Power Semiconductor Manufacturing in Space

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Currently, satellites have revolutionized areas, such as communications, weather forecasting, navigation, broadcasting, research, and the observation of Earth. Could the next big advance be in semiconductor manufacturing? Space Forge, a company based in Cardiff, Wales, seems to think so. It has recently announced that it has successfully generated plasma aboard its ForgeStar-1 satellite, which the company claims is the world’s first example of commercial in-space manufacturing and the first free-flying commercial semiconductor manufacturing tool ever operated in space. Generating plasma is a significant step toward producing a new class of high-performance semiconductor materials in orbit.

The experiment to generate plasma in space was intended to show that that the extreme conditions needed for gas-phase crystal growth - a building block of semiconductor production - can be created and controlled on an autonomous platform in low Earth orbit (LEO). The experiment was designed to build on science previously carried out on board the International Space Station.

Joshua Western, CEO and Co-founder, Space Forge: “Generating plasma in orbit proves that the essential environment for advanced crystal growth can be achieved on a dedicated, commercial satellite - opening the door to a completely new manufacturing frontier.”

Space Forge is focussed on wide- and ultra-wide bandgap materials such as GaN, SiC, aluminium nitride and diamond. The developmentof these materials is constrained on the surface of Earth by defect formation, impurities and thermal instability during growth. There is no convection is microgravity, meaning that an ultra-high quality vacuum with near-zero nitrogen contamination and stable thermal conditions can enable semiconductor crystals several orders of magnitude cleaner than those produced on Earth.

“The work that we’re doing now is allowing us to create semiconductors up to 4,000 times purer in space than we can currently make here today,” Space Forge CEO Josh Western told the BBC. “This sort of semiconductor would go on to be in the 5G tower in which you get your mobile phone signal, it’s going to be in the car charger you plug an EV into, it’s going to be in the latest planes.”

ForgeStar-1’s plasma generation tests how those advantages translate into real material performance. The satellite will run a series of parameter sweeps to map plasma behaviour in microgravity and collect data to guide the design and operation of future missions.

As the spacecraft begins its natural orbital decay, its trajectory will be monitored using onboard systems and external support from the Science and Technology Facilities Council, with the mission concluding in a controlled demise. The controlled end-of-life scenario tests is a foundational step toward future reusable, returnable missions.

The company intends to unite orbital crystal growth with terrestrial processing. Space-grown seeds will be returned to Earth and scaled at the Centre for Integrative Semiconductor Materials (CISM), creating a hybrid manufacturing model that fits in with existing supply chains. The enhanced materials should improve efficiency, performance and resilience.

To assist in the project, Space Forge had earlier signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with United Semiconductors LLC, a specialist in bulk crystal growth of III-V semiconductor compounds. The partnership will see the two companies develop commercially viable in-space semiconductor manufacturing capabilities, combining Space Forge's microgravity-enabled materials deposition processes with United Semiconductors LLC's established expertise in ternary III-V semiconductor crystal growth and wafer processing.

Under the MoU framework, Space Forge will design and develop advanced materials deposition processes and equipment, and integrate manufacturing systems compatible with the ForgeStar platform. United Semiconductors will contribute its proven crystal growth processes, design specialized equipment and accessories for in-space manufacturing environments, identify potential materials suitable for space-based production and perform comprehensive wafer processing and testing.

https://www.spaceforge.com/