With its microgravity environment, the International Space Station (ISS) provides researchers unique opportunities to study the effects of spaceflight on the human body, plants, bacteria and other systems.
Various companies and universities partner with NASA to perform their experiments aboard the ISS, making the space station a constant hub of scientific research.
What is it?
One of the projects supported by NASA is developing a technique to grow semimetal-semiconductor composite crystals in microgravity, with the ultimate goal of producing device-ready wafers off Earth. With these special crystals, the wafer can be used in various electronic devices, which could address the growing global demand for advanced electronic components.
The project, which is part of NASA’s In Space Production Applications (InSPA) program, is led by the company United Semiconductors LLC, in collaboration with Axiom Space and Redwire.
Where is it?
The crystals for the wafer were grown aboard the ISS in low Earth orbit, approximately 250 miles (402 kilometers) above our planet.
Why is it amazing?
Growing composite crystals on Earth can be tricky, as “needles” or imperfections in the semimetals of the crystal can develop and compromise its purity. These imperfections are due to gravity driving changes in how the semimetals within the crystal settle and form. For devices like electronic sensors, where these crystals need to be extremely precise and uniform, this process can pose a significant challenge.
But if the crystals are grown in microgravity, the process can be much better controlled. In this recent experiment, four crystals were grown successfully aboard the ISS, a first step toward overcoming this key material science issue.
Want to learn more?
You can read more about research on the ISS and electronic devices.
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