Effect of 1.0 MeV electron irradiation on shunt resistance in Si-MINP solar cells

Shunt resistance from 100 K to 400 K is compared for diffused and ion implanted cells before and after irradiation. R sub sh decreases from greater than 10 to the 7th power omega-square cm for T less than 250 K to 10 to the 4th power omega-square cm at 400 K for non-irradiated diffused cells. Electron irradiation causes a more rapid decrease in R sub sh for T greater than 250 K. Ion implanted cells exhibit a similar trend except that R sub sh is significantly less for T less than 250 K and is more sensitive to irradiation at these low temperatures. The mechanism of R sub sh appears to be a combination of multistep tunneling and trapping - detrapping in the defect states of the semiconductor. Radiation serves to increase the density of these states to decrease R sub sh.