A simple and inexpensive C-V characterization system for electronics course at undergraduate level

A simple and inexpensive capacitance-voltage (C-V) meter based on C8051F006 SoC has been developed for characterizing electronic components. It can be a tool in laboratory to strengthen concepts delivered in lectures and also make students familiar with the characteristic equation of electronics components. The instrumentation design of C-V meter consist of a voltage source generated by DAC and voltage step source applied to device under test (DUT) and its capacitance, which is measured by C-V meter, are stored into computer via an RS-232 serial communication. The C-V meter calibrated for each part and tested for measuring C-V characteristics of capacitor and diodes. The result of the measurement is a curve characterization of C-V. The curves have been compared to the theory as qualitative.