Modeling Radiation Effects on a Triple Junction Solar Cell using Silvaco ATLAS

Abstract

In this research, Silvaco ATLAS, an advanced virtual wafer fabrication tool, was used to model the effects of radiation on a triple junction InGaP/GaAs/Ge solar cell. A Silvaco ATLAS model of a triple junction InGaP/GaAs/Ge cell was created by first creating individual models for solar cells composed of each material. Realistic doping levels were used and thicknesses were varied to produce the design parameters and create reasonably efficient solar cell models for testing. After the individual solar cells were built, defects simulating the damage caused by radiation were introduced into the semiconductor model. After showing that the defects had a noticeable effect on the characteristics of the individual cells, a triple-junction solar cell created by layering the individual cells was then modeled. Work from previous NPS theses provided the background for modeling solar cells and the effects of radiation using Silvaco ATLAS. Data from another thesis provided the number of defects associated with the different fluence levels simulated.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 2012
Accession Number
ADA563655

Entities

People

  • Daniel Schiavo

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Band Gaps
  • Band Structures
  • Charge Carriers
  • Cosmic Rays
  • Crystal Lattices
  • Crystal Structure
  • Crystals
  • Energy Bands
  • Epitaxial Growth
  • Failure Mode And Effect Analysis
  • Fermi Levels
  • Ionization
  • Jet Propulsion
  • Materials
  • Semiconductor Devices
  • Semiconductors
  • Solar Cells

Fields of Study

  • Materials science

Readers

  • Computational Modeling and Simulation
  • Solar Photovoltaics and Thermoelectric Devices.

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics