Method of forming vias in silicon carbide and resulting devices and circuits

A method of fabricating a silicon carbide based transistor that eliminates the need for electrical connection by wire bonding in an integrated circuit, the method comprising:

• forming at least one epitaxial layer of a semiconductor material other than silicon carbide on a silicon carbide substrate, the substrate having first and second surfaces on opposite sides of the substrate, and the epitaxial layer comprising a lower surface in contact with the second surface of the silicon carbide substrate and an uppermost surface for fabricating semiconductor device components thereon;
• forming source and drain contacts at predetermined positions on an epitaxial layer from material that exhibits ohmic behavior when placed on the epitaxial layer;
• forming a gate contact at a predetermined position on an epitaxial layer from material that exhibits rectifying behavior when placed on the epitaxial layer;
• masking the first surface of the silicon carbide substrate to define predetermined locations for a plurality of conductive vias opposite from the predetermined positions for the source, gate, and drain contacts;
• etching a plurality of conductive vias through the silicon carbide substrate and through the epitaxial layer to provide conductive paths from the first surface of the silicon carbide substrate to each respective source, gate, and drain contact by etching the silicon carbide substrate with an etchant that removes silicon carbide but does not remove the semiconductor material of the epitaxial layer so that the etching removal of silicon carbide stops at the epitaxial layer and by thereafter etching the epitaxial layer with an etchant that removes the semiconductor material of the epitaxial layer but does not remove silicon carbide or the materials forming the source, gate, or drain contacts so that etching of the epitaxial layer stops at each respective source, gate, and drain contact.