Rectifying Junctions for High Temperature, High Power Electronics

The single most important type of metal/SiC junction is the n-type, rectifying Schottky diode, because it is the voltage blocking junction in all majority carrier devices. A reliable junction of this type for n-type SiC is the key to its development for high temperature, power conditioning electronics. Phase I will demonstrate that osmium is the ideal metal for forming such junctions. Phase II will develop SiC fast recovery diodes and MESFETs that can perform power conditioning and communications circuits applications at thigh temperatures. These devices will form the foundation for developing prototype devices and circuits to address specific applications requirements of DoD systems, and manufacturers of commercial products (e.g. cellular phones) in Phase III. Commercial markets for SiC (especially B-SiC) devices utilizing this type of junction are: high frequency power (B-SiC) solid state power devices, ultra fast recovery diodes for power conditioning, and mixer diodes for cellular phones communication.