Radiation effects in silicon and gallium arsenide solar cells using isotropic and normally incident radiation

Technical Report · Sat Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1984

OSTI ID:5955208

Anspaugh, B E; Downing, R G

Several types of silicon and gallium arsenide solar cells were irradiated with protons with energies between 50 keV and 10 MeV at both normal and isotropic incidence. Damage coefficients for maximum power relative to 10 MeV were derived for these cells for both cases of omni-directional and normal incidence. The damage coefficients for the silicon cells were found to be somewhat lower than those quoted in the Solar Cell Radiation Handbook. These values were used to compute omni-directional damage coefficients suitable for solar cells protected by coverglasses of practical thickness, which in turn were used to compute solar cell degradation in two proton-dominated orbits. In spite of the difference in the low energy proton damage coefficients, the difference between the handbook prediction and the prediction using the newly derived values was negligible. Damage coefficients for GaAs solar cells for short circuit current, open circuit voltage, and maximum power were also computed relative to 10 MeV protons. They were used to predict cell degradation in the same two orbits and in a 5600 nmi orbit. Results show the performance of the GaAs solar cells in these orbits to be superior to that of the Si cells.

• Research Organization: Jet Propulsion Lab., Pasadena, CA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5955208
• Report Number(s): N-84-34793; NASA-CR-174007; JPL-PUB-84-61
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
140501* -- Solar Energy Conversion-- Photovoltaic Conversion
BEAMS
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
EPITAXY
EQUIPMENT
GALLIUM ARSENIDE SOLAR CELLS
IRRADIATION
LIQUID PHASE EPITAXY
NUCLEON BEAMS
PARTICLE BEAMS
PERFORMANCE TESTING
PHOTOELECTRIC CELLS
PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
PHYSICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
PROTON BEAMS
RADIATION EFFECTS
SILICON SOLAR CELLS
SOLAR CELL ARRAYS
SOLAR CELLS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
TESTING