Displacement damage dose analysis of the output characteristics of In0.5Ga0.5P and Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 solar cells irradiated with alpha ray simulated helium ions

Abstract

To investigate the applicability of radiation-hard indium–gallium–phosphide (InGaP) and copper–indium–gallium–sulfide–selenide (CIGS) solar cells to dosimeter devices without any modification, we irradiated high-energy He+ ions, which were simulated α-ray particles, to an InGaP and a CIGS solar cell. We found that both types of solar cells have sufficient resistance to He+ ions. By using displacement damage dose (DDD) analysis, the obtained He+ ion-induced degradation trends were compared with those induced by high-energy electrons and protons, and we found that the degradation trends due to He+-ions, electrons, and protons aligned on the same curve when we plotted the data as a function of a modified DDD conversion equation, which originally was applied to space solar cells. The obtained DDD formulas enable us to predict the device lifetime or correction of an output signal for degradation when such solar cells are employed as a dosimeter.