Micro Chiplet Printer Development for MOSAIC Program

The micro-CPV concept being developed under the ARPA-E MOSAIC (Micro-scale Optimized Solar-cell Arrays with Integrated Concentration) program uses arrays of micro unit cells (or elements) such that the material usage, weight, and the required structural strength can all be scaled down favorably. Unfortunately, one of the essential unfavorable scaling factors is the assembly cost due to the many micro scale components that must be deposited, positioned, oriented, and connected over large areas. PARC and Sandia are developing a prototype platform that uses dynamic electric field micro-assembly to demonstrate micro chiplet printing - assembling a desired solar cell chip at a designated location with well controlled orientation. Xerographic printing systems utilizing this method can be extended to provide high-throughput, on-demand heterogeneous assembly of micro-CPV systems.