Reliability evaluation of direct chip attached silicon carbide pressure transducers

An accelerated stress test (AST) protocol has been developed and used to evaluate the reliability of 6H-silicon carbide (SiC) pressure transducers for operation up to 400 /spl deg/C for 100 hours. After several cyclic excursions to 400 /spl deg/C, the maximum drift of the zero pressure offset voltage at 25 /spl deg/C was 1.9 mV, while the maximum drift at 400 /spl deg/C was 2.0 mV. The full-scale sensitivity to pressure before and after the AST was 36.6 /spl mu/V/V/psi at 25 /spl deg/C and 20.5 /spl mu/V/V/psi at 400 /spl deg/C, with a maximum drift of /spl plusmn/1 /spl mu/V/V/psi. No systematic degradation of the zero pressure offset was observed.