4H-SiC Piezoresistive Pressure Sensors at 800 °C With Observed Sensitivity Recovery

Uncooled MEMS-based 4H-SiC Wheatstone bridge configured piezoresistive pressure sensors were demonstrated from 23 °C to 800 °C. The full-scale output (FSO) voltage exhibited gradual decrease with increasing temperature from 23 °C to 400 °C, then swung upward as temperature increased further to where the values measured at 800 °C were nearly equal to or higher than the room temperature values. This newly observed FSO behavior in 4H-SiC contrasts sharply with the FSO behavior of silicon piezoresistive sensors that decrease continuously with increasing temperature. The increase in the sensor output sensitivity at 800 °C implies higher signal to noise ratio and improved fidelity, thereby offering promise of further insertion into >600 °C environments without the need for cooling and complex signal conditioning.