4H-SiC PN diode for extreme environment temperature sensing applications

Abstract

Temperature sensing under harsh environments is important to various industrial applications. Among different types of temperature sensors, semiconductor diode sensor has the advantages of high sensitivity and compatibility with integrated circuits. In this work, a temperature sensor based on 4H-SiC pn diode has been designed, fabricated and characterized. The device is capable of stable operation in a temperature range from 20 °C up to 600 °C. In forward biased region, the forward voltage of the 4H-SiC pn diode shows linear dependence on temperature at a constant current. This dependence is utilized to sense temperature variations and the proposed device achieves a sensitivity of 3.5 mV/°C. These results indicate that an integrated circuit compatible temperature sensor based on 4H-SiC pn diode is a promising technology for harsh environment sensing applications.