Z. Dilli, A. Akturk, C. Darmody, N. Goldsman, T. Bianchi
CoolCAD Electronics, LLC, Maryland, United States
Keywords: SiC, silicon carbide, high-temperature electronics, sensor and control system
Silicon CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) technology has enabled the microelectronics revolution of very-large-scale-integrated (VLSI) electronics technology. This technology, at the heart of most general-purpose electronics applications, has one significant limitation: Beyond 225°C, silicon devices start to fail. Even specialized versions such as silicon-on-insulator can fail above ~300°C. Silicon carbide (SiC), with its wide bandgap, is intrinsically capable of operating at much higher temperatures. SiC CMOS devices and circuits are a transformative technology since they bring general-purpose VLSI electronics to temperatures beyond 300°C. This enables, for instance, smart sensor systems, data loggers, amplifiers, integrated optoelectronics, power converters, and digital controllers operating at high-T. CoolCAD Electronics has developed the technology to design and fabricate of SiC CMOS-based integrated circuits that can operate at high-T. We have designed, fabricated, and demonstrated the operation of SiC digital, analog, and mixed signal circuits, including an analog-to-digital converter, at 400° and 500°C. We have also demonstrated long-term operation (>470 hours) of SiC MOS transistors at 400°C. We are currently in the development stages to demonstrate complex digital circuits as building blocks of an arithmetic-logic unit, and eventually a microprocessor, that will operate at these temperatures.