Patent — available for licensing
Robust High Temperature SiC Op Amps Practical Fabrication
A NASA invention available to explore as a licensing opportunity.
About this technology
Overview
NASA Glenn has a new way to correct for variations in transistor threshold voltage due to die location on the wafer for silicon carbide (SiC) op amps, enabling improved electrical circuits for sensor signal conditioning in harsh environments. Important system-level benefits are enabled by improved performance data from sensor circuitry mounted within very hot gas turbine flows or the primary coolant loop of a nuclear reactor, for example. Often, tiny (microvolt) signals from sensors require conditioning by high-temperature electrical components to filter, amplify and convert to levels suitable for digitization and "smart" system control. Op amps are a critical component for signal amplification. With the new threshold voltage correction scheme, the signal amplification of all op amps, at any position on the SiC wafer, is the same, extending reliable signal conditioning well beyond the current temperature limits of conventional silicon integrated circuits allowing useful chips to be produced across the entire SiC wafer surface.