Agilent 34420A Specifications Sheet

•71/2digits resolution

• 100pv/100 nΩ sensitivity

• 1.3 nVrms /8 nVpp noise
performance

• Built-in low noise 2 channel
scanner

• Direct SPRT, RTD, Thermistor,
and Thermocouple measurements

Nanovolt Performance
at a Microvolt Price

The Agilent Technologies 34420A
nanoVolt/micro-Ohm meter is a
high-sensitivity multimeter optimized
for performing low-level measure­ments. It combines low-noise voltage
measurements with resistance and
temperature functions, setting a new
standard in low-level flexibility and
performance.

Take the Uncertainty Out of Your Low­Level Measurements

Low-noise input amplifiers and
a highly tuned input protection
scheme bring reading noise down
to 8 nVpp. Combine this with
7

1

/2digits of resolution, selectable
analog and digital filtering, 2 ppm
basic 24-hour dcV accuracy, and a
shielded, copper pin connector
and you’ve got accurate, repeatable
measurements you can count on.

Two Input Channels

An integral two-channel programmable
scanner simplifies voltage comparisons.
Built-in ratio and difference functions
enable automated two channel
measurements without the need
for an external nanoVolt scanner.
Both channels share the same low
noise specifications to ensure
accurate comparisons.

Built-In Resistance and Temperature

The 34420A combines its low-noise
nanoVolt input circuits with a high­stability current source to provide
precise low-level resistance measure­ments – no more hassling with the
cost and complexity of an external
current source. Three resistance
modes are included:

• Standard

• Low-power

• Voltage-limited for dry-circuit
testing

Offset compensation is also provided
to minimize thermal EMFs and
associated errors.

SPRT Measurements

Built-in ITS-90 conversion routines
accept the calibration coefficients
from your SPRT probe for direct
temperature measurement and
conversion. Thermocouples,
thermistors, and RTDs are also
supported.

Unequaled Versatility

The 34420A gives you the versatility
to tackle your most challenging
tasks, both on the benchtop and in
your automated system. Standard
features include RS-232 and GPIB
interfaces, SCPI and Keithley 181
programming language, 1024-reading
memory, scaling and statistics, and a
chart recorder analog output.

Agilent IntuiLink: Easy Data Access

The included Agilent IntuiLink
software allows your captured data
to be put to work easily, using PC
applications such as Microsoft Excel®
or Word® to analyze, interpret,
display, print, and document the
data you get from the 34420A.
You can specify the meter setup
and take a single reading or log
data to the Excel spreadsheet in
specified time intervals. To find
out more about IntuiLink, visit

www.agilent.com/find/intuilink

Quality You Can Count On

The 34420A gives you the quality
and reliability you expect from
Agilent Technologies. From the
product’s proven >150,000 hour
Mean Time Between Failure, to its
standard 3-year warranty, Agilent
stands behind you to bring a new
level of confidence to your low-level
measurements.

Agilent 34420A nanoVolt/micro-Ohm meter

Data Sheet

2

Specifiticaons

Accuracy Specifications ±(% of reading + % of range)

1

Function Range

2

Test Current 24 Hour 90 Day 1 Year Temperature Maximum

23 °C ± 1 °C 23 °C ± 5 °C 23 °C ± 5 °C Coefficient per Lead

0 °C—18 °C Resistance
28 °C—55 °C

dc Voltage 1.0000000 mV

3

0.0025 + .0020 0.0040 + .0020 0.0050 + .0020 0.0004 + .0001

10.000000 mV

3

0.0025 + .0002 0.0040 + .0002 0.0050 + .0003 0.0004 + .0001

100.00000 mV 0.0015 + .0003 0.0030 + .0004 0.0040 + .0004 0.0004 + .00006

1.0000000 V 0.0010 + .0003 0.0025 + .0004 0.0035 + .0004 0.0004 + .00004

10.000000 V 0.0002 + .0001 0.0020 + .0004 0.0030 + .0004 0.0001 + .00002

100.00000 V

4

0.0010 + .0004 0.0025 + .0005 0.0035 + .0005 0.0004 + .00005

Resistance

5

1.0000000 Ω 10 mA 0.0015 + .0002 0.0050 + .0002 0.0070 + .0002 0.0005 + .00002 1 Ω

10.000000 Ω 10 mA 0.0015 + .0002 0.0040 + .0002 0.0060 + .0002 0.0005 + .00001 1 Ω

100.00000 Ω 10 mA 0.0015 + .0002 0.0040 + .0002 0.0060 + .0002 0.0005 + .00001 10 Ω

1.0000000 KΩ 1 mA 0.0015 + .0002 0.0040 + .0002 0.0060 + .0002 0.0005 + .00001 100 Ω

10.000000 KΩ 100 µA 0.0015 + .0002 0.0040 + .0002 0.0060 + .0002 0.0005 + .00001 1 KΩ

100.00000 KΩ 10 µA 0.0015 + .0003 0.0040 + .0004 0.0060 + .0004 0.0005 + .00002 1 KΩ

1.0000000 MΩ 5 µA 0.0020 + .0003 0.0050 + .0004 0.0070 + .0004 0.0006 + .00003 1 KΩ

Low Power 1.0000000 Ω 10 mA 0.0015 + .0002 0.0050 + .0002 0.0070 + .0002 0.0005 + .00002 1 Ω

Resistance

5

10.000000 Ω 10 mA 0.0015 + .0002 0.0040 + .0002 0.0060 + .0002 0.0005 + .00001 1 Ω

100.00000 Ω 1 mA 0.0015 + .0002 0.0040 + .0002 0.0060 + .0002 0.0005 + .00001 10 Ω

1.0000000 KΩ 100 µA 0.0015 + .0002 0.0040 + .0002 0.0060 + .0002 0.0005 + .00001 100 Ω

10.000000 KΩ 10 µA 0.0015 + .0004 0.0040 + .0004 0.0060 + .0004 0.0005 + .00001 1 KΩ

100.00000 KΩ 5 µA 0.0015 + .0012 0.0040 + .0015 0.0060 + .0015 0.0005 + .00003 1 KΩ

1.0000000 MΩ 5 µA 0.0020 + .0003 0.0050 + .0004 0.0070 + .0004 0.0006 + .00003 1 KΩ

Voltage Limited 10.000000 Ω 1 mA 0.0020 + .0002 0.0050 + .0002 0.0070 + .0002 0.0005 + .00002 1 Ω

Resistance

5, 6

100.00000 Ω 100 µA 0.0025 + .0002 0.0050 + .0002 0.0070 + .0002 0.0005 + .00002 5 Ω

Channel 1 / Channel 2 (dcV Ratio) Ratio Error in % = Channel 1 accuracy in % + Channel 2 accuracy in %
Channel 1-Channel 2 (dcV Difference) Difference Error = Channel 1 (% of reading + % of range) + Channel 2 (% of reading + %
of range)

Temperature (resolution = 0.001 °C)

SPRT

7

SPRT Probe Accuracy + 0.003°C
RTD RTD Probe Accuracy + 0.05°C
Thermistor Thermistor Probe Accuracy + 0.1°C
Thermocouple

8

Thermocouple Probe Accuracy + 0.2°C

DC Voltage Noise

9

Observation Period

Range 2-Minute 2-Minute 24-Hour

RMS Peak-Peak Peak-Peak
Noise Noise Noise

1 mV 1.3 nVrms 8 nVpp 12 nVpp

10 mV 1.5 nVrms 10 nVpp 14 nVpp

100 mV 10 nVrms 65 nVpp 80 nVpp

1 V 100 nVrms 650 nVpp 800 nVpp

10 V 450 nVrms 3 µVpp 3.7 µVpp

100 V 11 µVrms 75 µVpp 90 µVpp

DC Voltage Noise vs Source Resistance

10

Source Analog Digital
Resistance Noise Filter Filter

0 1.3 nVrms Off Med

100 1.7 nVrms Off Med

1k 4 nVrms Off Med

10k 13 nVrms Off Med

100k 41 nVrms On Med

1M 90 nVrms On Slow

1 Specifications are for Channel 1 or Channel 2, after 2-hour warm-up, resolution

at 7.5 digits (100 NPLC), with FILTERS off. RESISTANCE specifications are for
4-wire Ohms or 2-wire ohms using Null. Without Null, add 0.2 Ohms additional

error in 2-wire Ohms function. For Analog Filter ON, add 0.002% of reading.
2 20% overrange on all ranges except 5% on Voltage Limited Resistance.
3 After using Math Null. If Null is not used add 100 nanoVolts.
4 Channel 1 only.
5 Channel 1 only. Resistance measurements, for NPLC <1, add 160 µΩ rms noise.
6 Voltage limit can be set to 20 mV (default), 100 mV, or 500 mV. Measured

resistance plus Channel 1 HI and LO lead resistance is limited to 10.5 Ω on the

10 Ω range and 105 Ω on the 100 Ω range.
7 For 25ΩSPRT with triple-point of water check within the last 4 hours. With no

triple-point of water check, add 0.013°C for 24 hours, add 0.035°C for 90 day,

and add 0.55°C for 1 year specifications.
8 For fixed reference junction. Add 0.3°C for external reference junction, add

2.0˚C for internal reference junction.

9 After a 2-hour warm-up, ± 1°C, 6.5 digits (10 PLC) with Analog Filter Off and

Digital Filter Medium (50 reading average).

2-minute rms and 24-hour noise typical. For measurements using 0.02 or

0.2 NPLC, add 800 nV rms noise.

10 Typical noise behavior for Ch 1 or Ch 2, after 2 hour warm-up, 6.5 digits

(10 PLC), 2 minute observation period on 1 mV range. For peak-to-peak noise,

multiply rms noise by 6.

3

Measurement Characteristics

DC Voltage

Measurement Method: Continuously
integrating multi-slope III A-D Converter

A-D Linearity: 0.00008% of reading + 0.00005%
of range

Input Resistance:

100V (Ch1 only): 10 MΩ +- 1%
1mV through 10V: > 10 GΩ, in parallel with

< 3.6 nF
Input Bias Current: <50 pA at 25 °C
Injected Current: <50 nA pp at 50 or 60 Hz
Input Protection: 150 V peak any input terminal

to Channel 1 LO, continuous
Channel-to-channel switching error (typical):

3 nV
Channel Isolation: Isolation between input

channels >10

10

Ω

Earth Isolation: 350 V peak any input terminal
to earth. Impedance from any input terminal to

earth is >10 GΩ and <400 pF

Maximum Voltage: Channel 1 LO to Channel 2
LO, 150V peak

Resistance

Measurement Method: Selectable 4-wire or
2-wire ohms. Current Source referenced to
Channel 1 LO input

Offset Compensation: Used on all ranges

except 100 kΩ and 1 MΩ. Can be turned off

if desired
Protection: 150 V peak
Open Circuit Voltage: For Resistance and Low

Power Resistance <14 V. 20 mV, 100 mV,
500 mV selectable clamp

Temperature

SPRT: ITS-90 calibrated temperature with the
range of -190°C to +660°C

Thermocouple: ITS-90 conversions of Type B,
E, J, K, N, R, S, T

Thermistor: 5 kΩ

RTD: Type a =.00385 and a =.00392. R

0

from

4.9 Ω to 2.1 kΩ. ITS -90 (IEC-751) Callendar

Van Dusen conversion.

Measurement Noise Rejection 60 (50) Hz

1

dc CMRR: 140 dB
ac CMRR: 70 dB

Integration Time Normal Mode

Rejection

2

200 plc/3.335 s (4 s) 110 dB

3

100 plc/1.675 s (2 s) 105 dB

3

20 plc/334 ms (400 ms) 100 dB

3

10 plc/167 ms (200 ms) 95 dB

3

2 plc/33.3 ms (40 ms) 90 dB
1 plc/16.7 ms (20 ms) 60 dB
<1 plc 0

System Speeds

6

Configuration Rates: 26/s to 50/s
Autorange Rate (Volts): >30/s
ASCII reading to RS-232: 55/s
ASCII reading to GPIB: 250/s
Max. Internal Trigger Rate: 250/s
Max. Ext. Trig. Rate to Memory: 250/s

Triggering and Memory

Reading HOLD Sensitivity: 10%, 1%, 0.1%,

or 0.01% of

range
Samples/Trigger: 1 to 50,000
Trigger Delay: 0 to 3600 s;

10 µs step size
External Trigger Delay: <1 ms
External Trigger Jitter: <500 µs
Memory: 10

24

readings

Math Functions

NULL (Channel 1 dcV, Channel 2 dcV,
Difference, Resistance, Temperature)

STATS (Min, Max, Average, Peak-Peak,
Standard Deviation, Number of readings)

SCALE (Allows linear scaling as y = mx+b)
CHART NULL (Establishes zero for rear panel

output)

Filter (Analog or Digital or Both)

Analog: Low pass 2 pole @ 13Hz, available
for dcV on 1 mV, 10 mV, 100 mV range

Digital: Moving average filter, 10 (fast),
50 (medium), or 100 (slow) reading averages.

Chart Out (Analog Out)

Maximum output: ± 3V
Resolution: 16 bits
Accuracy: ± 0.1% of

output + 1 mV

Output Resistance: 1 kΩ ± 5%

Update rate: once per

reading

Span and Offset: Adjustable

Standard Programming Languages:

SCPI (IEEE 488.2), Keithley 181

Accessories Included

4 ft low thermal cable with copper spade lugs,
4-wire shorting plug, user’s manual, service
manual, test report, contact cleaner, and
power cord.

General Specifications

Front Panel Connection: Shielded, low thermal,
99% copper contacts.

Power Supply: 100V/120V/220V(230V)/ 240V
± 10%.

Power Line Frequency: 45 Hz to 66 Hz and
360 Hz to 440 Hz. Automatically sensed at
power-on.

Power Consumption: 25VA peak (10W average).
Operating Environment: Full accuracy for 0 °C

to 55 °C. Full accuracy to 80% R.H. up to 30 °C.
Storage Environment: -40 °C to 75 °C.
Size: 254.4 mm W x 374.0 mm L x 103.6 mm H

(10.02” W x 14.72” L x 4.08” H)
Weight: 3 kg (6.5 lbs).
Safety: Designed to CSA, UL-1244, IEC-1010.

RFI and ESD: CISPR 11.

Operating Characteristics

4

Function Digits Integration Time Readings/s

5

dcV 71/

2

200 plc .15 (.125)

Thermocouple 7

1

/

2

100 plc .3 (.25)

6

1

/

2

20 plc 1.5 (1.25)

6

1

/

2

10 plc 3 (2.5)

5

1

/

2

1 plc 25 (20.8)

5

1

/

2

0.2 plc 100 (100)

41/

2

0.02 plc 250 (250)

Resistance 7

1

/

2

200 plc .075 (.062)

dcV1/DCV2 7

1

/

2

100 plc .15 (.125)

dcV 1-2 6

1

/

2

20 plc .75 (.625)

RTD 6

1

/

2

10 plc 1.5 (1.25)

Thermistor 5

1

/

2

1 plc 12.5 (10.4)

0.2 plc 50 (50)
4

1

/

2

0.02 plc 125 (125)

1 For 1 kΩunbalanced in LO lead.
2 For power line frequency ± - 0.1%, Filters OFF. For Digital Filter slow add 20 db, for medium or fast add 10 db for NPLC ≥1.
3 For power line frequency ± - 1%, use 80 db, for ± - 3% use 60 db.
4 Speeds are for delay 0, Display OFF, Filters OFF, Offset Compensation OFF.
5 Reading speeds for 60 Hz or (50 Hz), 100 mV through 100 V ranges. 1 mV range 30/s MAX, 10 mV range 170/s MAX, thermocouple 120/s MAX.
6 Speeds are for NPLC 0.02, Delay 0, Display OFF, Chart Out OFF.

4

Ordering Information
34420A nanoVolt/micro-Ohm meter

Includes low-thermal input cable (34102A),
low-thermal shorting plug (34103A),
Kelvin clip set (11062A), IntuiLink
connectivity software, operating manual,
service manual, quick reference guide,
test report with calibration sticker, 2.3 ml
bottle of contact cleaner, and power cord.

Options:
1CM Rack Mount Kit (P/N 5062-3972)
ABA English localization
ABD German localization: translated

operating manual

ABF French localization: translated operating

manual

ABJ Japanese localization: translated

operating manual

Accessories:
34102A Low-thermal input cable (four-

conductor) with copper spade lugs

34103A Low-thermal shorting plug
34104A Low-thermal input connector
34161A Accessory pouch

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Product specifications and descriptions in this
document subject to change without notice.
Copyright © 2001 Agilent Technologies
Printed in the USA January 23, 2001
5968-0161EN