Temperature and 8 MeV electron irradiation effects on GaAs solar cells

GaAs solar cells hold the record for the highest single band-gap cell efficiency. Successful application of these cells in advanced space-borne systems demand characterization of cell properties like dark current under different ambient conditions and the stability of the cells against particle irradiation in space. In this paper, the results of the studies carried out on the effect of 8 MeV electron irradiation on the electrical properties of GaAs solar cells are presented. The I–V (current-voltage) characteristics of the cells under dark and AM1.5 illumination condition are studied and 8 MeV electron irradiation was carried out on the cells where they were exposed to graded doses of electrons from 1 to 100 kGy. The devices were also characterized using capacitance measurements at various frequencies before and after irradiation. The effect of electron irradiation on the solar cell parameters was studied. It is found that only small changes were observed in the GaAs solar cell parameters up to an electron dose of 100 kGy, exhibiting good tolerance for electrons of 8 MeV energy.