Harsh Environment Silicon Carbide Sensors for Health and Performance Monitoring of Aerospace Systems: A Review

The recent increase in transportation costs and the push for cleaner emissions demands advancements in aerospace technology. The current instrumentation used in aerospace applications is costly, and indirect measurement approaches are often employed due to the inability to locate sensors in harsh environments. Health monitoring technologies for the development of a distributed sensor network can be utilized to improve engine efficiencies and reduce emissions while maintaining safety. This paper reviews the recent advancements in silicon carbide (SiC) process technologies and demonstrations of SiC sensors and electronic circuits in hostile environments, which supports the use of SiC technology for health and performance monitoring of aerospace systems. Further development of this technology can ultimately improve the performance, reliability, and emissions of aerospace systems. However, challenges still remain for the realization of a distributed sensor network for harsh environment applications such as aerospace.