High temperature microelectronics - Expanding the applications for smart sensors

Solid-state sensors are attractive for many applications because they can include integrated circuitry as well as the transducer. This potential advantage is often lost because sensing requirements call for ambient temperatures higher than what the electronics can tolerate. In this paper we discuss process, layout, and circuit approaches for increasing the operating temperature of silicon circuitry to as high as 300°C. Development of high-temperature microelectronics on smart sensor chips will improve system reliability and extend the use of solid-state sensors into many new applications.