Reliable and error-free current measurement is extremely important in modern semiconductor devices, but difficult to implement due to the wide frequency bandwidth and amplitude dictated by the shape of the measured current. If we also consider the price aspect, current measurement using a measuring resistor is often the most suitable among the known measurement methods despite the additional amplifying circuit to amplify the small voltage drop.
The topic of this diploma thesis is focused on the analysis, implementation and evaluation of the measuring resistor with a coaxial design. The coaxial measuring resistor is designed for maximum compatibility with converter devices on printed circuit boards. All components of the measuring resistor must therefore be installed on the printed circuit board or be a part of it.
I designed eight measuring resistors, which differ from each other in the placement of surface-mounted (SMD) resistors and their connections on a double-sided printed circuit board. Since the impedance of the mentioned connections is comparable to the impedance of the SMD resistors in the circuit, knowing their resistance and inductance is already crucial in the design process. The theoretical expectations of each implementation were checked and tested at first with a simplified simulation model and subsequently an upgraded one. Through simulations I first obtained the parameters of all the different printed circuit board designs, on the basis of which I calculated the cutoff frequency simply by taking into account the diagonal elements of their impedance matrix. Its more accurate value was then determined by taking into account the idealized and real properties of the used SMD resistors in the circuit.
The results of the simulations were obtained in the Ansys software package and in the next step compared with the results of the measurements made with the Vector Network Analyzer - Bode 100. Based on the results of the simulations and measurements I confirmed the theoretically based assumptions and proved that it is possible to make a prototype circuit of an SMD coaxial measuring resistor, which enables operation in a frequency range up to a minimum of 5.6 MHz.
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