Cathodoluminescence Study Of 68 Mev Proton-Irradiated Ultra-Thin Gaas Solar Cells

The impact of high energy proton radiation, as would be encountered in highly eccentric and Europa orbits, on ultra-thin GaAs solar cells was studied. The cells were irradiated with 68 MeV protons at fluences of 2 x 10(12) cm(-2) and 1 x 10(13) cm(-2). Cathodoluminescence and dark I-V were used to evaluate the variation of defect density and J(02) with fluence, respectively. The applicability of cathodoluminescence to the study of radiation damage in photovoltaic devices is discussed.