Computational Device Designer for High-Performance SiC Electronics for Harsh Space Environments

Extended Venus lander (lasting months instead of hours) and rover missions have been infeasible in part due to the absence of a complete suite of electronics that can operate in the planet’s extreme conditions of >500◦C, ∼9.3 MPa (∼92 Earth atmospheres) in a chemically reactive environment. The longest Venus data return mission (Venera 13) is only 2 hours and 7 minutes. For many years NASA has made significant investments in Silicon Carbide (SiC)-based electronics and sensors to replace silicon-based devices for operation in extreme environments. For example, researchers at GRC have recently shown that SiC-integrated circuits (IC) can operate in the extreme Venusian environment for 60 days without any further protection. However, SiC-based IC chip complexity lags dramatically behind current generation silicon technology, with transistor densities roughly equivalent to 1970s Si ICs. This work proposes to develop models, build a database, and generate optimized designs for high-performance electronics operating in extreme environments. Current state-of-the-art transistors in the silicon industry scale according to Moore’s law: the number of transistors packed in the same area doubles every 18 months. The density of an extreme environment SiC device is about 1000 transistors per IC, which is half the number of transistors on an Intel 4004 chip, which released in 1971. Compared to today’s technology, the SiC JFET fabricated at GRC has a feature size 600X larger than current Intel processors.

Existing SiC simulations are limited to analytical or 1D/2D simulations using models calibrated for room temperature and Earth environments. Industrial tools focuses on device optimization of silicon technology are not applicable for SiC-based space electronics. Current TCAD requires experts, which adds cost and time to the design cycle.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.