Thin-film GaAs epitaxial lift-off solar cells for space applications

Abstract

In the present work the space compatibility of thin-film GaAs solar cells is studied. These cells are separated from their GaAs substrate by the epitaxial lift-off (ELO) technique and mounted behind a CMG cover glass which at the same time serves as a stable carrier for the thin film cells. In the present initial stage of development these cells have an average efficiency of about 15·4% under AM0 illumination due to not yet optimized grid contacts and anti-reflection coatings. Inspection after irradiation by 1 MeV electrons, thermal vacuum and thermal cycling experiments reveal that degradation of the cells is largely due to delamination and micro-cracking. Based on these results, glass dehydration and adhesive degassing procedures are implemented in the ELO cell processing. As a consequence, even in this premature phase, newly produced cells show a radiation hardness comparable to or better than that of commercially available GaAs cells on Ge substrates and are virtually unaffected by severe thermal cycling. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.