Simulation of conventional bipolar logic technologies in 4H-SiC for harsh environment applications

Abstract

Silicon carbide (SiC) is a wide bandgap semiconductor that is inherently capable of operation in unforgiving environments such as high temperatures and radiation. Currently, the control circuitry for SiC based power devices and sensors are silicon based, limiting the overall efficiency of the system in such environments. 4H-SiC integrated circuits, based on different conventional logic technologies, have been investigated in the past using different device structures, by various research groups. This paper presents a thorough investigation of conventional bipolar logic technologies in 4H-SiC simulated across a wide range of temperatures (300–773 K) and power supply voltages (7–17 V). Unlike previous studies, this paper evaluates different technologies using the same device structure in the simulation, to highlight the true merits of each logic technology. The stable performance of all the studied logic technologies in SiC validates the potential of 4H-SiC ICs in small scale logic applications.