Cities Space Forge has recently powered up an orbital furnace aboard its ForgeStar-1 satellite. This milestone is the latest in a series of successful steps toward creating high-performance semiconductor materials in space. If successful, this innovative experiment will help facilitate the formation of seed crystals. These crystals will serve as substrates for gallium and aluminum nitride or silicon carbide, key materials for next-generation power electronics. The company, launched in 2018, has been at the forefront of this innovative movement with this operation. Their focus is on leveraging the unique conditions of space to produce new materials.
The ForgeStar-1 satellite’s technology unlocks an entirely new satellite category capable of thriving in a microgravity environment. Here too, the absence of atmospheric disturbance promotes crystal growth, yielding optimal qualities. From the furnace pours an unbroken stream of super-hot plasma. At the same time, Wales-based Space Forge is working to understand how materials grown in space can improve performance of electronics. It’s not just about making money for their CEO, co-founder and co-owner Joshua Western — there are significant benefits produced by growing crystals in orbit.
“For example, if you’re worried about nitrogen interfering with your growth process, on Earth [in a vacuum chamber] nitrogen might be present at concentration of around 10 to the -11,” – Joshua Western
“In space, above 500 kilometers altitude, it’s naturally present at 10 to the -22.” – Joshua Western
The Promise of Space-Grown Materials
Space Forge is one of a number of companies who think that by manufacturing materials in space, ultra-efficient electronics are possible. The company’s ForgeStar-1 satellite is designed to provide repeatable, optimized micro gravity conditions that are perfect for crystal growth. This could allow them to produce materials that would be just about perfect semiconductors, able to carry electrons, at room temperature, with far greater mobility than their Earth-grown equivalents.
On the monumental impact these technological advancements, Executive Director of the Texas A&M Semiconductor Institute E. Steve Putna states that
“Space-grown crystals have demonstrated significantly higher electron mobility,” – E. Steve Putna
These advantages, like the absence of an iron state, could lead to 20-40% improvement in switching efficiency, a key benefit to today’s electronic devices. The energy savings potential is significant too.
“There is potential for significant energy savings, perhaps as much as 50 percent within large infrastructure installations such as [5G] towers,” – Joshua Western
“However, niche materials for specific applications might be worth the investment,” – Anne Wilson
Challenges and Future Prospects
Even with the promise of space-grown crystals, including a pending polarizing market dynamic, challenges still face that paradigm. Matt Francis, CEO of Ozark Integrated Circuits, reminds us that the cost of silicon substrates has plummeted.
“While I remember paying $20k a wafer in the early days, we are down in the hundreds of dollars range in volume markets like power,” – Matt Francis
Francis thinks sending materials to space made sense when space was prohibitively expensive. The rapid decline in production costs here on Earth makes the economic viability of growing substrates on-space more difficult.
“When they were a prized commodity, maybe sending to space made sense. While the cost of space is decreasing, it’s not decreasing faster than the cost of producing wafers,” – Matt Francis
Externally, Space Forge will face the fact that its satellite will eventually meet a gritty end with its return to Earth. That translates to the first batch of space-grown crystals making their way back to Earth only during a follow-up mission. Despite these hurdles, Western remains optimistic.
“There will be a level of degradation over time and over generations of growth,” – Joshua Western
The Future of In-Orbit Manufacturing
The in-orbit manufacturing market is still in its infancy, but is growing fast and is projected to be worth about $28.19 billion by 2034. Space Forge’s endeavors are indicative of a broader trend — a developing confidence in the commercial space-based operations’ bottom line. The successful deployment of its novel heat shield during the upcoming de-orbit maneuver later this year will be another step toward validating its technology.
With increasing commercial interest and investment, the development of new materials and improvements gained through their production in space will almost certainly set new standards in multiple fields. Space Forge’s work could set the stage for improved performance in devices from AI data centers to quantum computers.
“If a space-grown substrate increases the yield of a $10,000 high-end AI processor from 50 percent to 90 percent or allows a quantum computer to function closer to room temperature rather than near absolute zero, the launch cost becomes a negligible fraction of the total value created.” – E. Steve Putna