Study of the electrical performance of n-GaAs sub-cells in InGaP/GaAs/Ge 3J solar cells under 1 MeV electron irradiation using computer simulation

A theoretical study of the electrical performance of p-on-n GaAs sub-cells under AM0, irradiated with 1 MeV electrons, has been carried out by means of computer simulation. Effects of both base and emitter carrier concentration upon radiation resistance of these devices have been researched. From analysis it is possible to determine the highest electron fluence to which the electrical parameters of the solar cell, with well-known base and emitter carrier concentrations, are reduced simultaneously in less than 20% from their non-irradiated values. Results presented in this paper are important in order to contribute to the design of radiation-hardened devices.