Gallium arsenide solar cell radiation damage study

Author

Maurer, R.H. ; Herbert, G.A. ; Kinnison, J.D. ; Meulenberg, A.

Author_Institution

Appl. Phys. Lab., Johns Hopkins Univ., Laurel, MD, USA

Volume

36

Issue

6

fYear

1989

fDate

12/1/1989 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

2083

Lastpage

2091

Abstract

A thorough analysis has been made of electron- and proton- damaged GaAs solar cells suitable for use in space. It is found that, although some electrical parametric data and spectral response data are quite similar, the type of damage due to the two types of radiation is different. An I-V analysis model shows that electrons damage the bulk of the cell and its currents relatively more, while protons damage the junction of the cell and its voltages more. It is suggested that multiple defects due to protons in a strong field region such as a p/n junction cause the greater degradation in cell voltage, whereas the individual point defects in the quasi-neutral minority-carrier-diffusion regions due to electrons cause the greater degradation in cell current and spectral response

Keywords

III-V semiconductors; electron beam effects; gallium arsenide; point defects; proton effects; semiconductor device testing; solar cells; GaAs solar cell radiation damage; I-V analysis model; cell current; electron damage; p-n junctions; point defects; proton damage; quasi-neutral minority-carrier-diffusion regions; semiconductor; spectral response data; Electrons; Gallium arsenide; Laboratories; Manufacturing; Photovoltaic cells; Physics; Protons; Silicon; Space missions; Voltage;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Nuclear Science, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0018-9499

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/23.45408

Filename

45408