Present status and future prospects of InP solar cells

Recent progress in the research and development of high-efficiency and superior-radiation-resistance InP solar cells is reviewed. High-efficiency cells with total-area efficiencies greater than 20% at AM 1.5 and 18% at AM0 have been successfully fabricated. It is demonstrated that InP cells have more radiation resistance than Si or GaAs solar cells. The superior radiation tolerance of InP cells is concluded to be due to the lower migration energies of radiation-defects in InP compared to those in GaAs. The results show that InP cells have great potential for space power applications.<>