Imagine your phone overheating after running a game for too long — now imagine that problem in a satellite where you can't just turn it off. Current power chips used in space sit on an insulating layer that traps heat like a blanket, causing them to waste energy and fail early. SaSHa bonded a thin silicon layer directly onto silicon carbide — a material that conducts heat like a copper pan — so the chip stays cool even at 300°C. The result is power devices that waste half as much energy and pack three times the power into the same space.
Power electronics in space, aviation, automotive, and oil drilling must survive extreme heat and radiation — but current silicon-on-insulator chips trap their own heat, waste energy, and fail prematurely. This forces engineers to add heavy cooling systems that eat into payload capacity and drive up costs. There is no commercially available power device that combines high voltage handling (up to 600 V), radiation hardness, and reliable operation at 300°C.
The team developed Si/SiC wafer-bonded substrates at 100mm and 150mm sizes, and fabricated a range of test device structures including lateral power Schottky diodes, PiN diodes, gated diodes, MOS capacitors, resistor bars, TLM structures, and Hall bars. These were benchmarked against equivalent devices on standard SOI and bulk silicon.
If you are a satellite manufacturer dealing with thermal management challenges and limited onboard power — this project developed Si/SiC power devices rated from 50 to 600 V that operate at temperatures up to 300°C with 50% less wasted power. That means lighter cooling systems, longer mission life, and more available power for payloads.
If you are a downhole drilling equipment company struggling with electronics that fail in extreme underground heat — this project built power semiconductor devices on a Si/SiC substrate that handle temperatures up to 300°C and deliver three times the power density of current solutions. This could extend tool operating life and reduce costly equipment replacements deep underground.
If you are an automotive power electronics supplier looking for components that handle higher temperatures without bulky cooling — this project created Si/SiC devices achieving 50% less wasted power and a 100°C increase in maximum operating temperature. This translates to smaller, lighter inverters and more efficient electric drivetrains.
The project had an EU contribution of EUR 997,130 across 4 partners to develop proof-of-concept prototypes up to TRL5. Licensing terms would need to be negotiated with the University of Warwick as coordinator. Based on available project data, commercial pricing is not disclosed.
The project demonstrated wafer bonding on 100mm and 150mm wafers, which are standard semiconductor fab sizes. However, the work focused on proof-of-concept test devices rather than production-ready processes. Scaling to high-volume manufacturing would require further process optimization and qualification.
The consortium was led by the University of Warwick (UK) with 3 other partners across Belgium, Ireland, and the UK. IP rights would be governed by the Horizon 2020 grant agreement. Contact the coordinator to discuss licensing arrangements for the Si/SiC bonding process and device architectures.
The devices were designed for voltage ratings from 50 to 600 V and temperatures up to 300°C, with radiation tolerance matching current state-of-the-art. This covers a wide range of power conditioning applications in harsh environments.
Compared to standard silicon-on-insulator (SOI) electronics, the Si/SiC approach delivers at least 50% less wasted power, three times the power density, and a maximum operating temperature increase of as much as 100°C. It solves the self-heating effect that limits current SOI devices.
The project ran from February 2016 to January 2018 and is now closed. It achieved proof-of-concept prototypes up to TRL5, including test device structures such as Schottky diodes, PiN diodes, MOS capacitors, and gated diodes on Si/SiC substrates. Further development would be needed to reach production readiness.
The SaSHa consortium is compact — 4 partners across Belgium, Ireland, and the UK, led by the University of Warwick. It is research-heavy with 3 universities and only 1 industry partner (which is an SME), giving a 25% industry ratio. This is typical for an early-stage technology development project. The single SME partner suggests some commercial interest existed during the project, but the lack of large industrial manufacturers in the consortium means that any company looking to adopt this technology would need to engage directly with the university-led team for technology transfer. The EUR 997,130 budget is modest, reinforcing that this is foundational development work rather than near-market engineering.
University of Warwick (UK) — contact their power electronics or semiconductor research group for licensing discussions
Want an introduction to the SaSHa research team? SciTransfer can connect you with the right people at the University of Warwick to discuss licensing, joint development, or technology transfer for your specific application.
