The 3J-IMM solar cell: Pathways for insertion into space power systems

The 3J-IMM AM0 solar cell is a 3 sub-cell photovoltaic device with near optimized band-gaps for the irradiation spectrum. This low mass (0.012 g/cm²) high efficiency (32.4% AM0) flexible cell is an excellent candidate for applications where high specific power (> 1 W/g), high areal power (400 W/m²) and cell flexibility are required. Several applications for this cell have been suggested for which its unique characteristics make it the best candidate. Those applications include 1) powering an unmanned aerial vehicle and 2) incorporation into low mass flexible satellite solar panels. With these two applications in mind, we present approaches for cell interconnect and lay-down. These steps are critical for insertion of this new and promising cell technology into space based power generation systems.