Enhanced radiation hardness of Si-PIN solar cells exposed to 10 MeV proton irradiation

MARCELO ANGEL CAPPELLETTI; GUILLERMO CASAS; ARIEL PABLO CÉDOLA; EITEL LEOPOLDO PELTZER Y BLANCÁ

Trieste

Workshop; Workshop on New Materials for Renewable Energy; 2011

International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP)

Taking into account the urgent need to develop alternative energy sources, the study of semiconductor devices that can provide power at low operating cost, such as solar cells, is extremely important nowadays. Solar cells are also used for space applications to supply electrical power in satellites or space vehicles.In this work, silicon solar cells of n+-p-p+ structure with total lengths of 50 µm have been analyzed at solar spectrum under AM0 conditions by means of a computational code developed by the authors.Even though silicon devices have been adequately studied for many years, the designers of devices that are intended to operate in adverse environments, such as space radiation, must consider that the materials degrade their original properties.Numerical simulations were carried out varying the main parameters to be considered during the design phase of these devices: the front and base impurities concentrations, with the aim of understanding the influence of constructive characteristics on the main electrical parameters of the solar cells: short-circuit current (Isc), open circuit voltage (Voc), maximum power point (Pmpp) and fill factor (FF).Enhanced radiation hardness of these devices has been proposed at the expense of obtaining a lower electrical performance. This trade-off can be taken into account in the design of the devices.