Nanowerk November 8, 2022
Ultra-thin solar cells’ radiation tolerance may allow them to be used in harsh radiation environments, where thicker cells would degrade rapidly. Researchers in the UK irradiated
devices with an 80 nm GaAs absorber layer with 3 MeV protons. They mapped the introduction of radiation-induced defects with increasing proton fluence and characterized a decrease in carrier lifetime after irradiation fluence. Despite the substantial reduction in carrier lifetime, short-circuit current did not degrade up to a proton fluence of 1 × 1015 cm−2, beyond which the short-circuit current collapsed. The exposure correlated with the point at which the carrier lifetime became comparable to the transit time for carriers to cross the ultra-thin device. They showed that the radiation tolerant cells offer significant savings in cover glass mass, compared with a thicker cell and enhanced efficiency, in addition to extended lifetime through radiation resilience…read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLEÂ
Diagram of on (left) and off-wafer (right) ultra-thin solar cells. Credit: Journal of Applied Physics 132, 184501 (2022)