High-Performance Temperature Sensor Based on 4H-SiC Schottky Diodes

A high-performance temperature sensor based on coupled 4H-SiC Schottky diodes is presented. The linear dependence on temperature of the difference between the forward voltages appearing on two diodes biased at different constant currents, in a range from 30 °C up to 300 °C, was used for temperature sensing. A high sensitivity of 5.11 mV/°C was measured. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first experimental result about a proportional-to-absolute-temperature sensor made with SiC diodes, showing both a good degree of linearity and long-term stability performance.

I. Introduction

Temperature measurements in hostile environments, in particular at high temperatures, are of great interest to many industries. Among the different types of temperature-sensing devices, semiconductor diode- or transistor-based sensors have the advantages of high sensitivity and compatibility with electronic integrated circuits (ICs).