We investigated a SiC-based hydrogen gas sensor with metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) structure for high temperature process monitoring and leak detection applications. The sensor was fabricated by Pd/$Ta_2O_5$/SiC structure, and a thin tantalum oxide ($Ta_2O_5$) layer was exploited with the purpose of sensitivity improvement, because tantalum oxide has good stability at high temperature as well as high permeability for hydrogen gas. In the experiment, dependence of I-V characteristics and capacitance response properties on hydrogen gas concentrations from 0 to 2,000 ppm was analyzed at room temperature to $500^{circ}C$. As the result, our sensor exploiting a $Ta_2O_5$ dielectric layer showed possibilities with regard to use in hydrogen gas sensors for high-temperature applications.