I-V Curve tracer employing parametric sampling

An I-V curve tracer measures an I-V relationship of an electrical device during transient conditions. In operation, the curve tracer couples across the device a fixed-value inductive or capacitive load. While the current and voltage flowing through the device approach steady-state levels, the voltage and current are sampled and stored in a memory upon predetermined incremental changes in one parameter of the device such as voltage. A digital representation of one parameter, such as voltage, constitutes a memory address and another parameter, such as current, is stored at that address in the memory. A data processor subsequently retrieves the memory data and addresses to display or plot the I-V relationship of the device. This parametric sampling technique assures that the measurements are coincident in occurrence with the sweeping of the I-V curve and eliminates the need for complex control and timing circuits.