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

SBIR 第一阶段：用于太空制造的通用晶体生长舱和新型晶圆切割工具

• 批准号: 2419346
• 负责人: Partha Dutta
• 金额: $ 27.5万
• 依托单位: United Semiconductors, LLC
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-03-15 至 2024-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2419346&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Universal; Crystal; Growth

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.

这项小型企业创新研究（SBIR）项目的更广泛的影响和商业潜力在于先进的半导体技术，这些技术对新兴自治系统，网络传感技术，支持人工智能的系统，航空航天和国防监测系统至关重要。微重力条件下的空间制造实现了独特的材料特征和高级半导体设备设计，其性能明显更高，从而为满足技术和市场需求提供了最合适的平台。将开发出一种具有独特特征的基于半导体的复合材料，用于许多大规模的新兴应用，包括磁灵敏度，热电学，光伏发电，量子计算设备等。拟议的制造计划将使美国国防和平民行业受益。空间制造平台将提高高性能设备技术的产量和可靠性，满足数十亿美元市场的需求。从该项目中学到的经验教训将加速太空材料的生产，而销售商品的利润率可能更高，并吸引了私营部门在太空生产业务上的投资。这将有助于美国国内行业获得和/或维持许多关键技术领域的领导能力。需要更高的吞吐量，更高的迭代空间研发和制造业来驱动有意义的优势，该项目将使这种转化的R＆D在半导体和其他关键部门中加速。此外，针对太空制造业中培训工程师和技术人员的劳动力发展（WFD）与“美国筹码”劳动力发展计划的优先级是完全一致的。这是SBIR I期项目的项目提案，以创建创新的组件设计和制造方法，以开发两个关键的硬件，以开发高纯度和应用高纯度纯净纯度纯度级别的Space和应用。将设计和制造通用晶体生长胶囊设计，用于在晶体生长过程中利用微重力条件，并提供太空生长材料的高通量。对于处理高成本，低缺陷内容高级空间种植的晶体，将开发一种新型的晶圆夹具工具，用于直接从ingots制造，用于无损害的薄膜制造。通用胶囊设计将结合先进的高温流体动力学成分，这些动力学成分是最大程度地提高微重力对晶体生长的有益作用所必需的。创新的晶圆切割工具体系结构利用高级光学制造技术来创建垂死的工具。第1阶段项目将证明半导体材料的单相合金和多相组成的晶体生长。将展示与毫米级尺度横截面的微米尺度厚波的制造，以从散装晶体中为离散的半导体装置制造。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是通过基金会的智力优点和更广泛影响的审查标准通过评估来通过评估来获得的支持。