Researchers and manufacturers are looking into the use of space-grown crystals to transform the semiconductor manufacturing process, especially for next-generation, advanced electronics. From 1973 to 2016, an estimated 160 different semiconductor crystals were grown in microgravity onboard different spacecraft. So far, results indicate that 86 percent of the space-grown crystals exceeded the quality of their Earth-grown counterparts. They were bigger, they were more homogeneous, and they proved to perform better.
The mystery about these space-grown materials comes from their distinctive growth environments. The microgravity environment offers a significant “head start,” producing more uniform conditions for crystal growth. This trend has the potential to make dramatic improvements in the efficiency of these high-performance power devices. Space Forge has created a radical new type of flying furnace. It creates the seed crystals that are used to grow substrates of gallium, aluminum nitride, or silicon carbide—materials required for next-generation electronics.
Advantages of Space-Grown Crystals
The benefits of using space to produce crystals go beyond aesthetic concerns. Research has demonstrated that crystals grown in space reach 100 times higher electron mobility. Our strengthening could produce a 20-40 percent increase in switching efficiency. This increase in productivity potential is tremendously impactful. This is particularly true for applications in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) data centers.
“There is potential for significant energy savings, perhaps as much as 50 percent within large infrastructure installations such as [5G] towers,” – Joshua Western
Space Forge’s ForgeStar-1 satellite produced a “dragon’s breath” plume of super-hot plasma. This advance would allow fabrication of near-perfect semiconductor crystals in orbit. We believe that such a capability would wildly accelerate commercial breakthroughs in the efficiency of all semiconductor devices. It might improve their long-term bottom line.
Despite these promising findings, challenges remain. Technical considerations The feasibility of returning materials from LEO is low. For comparison, such missions would return only a few kilograms. This leads to even larger questions about the scalability of this new production method.
Economic Considerations
The economics of launching payloads to low Earth orbit is another barrier to entry. Right now, it’s estimated that it costs about $1,500 per kilogram to launch materials into space. The return of cargo from the International Space Station (ISS) is an exceptional capability of SpaceX’s Cargo Dragon capsule. With intense national demand for its services, it’s not easy to get in the queue.
Matt Francis, CEO of Ozark Integrated Circuits, called attention to the rapid changes in the semiconductor pricing environment. He noted that the price of silicon substrates have crashed in recent years. With this decline, Earth-based production becomes more and more appealing for operators of existing infrastructure.
“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 made the point that the cost of accessing space is going down. This may be true, it’s not falling fast enough to match the rate at which terrestrial wafer production is becoming cheaper.
Future Prospects and Innovations
While the current market offers many economic challenges, the in-orbit manufacturing market is projected to be an incredible $28.19 billion by 2034, analysts estimate. Businesses are competing to find new, creative ways to use space for uncommon materials. For example, Voyager Technologies just patented a unique technique for growing crystals of fiber-optic materials in orbit.
Anne Wilson, a prominent researcher in the field, expressed cautious optimism regarding the future of microgravity crystal growth.
“I don’t think that microgravity is going to be ideal for the manufacture of bulk materials,” – Anne Wilson
She did agree that some niche materials, aimed at highly specialized applications could make the investment in space-grown substitutes worth it.
“However, niche materials for specific applications might be worth the investment.” – Anne Wilson
Here’s why experts are so excited about these advancements in semiconductor materials. They are convinced those improvements promise big increases in yields for advanced processors. NASA engineer E. Steve Putna grew NASA’s substrate as it would significantly increase the yield of a $10,000 high-end AI processor from 50 percent to 90 percent. This one change would reduce the cost of every launch to a small percentage of the value produced.
“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
Barriers such as expense and lack of scalability, for example, are not to be ignored. Experts are increasingly convinced that space-grown crystals may hold the key to the evolution of electronics. The bottom line research and development continue apace, and new technologies are coming to market daily. Only time will tell how these innovations will continue to reinvent the semiconductor landscape.