Six-junction (6J) microscale concentrating photovoltaics (CPV) for space applications

The application of concentrating photovoltaics (CPV) for space applications has been pursued in the past. Recent trends toward lower launch cost into higher radiation orbits make the merits of CPV more persuasive. This paper presents preliminary work toward the development of CPV designs for space that are based on microcells with up to 6 junctions. Some basic microcell CPV design concepts are presented along with preliminary cell design which leverages microtransfer printing to enable 6 junctions. The benefits of microcells are explored with results in thermal modeling, performance in LILT conditions and radiation hardness. Experimental results for prototype designs are presented.