Technical Insight
Sterling develops SiC diodes with General Electric (Nirtide News)
Sterling Semiconductor, a subsidiary of Uniroyal Technology, has expanded its R&D contract with General Electric Corporate Research & Development (GE CRD) to include the development and evaluation of silicon carbide Schottky diodes. These devices are "building blocks" that support a wide range of consumer and industrial products, including wireless communications, portable computing and automobiles. Si-based Schottky diodes are sold in quantities of 500 million units per year in North America alone. SiC-based devices offer the advantage of being able to operate at much higher voltages and temperatures and with greater efficiencies than silicon devices, allowing for simplified electronic designs and packaging in products that use Schottky diodes. Under its contract with Sterling, General Electric will demonstrate Schottky diodes using Sterling s SiC wafers and epitaxy, applying GE technology developed in part under previous initiatives such as the "Megawatt" device program sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The effort is focused on perfecting device design and demonstrating the relationship between device performance and yield, and the characteristics of silicon carbide wafers. The R&D contract with GE CRD is a subcontract to a grant awarded to Sterling in 1999 by the US Defense Department to develop technology for SiC wafer production under Title III of the Defense Production Act. The GE CRDSterling relationship is non-exclusive for both parties.
