Reduction of positional errors in a four-point probe resistance measurement

A method for reducing resistance errors due to inaccuracy in the positions of the probes in a collinear four-point probe resistance measurement of a thin film is presented. By using a linear combination of two measurements which differ by interchange of the I- and V- leads, positional errors can be eliminated to first order. Experimental data measured using microprobes show a substantial reduction in absolute error from 3.4% down to 0.01%-0.1%, and an improvement in precision by a factor of 2-4. The application of this technique to the current-in-plane tunneling method to measure electrical properties of unpatterned magnetic tunnel junction wafers is discussed. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.