Electron beam induced current and cathodoluminescence study of proton irradiated quantum-well solar cells

The effects of proton irradiation on InP-based multi-quantum well solar cells (QWSCs) are investigated by the electron beam induced current (EBIC) and cathodoluminescence (CL) techniques. From analysis of the EBIC data, capture rates within the quantum wells are estimated from which the open circuit voltage is calculated and shown to agree well with the measured values. The diffusion length for radiative recombination within the quantum wells is also estimated. From Arrhenius plots of the luminescence excited in quantum wells, the proton irradiation-induced recombination centers are characterized. The results suggest that narrower wells make QWSCs more sensitive to radiation damage.