Agilent HP Keysight E5250A Low-leakage Switch Mainframe

The Agilent HP Keysight E5250A is a modular low-leakage switch mainframe engineered for semiconductor parametric test systems requiring minimal signal leakage and high measurement precision. It expands measurement station capacity through configurable switching architectures - either as a cross-point matrix or multiplexer - supporting automated device characterization, long-term reliability testing, and parallel production screening. The mainframe accepts plug-in card modules to establish signal routing topologies tailored to specific measurement requirements.

Technical Specifications

Matrix Configuration (E5252A cards):

• 10 × 12 matrix, expandable to 10 × 48 per frame


• Two low-leakage I-V inputs; four standard I-V inputs


• Two C-V paths with capacitance compensation


• Two auxiliary inputs for pulsed and differential measurements


• Kelvin and non-Kelvin switching modes supported


• Six triaxial (low-current) inputs; four coaxial (general-purpose) inputs


• Triaxial inputs 1–4: dedicated internal paths


• Triaxial inputs 5–6 and coaxial inputs: 3:1 multiplexed, sharing two internal paths Multiplexer Configuration (E5255A cards):


• 24-channel per card (8 × 3), expandable to 96 channels per frame


• Up to 384 channels with four ganged E5250A frames


• Six triaxial inputs and three DC-bias coaxial inputs per card Measurement Performance:


• Measurement resolution: 20 fA through switch


• Transient current settling: < 3.5 s to < 450 fA after 10 V step


• Bandwidth: 10 MHz (−3 dB) with E5252A cards


• Channel isolation: 10 TΩ (triaxial paths)


• Offset current: < 0.1 pA (low-leakage I-V port); < 1000 pA (general I-V port)


• Offset voltage: < 80 µV (low-leakage I-V port); < 110 µV (general I-V and C-V HF ports at 5 min)


• Channel crosstalk capacitance: 10⁸ cycles (dry switching) Environmental:


• Operating temperature: 5 °C to 40 °C


• Storage temperature: −40 °C (upper limit )

Key Features

• Femtoampere-level measurement capability enabling ultra-sensitive device parametrics


• Triaxial/coaxial input architecture with dedicated and multiplexed path options


• Configurable relay matrix for cross-point switching or channel multiplexing


• Low offset voltage and current specifications minimize measurement error


• High relay endurance suitable for high-cycle test environments


• Ganging capability scales channel count to 384 across four frames

Typical Applications

• Semiconductor device characterization (I-V, C-V)


• Long-term reliability and stress testing


• Parallel production test with cost-effective power supplies


• Pulsed and differential voltage measurements


• High-precision leakage current measurement

Compatibility & Integration Works with Keysight B1500A, 4155C, and 4156C parametric measurement instruments.