PICA
Contents
PICA: Advanced High-Precision Transport Measurement Automation with Python
Table of Contents
1. Overview
2. Design Philosophy & Architecture
2.1 The Choice of Python
2.2 The Case for GUIs
2.3 Operational Transparency (No “Black Box”)
2.4 Architecture: Process Isolation
2.5 Self-Contained and Modular Programs
3. Installation & Setup
3.1 System Prerequisites
System Requirements & Compatibility
Software Dependencies
3.2 Getting Started
Installing on Linux
3.3 Running the Software
3.4 Development Dependencies for Testing (Optional)
3.5 Try PICA Without Instruments
4. Safety Precautions
5. Core Utilities
5.1 VISA Instrument Scanner
5.2 PICA Plotter Utility
5.3 Embedded Document Viewer
5.4 Measurement Module Interface
5.5 Launcher v2: Quick Select and Advanced Options
5.6 Diagnostic Tools
6. Supported Measurement Modules
6.1 Ultra Low Resistance Measurements
6.2 General Transport (Standard I-V & R-T)
6.3 High Precision Transport (mid resistance range)
6.4 Electrometry & High Resistance
6.5 Pyroelectric Current Measurements
6.6 High Voltage Poling
6.7 Dielectric Spectroscopy
6.8 Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy
6.9 Standalone Temperature Utilities
6.10 Bench Multimeter Logging (Keithley 197A)
6.11 AC Transport (Keithley 6221 AC Current Source)
6.12 Memristor Switching (Keithley 2400)
7. Releases and Versions
8. Common Issues & Troubleshooting
8.1 VISA Timeout Error or Resource Not Found
8.2 Instrument Control and Delays
8.3 Forcing a Re-installation for Debugging
9. Technical Reference
9.1 File Naming Convention
9.2 GPIB Address Guide
9.3 Repository Mirroring
9.4 Data File Format
9.5 Programmatic Surface
9.5.1 Entry points
9.5.2 The module registry
10. Citation & Open Source
10.1 Preprint
11. Future Development
11.1 AC Resistivity (Lock-In)
11.2 Standalone Executables
11.3 New Utilities and Analysis Modules
12. Adding a New Instrument
13. Authors & Acknowledgments
Funding
14. License
15. Appendix A: Project File Structure
Instrument Manuals and Reference Documents
Keithley Instruments (Tektronix)
Lake Shore Cryotronics
PyMeasure Software
PyVISA Software
Keysight Technologies
Novocontrol Technologies
Research Impact
User facility
Summary
Direct use: PICA data presented in the paper
Measurement support: PICA used, data not published
Papers citing PICA
PICA
Index
Index