Sensors operating in extreme environments are currently a focal point of global research. Extreme environmental conditions, such as overload, vibration, corrosion, high pressure, high temperature, and radiation, can affect the performance of sensors to the point of failure. It is noteworthy that, compared to the resistance to overload and vibration achieved through structural design, the application of sensors under high-temperature and radiation extreme conditions poses a greater challenge. Silicon carbide (SiC) material, due to its excellent physical and chemical properties, such as a large band gap and high atomic critical displacement energy, demonstrates outstanding potential for application in high-temperature and radiation extreme environments. This review presents the current status and research progress of SiC sensors in high-temperature and radiation extreme environments. Finally, given the limited research on the radiation resistance of SiC sensors, it identifies several challenges and research deficiencies in the application of SiC sensors under radiation extreme environments and discusses the future development direction of SiC-based substrate sensors.

A quartz resonant pressure sensor is proposed for high-precision measurement of ultra-high pressure. The resonant unit realizes a push–pull differential layout, which restrains the common-mode interference factor, and the resonator is only subject to axial force. The pressure conversion unit is made in an integrated manner, avoiding output drift problems caused by residual stress and small gaps during assembly, welding, and other processes in sensor preparation. Theoretical and simulation analysis was conducted on the overall design scheme of the sensor in this paper, verifying the feasibility. Sensor prototypes were created and performance experiments were conducted. The experimental results show that the sensitivity of the ultra-high pressure sensor is 46.32 Hz/MPa at room temperature within the pressure range of 120 MPa, and the comprehensive accuracy is 0.0266%. The comprehensive accuracy of the sensor is better than 0.0288% FS in the full temperature range environment. This proves that the sensor scheme is suitable for high-precision and high-stability detection of ultra-high pressure, providing new solutions in special pressure measurement fields such as deep-sea and oil exploration.

Silicon carbide (SiC), a third-generation wide-bandgap semiconductor, demonstrates prominent application advantages for extreme-environment sensing scenarios including deep-space exploration, nuclear reactor monitoring, and fusion device diagnosis, which benefit from its excellent radiation resistance, high-temperature stability, and chemical inertness. This review systematically investigates the action mechanisms of different radiation environments on the electrical and mechanical properties of SiC-based sensors, with emphasis on the regulatory effects of radiation-induced defects on key sensing parameters, including piezoresistive properties, charge-collection efficiency, leakage current, and sensitivity. In addition, this paper discusses the response behavior and research progress of SiC sensors applied in mixed radiation fields. Existing research confirms that although high-fluence radiation can induce lattice defects and further result in the degradation of SiC sensor sensing performance, SiC still retains remarkable advantages in intrinsic radiation resistance. The sensing reliability of SiC in extreme environments can be further improved via device-structure optimization and material-modification strategies. This review is expected to provide a theoretical reference for the development and design of SiC sensors applied in advanced nuclear energy, aerospace, and nuclear medicine fields.