NASA SBIR 2015 Solicitation

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
MicroLink Devices, Inc.
6457 Howard Street
Niles, IL 60714 - 3301
(847) 588-3001

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Chris Youtsey
cyoutsey@mldevices.com
6457 Howard Street
Niles, IL 60714 - 3301
(847) 588-3001 Extension :16

CORPORATE/BUSINESS OFFICIAL (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Noren Pan
npan@mldevices.com
6457 Howard Street
Niles, IL 60714 - 3301
(847) 588-3001 Extension :13

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 4
End: 6

Technology Available (TAV) Subtopics
Power Generation and Conversion is a Technology Available (TAV) subtopic that includes NASA Intellectual Property (IP). Do you plan to use the NASA IP under the award?
No

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (Limit 2000 characters, approximately 200 words)
In this Phase II program we propose to develop a manufacturable production process to introduce backside contacts to MicroLink Devices? large-area, multi-junction epitaxial lift-off (ELO) solar cells. We will also develop new assembly processes to fabricate flexible Kapton sheets with backside contact ELO solar cells. This enables an important path for cost reduction using fully automated laydown and interconnect of solar panels. The new backside contact ELO solar cell technology has potential benefits for future NASA solar electric propulsion (SEP) programs using very large solar cell arrays. Backside contacts are used in the highest efficiency silicon solar cells manufactured by SunPower (>24% efficiency in production) but have never been successfully applied commercially to multi-junction solar cells. Benefits for large-area space solar cell include: higher device efficiency by reducing topside grid shadow and resistive losses, new approaches for panel assembly by placing contacts on backside of solar cell, and reduced arcing in high-voltage arrays by eliminating topside interconnects. The proposed technology builds on MicroLink Devices? low-cost, lightweight ELO solar cell technology and previous experience with backside contact solar cells for CPV applications.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
Future NASA solar electric propulsion (SEP) systems will require entirely new solar cell technologies that are high efficiency, lightweight, flexible as well as low cost. The very large solar cell arrays will also need new approaches to panel assembly to reduce weight and stowage volume during launch. The backside contact ELO solar cells to be developed in this program are an enabling technology that addresses many of these requirements.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
There are many potential applications for this technology including commercial satellites and solar cell arrays for powering unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). New generations of commercial satellites can benefit directly from technology advances made for future SEP solar arrays, including the lower cost, light weight and flexibility of MicroLink IMM ELO solar cells, as well as new approaches to panel assembly enabled by backside contacts. Solar arrays for UAVs are also an emerging market for lightweight, flexible, high-efficiency solar cells. The assembly of UAV solar arrays can be greatly simplified by attaching backside contact solar cells and bypass diodes directly to Kapton sheets with predefined and patterned metal interconnects.