Traceable precision pA direct current measurements with the ULCA

TL;DR

This paper presents a novel high-precision ULCA picoammeter for direct current measurements in the pA range, demonstrating traceable calibration and superior performance over traditional capacitor charging methods.

Contribution

It introduces the ULCA as a new high-precision picoammeter with traceable calibration, validated against the cryogenic current comparator system.

Findings

ULCA calibration agrees with CCC method within 10 microA/A uncertainty

ULCA shows superior performance compared to capacitor charging technique

Calibration uncertainty limited by capacitor charging method accuracy

Abstract

A standard method for picoammeter calibrations is the capacitor charging technique, which allows generating traceable currents in the sub-nA range. However, its accuracy is limited by the ac-dc differences of the capacitances involved. The Ultrastable Low-noise Current Amplifier (ULCA) is a novel high-precision amperemeter for direct current measurements in the pA range, developed at PTB. Its amplifier stages, based on resistor networks and op-amps, can be calibrated traceably with a cryogenic current comparator (CCC) system. We compare the results from both independent calibration routes for two different ULCA prototypes. We find agreement between both methods at an uncertainty level below 10 microA/A, limited by the uncertainty of the currents generated with the capacitor charging method. The investigations confirm the superior performance of the new ULCA picoammeter.