SBIR Phase II: Silicon Carbide Radio Frequency Switches

The broader/commercial impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project centers on the commercialization of high-performance, high-power radio frequency switches built from silicon carbide. Currently, advanced wireless infrastructure relies on gallium nitride for high-power applications. However, manufacturing these components requires raw gallium, a critical mineral that is almost entirely imported. This project develops a single-chip, monolithic silicon carbide solution that combines massive power handling with built-in digital integration and replaces gallium nitride with domestically scalable silicon carbide. Successful deployment can tap into a multi-billion-dollar market for next-generation cellular and radar infrastructure and enhance scientific understanding by proving engineered silicon carbide can efficiently switch high-frequency signals. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project addresses the technical challenge of building high-frequency, high-power radio frequency switches using silicon carbide. The core opportunity lies in overcoming traditional limitations in surface electron mobility and parasitic capacitance, which have historically prevented its use in fast wireless signals. The research objective is to finalize and validate novel fabrication techniques and device architectures that allow silicon carbide to switch gigahertz frequency signals. The proposed research requires significant engineering and development to transition successful early-stage laboratory designs into a commercial semiconductor manufacturing environment. The team will engineer a high-volume manufacturable process flow, conduct iterative manufacturing runs, and perform rigorous electrical testing to ensure reliability under extreme conditions. The anticipated technical result is a commercially ready, single-chip silicon carbide switch that surpasses silicon-on-insulator in extreme power handling, outperforms diodes through simplified control, and matches the speed of gallium nitride while offering the critical, added advantage of monolithic digital integration. Ultimately, this research will yield robust electronic components specifically designed to drive next-generation cellular infrastructure across a broad spectrum of frequencies. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.