.com/keithley for the latest pulse
width and duty cycle information.