SBIR Phase I: High Gain, Low Noise Integrated SiC Optoelectronic Isolation for High Temperature Electronics

这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目将研究利用碳化硅(SIC)为基础的电子产品制造适用于高压电力电子隔离应用的宽温、低噪声、高速光电传感器的可行性。随着碳化硅发光二极管(LED)和光电二极管的出现，碳化硅电子学是一种独特的技术，它已经开始为能够工作在300℃以上的高效率、高功率密度的电子产品奠定基础。随着碳化硅发光二极管(LED)和光电二极管的出现，碳化硅显示出为发光和检测提供解决方案的潜力。现有的光隔离元件由于需要支持硅基(低温)电路而受到阻碍，这些电路需要放大光电二极管产生的小电流。为了实现真正的宽温度、高增益、高速和低噪声工作，提出了一种集成的碳化硅基光探测器和前置放大器。商业工艺中低压碳化硅晶体管的最新发展为这一创新提供了途径，其中所提出的光电检测器可以直接结合到单芯片上的基于碳化硅的前置放大电路中，以产生能够在广泛的温度范围内工作的高增益、低噪声的光电检测器。由于碳化硅具有较宽的禁带宽度，使得该探测器适用于紫外光、可见光和红外光的各种光处理、控制和转换应用。该项目的广泛影响/商业潜力将在工业、汽车、航空航天、石油勘探、水净化和高压安全/控制应用中显现出来。提出的先进的碳化硅器件结构的创新应用将创造一种能够在非常宽的温度范围(超过225℃)下可靠地工作的高增益、低噪声、高速工作的碳化硅基光探测器。拟议的设备将对需要光电隔离的应用产生直接影响，例如在高压/大功率电力转换系统中。最先进的光隔离器的实际温度范围被它们的硅组件限制在125℃，这使得热管理变得复杂，并限制了在极端环境中的应用。因此，最先进的高温电子应用通常使用缓慢且笨重的磁法。此外，开发的技术可以很容易地应用于水和食品净化以及火焰/电弧检测电路中通常需要的紫外线源校准。这一市场对硅或GaP等当前技术提出了独特的挑战，因为紫外线是硅和GaP光电探测器中众所周知的可靠性问题。因此，有机会将SIC应用于光检测/隔离应用，以填补现有技术的空白，并提供新的解决方案，以支持在这些关键应用中使用的系统的工程设计。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will investigate the feasibility of utilizing Silicon Carbide (SiC) based electronics to create wide-temperature, low-noise, high-speed optoelectronic sensors for high-voltage power electronics isolation applications. SiC electronics are a unique technology that has begun to take hold for high efficiency, high power density electronics capable of operating beyond 300 deg C. SiC has shown potential to provide solutions for light generation and detection with the advent of SiC Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) and photodiodes. Existing photo-isolation components are hampered by their need for supporting silicon-based (low temperature) circuits required to amplify the small currents photodiodes generate. To achieve true wide-temperature, high-gain, high-speed and low-noise operation, proposed is the creation of an integrated SiC-based photo detector and pre-amplifier. Recent developments in low-voltage SiC transistors in commercial processes provide the path for this innovation, where the proposed photo detector may be directly incorporated into a SiC-based preamplifier circuit on a single chip to produce high-gain, low-noise photo detector capable of operating over a wide range of temperature. The wide band-gap of SiC makes the proposed detector suitable for a variety of light processing, control and transformation applications in the ultraviolet, visible and infrared range. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project will be evident in industrial, automotive, aerospace, oil exploration, water purification and high-voltage safety/control applications. The innovative application of advanced SiC device structures proposed will create a SiC-based photo detector capable of high-gain, low-noise, high-speed operation reliably over a very wide temperature range (in excess of 225 deg C). The proposed device would have immediate impact to applications requiring opto-electric isolation such as in high-voltage/high-power power conversion systems. The practical temperature range of state-of-the art optical isolators is limited by their silicon components to 125 deg C, which complicates thermal management and limits application in extreme environments. As such, state-of-the art high-temperature electronics applications typically utilize slow and cumbersome magnetic approaches. Further, the developed technology can be easily applied to UV source calibration commonly needed in water and food purification and flame/arc detection circuits. This market presents a unique challenge for current technologies such as Silicon or GaP, as UV rays are a well-understood reliability problem in Si and GaP photo-detectors. An opportunity thus exists to apply SiC to photo-detection/isolation applications to fill a gap in existing technologies and provide new solutions in support of the engineering design of systems used in these critical applications.