High-Efficiency, Radiation-Hard, Lightweight IMM Solar Cells

The improved radiation tolerance and temperature coefficients will open the design space for NASA-specific missions such as low-light-intensity missions to the Jupiter system or high-light-intensity missions near Mercury and the Sun. Solar panels made up of quantum-dot-embedded triple-junction epitaxial lift-off (ELO) solar cells are lighter than those containing conventional solar cells, and the high specific power will make them suitable for the requirements of solar electric propulsion (SEP) applications. Furthermore, cost reduction factors such as the substrate reuse achievable with ELO solar cells make them more attractive for applications that require a large number of panels.

Potential non-NASA applications include spacecraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and terrestrial energy collection. In spacecraft applications, the proposed cells are a suitable replacement for existing solar cells and will enable spacecraft power generation using higher specific power solar panels. The proposed cells are an enabling technology for large-scale solar electric propulsion (SEP) spacecraft. In UAV applications, the proposed cells can act as a supplement to battery power for endurance enhancement. High efficiency, lightweight cells this type are an enabling technology for high altitude, long endurance (HALE) UAVs such as DARPA Vulture. In terrestrial applications, the proposed cells can be used in solar sheets for generation of electricity for off-grid applications, e.g., military field deployments, civilian outdoors and camping, and supplementary power for mobile devices such as phones. More »