Project: Interactive Research in Silicon Carbide (INTRINSIC)

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DTI Project No: TP/3/OPT/6/I/17311

Silicon carbide (SiC) offers huge advantages in electronics due to its exceptional material properties. Silicon carbide devices will be tens of times smaller and lighter than their silicon equivalents, reducing the size and weight of electronics in hybrid electric vehicles and space and aerospace applications. Silicon carbide electronics will dramatically increase energy efficiency and decrease environmental pollution. The research will focus specifically on novel Metal Oxide Semiconductor (MOS), IGBT and diode devices up to 1.2kV, for applications in hybrid vehicles and portable power supplies. A new fabrication process is proposed to increase the channel mobility in MOS devices, based on silicon / silicon carbide heterojunction technology. New commercial silicon carbide surface polishing techniques will be used to radically improve the performance and yield of Schottky diodes.

University of Warwick is a partner in the new £1.1m DTI (Department of Trade & Industry) funded project “Interactive Research in Silicon Carbide (INTRINSIC)” project. INTRINSIC, started in October 2005, is developing novel metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) technology, using hetero-junction and surface preparation technology to develop high channel mobility MOS switching devices. INTRINSIC is a UK consortium of six industrial (Surface Technology Systems, Semelab, Aviza, ESEMI, Pure Wafer International, IQE), and two academic partners; Swansea University and Warwick University.

Partner 1: Semelab
Partner 2: University of Wales Swansea (UWS)
Partner 3: ESEMI Limited (ESEMI)
Partner 4: Surface Technology Systems plc. (STS)
Partner 5: Aviza Technology
Partner 6: Pure Wafer Limited (PW)
Partner 7: University of Warwick
Partner 8: Epitec (formerly IQE)