Demonstration of temperature compensated voltage reference integrated circuit designed with 4H-SiC MESFETs

Abstract

This work demonstrate for the first time a functional high temperature compensated Voltage Reference integrated circuit (IC) on 4H-SiC material, built with MESFET devices. A special finger type MESFET that overcome the typical embedded drain leakage of finger type MESFET, was developed for this purpose. The schematic and the principle of the circuit is based on a new concept design that avoid the bandgap reference topology and the necessity of using an operational amplifier (OpAmp), which is not yet developed on SiC. The experimental temperature coefficient (TC) is significantly better than a Zener diode and comparable to the normal bandgap voltage references on silicon, but the present circuit has the advantage to be able to work beyond 250oC. The circuit contains also a linear temperature sensor.