A theoretical evaluation and optimization of the radiation resistance of gallium arsenide soar-cell structures

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Abstract
Theoretical treatments are used to analyze the performance of Ga1−xAlxAs/GaAs heteroface and graded band‐gap solar cells, and to study the radiation resistance of the two types of cell. The optimization of these solar‐cell structures to tolerate radiation‐induced degradation in electronic properties is discussed and their power‐conversion efficiency evaluated. The calculations indicate only a marginally greater output from the graded band‐gap cell compared to the conventional heteroface type for optimized structures. A comparison with the performance of a Si space cell under 1‐MeV‐electron irradiation is made which illustrates a superior performance from GaAs in respect of efficiency and radiation tolerance.