The goal of this project is to develop silicon carbide (SiC) bipolar junction transistors (BJTs) for harsh environment sensing applications. The wide bandgap energy (3.2eV) and low intrinsic carrier concentration allow SiC semiconductor device to function at a much higher temperature than Si. Moreover, high breakdown field (3-5MV/cm), high-saturated electron velocity (2E7cm/s) coupled with high thermal conductivity (3-5W/cmK) permit extreme working conditions for SiC devices. The SiC BJT has the potential for low specific on-resistance, low turn-on voltage and high temperature operation, which makes it a suitable candidate for low power, high temperature applications. This technology will enable the integration of SiC electronic devices with MEMS-based SiC sensors, and the development of self-powered sensing system with wireless telemetry capability for harsh environment applications.
Project end date: 01/28/14