Large area solar cells for future space power systems

Space silicon solar cell technology has matured to the extent that large-area planar silicon cells can be fabricated in sizes up to 8 cm×8 cm with efficiencies up to approximately 15%. In order to achieve substantially higher efficiencies, cells based on GaAs are required. It is shown that, subject to certain boundary conditions, the efficiency of GaAs/Ge cells can reach 24% when used in the dual-junction configuration or approximately 19.5% if the Ge substrate is passive. The electrooptical properties of these cells are reviewed, and prospects for achieving these efficiency goals are presented. Experimental performance data are given     

High-efficiency GaInP/GaAs tandem solar cells

GaInP/GaAs tandem solar cells have achieved new record efficiencies, specifically 25.7% under air-mass 0 (AMO) illumination, 29.5% under AM 1.5 global (AM1.5G) illumination, and 30.2% at 140-180x concentration under AM 1.5 direct (AM1.5D) illumination. These values are the highest two-terminal efficiencies achieved by any solar cell under these illumination conditions. The monolithic, series-connected design of the tandem cells allows them to be substituted for silicon or gallium arsenide cells in photovoltaic panel systems with minimal design changes. The advantages of using GaInP/GaAs tandem solar cells in space and terrestrial applications are discussed primarily in terms of the reduction in balance-of-system costs that accrues when using a higher efficiency cell. The new efficiency values represent a significant improvement over previous efficiencies for this materials system, and we identify grid design, back interface passivation, and top interface passivation as the three key factors leading to this improvement. In producing the high-efficiency cells, we have addressed nondestructive diagnostics and materials growth reproducibility as well as peak cell performance     

Tandem solar cells with 31% (AM0) and 37% (AM1.5D) energyconversion efficiencies

The authors demonstrate that the efficiency of GaAs satellite solar cells can be increased to 31% (AM0) with two straightforward modifications. First, the wire grid reflection losses on the GaAs cell can be eliminated by attaching and aligning a thin grooved cover slide. The grooves in this cover slide deflect the incident light rays away from the wire grid lines into the cell active area, increasing the efficiency from 22% to 24%. The second modification involves making the GaAs cell transparent to the infrared energy that normally is wasted and then placing an infrared sensitive GaSb booster cell behind the GaAs cell. This increases the AM0 solar energy conversion efficiency from 24% to 31%. The GaAs/GaSb tandem solar cells have conversion efficiencies of 37% if used for terrestrial (AM1.5) rather than space (AM0) solar electric power systems, high enough that utility-scale solar electric power may someday be economical     

Lightweight (AlGaAs)GaAs/CuInSe2 tandem junction solarcells for space applications

Mechanically stacked tandem cells consisting of GaAs thin-film upper cells and CuInSe₂ thin-film lower cells have been developed to meet the increasing power needs projected for future spacecraft. The authors report the fabrication of the first highly efficient lightweight GaAs/CuInSe₂ tandem cell on a 2-mil thick substrate, update recent performance improvements in thin-film GaAs/CuInSe₂ tandem cells, and discuss their application to space power systems. The efficiency of 4-cm² cells has improved to 21.6% AM0, the highest ever reported for a thin-film photovoltaic cell. Lightweight 4-cm² tandem cells have been successfully fabricated with efficiencies as high as 20.8%. These cells weighed about 180 mg without optimized substrate trimming. Radiation and operating temperature effects on GaAs/CuInSe₂ tandem cells are also discussed, and an interconnect scheme to form a voltage-matched string is described     

Status of TiOx Antireflective Coating in the United States

The performance of glassed and unglassed Ti0x-coated silicon cells is compared to Si0-coated cells for coating thicknesses from 100 to 200 nm. The experiment was made on cells having initially the same quantum efficiency allowing complete separation of coating induced effects. U.S. cells only showed an adusted improvement of 2.6% for Ti0x-coatings over Si0-coatings as compared to an expected range of 4.8 to 5.5% as based on European investigations. Spectral reflectance analysis showed some destinct differences between the various cell types. This may be related to cell crystal orientation. All cells showed much higher reflectance at the minimum than predicted by theoretical analyses.     

离子推力器双阶栅极系统引出性能研究

针对基于最优导流工况设计的双阶四栅栅极系统在多工况下的引出性能,采用浸入式有限元和粒子云算法(IFE-PIC)对其聚焦和引出过程进行了研究.研究结果表明,相较于相同聚焦电压下的传统栅极系统,基于最优导流工况设计的双阶四栅栅极系统由过聚焦进入正常聚焦的拐点右移,栅极系统的引出性能变差.因此建议双阶栅极离子推力器在设计时使...     

Review of Radiation Damage to Silicon Solar Cells

This paper reviews a large number of silicon solar cell irradiation experiments performed over the last 10 years, including 1-MeV and energy spectrum electron studies, and low-(100-keV) and high-energy (up to 155-MeV) proton studies on bare and covered silicon solar cells of several types. The results of satellite flight experiments on individual solar cells are also presented, as well as data from complete solar arrays and data on the new high-efficiency solar cells. Experimental evidence indicates that the percentage of degradation is smaller in thin solar cells than in thick ones, and that cells with high resistivity (10 ?·cm) degrade less than cells with lower resistivity (1 ?·cm). It is shown that high-efficiency silicon solar cells produced at COMSAT Laboratories and pilot production groups of these cells retain most of their increased power output under irradiation. It is emphasized that all surfaces and edges of the solar cells must be completely shielded from the large flux protons in the space environment. Insufficiencies in the published data are noted in certain areas, and recommendations for additional research are presented. Finally, an extensive bibliography is included.     

The space performance of silicon vertical junction solar cells onthe LIPS-III satellite

The authors present the preliminary analysis and results of a space experiment to evaluate the performance of a new generation of silicon vertical junction solar cells and three adhesives for attaching coverglass to the solar cells. Two of the adhesives are used for the first time in coverglass applications in the space environment. The SOLAREX vertical junction solar cells, which are of 10-Ω-cm silicon with back surface fields (BSFs) and back surface reflectors (BSRs) are compared to SOLAREX planar junction cells, also of 10-Ω-cm, BSF, BSR silicon. The results up to 386 days in space indicate that the two types of solar cell show about the same degradation rate in power output. There are no significant differences at this point in the performances of the three different adhesives     

Silicon Solar Cells at Low Temperature

Electrical characteristics of n-p silicon solar cells have been obtained experimentally over the temperature range of +28 to ?175° and for illumination intensities from 140 to 1.5 mW/cm2. Critical parameters and their distribution are presented for several hundred solar cells from various manufacturers. The effect of cell selection either to a minimum power output at 28° at 5 mW/cm2 or to a minimum open-circuit voltage at ?128° at 5.16 mW/cm2 upon the magnitude and distribution of the critical parameters is investigated. Considerable differences are noted, not just between cells, but also between lots from various manufacturers. Correlation analysis reveals no parameter which when measured at room temperature will predict the power output at low temperatures. This is due to a number of anomalies of the output characteristics at low temperature. These are a lack of the open voltage to continue to increase with decreasing temperature and a double break in the current-voltage characteristics. In addition, some cells show low shunt resistance which makes them have a poor performance at low intensities.     

Self-Adapting dc Converter for Solar Spacecraft Power Supply Selbstanpassender Gleichstromwandler für die Energieversorgung eines Sonnensatelliten

The voltage-current characteristic of solar cells that provide power for a spacecraft can vary over a wide range. For maximum power transfer from the solar cells to the battery system a power converter has to be designed that adjusts its input impedance to a value equal to the output impedance determined by the operating power characteristic of the solar cells. This paper discusses a circuit and calculations for a design to match this condition. The proposed power converter is simple, lightweight, and reliable and will be used in the Sunblazer satellite.     

Temperature Cycling Effects on Solar Panels

Temperature cycling for more than 300 cycles and for temperatures down to - 175°C performed on soldered silicon cell assemblies with copper, Kovar, and molybdenum interconnectors showed a wide range in failures depending both upon the materials used and on interconnector thickness and substrate material. The solder fatigue failure rate is strongly dependent on stress level in agreement with analytical predictions.     

关于涡方法的讨论

本文讨论了如何提高二维涡方法的计算精度和减小涡方法计算量的问题。文中指出了改进的途径,同时列举了当前这些方面的研究进展情况。     

Solar Cell Interconnector Design

Various solar cell interconnector designs are analyzed for fatigue failures under extended temperature cycling. Test results are presented for several configurations. The stresses and failures of the solder joint between interconnector and silicon cell are discussed in light of test results, new long-term cycling data showing much greater incipient failures than previously expected based on extrapolation. Data are also presented for solder creep strength at elevated temperatures. A comparison between soldered and welded joints shows that both approaches have their weaknesses. The bonding method of cells to substrate must be integrated with the interconnector design to obtain optimum performance, mechanically as well as electrically.     

Galileo Probe Mass Spectrometer experiment

The Galileo Probe Mass Spectrometer (GPMS) is a Probe instrument designed to measure the chemical and isotopic composition including vertical variations of the constituents in the atmosphere of Jupiter. The measurement will be performed by in situ sampling of the ambient atmosphere in the pressure range from approximately 150 mbar to 20 bar. In addition batch sampling will be performed for noble gas composition measurement and isotopic ratio determination and for sensitivity enhancement of non-reactive trace gases.The instrument consists of a gas sampling system which is connected to a quadrupole mass analyzer for molecular weight analysis. In addition two sample enrichment cells and one noble gas analysis cell are part of the sampling system. The mass range of the quadrupole analyzer is from 2 amu to 150 amu. The maximum dynamic range is 10⁸. The detector threshold ranges from 10 ppmv for H₂O to 1 ppbv for Kr and Xe. It is dependent on instrument background and ambient gas composition because of spectral interference. The threshold values are lowered through sample enrichment by a factor of 100 to 500 for stable hydrocarbons and by a factor of 10 for noble gases. The gas sampling system and the mass analyzer are sealed and evacuated until the measurement sequence is initiated after the Probe enters into the atmosphere of Jupiter. The instrument weighs 13.2 kg and the average power consumption is 13 W.The instrument follows a sampling sequence of 8192 steps and a sampling rate of two steps per second. The measurement period lasts appropriately 60 min through the nominal pressure and altitude range.     

单晶硅超精密切削表面质量各向异性的研究

分析了单晶硅超精密切削时被加工晶面和滑移面间的相对关系以及单晶硅的力学特性,基于单晶硅超精密切削加工脆塑转变机理,模拟了分别以单晶硅(111)(、110)(、100)晶面为被加工面时的表面质量的各向异性特性。模拟结果表明这些晶面在不同晶向方向上表面质量呈现明显的各向异性特性,而以单晶硅(111)晶面作为被加工面时可以得到最好的加工表面质量。     

GaAs系列太阳电池技术与发展

GaAs系列太阳电池是目前太空应用最广泛的电源,这一系列太阳电池已成为太阳电池领域的研究热点.介绍了GaAs太阳电池的研究历程和最新技术动态.     

速率检测中新型定角脉冲产生电路

介绍了一种用于转台速率检测的新型定角脉冲产生电路,详细说明了其工作原理和性能,并给出了实测结果。     

Controlled-Quantity Concept in Small-Signal Analysis of Switching Power Cells

The notion of a controlled quantity of a switching power cell leads to a set of six (characteristic) coefficients containing all the information on the small-signal, low-frequency behavior of any linearizable cell and defining a universal linear equivalent model of the cell. The result is a dramatic simplification of the small-signal analysis and systematization of the cells. As an illustration, three sets of characteristic coefficients of a boost cell are given: operating in heavy mode and with duty ratio, operating with maximum inductor current, and operating with the period of the switching frequency as the controlled quantity.     

生长在Si上的GaAs外延膜中有关深能级缺陷与其形貌间的关联研究

由于在GaAs和Si单晶材料间有着很大的格子常数及线性热膨胀系数差别，所以在St上生长的GaAs异质外延薄膜（GaAs／Si）中会存在着界面失配形变与高密度的结构缺陷。我们的实验显示，GaAs／Si外延膜的无序与其生长条件有关，尤其与其［As］／［Ga］比密切相关。与GaAs／Si无序相关的失配位错、线位错及畴区的形貌已用扫描电子显微镜作了观察;与深能级相关的缺陷与其形貌间的关联也已用实验说明。对于高有序GaAs／Si外延膜来说，其与离域相关的主发光峰的强度对温度的变化服从阿兰纽斯方程，而对低有序的GaAs／Si外延膜来说，其与局域相关的主发光峰的强度对温度的变化关系则遵循对无定型半导体才成立的另一种方程。     

爆轰胞格尺寸的统计分析

爆轰胞格尺寸作为可燃系统的本征值,可用来确定爆轰传播时的临界尺寸,比如直管传播时的临界管径、管道突扩时的临界尺寸等。然而,该尺寸的测量具有较强的主观性。为了减少人工测量带来的不确定性,文章采用两种统计方法:概率密度函数法和自相关函数法,对数值模拟得到的不同规则程度的爆轰胞格进行了统计分析。爆轰胞格的不规则程度采用单步反应的活化能来体现。当活化能较低时(Ea=15),胞格较规则,两种统计方法得到的胞格尺寸较一致。随着活化能的增加(Ea=20),胞格开始不规则,两种统计方法也开始出现偏差。当活化能进一步增加(Ea=25、27),胞格极不规则,开始出现横波的合并,两种统计方法得到的结果出现较大的偏差。这是由于概率密度法处理爆轰波阵面三波点规则时,没有考虑迹线上能量的分布,而自相关函数法根据三波点上的涡量值对胞格尺寸进行统计分析,因此,该方法得到的爆轰胞格尺寸比概率函数法更能真实体现可燃系统的爆轰特性。