Novel vs Conventional Bipolar Logic Circuit Topologies in 4H-SiC

Abstract

Silicon Carbide (SiC) is an attractive candidate for integrated circuits (ICs) in harsh environment applications due to its superior inherent electrical properties. Though current research is geared towards adapting existing silicon based digital logic technologies to 4H-SiC, the true merit of each technology in 4H-SiC has remained unclear. Creating logic technologies specifically for 4H-SiC, taking into account its electrical properties, is an area which remains unexplored. In this paper, we present a novel bipolar logic technology that is designed and optimized for 4H-SiC, and compare its performance with the prevalent bipolar technologies. The results show that the novel logic technology not only compares well with the conventional technologies in performance, but also features simpler design, smaller footprint, and a low transistor count.