Characterization of silicon carbide and commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) components for high-g launch and EM applications

Abstract

Experiments with die-level silicon carbide (SiC) transistors are described where the objective of the experiments is to determine the behavior of SiC field effect transistors (FET) in a high-g environment typical of conventional guns, missiles, or electric launchers. The results of the experiments have shown for the first time that die-level SiC FETs can survive mechanical forces to as much as 12000 times the force of gravity (12000-g) without the mechanical support and protection of microelectronic encapsulation materials (e.g. plastic encapsulation material or PEM). A second series of experiments is performed with commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) sensors that rely upon standard sensor technology including silicon (Si) semiconductors. These experiments provide details of several COTS sensors previously qualified for high-g environments, which are characterized here under harsh electromagnetic interference (EMI) conditions. The sensors tested include a Si optical solar cell, an accelerometer, and a magnetometer. The output response of the sensors is recorded during the EMI event to ascertain the effect of coupled electromagnetic radiation on the sensors.