Impact of a Short-Pulse High-Intense Proton Irradiation on High-Performance Perovskite Solar Cells

This work investigates the radiation resistance of high-performance multi-component perovskite solar cells (PSCs) for the first time under extreme short-pulse proton irradiation conditions. The devices are subjected to high-intensity 170 keV pulsed (150 ns) proton irradiation, with a fluence of up to 10¹³ p cm^−2, corresponding to ≈30 years of operation at low Earth orbit. A complex material characterization of the perovskite active layer and device physics analysis of the PSCs before and after short-pulse proton irradiation is conducted. The obtained results indicate that the photovoltaic performance of the solar cells experiences a slight deterioration up to 20 % and 50 % following the low 2 × 10¹² p cm⁻² and high 1 × 10¹³ p cm⁻² proton fluences, respectively, due to increased non-radiative recombination losses. The findings reveal that multi-component PSCs are immune even to extreme high-intense short-pulse proton irradiation, which exceeds harsh space conditions, including intense coronal ejection events usually associated with solar flares.     

Silicon nanowire array architecture for heterojunction electronics

Photosensitive nanostructured heterojunctions n-TiN/p-Si were fabricated by means of titanium nitride thin films deposition (n-type conductivity) by the DC reactive magnetron sputtering onto nano structured single crystal substrates of p-type Si (100). The temperature dependencies of the height of the potential barrier and series resistance of the n-TiN/p-Si heterojunctions were investigated. The dominant current transport mechanisms through the heterojunctions under investigation were determined at forward and reverse bias. The heterojunctions under investigation generate open-circuit voltage V _oc = 0.8 V, short-circuit current I _sc = 3.72 mA/cm² and fill factor FF = 0.5 under illumination of 100 mW/cm².

     

Graphite/<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-SiC Schottky Diodes Prepared by Transferring Drawn Graphite Films onto SiC

Graphite/p-SiC Schottky diodes are fabricated using the recently suggested technique of transferring drawn graphite films onto p-SiC single-crystal substrates. The current–voltage and capacitance–voltage characteristics are measured at different temperatures and at different frequencies of a small-signal AC signal, respectively. The temperature dependences of the potential-barrier height and of the series resistance of the graphite/p-SiC junctions are measured and analyzed. The dominant mechanisms of the charge–carrier transport through the diodes are determined. It is shown that the dominant mechanisms of the transport of charge carriers through the graphite/p-Si Schottky diodes at a forward bias are multi-step tunneling recombination and tunneling described by the Newman formula (at high bias voltages). At reverse biases, the dominant mechanisms of charge transport are the Frenkel–Poole emission and tunneling. It is shown that the graphite/p-SiC Schottky diodes can be used as detectors of ultraviolet radiation since they have the open-circuit voltage V_oc = 1.84 V and the short-circuit current density I_sc = 2.9 mA/cm² under illumination from a DRL 250-3 mercury–quartz lamp located 3 cm from the sample.