I've been considering possible methods to measure extremely small currents (~pA). How is this done? Would a current-voltage converter do the trick, or would the output voltage also be too small to measure?
The reason I ask is because I am a beginning physics major in my first circuit analysis lab. In our lab we don't have the capacity to measure such currents, but I know that they are used in industry (electron tunneling microscopes, for example). Based on what we've done in class, it doesn't seem like an Op Amp could be used here, and yet the measurements are made. I'm just curious, I guess.
The reason I ask is because I am a beginning physics major in my first circuit analysis lab. In our lab we don't have the capacity to measure such currents, but I know that they are used in industry (electron tunneling microscopes, for example). Based on what we've done in class, it doesn't seem like an Op Amp could be used here, and yet the measurements are made. I'm just curious, I guess.