Bipolar Silicon Carbide Integrated Circuits for High Temperature Power Applications

Abstract: Silicon Carbide (SiC) is suggested as a superior material for high temperature and high power electronic applications, thanks to its excellent properties. In this thesis, design and measurements of integrated circuits in bipolar 4H-SiC aiming for high temperature power applications are reported. On the low power side, a linear voltage regulator is demonstrated followed by introduction of a general-purpose opamp, which is employed to build other circuits such as a Schmitt trigger and a relaxation oscillator. On the high power side, a monolithic drive circuit for power BJTs is designed and tested in different loading conditions including resistive, capacitive and finally together with a commercial power BJT. The aforementioned circuits have been tested in the temperature range 25 - 500 °C, and are operational in the full range. The performance of each circuit is analyzed and directions for future work is suggested. The integrated circuits of this thesis set the reference for future advances in power integrated circuits in bipolar SiC.