DIFFUSION LENGTH VARIATION AND PROTON DAMAGE COEFFICIENTS FOR INP INXGA1-XAS/GAAS SOLAR-CELLS/

Indium phosphide solar cells are more radiation resistant than gallium arsenide and silicon solar cells and their growth by heteroepitaxy of fers additional advantages leading to the development of lighter, mech anically strong and cost-effective cells. Changes in heteroepitaxial I nP cell efficiency under 0.5 and 3 MeV proton irradiations have been e xplained by the variation in the minority-carrier diffusion length. Th e base diffusion length versus proton fluence has been calculated by s imulating the cell performance. The diffusion length damage coefficien t K(L) has also been plotted as a function of proton fluence.