Abstract
The 3G30-Advanced, AZUR SPACE’s latest qualified solar cell product, provides highest end-of-life efficiencies in space. The cell reaches 27.8% at a fluence of 5 E14 cm−2 and 26.5% at a fluence of 1 E15 cm−2 1 MeV electrons.The cell mass can be reduced to a minimum by substrate thinning, the cell cost can be reduced by implementation of large area configurations and even higher radiation hardness can be achieved by using AZUR’s proprietary 3G30-1E16+ design. Various configurations are currently in production.The increasing demand for cells suited for LEO applications, made AZUR to develop a novel upright metamorphic triple junction solar cell with a BOL efficiency of 31% designed for a fluence of 1 E14 cm−2 1 MeV electrons. This cell design is already in production.AZUR’s next generation product 4G32 comprises an upright metamorphic 4-junction device with 28.5% EOL (1 E15 cm−2 1 MeV electrons) efficiency. Hence, the 4G32 even surpasses the EOL efficiency of the lattice-matched 3-junction cell 3G30-Advanced. It utilizes the excess current of the Ge subcell by a metamorphic cell concept and a fourth junction added to the stack. This cell will be qualified by mid-2017.This paper summarizes the results and achievements for various 3G and 4G solar cell products from AZUR SPACE, including radiation hardness and cell formats.
Highlights
Future telecommunication satellites continue to require more power for technologies, such as 3D TV and ultra HD TV
The increasing demand for cells suited for LEO applications, made AZUR to develop a novel upright metamorphic triple junction solar cell with a BOL efficiency of 31% designed for a fluence of 1 E14 cm-2 1 MeV electrons
This paper summarizes the results and achievements for various 3G and 4G solar cell products from AZUR SPACE, including radiation hardness and cell formats
Summary
Future telecommunication satellites continue to require more power for technologies, such as 3D TV and ultra HD TV. The demand for cells suitable for LEO missions increases This requires cells with high beginning-of-life [BOL] efficiencies. The advancement of the radiation-hardening technology from the 3G30C yields a new class of solar cells called 3G30C-1E16+ for increased EOL requirements. This cell yields an efficiency of 21.2% at a fluence of 1 E16 cm-2 1 MeV electrons. In order to meet these demands, AZUR has developed the 3G31C solar cell design This cell comprises a metamorphic triple-junction solar cell adapted for a fluence of 1 E14 cm-2 1 MeV electrons and yields BOL efficiencies of up to 31%. AZUR’s radiation-hardening concept yields the highest available EOL performances as summarized in Tab. 1
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