| Posted: Feb 09, 2015 | |
Research shows benefits of nanocrystalline silicon carbide for sensors in harsh environments |
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| (Nanowerk News) The use of silicon carbide as a semiconductor for mechanical and electrical sensor devices is showing promise for improved operations and safety in harsh working environments, according to new research from Griffith University. | |
| Experiments with silicon carbide grown at the Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre (QMNC) at Griffith University have demonstrated the compound's superiority as a semiconductor for high performance sensors. | |
| The research has identified advantages for fields including mining, aerospace, aviation and the automotive, electrochemical and biomedical industries. | |
| The findings appear in the specialist publication Journal of Materials Chemistry C ("The effect of strain on the electrical conductance of p-type nanocrystalline silicon carbide thin films") and for the first time present the effect of mechanical strain on the electrical conductivity of silicon carbide deposited on silicon wafer. | |
| "Over the past 50 years, silicon has been the dominant material used as a semiconductor for sensing devices and that continues today in computers, mobile phones, automobiles and more," says Dr Dzung Dao, from Griffith's School of Engineering and one of the lead researchers. | |
| "However, silicon is not suitable for electronic devices at high temperatures above 200°C due to the generation of thermal carriers and junction leakage. | |
| "Silicon carbide, on the other hand, possesses excellent mechanical strength, chemical inertness, thermal durability and electrical stability due to its unique electronic structure. | |
| "Thus it holds promise as the material for high performance sensors in, for example, deep-oil and coal mining, combustion engines, energy conversion devices and so on. | |
| "In areas where the temperature can reach well above 200°C, chemical corrosion and mechanical shock are extreme. That's where silicon carbide comes in. | |
| "Silicon carbide is already used in power electronics and these results are very encouraging for sensor technology, particularly in harsh working environments." | |
| The device-grade silicon carbide for this research was grown on six inches of silicon wafer at low temperature by Professor Sima Dimitrijev's team at QMNC. |
| Source: Griffith University | |
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