Investigation of Conventional Bipolar Logic Technologies in 4H-SiC for Harsh Environment Applications

Silicon Carbide (SiC) is a wide bandgap semiconductor capable of robust operation in extreme environments. Thus far, SiC research has been geared primarily towards developing discreet devices. These devices are controlled by silicon-based circuitry, limiting the overall efficiency of the system in such environments. For this purpose, 4H-SiC integrated circuits (ICs), based on different conventional logic technologies, have been investigated using different device structures by various research groups. This paper presents, for the first time, a thorough investigation of conventional bipolar logic technologies in 4H-SiC across a wide range of temperatures (27 C – 500 C) and power supply voltages (7 V – 17 V). Unlike previous studies, this paper evaluates different technologies using the same device structure to highlight the true merits of each logic technology.