Solution
Programming a positive output resistance allows you to simulate the output resistance of a non-ideal voltage source, such as a battery. The output resistance of a battery varies based on the type, age, charge, etc., and will cause a voltage drop at the output. You can program a positive output resistance with the SMU to reproduce this behavior and simulate the behavior of a battery.
These modules can also be programmed for negative output resistance. This is valuable when
remote sense connections cannot be connected directly to the DUT (Figure 1). This results in a series resistance between the remote sense connections and the DUT, which causes a voltage drop. You can program the output resistance to a negative value to nullify the effects of the voltage drop between the remote sense connections and the DUT.
![](/servlet/rtaImage?eid=ka03q000000tC7Z&feoid=00N0Z00000HEWRt&refid=0EM0Z000000FmhM)
Figure 1.
The supported programmable resistance ranges and accuracy values can be found in the
specifications document for each module.