SBIR Phase I: Universal Crystal Growth Capsule and Novel Wafer Dicing Tool for In-Space Manufacturing

该小型企业创新研究（SBIR）项目的更广泛影响和商业潜力在于先进的半导体技术，这些技术对新兴的自主系统、网络传感技术、人工智能系统、航空航天和国防监视系统至关重要。微重力条件下的空间制造使独特的材料特性和先进的半导体器件设计具有更高的性能，从而为满足技术和市场需求提供了最合适的平台。将开发一种新型的基于半导体的复合材料，其具有许多大规模新兴应用的独特特性，包括磁传感，热电，光伏发电，量子计算设备等。拟议的制造计划将有利于美国国防和民用工业。太空制造平台将提高高性能器件技术的产量和可靠性，满足数十亿美元市场的需求。从该项目中吸取的经验教训将加快空间材料的生产，销售货物的利润率可能更高，并吸引私营部门投资空间制造业务。 这将有助于美国国内产业获得和/或保持在许多关键技术领域的领导地位。 需要更高的吞吐量，更高的空间研发和制造迭代，以推动有意义的优势，该项目将加速半导体和其他关键领域的此类转化研发。此外，用于培训工程师和技术人员的空间制造业的劳动力发展（WFD）与“CHIPS for America”劳动力发展计划的优先事项完全一致。SBIR第一阶段项目提出创建创新的组件设计和制造方法，以开发空间制造和应用高纯度半导体级块晶体所需的两个关键硬件。将设计和制造一种通用晶体生长舱设计，以利用晶体生长期间的微重力条件，并提供空间生长材料的高吞吐量。为了加工高成本、低缺陷含量的优质空间生长晶体，将开发一种用于直接从晶锭无损伤制备薄膜的新型晶片切割工具。通用密封舱的设计将包括先进的高温流体动力学部件，这些部件是最大限度地发挥微重力对晶体生长的有益影响所必需的。 创新的晶圆切割工具架构利用先进的光学制造技术来创建切割工具。第一阶段项目将展示单相合金和多相复合材料的晶体生长。该奖项体现了NSF的法定使命，通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact and commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project is in advanced semiconductor technologies that are of critical need for emerging autonomous systems, networked sensing technologies, artificial intelligence enabled systems, aerospace, and defense surveillance systems. In-Space manufacturing under microgravity conditions enable unique materials characteristics and advanced semiconductor device designs with significantly higher performances, thus providing the most appropriate platform for meeting the technological and market demands. A novel class of semiconductor based composite materials with unique characteristics for numerous large scale emerging applications including, magnetic sensing, thermoelectrics, photovoltaic power generation, quantum computing devices, etc. will be developed. The proposed manufacturing plans will benefit the US national defense and civilian industry. The In-Space manufacturing platform will boost the yield and reliability for high performance device technologies, meeting the demand of the multi-billion US$ market. Lessons learnt from this project will accelerate the space materials production with potentially higher profit margins for sold goods and attract private sector investments in space manufacturing business. This will help the US domestic industry to gain and/or maintain leadership in many critical technology sectors. There is a need for higher throughput, higher iteration in-space R&D and manufacturing to drive to meaningful advantages, and this project will enable an acceleration of such translational R&D in semiconductors and other key sectors. Additionally, Workforce Development (WFD) for training engineers and technicians in Space based manufacturing are in perfect alignment with the priorities of the “CHIPS for America” Workforce Development plans.This SBIR Phase I project proposes to create innovative component design and manufacturing approaches for developing two critical hardware necessary for In-space manufacturing and application of high purity semiconductor grade bulk crystals. A universal crystal growth capsule design will be designed and fabricated for leveraging microgravity conditions during crystal growth and providing high throughput of space grown materials. For processing high cost, low defect content premium space grown crystals, a novel wafer dicing tool for damage-free thin film fabrication directly from ingots will be developed. The universal capsule design will incorporate advanced high temperature fluid dynamics components that are necessary for maximizing the beneficial effects of microgravity on crystal growth. The innovative wafer dicing tool architecture leverages advanced optics fabrication technologies for creating the dicing tool. The Phase 1 project will demonstrate crystal growth of single-phase alloy and multi-phase composites of semiconductor-based materials. Fabrication of micron-scale thick wafers with millimeter scale cross-section for discrete semiconductor device from bulk crystals will be demonstrated.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.