Citation
Ochoa Gómez, Mario and Yaccuzzi, E. and Espinet González, Pilar and Barrera, M. and Barrigón Montañés, Enrique and Ibarra, M. L. and Contreras, Y. and López, E. and Alurralde, M. and Algora del Valle, Carlos and Godfrin, E. M. and Rey-Stolle Prado, Ignacio and Plá, J.
(2017).
10 MeV proton irradiation effects on GaInP/GaAs/Ge concentrator solar cells and their component subcells.
"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells", v. 159
;
pp. 576-582.
ISSN 0927-0248.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2016.09.042.
Abstract
In this paper, the experimental results of a 10 MeV proton irradiation on concentrator GaInP/GaAs/Ge lattice-matched triple-junction solar cells and their corresponding subcells are examined. Electro-optical characterization such as external quantum efficiency, light and dark I-V measurements, is performed together with theoretical device modeling in order to guide the analysis of the degradation behavior. The GaInP (on Ge) and Ge cell showed a power loss between beginning of life and end of life of about 4% while the GaInP/GaAs/Ge and GaAs solar cells exhibited the highest damage measured of 12% and 10%, respectively for an irradiation fluence equivalent to an 8-years satellite mission in Low Earth Orbit. The results from single-junction solar cells correlate well with those of triple-junction solar cells. The performance of concentrator solar cells structures is similar to that of traditional space-targeted designs reported in literature suggesting that no special changes may be required to use triple junction concentrator solar cells in space. © 2016 Elsevier B.V.
