Analysis of damage to silicon solar cells by high fluence electron irradiation

Over a narrow interval of fluence of 1 MeV electron irradiation (from 1/spl times/10/sup 16/ cm/sup -2/ to 1/spl times/10/sup 17/ cm/sup -2/) incident upon n on p silicon space solar cells, we have observed an anomalous increase in I/sub SC/, followed by an abrupt decrease and cell failure. Whereas usually the principal effect of irradiation on the output characteristics of solar cells is due to the degradation of the minority carrier diffusion length, in this case the removal of majority carriers due to the introduction of trap centres is seen to have a dominating influence.