Industrial Crystallization Facility for Nonlinear Optical Materials

Made In Space, Inc. (MIS) proposes the development, to a critical design level, of an Industrial Crystal Facility (ICF) for microgravity product manufacturing and applied research. The ICF is focused on advanced materials engineering, rather than biomedical research, and expands utilization of the ISS into new product areas not previously investigated. Intended applications include nonlinear optical single crystals and other relatively large material formulations, such as bulk single-crystal thin films and high temperature optical fiber. This is a critical next step in the development of Low Earth Orbit as an economic development zone. ICF uses the International Space Station (ISS) National Lab as a proving ground and utilizes the same value proposition as the forthcoming Made In Space Fiber (MIS Fiber) demonstration of manufacturing a product in space with economically-significant intrinsic value on the ground.Semiorganic nonlinear optical (NLO) crystals generated from low temperature solution methods have only emerged in the past decade of academic research as an alternative to industry standards, such as lithium niobate, for improved performance and easier integration into opto-electronic devices. Lithium niobate single crystals must be manufactured by the Czochralski process, at temperatures in excess of 1260°C, which makes it energy-intensive to produce. Even with doping, lithium niobate products are typically limited to operate below 200°C or require active thermal control to limit photorefractive damage that distorts photon transmission. Microgravity production holds the potential for room-temperature production of NLO materials for high-energy applications with size and quality undiminished by the effects of sedimentation and convection. A new facility is needed to explore the feasibility of microgravity-enabled industrial crystals as a new product market for Low Earth Orbit.