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Article: Silicon carbide pressure sensors work at high temperatures.
- Article from:
- Advanced Ceramics Report
- Article date:
- April 1, 2000
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 International Newsletters. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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US researchers have developed pressure sensors based on silicon carbide (SiC) for use in high temperature environments such as engines and power plants.
Kulite Semiconductor Products Inc says the devices are fabricated in batches by micromachining, and contain thin diaphragms made of 6H polytype SiC (6H-SiC) which has a good combination of properties for electromechanical sensors operating at 500oC. These properties include a wide band-gap (3.0 V), high breakdown electric field (2.5 MV.cm-1), and high electron saturation speed (2 x 107 cm.s-1).
Other advantages of the 6H-SiC sensors include:
* insignificant junction leakage (which renders ...