Cash boost for NASA’s heat resistant microchip tech

Heat-resistant sensing and computing chips made of silicon carbide (SiC) can handle higher voltages, temperatures and radiation levels than silicon alone, and have applications across sectors including transport, energy and space exploration. Engineers at NASA's Glenn Research Center have been exploring its potential, developing an SiC circuit that can withstand 500° C for thousands of hours, with a view to operating on Venus. 

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The new project will scale up NASA's technology and manufacturing process to a modern wafer size and ‘democratise’ SiC chip design. Additional collaborators include the University of Michigan, GE Aerospace Research, Ozark Integrated Circuits (Ozark IC) and semiconductor manufacturer Wolfspeed. The project will launch with $2.4 million in initial funding and could receive up to $7.5 million over three years.

"NASA, GE Aerospace and Ozark IC have done an amazing job of developing this technology, which is very impactful for a variety of applications,” said principal investigator Becky Peterson, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and director of the University of Michigan’s Lurie Nanofabrication Facility. “This project will provide a critical pathway to advance and commercialize that technology.