Evaluation of hypervelocity impact of micrometeoroids and orbital debris on next-generation space solar cells

Abstract

This paper discusses the hypervelocity impacts of micrometeoroids and orbital debris (MMODs) on inverted metamorphic triple-junction (IMM3J) and perovskite solar cells, which are much thinner than conventional triple-junction (3J) solar cells. We experimentally found that IMM3J solar cells can suffer from short-circuit faults due to the hypervelocity impacts of MMODs, unlike conventional 3J cells, and determined the projectile diameters and velocities that could cause them using a model proposed by Burt. No short-circuit mode was identified in perovskite solar cells, but they had open-circuit faults several days after the hypervelocity impact experiment, which are possibly attributed to the decomposition of the perovskite crystal by moisture in the air due to the broken seal.