What is Silicon On Insulator (SOI) technology and why does it work well for high temperature applications?
SOI technology utilizes a layer of silicon on top of an insulating substrate. Honeywell’s technology uses a thin silicon layer on top of a silicon dioxide insulating layer. We then cut vertical trenches into the top silicon to laterally isolate all of the devices from each other. Our total device isolation feature means that critical P.N. junction area is reduced by two orders of magnitude. This reduction in junction area directly reduces the leakage currents which historically have been the primary limitation to high temperature operation of CMOS integrated circuits.
