Russian cosmonauts conducted the second session of the "Ekran-M" experiment on obtaining ultra-pure semiconductor crystals (gallium arsenide) on the International Space Station (ISS). This was announced by the station commander, Sergei Kud-Sverchkov.
Due to deviations in the operation of the sensors, the second session was performed not in automatic, but in manual mode, as previously provided by the equipment developers.
Cosmonauts Sergei Ryzhikov and Alexei Zubritsky installed the equipment for the experiment outside the station in 2025. Placing the equipment outside the ISS is necessary to create semiconductors in vacuum and weightlessness using molecular beam epitaxy, Kud-Sverchkov explained.
This method allows creating layers with a thickness of several atomic layers with high purity. During the experiment, a molybdenum substrate (a refractory transition metal of steel-gray color) is installed on a heating element. Opposite it are emitters of arsenic and gallium, which are heated to 900°C. Atoms are deposited on the substrate, and after the process is completed, it is removed into a cassette.
The cosmonauts will remove the cassette with gallium arsenide during a spacewalk. It will be returned to Earth to evaluate the results of the experiment.
Semiconductor crystals are used in the electronics industry. They are used in transistors, microcircuits, solar panels, including for the rocket and space industry.
Read more materials on the topic:
- What happens to the stomach in space: an unusual experiment is being conducted on the ISS
- 421.54 km above the Earth's surface: the ISS was raised 1.1 km higher for safe operation and docking
- They waited three years for what was promised: the diet of cosmonauts on the ISS was replenished with omelets, soups and pates