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Design and Performance of a Triple Source Air Mass Zero Solar SimulatorSimulating the sun in a laboratory for the purpose of measuring solar cells has long been a challenge for engineers and scientists. Multi-junction cells demand higher fidelity of a solar simulator than do single junction cells, due to a need for close spectral matching as well as AM0 intensity. A GaInP/GaAs/Ge solar cell for example, requires spectral matching in three distinct spectral bands (figure 1). A commercial single source high-pressure xenon arc solar simulator such as the Spectrolab X-25 at NASA Glenn Research Center, can match the top two junctions of a GaInP/GaAs/Ge cell to within 1.3% mismatch, with the GaAs cell receiving slightly more current than required. The Ge bottom cell however, is mismatched +8.8%. Multi source simulators are designed to match the current for all junctions but typically have small illuminated areas, less uniformity and less beam collimation compared to an X-25 simulator. It was our intent when designing a multi source simulator to preserve as many aspects of the X-25 while adding multi-source capability.
Document ID
20050206366
Acquisition Source
Glenn Research Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Jenkins, Phillip
(Ohio Aerospace Inst. Brook Park, OH, United States)
Scheiman, David
(Ohio Aerospace Inst. Brook Park, OH, United States)
Snyder, David
(NASA Glenn Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Date Acquired
September 7, 2013
Publication Date
April 1, 2005
Publication Information
Publication: 18th Space Photovoltaic Research and Technology Conference
Subject Category
Solar Physics
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
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