SCALABLE PHOTOVOLTAIC TECHNOLOGIES FOR TELECOMMUNICATION CONSTELLATIONS MASS PRODUCTION (ARTES AT 4F.183) - EXPRO+

Objective: The objective of the activity is to develop and test innovative III-V solar cell s processes and associated disruptive photovoltaic assembly technologies aiming to reduce the complexity, manufacturing and assembly time to meet the high demand of telecommunication satellites constellations. III-V solar cells will be developed and tested using thedeveloped processes along with flexible Photovoltaic Assembly (PVA) mini modules.Targeted Improvements: - Enabling a European source of III-IV solar cells and PVAs for satcom constellations by - At least a factor of 2 reduction of the epitaxial growth time- Enabling substrate reuse in the fabrication - Enabling a standardised and flexible PVA mini module for mass production of solar arrays.Description: In the space telecommunications sector, the shift from GEO satellites to LEO constellations requires advanced solar technologies that offer a balance of high performance, scalable manufacturing and proven reliability across diverse LEO mission profiles. Within this evolving landscape,III-V multi-junction cells remain the benchmark in terms of efficiency and performance, but complexity, manufacturing and assembly time must be significantly improved to meet the growing demand for constellations. In order to achieve this goal,innovative processes must be developed to increase the production capacity. Development efforts should not focus solely on solar cell technology but must also extend to the photovoltaics assembly (PVA) level, enabling the realisation of standardised modular and scalable PVA solutions tailored to constellation needs.This activity will focus on III-V solar cells and their associated PVA technologies. It will study and develop solutions to two main primary factors currently limiting the scalability of III-V solar cells:- Reducing epitaxial growth time at least by a factor of 2 by increasing the growth rate of III-V materials while maintaining high opto-electronic properties. For doing so, new and disruptive epitaxial growth processes must be developed.- Enabling substrate reuse in the fabrication through the implementation of innovative Epitaxial Lift-Off (ELO) processes either chemical or mechanical based. The ELO process provides a dual benefit, as it supports the production of flexible, ultra-thin solar cells (e.g. 30um thick) and contributes to reduce the use of critical materials in the substrate (e.g. Germanium recycling). A combination of a mechanical and chemical lift-off approaches will be studied and developed to optimise the overall ELO process.The resulting developed III-V based solar cells will be manufactured and tested. They will serve as a critical building block for the development of a flexible PVA blanket. Interconnection and encapsulation technologies will be developed and tested. Finally, a standardised and flexible PVA mini-module, designed to function as a plug-and-playbuilding block for mass production of solar arrays, will be developed and testedProcurement Policy: C(2) = A relevant participation (in terms of quality and quantity) of non-primes (incl. SMEs) is required. For additional information please go to:http://www.esa.int/About_Us/Business_with_ESA/Small_and_Medium_Sized_Enterprises/Opportunities_for_SMEs/Procurement_policy_on_fair_access_for_SMEs_-_the_C1-C4_Clauses