ERIS Shopping Notice: New Growth Controls for Achieving Single-Crystal Complex Inorganic Materials

DARPA’s MTO office is conducting an active, rolling market research effort under Solicitation Number DARPA-SN-26-83 to identify innovative, post-competitive solutions capable of growing large-scale complex inorganic materials at single-crystal quality, specifically targeting materials that have never been achieved as single-crystal thin films at or above a 2-inch scale. This initiative seeks novel, non-optical controls—such as plasma, electric fields, electron beams, acoustic waves, or phase-selective organic precursor chemistries—to enable precise atomic-level control over material composition and crystallographic structure, excluding substrate engineering and optical methods. The target materials must contain at least two constituent elements or exhibit at least four competing polymorphs at the same composition, be stable at room temperature, and have a clearly defined application pathway. Proposals must be submitted as video solutions via the DARPAConnect ERIS Portal or by flagging pre-existing awardable solutions via email to ERIS@darpa.mil, with strict formatting requirements for video titles and submission portals. Responses are evaluated on rolling reviews against criteria defined in the ERIS Master Solicitation and DARPA-PS-25-05 procedures, with emphasis on clearly articulating the problem space and current state of the art, demonstrating technical innovation through a fully functional growth system, showcasing team expertise in inorganic thin film growth and tool development, and outlining potential defense and commercial impact. The submission window closes on June 30, 2026, but the government retains the right to issue awards at any time before then based on the strength of received submissions. All responses must align with the designated ERIS topic area on strategic systems resilience and efficiency, and no formal contract pricing, evaluation weighting, or delivery terms are specified in this notice, as it serves as a sourcing mechanism rather than a binding solicitation.