The Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate at NASA's Glenn Research Center has developed a new silicon carbide differential amplifier integrated circuit chip that may provide benefits to anything requiring long-lasting electronic circuits in very hot environments. The chip exceeded 1,700 hours of continuous operation at 500 degrees C - a breakthrough representing a 100-fold increase in what has previously been achieved.

The chip development team was led by Phil Neudeck, an electronics engineer at NASA Glenn in Cleveland, OH. According to Neudeck, silicon carbide electronics has been under investigation for years as an alternative to silicon for high-temperature electronics. High-temperature environments such as aerospace and automotive could be possible candidates for the silicon carbide chip.

Read the "Who's Who at NASA" interview with Phil Neudeck on page 12 of the November issue, or read it online here .


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