News: Microelectronics
5 June 2025
Micro-gravity manufacturing firm Space Forge to be CISM’s first incubation client
Swansea University has signed a deal that makes Space Forge Ltd of Cardiff, South Wales, UK (which is pioneering space-based advanced materials manufacturing via fully returnable satellites) the first firm to be physically hosted in the Centre for Integrative Semiconductor Materials (CISM), where it will undertake work on manufacturing in micro-gravity. Space Forge will be CISM’s first incubation client with a dedicated cleanroom incubation bay and access to a full suite of semiconductor processing and characterization tools.
Space Forge is making high-value semiconductor products derived from semiconductor seed wafers grown in microgravity. At CISM, they will begin to develop their terrestrial scale-up capability, focusing on radiation-hard wide-bandgap power electronics material — such as silicon carbide (SiC), gallium nitride (GaN), gallium oxide (Ga2O3), and microgravity growth-tool development.
Picture: The Centre for Integrative Semiconductor Materials (CISM) at Swansea University.
As the UK’s newest semiconductor research, development and innovation facility, CISM represents a £55m investment by the UK and Welsh Governments and is uniquely designed for pilot-scale translation to manufacturing and start-up incubation.
To date, CISM has focused on clean energy, efficient power and microelectronics, semiconductors in healthcare, and over-the-horizon semiconductors. This new agreement marks an expansion into the development of semiconductor technology for space applications.
CISM is part of the CSconnected semiconductor ecosystem in SouthWales, Europe’s first cluster for compound semiconductor manufacturing and innovation, which includes multi-national companies such as Vishay, Microchip, KLA and IQE, alongside a growing community of SMEs and start-ups like Space Forge. It is supported by innovation from Swansea and Cardiff Universities, the Compound Semiconductor Application (CSA) Catapult, the Compound Semiconductor Centre (CSC), and is coordinated by CSconnected.
“Incubation of innovative SMEs and start-ups is part of our core mission,” notes CISM’s director professor Paul Meredith. “Space Forge will benefit from full access to our state-of-the-art fab but also be immersed in a vibrant community of semiconductor researchers, companies, innovators and entrepreneurs. We hope the outstanding facilities and intellectual environment at CISM will help grow the Space Forge business faster and smarter to market,” he adds.
“This partnership provides Space Forge with the critical infrastructure needed to advance our work in space-based manufacturing and terrestrial scale-up,” reckons Dr Alastair McGibbon, head of semiconductors at Space Forge. “With full access we’re now in an even stronger position to drive innovation.”
CISM at Swansea establishes UK’s first capability for 4-inch gallium oxide thin-film growth
Wolfson grant to boost Swansea University’s Centre for Integrative Semiconductor Materials
www.swansea.ac.uk/science-and-engineering/research/semiconductors
