'Extreme' transistor can withstand heat of 1000-plus F — priming it for use in Venus-bound probes
The silicon carbide transistor is designed to avoid low controllability and current leakage, which typically become problems at high temperatures.
Scientists in Japan have developed a new transistor capable of operating at temperatures up to 1,110 degrees Fahrenheit (600 degrees Celsius). This robust component could potentially be utilized in surface probes on Venus, where the thick carbon dioxide atmosphere reaches temperatures as high as 860 Fahrenheit (460 Celsius). Most current technology, including instruments for deep-space exploration, relies on transistors to regulate the flow of electrical current.
However, the newly created device is a type of junction field-effect transistor (JFET). Unlike more common metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs), JFETs are more challenging to miniaturize. The researchers detailed their findings in a study published on August 17 in the journal APL Electronic Devices. Silicon carbide (SiC) JFETs have been considered a promising option for low-power integrated circuits destined for Venus due to the material's inherent ability to withstand high temperatures.
However, recently developed SiC-JFETs have faced two primary issues: low controllability and large leakage currents. The team overcame these challenges by using dopants to create two semiconductor "wells" in the SiC around the transistor to prevent large leakage currents. They also employed a bottom-gate structure, positioning the gate underneath the SiC conducting channel.
This design allows the gate region to be heavily doped, minimizing the impact on the threshold voltage even at high temperatures.
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