Effect of Alpha-Particle Irradiation on InGaP/GaAs/Ge Triple-Junction Solar Cells.

InGaP/GaAs/Ge triple-junction solar cells were irradiated with 5.1 MeV alpha particles with different fluences. The degradations of the optical and electrical properties of InGaP/GaAs/Ge solar cells were described in terms of the variation in the short-circuit current (Isc), the open-circuit voltage (Voc), the maximum power (Pmax), the spectral response (SR), and the photoluminescence (PL) versus the 5.1 MeV alpha-particle fluences. The degradation modeling of the Isc and Voc under 1 MeV, 3 MeV, and 5.1 MeV alpha-particle irradiation was performed by calculating the introduction rate of non-radiative recombination centers, and the minority-carrier capture cross section, and the results were in good agreement with experimental data. For comparison, the degradations of the Isc and Voc were presented under 1 MeV and 3 MeV proton irradiation.