Compliance: Can the measurement range be different than the compliance range?

Compliance: Can the measurement range be different than the compliance range?

Yes. The measurement range can be set to be less than the compliance output range, but not greater. Typically, the measurement and source compliance ranges are programmed to be the same. The SourceMeter instrument's measurement range can't exceed the compliance because the output will never exceed the compliance limit; therefore, there is no need to reduce the amount of measurement resolution.

The purpose of setting the measurement range lower than the compliance range is measurement and speed optimization. Changing source ranges takes time. If you are making multiple measurements on a device, you can set the source compliance to the highest level to accommodate all of the tests to eliminate the range changing time. If a test can be done at lower output levels than the compliance limit, the measurement can be taken on a lower range to improve resolution and accuracy.