May 5 2015
Engineering researchers at the University of Arkansas have received an additional $200,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to continue developing integrated circuits that can survive and operate at temperatures greater than 300 degrees Celsius – equivalent to roughly 600 degrees Fahrenheit.
A die micrograph, or photograph of a semiconductor die taken by a microscope. The die is part of an integrated circuit made of silicon-carbide. Photo Submitted
The integrated circuits serve as the foundation for creating commercial converters that reside within internal combustion engines. These convert high-temperature sensor data to digital form for transmission to the vehicle’s performance and emissions control computer. The technology should provide more robust data from the engine, enabling better control of the vehicle and greater fuel efficiency.
The research team, led by Alan Mantooth, Distinguished Professor of electrical engineering, is one of only a few groups nationwide with extensive experience designing and fabricating integrated circuits made of silicon carbide, a semiconducting material that is more rugged than conventional materials used in electronics. Silicon carbide is a good thermal conductor, able to withstand extremely high voltage and temperatures.
For this project, the U of A researchers collaborate with Ozark Integrated Circuits, a Fayetteville technology firm that develops integrated circuits for remote sensing and actuation under extreme environmental conditions. Ozark Integrated Circuits will commercialize the new circuit technology.
Together, these researchers intend to create a prototype of a silicon carbide-based converter that can acquire and process data in harsh environments. They will then evaluate the prototype across temperature variations and test how the converter functions in a harsh, real-world environment by combining the system with ignition sensor technology developed by Ozark Integrated Circuits. Finally, the team plans to generate a commercial feasibility analysis based on projections of the manufacturing costs of a high volume of silicon carbide.
Mantooth holds the Twenty-First Century Chair in Mixed-Signal Integrated Circuit Design and Computer-Aided Design in the College of Engineering. He is also executive director of the National Center for Reliable Electric Power Transmission, a 7,000-square-foot, $5-million power electronic test facility at the University of Arkansas.