Shorter cables
Short signal paths from collector to meter pick up far less noise than long runs to an external instrument.
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Subproject · fA current sensing
Femtoampere currents, measured inside the vacuum.
Between counting single particles and continuous current measurement lies a technology gap. With the ACCURATE 2A measurement ASIC on our polyimide laminates, we want to close it — directly in ultra-high vacuum.
Motivation
A precise fA-current meter
for vacuum applications.
Detectors that count discrete charges work down to attoampere beams, and picoammeters measure continuous currents from about 10⁻¹² A upwards. In between — around one femtoampere — there is no established instrument.
Why in vacuo?
Measure the current at its source.
Today the collector signal leaves the chamber through a feedthrough and long cables before it reaches a meter on the air side. Bringing the measurement inside the vacuum vessel changes that.
Less interference
Fewer analogue signal lines running through the chamber mean less signal interference inside the vessel.
Less latency
Measuring right at the source cuts measurement latency — the reading follows the experiment, not the cabling.
Fewer feedthroughs
In-situ measurement needs fewer vacuum feedthroughs — fewer compromises in the chamber design.
Applications
Where femtoamperes matter.
Scientific instrumentation
- Electron and particle-beam diagnostics
- Surface science and materials characterization
- Low currents of exotic particles — like highly charged ions
Industrial processes
- Semiconductor device testing
- Mass spectrometry — pharma, food, security
- Thickness determination after coating and thin-layer deposition
Strategic fit
The ACCURATE 2A chip,
in vacuo.
Goals
- Apply the chip in ultra-high vacuum
- Measure the 10–100 fA range directly in-situ
- Increase the accuracy of scientific vacuum instruments
Challenges
- Using the chip in bare-die format
- Interfacing to our polyimide PCBs with good thermal contact — chip-on-board and wire bonding
- Finding a suitable collaboration model
This subproject is our step from passive readout structures to active circuits inside the vacuum — alongside in-vacuo pre-amplifiers built from sealed transistors and, eventually, integrated circuits on our technology platform.
Measuring femtoamperes
in your vacuum system?
We are looking for partners in fA metrology and vacuum instrumentation — from beam diagnostics to coating process control.