Space Forge, a company dedicated to advancing semiconductor manufacturing in space, activated its orbital furnace aboard the ForgeStar-1 satellite in December. This groundbreaking furnace creates a continuous jet of extremely hot plasma. This is a big leap towards growing almost perfect semiconductor crystals in the special environment of space. Founded in 2018 by Joshua Western and his motivational crew, the company was launched with a big idea. They’re convinced that making materials in orbit can dramatically improve the efficiency of next-gen electronics.
During ForgeStar-1’s eventual de-orbit maneuver later this year, the satellite will deploy a heat shield tailored to harsher re-entry conditions for the first time. This choreography will eventually result in the destruction of the satellite as it reenters Earth’s atmosphere. Consequently, before Space Forge can begin producing its first batch of crystals, the company must complete a follow-up mission. Even with this limitation, the potential benefits of producing semiconductors in space has sparked great interest from industry professionals.
The Science Behind Space-Grown Crystals
Space Forge’s orbital furnace is deliberately designed to produce and maintain the ultra-pure and stable manufacturing environment required to grow superconductor crystals. As explained by Western, these extreme microgravity conditions found in space provide unique benefits that lead to excellent crystal growth.
“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
He elucidated that in space, at more than 500 kilometers in altitude, nitrogen is present in its natural form. At that altitude, its concentration is about 10 -22. Ultimately, this reduction in interference creates the conditions for a much cleaner and more precise growth process of the crystal.
This pure environment found in microgravity, in addition to preventing contamination, offers a more of a “better head start” for crystals to grow evenly. A meta-analysis that came out in 2024 in the journal Nature showed some really encouraging findings. Importantly, it found that 86 percent of the crystals cultivated in space were larger, more uniform, and with better quality than their Earth-grown counterparts. This improved electron mobility could lead to groundbreaking improvements in electronic devices.
Challenges and Opportunities in Space Manufacturing
Though the future for space-grown crystals may be bright, competition for investment dollars is still fierce. Matt Francis, CEO of Ozark Integrated Circuits, emphasized the decreasing cost of silicon substrates over the past few years.
“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
He even seemed doubtful that space-grown crystals could be economically viable. He floated the idea that as Earth-based production costs drop, they will beat any breakthroughs in launch cost reductions. The price of doing business in space is declining, but not quick enough. This gradual downturn makes it hard to defend heavy investments in manufacturing materials that are getting cheaper and easier to find right here on Earth.
As industry expert Anne Wilson pointed out, the most important thing. She emphasized that microgravity is not appropriate for making materials in bulk, but that there are applications for making small quantities of specialized materials with unique properties.
“However, niche materials for specific applications might be worth the investment.” – Anne Wilson
The Future of Electronics with Space-Grown Semiconductors
Space Forge’s goal is to produce substrates from gallium and aluminum nitride substrates or silicon carbide for high-performance, power devices. Given the considerable amounts of energy that could be saved, especially in deep-infrastructure applications like 5G, this is an important initiative.
“There is potential for significant energy savings, perhaps as much as 50 percent within large infrastructure installations such as 5G towers,” – Joshua Western
E. Steve Putna, director of the Texas A&M Semiconductor Institute, called space-grown crystals “the most exciting thing.” Here’s why he thinks these types of crystals could radically improve electronic performance. He noticed that these crystals exhibit much higher electron mobility. This last improvement could increase switching efficiency by 20 to 40 percent.
Joshua Western from VBMP warned that there will be degradation over time. Despite their rosy projections, this effect will happen over generations of growth. He is optimistic on the long-term positive impacts that space-grown semiconductors might have for the electronics industry as a whole.