University of Akansas to Develop SiC data converters
$200k NSF grant for chips that can acquire and process data in internal combustion engines
Engineering researchers at the University of Arkansas have received an additional $200,000 grant from the US National Science Foundation (NSF) to continue developing integrated circuits that can survive and operate at temperatures greater than 300 degC.
The chips serve as the foundation for creating commercial converters that reside within internal combustion engines. These convert high-temperature sensor data to digital form for transmission to the vehicle's performance and emissions control computer. The technology should provide more robust data from the engine, enabling better control of the vehicle and greater fuel efficiency.
The research team, led by Alan Mantooth, is one of only a few groups nationwide with extensive experience designing and fabricating chips made of SiC.
For this project, the U of A researchers collaborate with Ozark Integrated Circuits, a Fayetteville technology firm that develops integrated circuits for remote sensing and actuation under extreme environmental conditions. Ozark Integrated Circuits will commercialise the new circuit technology.
Together, these researchers intend to create a prototype of a SIC-based converter that can acquire and process data in harsh environments. They will then evaluate the prototype across temperature variations and test how the converter functions in a harsh, real-world environment by combining the system with ignition sensor technology developed by Ozark Integrated Circuits.
Finally, the team plans to generate a commercial feasibility analysis based on projections of the manufacturing costs of a high volume of SIC.
Mantooth holds the Twenty-First Century Chair in Mixed-Signal Integrated Circuit Design and Computer-Aided Design in the College of Engineering. He is also executive director of the National Center for Reliable Electric Power Transmission, a 7,000-square-foot, $5-million power electronic test facility at the University of Arkansas.
