Full and Open Competition after exclusion of sources
Major Defense Program
Not listed
Pricing Type
Firm Fixed Price
Place of Performance
Andover, MA 01810, USA
Solicitation Procedures
Negotiated Proposal / Quote
Number Of Offers Received
500
Legislative Mandate
Not listed
National Interest Action
Not listed
Research Type
SBIR Program Phase I Action
Primary Consortia Member
Not listed
Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI), a small business, was awarded a $124,932 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I contract from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to develop new solar cells based on a ferroelectric semiconductor absorber material. This novel material is expected to yield a 30% increase in efficiency and 20% increase in specific power compared to current triple-junction III-V solar cells. The proposed cells would leverage a unique charge separation mechanism in ferroelectrics to exceed the traditional Shockley-Queisser efficiency limit. Key partners include the PARADIM Center at Cornell University and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. This contract is focused on demonstrating room-temperature ferroelectric ordering and above-band gap open-circuit voltages in prototype cells. A subsequent Phase II and Phase III effort is planned to further improve the efficiency of these advanced solar cells up to 45%.