Investigation and modeling of space radiation effects in quantum dot solar cells

Novel nanomaterials and devices based on them offer significant advantages over traditional technologies in terms of light-weight and efficiency for applications in satellite and space systems. Examples of such novel devices include quantum dot (QD) based solar cells and photodetectors. However, the radiation effects modeling tools are not yet available for these devices, and the response to radiation are not well understood (Figure 1). Review of numerical models and experimental investigation of radiation effects in quantum dot based solar cells are provided. Although some studies have been conducted on degradation of solar cells in high-radiation environment of space and test data on the performance of solar cells in a radiation environment are collected, the mechanisms of radiation-induced degradation of QD solar cells has yet to be established. We develop the Nanoscale Technology Computer Aided Design (NanoTCAD) simulation software for simulation of radiation effects in QD-based photovoltaic (PV), and use conducted proton irradiation experiments to develop models and perform a direct comparison of radiation hardness of quantum dot based cells and regular solar cells. These NanoTCAD tools are based on advanced drift-diffusion and quantum models for the simulation of QD based devices and materials.