Effect of Gamma Irradiation on Electrophysical Parameters of Silicon Solar Cells Doped with Nickel

CZU 621.315.592

DOI  https://doi.org/10.52577/eom.2024.60.3.62

The results of the studies of changes in the electro-physical parameters (V_oc – no-load voltage, I_sc – short-circuit current density; τ – lifetime of nonequilibrium charge carriers) of photocells made on plates of monocrystalline silicon of the p-type conductivity with the specific resistance ρ 0.5 Ohm cm, doped with nickel, under irradiation with γ-quanta from ⁶⁰Co source are presented. It is shown that the efficiency of the solar energy conversion in nickel-doped photovoltaic cells remains higher than in standard cells up to irradiation doses of 10⁸ rad. It was established that with increasing diffusion temperature of nickel atoms radiation stability of electrophysical parameters of photovoltaic cells also increases. A decrease in the concentration of recombination-active radiation defects is due to the getterization by nickel atoms of technological (background) impurities and the action of nickel clusters as effluents for radiation-induced vacancies.

Keywords: silicon solar cell, diffusion, nickel clusters, γ-irradiation, recombination centers, gettering.