The MFIA Impedance Analyzer a Digital Impedance Precision LCR Meter

The MFIA manufactured by Zurich Instruments is a precision LCR meter and a digital impedance analyzer that sets a new standard for impedance measurements in the frequency ranging from DC to 5 MHz. The instrument provides 0.05% standard accuracy and a measurement range covering 1 mΩ and 10 GΩ.

The instrument has a small temperature drift and high measurement repeatability. With the help of the LabOne^® user interface, the MFIA provides several long-awaited advancements for the LCR measurement and impedance available without having to install any software.

Key Features

The main features of the MFIA impedance analyzer are as follows:

LabOne Sweeper for the measurement of bias voltage, frequency, and test signal amplitude response

High repeatability and 25 second start-up time

LabOne APIs for LabVIEW^®, C, Python, MATLAB^®

Offers 0.05% basic accuracy at a rate of 20 ms per data point

Complete MFLI lock-in amplifier functionality: active measurements with time constants ranging between 336 ns and 83 s

Confidence indicator and compensation advisor for accurate measurements

Applications

The main applications of the MFIA impedance analyzer are as follows:

Electrical engineering: Solar cells, semiconductor wafer structures, LCD and LED testing

Material research: Composites/ceramics, quantum transport, nanostructure characterization

Life sciences: Single cell impedance spectroscopy (multi-frequency), tissue impedance analysis

Electrochemistry: Fuel cells, batteries, corrosion

Others: Food research, scanning capacitance microscopy, MEMS sensors

Hardware Features

Front panel interface - The front panel of the MFLI has one differential voltage input, one current signal input, two auxiliary inputs that can function as reference inputs, one differential signal output, and four auxiliary outputs. The signal inputs and outputs can be operated in differential and single-ended mode for experiments, which require additional immunity from noise disturbances. The signal ground can be referenced either to the BNC shield of the signal inputs or to the instrument ground.

Back panel interface - The back panel provides additional BNC connectors consisting of two trigger inputs and two trigger outputs, and one input and one output for 10 MHz clock synchronization. Also, a SCSI connector provides access to all DIO channels. The units can be operated with the help of an external 12 V DC power supply or with the standard 90 - 240 V mains supply, for example, from an external battery pack to break up ground loops.

High repeatability, rapid start-up - Changes in the temperature of the instrument can drastically limit the measurement repeatability and start-up speed. The MFIA performs very well in both aspects. The initial measurements can be initiated after 25 seconds from powering on the instruments.

Test fixture and additional interfaces - The best measurement results can be obtained using MFITF test fixture. Both the carriers and test fixtures are designed to introduce minimal damping and parasitics. However, the instrument is made to be fully compatible with other test fixtures and impedance setups currently available in the market. Auxiliary inputs and outputs provide and receive extra control signals to the analog feedback or the DUT to other instrumentation. Trigger ports and DIO connectors enable measurement techniques that need precise synchronization with other parts of the setup.

Voltage and current measurements - Both measurements are supported by the MFIA. The analog front-end has AC/DC coupling selection as well as variable input impedance and the high-frequency analog to digital sampling that offers a huge oversampling factor, guaranteeing high signal fidelity and excellent lock-in performance for the Scope.