Development of an Advanced High Yield Cost Effective SiC Process Technology for Manufacturing a New Class of SiC Power Devices

We propose to improve and fully develop the innovative cost-effective SiC process technology demonstrated in Phase I to fabricate and commercialize a novel SiC vertical JFET (VJFET) whose feasibility has been firmly demonstrated in Phase I. The innovativeprocess technology and the novel SiC VJFET device structure will make it possible (I) to reduce the high power dissipation of SiC devices from the order of 1E3 W/sq.cm to less than 200W/sq.cm, (II) to dramatically improve SiC power device reliability whenoperating at high temperatures, (III) to allow SiC power switches be fabricated for operations at temperatures of 300 C and above, (IV) to manufacture SiC power VJFET switches, and (V) to reduce the costs of the SiC power devices due to the greatlyimproved process yield. In Phase II we will optimize the device structure by computer modeling, fully develop the process technology to fabricate VJFETs with 50% reduction in cell size, and drastically increase the power level of SiC VJFETs for hightemperature (250-300C), high frequency (30-50Hz) and high power (35-45 HP) SiC inverter demonstration.