SBIR 95-1 SOLICITATION
PROJECT SUMMARY
Proposal Number:
Project Title:
SILICON CARBIDE INSULATED GATE BIPOLAR TRANSISTOR
Technical Abstract:
Silicon carbide has been projected to have tremendous potential for high voltage
solid-state power devices with very high voltage and current ratings because of its electrical
and physical properties. The rapid development of the technology for producing high
quality single crystal SiC wafers and thin films presents the opportunity to fabricate solid-
state devices with power-temperature capability far greater than devices currently available.
This capability is ideally suited to the applications of power conditioning in new more-
electric or all-electric military and commercial vehicles. These applications require switches
and amplifiers capable of large currents with relatively low voltage drops. One of the most
pervasive power devices in silicon is the Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT).
However, these devices are limited in their operating temperature and their achievable
power ratings compared to that possible with SiC. Because of the nearly ideal combination
of characteristics of these devices, we propose to demonstrate the first 4H-SiC Insulated
Gate Bipolar Transistor in this Phase I effort. Both n-channel and p-channel SiC IGBT
devices will be investigated. The targeted current and voltage rating for the Phase I IGBT
will be a >200 Volt, 200 mA device, that can operate at 350 C.
Potential Commercial Applications:
High power silicon carbide devices which operate at high temperatures are required
for a variety of power conditioning applications on space-based power systems, more-
electric airplanes, military electric vehicles, and turbine engine actuators. These
applications require switches and amplifiers capable of blocking large voltages and
conducting large currents, while operating at elevated temperatures. These devices would
also have a large commercial market in the areas of power switching and conditioning,
particularly for the motor controllers of electric vehicles.
Name and Address of Offeror:
Cree Research, Inc.
2810 Meridian Parkway, Suite 176
Durham, NC 27713
Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) &
Small Business Technology Transfer Program (STTR) Programs
Electronic Management System (EMS)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
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Hu, Hughes STX.
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Updated: Feb. 7, 1996