Lightweight InP Solar Cells for Space Applications, Phase II

The innovation in this Phase II SBIR is the development of a technology which will enable the manufacture of a lightweight, low cost, high radiation resistance InP based solar cells with high efficiency suitable for space power systems. The key technological step is the application of a production-worthy epitaxial liftoff (ELO) process to a multijunction solar cell structure fabricated on a large area ( 3-inch and 4-inch)InP substrates. Our focus will be on the improvement of the efficiency of dual junction to greater than 23% and a pathway towards InP based triple junction. The number of substrate reusage will also be investigated to determine the impact of cost savings due to the high cost of InP substrates. Radiation testing of the ELO InP solar cells will be performed and compared to standard InP solar cells.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.