Company profile
MicroLink Devices UK
Port Talbot manufacturer of III-V epitaxial lift-off solar cell technology for satellite and aircraft power systems, serving UK and European demand for lightweight high specific power arrays.
Company overview
MicroLink Devices UK manufactures advanced solar cells and battery systems at its technology and manufacturing centre in Cardiff. The company specialises in lightweight and flexible III-V multi-junction solar cells based on Gallium Arsenide (GaAs). It uses a proprietary Epitaxial Lift-Off (ELO) process, which involves Metal Organic Chemical Vapour Deposition (MOCVD), to create thin solar cell structures that can be removed from the GaAs substrate. This allows the substrate to be reused, reducing manufacturing costs. Alongside its solar cell products, including custom solar sheets, the company also produces high specific energy battery packs. These technologies are combined to offer complete solar-electric power systems for applications such as high-altitude long endurance (HALE) aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and satellites. The firm is the UK subsidiary of US-based MicroLink Devices, Inc.
Semiconductor activity
Primary capability: Epitaxy. Supply-chain role: Component Manufacturing.
Technologies and capabilities
- Gallium Arsenide / GaAs
- Semiconductor Materials
- Epitaxial Lift-Off (ELO)
- Metal Organic Chemical Vapour Deposition (MOCVD)
- III-V Multi-Junction Solar Cells
- Inverted Metamorphic Solar Cells (IMM)
- Compound Semiconductors
- Gallium Arsenide (GaAs)
Flexible Solar Sheets; IMM Solar Cells; High Specific Energy Batteries; Solar-Electric Power Systems; Custom Solar Sheet Design
Markets served
- Aerospace
- Satellites
- UAVs / Drones
- Defence
- HALE Aircraft
UK presence
Cardiff Gate Business Park, Cardiff. Part of the South Wales cluster.