0213 Solar Cell Covers Boost Performance, Resist Darkening

Solar cell covers made of ceria-doped microsheet have been available since the 1970s. JDSU solar cell covers add a nominal five percent of cerium oxide to the glass, significantly improving its resistance to darkening caused by radiation or ultraviolet light. Since cerium oxide absorbs ultraviolet light, it also protects the adhesive between the cover and the cell.

The result is a radiation-resistant, ceria-doped, borosilicate glass ideally suited for solar cell cover use.

0214 Solar Cell Covers Optimize Multijunction Gallium Arsenide and Enhanced-Performance Silicon Solar Cells

During the 1990s, advanced space solar cell designs included single-, dual-, and multijunction GaAs solar cells and enhanced-performance silicon solar cells.

JDSU improved the spectral performance of coverglass using Corning 0214 glass to take advantage of the broader solar spectrum response curve of solar cells.

Like the 0213 glass, a nominal amount of cerium oxide is added to the 0214 glass to prevent darkening of the glass and/or bonding cement caused by space radiation or ultraviolet light.

The resultant glass optimizes the on-orbit power output of GaAs and enhanced silicon solar cells.

JDSU coverglass is available with a wide range of coating options to increase solar cell performance and operating efficiency.

Key Features

• Demonstrated space compliance of traditional products with ISO and MIL specifications
• Variety of coatings and configurations to meet specific mission requirements
• Complete fabrication operation—tight dimensional tolerances to ensure accurate laydown on solar panel configurations
• Committed engineering support of proven technical depth—able to meet advanced customer requirements and develop new products for future space programs

Coating Terminology