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P-N junction

P-N junction

A p-n junction is formed when p-type and n-type semiconductor materials are joined together. At the interface of the p-n junction, holes from the p-side and electrons from the n-side begin to diffuse into the opposite sides due to the concentration gradient. This diffusion of carriers leads to a region around the junction where there are no free charge carriers, known as the depletion region. The charge density within the depletion region for the n-side and p-side can be described by the...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 5, 2026

Well-aligned Vertically Oriented ZnO Nanorod Arrays and their Application in Inverted Small Molecule Solar Cells

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Published on: April 25, 2018

Radiation Tolerant Nanowire Array Solar Cells.

Pilar Espinet-Gonzalez¹, Enrique Barrigón², Gaute Otnes²

¹Department of Applied Physics and Materials Science , California Institute of Technology , Pasadena , California 91125 , United States.

|October 19, 2019

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

III-V nanowire solar cells show significantly better radiation resistance than traditional planar cells. This breakthrough in space photovoltaics could lead to lighter, more durable solar panels for long-term space missions.

Keywords:

Monte Carlo simulations high specific power irradiation-induced defects nanowire solar cells radiation hard space environment space solar cells

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Area of Science:

Materials Science
Aerospace Engineering
Solid State Physics

Background:

Space power systems need lightweight, efficient, and reliable photovoltaics for long-duration missions.
Current planar III-V solar cells offer high efficiency but are limited by radiation shielding mass.
High-energy particle radiation in space degrades solar cell performance.

Purpose of the Study:

To evaluate the radiation tolerance of III-V nanowire-array solar cells compared to planar designs.
To investigate the potential of nanowire architectures for space photovoltaics.
To understand the mechanisms behind improved radiation resistance in nanowires.

Main Methods:

Irradiation of III-V nanowire and planar solar cells with protons (100-350 keV) and electrons (1 MeV).
Measurement of damage thresholds for different cell geometries and materials (GaAs, InP).
Monte Carlo simulations to analyze displacement density within nanowires.

Main Results:

Nanowire solar cells demonstrated 10-40 times higher damage thresholds than planar cells.
Improved radiation tolerance was observed across multiple nanowire geometries and materials.
Simulations indicated reduced displacement density in nanowires due to nanoscale dimensions.

Conclusions:

III-V nanowire-array solar cells offer superior radiation performance for space applications.
Nanowire architecture can significantly reduce the need for heavy radiation shielding.
This technology presents a pathway to high-specific-power, substrate-free space solar cells and may benefit other electronic devices.