Single-Unit Dielectric Analyzers Alpha and Beta
Dielectric Analyzers for Dielectric, Conductivity and Impedance Spectroscopy and Gain Phase Measurements
The Alpha analyzer features high quality general purpose dielectric, conductivity, impedance 2 electrode spectroscopy and gain phase measurements.
The Beta analyzer has the same functionality, but supports 3 and 4 electrode configurations in addition.
Both analyzers combine a high class precision broadband dielectric material characterization system with a typical impedance analyzer for the low and middle impedance range. This combination makes them unique and easy to use instruments with exceptional overall performance.
The Beta and Alpha analyzers cover 16 orders of magnitude impedance range, 13 orders of magnitude frequency range and 1m° basic phase accuracy in a single instrument. This combination makes them powerful tools for electric analysis instrumentation. As a result, the analyzers can measure the permittivity, conductivity and impedance of nearly all materials or components broadband and over a wide temperature range without changing sample geometry or sample cells.
3 or 4 electrode techniques can be advantageously used in
order to partly compensate electrode - sample interface polarization or
contact impedance effects.
The Beta analyzer voltage channel input impedance is 1012| 10 pF which exceeds the range
of most competing instruments by several orders of magnitude and therefore can be seen as a
major improvement in broadband 3 and 4 electrode measurements.
The Beta and Alpha analyzers are predecessors and economical alternatives to the more powerful and flexible modular Alpha-A series, which can be extended by a series of test interfaces, which is not possible for the Beta and Alpha series. A more detailed comparison of the three series can be found here.
Features
- Broad frequency range 3⋅10-5 to 4⋅107 Hz including low frequencies for characterization of dielectric relaxations, electrochemical and high impedance effects.
- Ultra wide impedance range 10-2 Ω to 1014 Ω (16 decades) covers range from conductors to best isolators.
- Ultra wide capacity range 10-15 .. 1 F allows broadband measurement of smallest capacities down to 1 fF.
- High phase and loss factor tan(δ) absolute accuracy (0.002 ° and 3.10-5, respectively) for low loss dielectric materials and isolators broadband characterization.
- Single integrated device operated by high level GPIB commands for easy and straightforward implementation in own programs or existing measurement set-ups. No additional customized software, frequency response analyzer, lock-in amplifier or interface required.
- Automatic self calibration and diagnosis by user cancels out long term internal drift and verifies functionality.
- Higher harmonics measurement over full frequency range for impedance and gain phase measurements for non linear electric response in materials or signals.
- Precision digital frequency response analyzer up to 40 MHz for two channel gain phase measurements with 0.001° phase - and 10-5 in amplitude resolution included.
- Optional control DETACHEM software for turnkey calibration, operation, data evaluation, 2- and 3- dimensional graphical representation.
Alpha + Beta Short Specification
| Ranges | |
| Frequency | 3 μHz ... 40 MHz (13.1 decades) |
| Impedance | 0.01 Ω .. 1014 Ω (16 decades) |
| Capacitance | 1 fF ... 1 F (15 decades) |
| Loss factor tan(δ) | 10-5 .. 104 |
| AC signal out | 100 μV .. 3 Vrms |
| DC bias out | −40 VDC .. +40 VDC, 70 mA max ** |
| Signal generator output impedance | 50 Ω |
| Voltage in | < ± 4.3 Vp dc or ac coupled |
| Differential Voltage Inputs (Beta only) | |
| Input impedance | 1012 Ω | 10 pF |
| Common Mode Rejection | < 10-4 below
100 kHz < 10-3 dB below 1 MHz |
| Input Bias Current | < 2.10-12 A |
| Basic Accuracy | |
|
Relative Impedance, Relative Capacity, Loss factor tan(δ) |
< 3.10-5
*** |
| Phase Angle | < 2 m° *** |
| Resolution | |
|
Relative Impedance, Relative Capacity, Loss factor tan(δ) |
< 10-5 |
| Phase Angle | < 0.6 m° |
| User Calibrations | load, short, open, internal self calibration and diagnostics |
| Interface | GPIB / IEEE488 |
| Software | DETACHEM data acquisition software with online graphics |
* in combination with the types Alpha-N, Alpha-T or
Beta-N, Beta-T
** requires dc bias option B
*** for details refer to specification charts
Alpha and Beta Dielectric Analyzer Types
The following types with different frequency ranges are available.| Upper frequency limit | Type Code |
| 40 MHz | Alpha-T or Beta-T |
| 20 MHz | Alpha-N or Beta-N |
| 3 MHz | Alpha-K or Beta-K |
| 0.3 MHz | Alpha-L or Beta-L |
Alpha and Beta Dielectric Analyzer Options
The following mainframe options are available:| Option | Additional Type Code Letter |
| Dc bias ±40V, 70mA | B if installed, missing else |
Note: The recommended types with best performance / price ratio are the Alpha-NB or Beta-NB (20 MHz with dc bias).