19.6% electron-irradiated GaInP/GaAs cells

Author

Kurtz, Sarah R. ; Bertness, K.A. ; Friedman, D.J. ; Kibbler, A.E. ; Kramer, C. ; Olson, J.M.

Author_Institution

Nat. Renewable Energy Lab., Golden, CO, USA

Volume

2

fYear

1994

fDate

5-9 Dec 1994

Firstpage

2108

Abstract

Record air mass zero (AMO) efficiencies are reported for two-terminal, two-junction 0.25-cm² Ga_0.5In_0.5P/GaAs devices irradiated by 10¹⁵ cm^-2 1 MeV electrons. Devices optimized for end-of-life (EOL) had beginning-of-life (BOL) and EOL efficiencies of 23% and 19.6%, respectively. A range of device structures gave EOL efficiencies greater than 18%. The design of the device for optimal radiation hardness is shown to depend on low bottom-cell base doping and optimally thin top cells, as these lead to current-matched EOL devices. Surprisingly, the damage coefficients for Ga_0.5In_0.5P are significantly larger than those previously measured and depend on the bottom-cell base doping and top-cell thickness

Keywords

III-V semiconductors; electron beam effects; gallium arsenide; gallium compounds; indium compounds; p-n heterojunctions; radiation hardening (electronics); semiconductor device testing; semiconductor doping; solar cells; 19.6 percent; 23 percent; Ga_0.5In_0.5P-GaAs; Ga_0.5In_0.5P/GaAs solar cells; beginning-of-life; bottom-cell base doping; damage coefficients; device structures; electron irradiation; end-of-life; optimal radiation hardness; semiconductor; top-cell thickness; Doping; Electrons; Gallium arsenide; Indium phosphide; Laboratories; Temperature; Testing; Thickness measurement; Voltage; Zinc;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Photovoltaic Energy Conversion, 1994., Conference Record of the Twenty Fourth. IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference - 1994, 1994 IEEE First World Conference on

Conference_Location

Waikoloa, HI

Print_ISBN

0-7803-1460-3

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/WCPEC.1994.521637

Filename

521637