PV technology for low intensity, low temperature (LILT) applications
- Jet Propulsion Lab., Pasadena, CA (United States)
- California Inst. of Tech., Pasadena, CA (United States)
- Applied Solar Energy Corp., City of Industry, CA (United States)
As a result of the recent NASA emphasis on smaller, lower cost space missions, PV is now being considered for a number of missions operating at solar distances of 3 AU or greater. In the past, many of these missions would utilize an RTG (radioisotope thermo-electric generator). Historically, silicon solar cell behavior at these distances has been compromised by a number of mechanisms including shunting, non-ohmic back contacts, and the broken knee curve shape. The former two can usually be neglected for modern silicon cells, but the latter has not been eliminated. This problem has been identified with localized diffusion at the top contact/silicon interface which leads to structural changes in the local junction. This is believed to create a resistive metal-semiconductor-like (MSL) interface in parallel with the junction which results in the characteristic forms of the LILT (low intensity, low temperature) broken knee. This paper discusses a TaSiN contact barrier that will prevent the MSL structure in the junction.
- OSTI ID:
- 191192
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-941203-; ISBN 0-7803-1459-X; TRN: IM9610%%193
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 1. world conference on photovoltaic energy conversion, Waikoloa, HI (United States), 5-9 Dec 1994; Other Information: PBD: 1994; Related Information: Is Part Of 1994 IEEE first world conference on photovoltaic energy conversion: Conference record of the twenty-fourth IEEE photovoltaic specialists conference -- 1994. Volume 2; PB: 1268 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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