AC Quantum Voltmeter Research Articles

Calibration of a precision current measurement system for high AC voltages using an AC quantum voltmeter

This paper describes the calibration of a high precision AC current measurement device which is required in a system to measure AC voltages up to 800 kV in the frequency range of 10 Hz to 400 Hz. The AC current measurement unit of such a system requires the calibration of the input current in the milliampere range at a frequency of approximately 50 Hz, and all measurements have been made at a suitable frequency of 62.5 Hz. An AC quantum voltmeter (AC-QVM) is used to achieve a traceability chain from DC resistance calibration, when it works as DC quantum standard, and as AC quantum standard for the AC current measurement. All DC and AC measurements needed for one calibration point (one current level) can be done in a rapid sequence within 30 min using the same AC-QVM, such that the combined uncertainty is at a level of 1 μA A−1 (k = 1).

An AC quantum voltmeter for frequencies up to 100 kHz using sub-sampling

Differential sampling relative to a Josephson waveform, the ac quantum voltmeter (ac-QVM), has been established as the most accurate method for measuring signals below 1 kHz with an uncertainty of 1 part in 108 (k = 1) for 1 V at 250 Hz. Commercial ac-QVMs provide accuracies of about 1 part in 106 up to frequencies of 2 kHz. Here we present a new sub-sampling technique to extend the frequency range of an ac-QVM up to 100 kHz. The measurement results at 1 V RMS amplitude agree well within 5 µV V−1 (k = 1) with the nominal voltage values for all frequencies from 500 Hz to 100 kHz. Two different analogue-to-digital converters are compared, sampling techniques, error sources and corrections as well as detailed uncertainty estimations are discussed.

Characterization of a precision modular sinewave generator

At the Czech Metrology Institute (CMI) we have developed a precision modular sinewave generator for impedance ratio bridges. The generator was developed to improve previously available designs regarding amplitude and phase accuracy, linearity, absolute stability, stability of the ratio between two outputs and harmonic distortion. It generates up to 7 Vrms in a frequency range from 1 mHz up to 20 kHz, extendable to 100 kHz with small changes to the filters. The amplitude resolution is better than 0.01 μV V−1 of full scale with an output voltage stability of 0.05 μV V−1/30 min and a stability for the ratio between two outputs of 0.02 × 10−6 over several hours. The generator can be powered from internal batteries and is controlled via optically isolated connections. The internal clock and voltage references can be replaced by external ones, optically coupled in the case of the clock. In this paper, we discuss experimental results obtained with the generator used as a signal source in digital impedance bridges with relative combined uncertainties from 10–5 down to 10–8. The generators have been used in a bridge to drive a quantum Hall resistor in the AC regime. The use of a generator with an AC quantum voltmeter will also be discussed. The generator is not only applicable in the field of AC impedance metrology but also for on-site comparisons of AC quantum voltage standards or, in general, where there is a need for precision voltage sources.

A dry-cooled AC quantum voltmeter

The paper describes a dry-cooled AC quantum voltmeter system operated up to kilohertz frequencies and 7 V rms. A 10 V programmable Josephson voltage standard (PJVS) array was installed on a pulse tube cooler (PTC) driven with a 4 kW air-cooled compressor. The operating margins at 70 GHz frequencies were investigated in detail and found to exceed 1 mA Shapiro step width. A key factor for the successful chip operation was the low on-chip power consumption of 65 mW in total. A thermal interface between PJVS chip and PTC cold stage was used to avoid a significant chip overheating. By installing the cryocooled PJVS array into an AC quantum voltmeter setup, several calibration measurements of dc standards and calibrator ac voltages up to 2 kHz frequencies were carried out to demonstrate the full functionality. The results are discussed and compared to systems with standard liquid helium cooling. For dc voltages, a direct comparison measurement between the dry-cooled AC quantum voltmeter and a liquid-helium based 10 V PJVS shows an agreement better than 1 part in 1010.

Direct comparison of a 1 V Josephson arbitrary waveform synthesizer and an ac quantum voltmeter

AC Josephson voltage standards based on pulse-driven Josephson arrays (Josephson arbitrary waveform synthesizer—JAWS) have recently achieved an output voltage of at least 1 V root-mean-square. An ac quantum voltmeter (ac-QVM) based on a 2 V programmable Josephson array has been used to verify the quantization level of the new JAWS by performing a direct comparison in the frequency range from 30 Hz to 2 kHz. The comparison has demonstrated an excellent agreement between the two quantum standards of better than 1 part in 108. Sources for systematic errors have been investigated. The overall uncertainty is found to be better than 1.2 parts in 108 (k = 1) for measurements at a frequency of 250 Hz and 1 V amplitude.

An AC Josephson Voltage Standard up to the Kilohertz Range Tested in a Calibration Laboratory

This paper describes the development of an automated ac quantum voltmeter toward a turnkey system, which can be used for calibration of common dc and ac voltage standards. The setup was tested in an accredited commercial calibration laboratory to characterize Fluke 5700A calibrators and voltage standards. The measured voltage in dependence on various parameters is presented in the range of dc to 2 kHz with amplitudes up to 10 V. The uncertainty components are discussed, and the system relevant Type B uncertainty for ac voltage calibrations is 0.15 μV/V. The contribution of the leakage current is investigated in detail and found to be notable for frequencies above 1 kHz due to parasitic capacitances. The combined measurement uncertainty for calibration ac voltages is less than 0.62 μV/V (k = 1 and 40 Hz-1 kHz) and is limited by the noise of the calibrator. Comparison measurements at Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt have been done and confirm the system reproducibility.

An ac quantum voltmeter based on a 10 V programmable Josephson array

An ac quantum voltmeter based on a 10 V programmable Josephson array that is simple to use, provides dc and ac calibration up to kHz range for equipment widely used in metrology, and ensures direct traceability to a quantum-based standard, is developed. This ac quantum voltmeter is proven to match conventional Josephson standard systems at dc and extends its advantages up to 10 kHz in the low-frequency ac range. The ac quantum voltmeter is capable of performing calibrations up to 7 VRMS in the frequency range from dc to 10 kHz completely under software control. A direct comparison at dc has demonstrated an uncertainty better than 2 parts in 1010 (k = 2). The uncertainty at 1 kHz is better than 1.7 µV V−1 (k = 2) for a measurement time of 1 min. The ac quantum voltmeter is a robust and practical system that fulfils the needs of general metrology laboratories for quantum-based voltage calibrations.