Solar Cell Covers, Radiation-Resistant Glass

Overview

Solar Cell Covers - Radiation-Resistant Glass (PDF, 0.12 MB)

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 have a nominal 5% cerium oxide added to the glass. This significantly improves 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 state-of-the-art, radiation-resistant, ceria-doped borosilicate glass ideally suited for solar cell cover use.

0214 Solar Cell Covers Optimize Multi-Junction Gallium Arsenide and Enhanced Silicon Solar Cell Performance

During the 1990s, advanced space solar cell designs were developed, including single, dual and multi-junction GaAs solar cells and enhanced performance silicon solar cells.

JDSU developed a new and improved spectral performance coverglass utilizing Corning 0214 glass to take advantage of the solar cells’ broader solar spectrum response curve.

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

The result is a radiation-resistant, ceria-doped borosilicate glass that optimizes the on-orbit power output of GaAs and enhanced silicon space 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, compliant with ISO and MIL specification requirements
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 customers’ advanced requirements and develop new products to meet the needs of future space programs

Coating Terminology

AR	Antireflection: Coating that increases the coverglass transmittance by about 2%.
BRR	Blue Red Reflector: A coating that reflects the ultraviolet and near infrared spectral regions to minimize absorption of solar energy and/or minimize darkening of the cover adhesive (see UVR).
UVR	Ultraviolet Reflector: A coating that reflects a portion of the near ultraviolet spectrum to minimize absorption of solar energy and/or minimize darkening of the cover adhesive (see UVR).