Molecular Beam Epitaxy In The Ultra-Vacuum Of Space: Present And Near Future

This chapter presents the conditions and prospects of synthesis of multilayered semiconductor heterostructures from molecular beams under the conditions of ultra-vacuum resulting from orbital space flight of a molecular shield. Examples of practical realisation of epitaxy in space within the limits of the University of Houston/NASA "Wake Shield Facility" programme are described, and the advantages of undertaking new materials technology development in the ultra-vacuum of space through thin-film epitaxial growth are discussed. Future development of space-based epitaxy under a joint Russia/US programme developing a universal automated molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) system (SHIELD) deployed from the International Space Station are discussed along with a forecast of the future development of space vacuum technologies.