Measurement uncertainty in the presence of low-frequency noise

Author

Helistö, Panu ; Seppä, Heikki

Author_Institution

MIKES, Espoo, Finland

Volume

50

Issue

2

fYear

2001

fDate

4/1/2001 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

453

Lastpage

456

Abstract

We discuss the measurement uncertainty in the presence of different types of fundamental noise processes, especially 1/f noise. The treatment is based on the Allan variance of an n-sample average with two deadtime parameters relevant in metrology. Some results applicable to situations that are common in metrology, e.g., international comparisons, are derived. Experimentally, the output of Zener voltage standards in the frequency range from 10^-6 Hz to 10³ Hz is studied and behavior closely resembling that of 1/f noise is found at all time scales of practical interest. The noise floor of a 10 V Zener standard was found to be 60 nV and the 1/f corner frequency 3.5 Hz. Environmental variations cause the long-term (>100 s) deviations of the Zener voltage to slightly increase from the limiting 1/f noise level

Keywords

1/f noise; calibration; measurement standards; measurement uncertainty; time series; voltage measurement; 1/f noise; 10 V; 1E-6 to 10³ Hz; Allan variance; Zener voltage standards; deadtime parameters; environmental variations; international comparisons; long-term deviations; low-frequency noise; measurement uncertainty; n-sample average; noise floor; optimal measurement procedure design; reference values; Frequency; Laboratories; Low-frequency noise; Measurement uncertainty; Metrology; Noise level; Time measurement; Voltage; White noise; Working environment noise;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Instrumentation and Measurement, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0018-9456

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/19.918164

Filename

918164