SiC Analog to Digital Converter and a High Temperature Smart Sensor Platform

CoolCAD Electronics will develop a silicon carbide (SiC) integrated electronics smart sensor platform for very high temperature environments. SiC is the ideal semiconductor for high temperature applications due to its material properties. We target a platform capable of operating at temperatures greater than 500°C. We propose to develop an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) prototype to form the backbone of in situ data logging in extreme environments, such as hypersonic flight operational platforms or the simulated extreme test environments for such applications. We also propose to develop a temperature sensor capable of operating at >500°C as the starting point for a sensor package and demonstrate a path to integration. Other goals of the proposed work are improving the extreme high temperature behavior of non-semiconductor structures, e.g. interconnect metallization layers, on integrated circuits; exploring the highest temperature limits for SiC CMOS transistor technology, extremely suitable for very compact, high-density integration, for analog and digital VLSI circuit architectures; and developing methods to push these limits. CoolCAD Electronics has a long track record in developing novel SiC technology and has already demonstrated CMOS operational temperatures greater than 450°C analog and digital circuitry.