Power electronics are a key enabling technology in the process towards a fully electrified society. Modern power conversion is integral in delivering efficient electric vehicles (EVs) and their fast charging stations, advanced motor drives and the integration of renewable energy into a modern grid. In these applications, well-developed converter topologies are key. Ideally, these would contain semiconductor switches that have both excellent blocking capabilities in both directions and bidirectional current conduction in the on-state. However, none of the common semiconductor switches, e.g. thyristors, IGBTs and MOSFETs, can provide these functionalities alone, such that multiple discrete device topologies are typically deployed, consuming more space and creating an increase in resistance compared to a standalone solution. Recently however, the silicon-based B-TRANTM was proposed, which has bidirectional capabilities and low conduction loss. A 4H-SiC B-TRAN (TM) has the potential to extend the blocking voltage up to 15 kV. In this investigation, vertical PiN diodes and lateral JFETs were simulated, fabricated and characterized on both the C-face (000-1) and Si-face (0001), as required to produce a SiC B-TRANTM. The carrier lifetime of the thick drift region was optimized to enable sufficient carrier diffusion for conductivity modulation.