UV Degradation of Space Solar Cell Assemblies under High Temperature and Irradiance

UV irradiance damages the transparent silicone adhesive that adheres the coverglass to the solar cell as well as the coverglass itself. The resulting damage is frequently assumed to result in a total degradation of approximately 2% over full life on typical spacecraft arrays.
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Our work shows that the degradation of the cover adhesive is often greater than this, especially for High Temperature High Irradiance (HIHT) Missions.