Axiom Space is an American company specializing in space missions and the only commercial entity whose modules are connected to the International Spac

Axiom Space pitches idea to produce chipmaking materials in space, plans trials aboard ISS

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2025-01-15 13:00:18

Axiom Space is an American company specializing in space missions and the only commercial entity whose modules are connected to the International Space Station. According to Focus Taiwan, the company recently visited Taiwan to pitch an intriguing idea to produce certain semiconductor materials in space. Axiom believes that the unique conditions of a low-Earth orbit (LEO) environment could enable the production of ultra-pure materials.

Dr. Koichi Wakata, Axiom Space's Asia-Pacific Chief Technology Officer and a former ISS commander from Japan, emphasized the potential of microgravity and vacuum environments to improve semiconductor manufacturing. These conditions, he explained, enable defect-free crystal growth, resulting in higher-quality materials that are difficult to produce on Earth due to gravity and atmospheric impurities.

Divya Panchanathan, Axiom's global head of semiconductor commercialization, elaborated that Earth's gravity causes imperfections in crystal structures, while LEO's microgravity allows for more uniform growth. Additionally, the vacuum of space facilitates containerless processing, minimizing contamination and enabling the production of larger, higher-performing crystals for semiconductors.