Predicted performance of n/sup +/p indium phosphide solar cells under laser illumination

The predicted performance of a high-efficiency n/sup +/p InP solar cell under laser illumination is described. This work is based on the modeling work of R. K. Jain and D. J. Flood, using the PC-1D computer code to simulate the I-V characteristics of the highest-efficiency (19.1% AMO, 25 degrees C) homoepitaxial InP cell grown by the MOCVD (metal-organic chemical vapor deposition) process. The calculated performance of an optimized InP cell (with prismatic cover, series resistance 0.01 Omega -cm/sup 2/) versus source wavelength (25 degrees C, 1 W/cm/sup 2/) is shown. It is concluded that indium phosphide solar cells offer a great potential as a radiation-hard photovoltaic receiver with high conversion efficiencies for laser power beaming applications.<
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