Journal article 1545 views 156 downloads
Proton irradiation of CdTe thin film photovoltaics deposited on cerium-doped space glass
Dan A. Lamb,
Craig I. Underwood,
Vincent Barrioz,
Russell Gwilliam,
James Hall,
Mark A. Baker,
Stuart Irvine 
,
Dan Lamb
,
Dan Lamb
Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications
Swansea University Authors:
Stuart Irvine , Dan Lamb
-
PDF | Version of Record
Download (425.05KB)
DOI (Published version): 10.1002/pip.2923
Abstract
Space photovoltaics is dominated by multi-junction (III-V) technology. However, emerging applications will require solar arrays with high specific power (kW/kg), flexibility in stowage and deployment, and a significantly lower cost than the current III-V technology offers. This research demonstrates...
| Published in: | Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1062-7995 |
| Published: |
2017
|
| Online Access: |
Check full text
|
| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa34616 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Abstract: |
Space photovoltaics is dominated by multi-junction (III-V) technology. However, emerging applications will require solar arrays with high specific power (kW/kg), flexibility in stowage and deployment, and a significantly lower cost than the current III-V technology offers. This research demonstrates direct deposition of thin film CdTe onto the radiation-hard cover glass that is normally laminated to any solar cell deployed in space. Four CdTe samples, with 9 defined contact device areas of 0.25 cm2, were irradiated with protons of 0.5-MeV energy and varying fluences. At the lowest fluence, 1 × 1012 cm−2, the relative efficiency of the solar cells was 95%. Increasing the proton fluence to 1 × 1013 cm−2 and then 1 × 1014 cm−2 decreased the solar cell efficiency to 82% and 4%, respectively. At the fluence of 1 × 1013 cm−2, carrier concentration was reduced by an order of magnitude. Solar Cell Capacitance Simulator (SCAPS) modelling obtained a good fit from a reduction in shallow acceptor concentration with no change in the deep trap defect concentration. The more highly irradiated devices resulted in a buried junction characteristic of the external quantum efficiency, indicating further deterioration of the acceptor doping. This is explained by compensation from interstitial H+ formed by the proton absorption. An anneal of the 1 × 1014 cm−2 fluence devices gave an efficiency increase from 4% to 73% of the pre-irradiated levels, indicating that the compensation was reversible. CdTe with its rapid recovery through annealing demonstrates a radiation hardness to protons that is far superior to conventional multi-junction III-V solar cells. |
|---|---|
| Keywords: |
cadmium telluride; photovoltaic cells; proton radiation; space technology; thin film solar cells |
| College: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering |