Discover
/
Article

Silicon carbide

NOV 01, 1959
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SILICON CARBIDE BOSTON, MASS. APRIL 2–3, 1959
J. R. O'Connor

There exists a need, especially in the cases of some military applications, for a stable, high‐temperature semiconductor material. Active and passive devices fabricated from such a material could operate in a high‐temperature ambient and simultaneously resist radiation damage. The most useful semiconductor materials, to date, have been the Group IV elements, germanium and silicon. Devices made from silicon, however, cannot be efficiently operated at temperatures in excess of 200 °C. Logically, one should next consider diamond, the cubic modification of carbon. At this time, however, the technological problems that one would encounter with diamond are formidable.

This article is only available in PDF format

More about the authors

J. R. O'Connor, Air Force Cambridge Research Center, Bedford, Mass..

Related content
/
Article
Inside certain quantum systems, where randomness was thought to lurk, researchers—after a 40-year journey—have found order and unique wave patterns that stubbornly survive.
/
Article
A half century after the discovery of Hawking radiation, we are still dealing with the quantum puzzle it exposed.
/
Article
Since the discovery was first reported in 1999, researchers have uncovered many aspects of the chiral-induced spin selectivity effect, but its underlying mechanisms remain unclear.
/
Article
Metrologists are using fundamental physics to define units of measure. Now NIST has developed new quantum sensors to measure and realize the pascal.
This Content Appeared In
pt-cover_1959_11.jpeg

Volume 12, Number 11

Get PT newsletters in your inbox

pt_newsletter_card_blue.png
PT The Week in Physics

A collection of PT's content from the previous week delivered every Monday.

pt_newsletter_card_darkblue.png
PT New Issue Alert

Be notified about the new issue with links to highlights and the full TOC.

pt_newsletter_card_pink.png
PT Webinars & White Papers

The latest webinars, white papers and other informational resources.

By signing up you agree to allow AIP to send you email newsletters. You further agree to our privacy policy and terms of service.