Philip G. Neudeck, NASA GRC, neudeck@grc.nasa.gov

Robert S. Okojie, NASA GRC, Cleveland, Ohio 44135

Liang-Yu Chen, NASA GRC, Liangyu.Chen@grc.nasa.gov

Abstract

It is recognized increasingly that semiconductor based electronics that can function at ambient temperatures higher than 150 °C without external cooling could greatly benefit a variety of important applications, especially in the automotive, aerospace, and energy production industries. The fact that wide bandgap semiconductors are capable of electronic functionality at much higher temperatures than silicon has partially fueled their development, particularly in the case of SiC. It appears unlikely that wide bandgap semiconductor devices will find much use in low-power transistor applications until the ambient temperature exceeds approximately 300 °C, as commercially available silicon and silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technologies are already satisfying requirements for digital and analog VLSI circuits in this temperature range. However, practical operation of silicon power devices at ambient temperatures above 200 °C appears problematic, as self-heating at higher power levels results in high internal junction temperatures and leakages. Thus, most electronic subsystems that simultaneously require high temperature and high power operation will be realized necessarily using wide bandgap devices, once the technology for realizing these devices becomes developed sufficiently for wide availability. Technological challenges impeding the realization of beneficial wide bandgap high ambient temperature electronics, including material growth, contacts, and packaging, are briefly discussed.

To view the full-length article, see the June 2002 issue of Proceedings of the IEEE.