The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is soliciting innovative proposals for the research and development of mixed-signal IC technology. Semiconductor electronics face significant challenges in extreme thermal environments, where conventional silicon-based technologies degrade beyond 250°C, limiting their use in defense, aerospace, and energy applications. As demand grows for long-duration reliability, wide-bandgap materials like silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) offer promising alternatives due to their thermal resilience and electrical performance, yet current high-temperature electronics still lack the speed, stability, and manufacturability needed for widespread deployment. To address this, the Department of War (DOW) has launched targeted innovations to enhance high-temperature semiconductor capabilities. Missile guidance and propulsion systems require precision sensing and signal processing despite exposure to extreme heat, ensuring reliable performance in defense applications. Likewise, geothermal and nuclear monitoring depend on real-time sensing in sustained high-temperature environments to maintain system integrity. Space missions, such as Venus landers, demand electronics capable of withstanding surface temperatures approaching 500°C for long-duration survivability. While SiC-based electronics demonstrate operability beyond 800°C, their limited switching speed constrains high-performance applications requiring fast signal processing and complex computing. Conversely, GaN-based semiconductors offer superior speed but lack validated long-term stability at extreme temperatures. DARPA’s High Operational Temperature Sensors (HOTS) program has paved the way for high-speed integrated circuits optimized for ultra-high temperatures, providing crucial insights into material engineering, thermal management, and circuit design. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) opportunity seeks to build on these advancements by developing a scalable wafer-based fabrication process for high-speed mixed-signal ICs, optimized for extreme temperatures. The initiative aims to establish a manufacturable microelectronics platform, enabling DOW stakeholders to design and deploy high-temperature semiconductor technologies across defense, aerospace, and energy sectors. By advancing material engineering, thermal mitigation strategies, and circuit architectures, this effort will overcome current limitations, delivering high-speed, thermally resilient electronics capable of sustained operation at 800°C.
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