An analysis of spaceflight performance of several types of silicon solar cells on the LIPS III satellite

Results from the exposure of several types of Solarex silicon solar cells to a space environment for approximately three years on the LIPS III satellite are presented. Experiments include standard thickness (10 mm) cells with and without back surface fields and ultrathin (2 mm) cells with and without back surface reflectors. A comparison between a widely used coverslide adhesive, DC 93-500, and a potential alternative, CV-2500, is also presented. The major findings from the data presented are that the 2 mm cells show the smallest relative power degradation and that the 10 mm back surface field cells show the greatest absolute power output for the environment encountered. The encapsulant exhibits a degradation comparable to DC 93-500.<>