Study on Optimum Structure of AlInGaP Top Cell for Triple-Junction Space Solar Cell

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to improve the performance of triple-junction solar cells. The AlInGaP single-junction (SJ) cell was studied because it has greater radiation resistance than the conventional InGaP top cell. AlInGaP SJ cells with varied layer thicknesses and carrier concentrations of the base layer were prepared, and structural dependencies were investigated in order to determine an optimum structure for the AlInGaP top cell. The preferred cell for the 10-year mission on geostationary Earth orbit would have a base layer thickness of 1250 nm and a base layer carrier concentration of 3.0times1016 cm-3 or lower. This paper also compared radiation resistance of the AlInGaP SJ cell with that of the InGaP SJ cell. Even though InGaP is known to have excellent radiation resistance, the AlInGaP SJ cell exhibited better resistance than the InGaP SJ cell. It was demonstrated that AlInGaP is a superior radiation-resistant material for advanced 3J top cell