Ultra-thin light-transmitting solar glass

How are ultra-thin GaAs solar cells made?

Ultra-thin GaAs solar cells were anodically bonded to the D263 T eco glass, creating a strong, hermetic seal, free from adhesives. The GaAs growth substrate was removed and the epitaxial layers were then processed into solar cells off the growth wafer. These devices can be operated with the glass as a substrate or superstrate.

What are ultra-thin GaAs photovoltaics?

For extended space missions in hostile radiation environments. Ultra-thin GaAs photovoltaics with light management offer flexible form factors, higher specific power, a route to low material cost, and inherent resilience to damaging radiation environments in space, compared to conventional on-wafer architectures with thick absorbers.

Can solar cells penetrate cover glass?

While protons are more damaging to solar cells, they are also more readily stopped in cover glass, in particular low energy protons which dominate GEO. For this reason, solar cells developed in this work were characterized under 500 keV and 1 MeV electron irradiation which can penetrate cover glass.

Why do solar cells need a cover glass?

4. Loss analysis and pathway to higher performance With anodic bonding of the GaAs solar cell to the cover glass, the glass can serve as a mechanical superstrate, enabling the removal of the growth substrate while also offering radiation shielding.