End-of-life albedo enhanced performance of space-employed silicon solar cells

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End-of-life albedo enhanced performance of space-employed silicon solar cells

Lush, G.B. / Gray, J.L.

Four silicon solar cell geometries of varying base resistivity are simulated to find the space-employed cells best able to convert albedo light after irradiation by 1.0 MeV electrons degrades the minority carrier diffusion length. The solar cell analysis program in two dimensions (SCAP2D), a FORTRAN program, is used to simulate cell performance. A lifetime degradation model is developed using published damage coefficient data to find carrier lifetimes versus 1.0 MeV electron equivalent fluence. Using SCAP2D, the limits of efficiency governing each cell are described. It is found that thin, high resistivity n⁺pp⁺ conventional solar cells are most efficient at end-of-life (EOL). These cells are also most efficient at EOL without albedo light, and thus should be studied for use in all orbits. Significant (more than 45%) enhancement of output power can be achieved by thin, high resistivity conventional cells converting albedo light over thicker conventional solar cells without albedo light. A variation on the etched multiple vertical junction cell is also modeled. This cell shows 29% albedo enhancement of output power density at EOL over the thicker conventional cell. The simulations show that collection of albedo light can significantly enhance cell output power density.