First-principles modeling of space radiation effects in solar cells
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First-principles modeling of space radiation effects in solar cells
CIC nanoGUNE Seminars
- Speaker
-
Natalia Koval, Theory Group
- When
-
2020/04/27
13:00
- Place
- nanoGUNE seminar room, Tolosa Hiribidea 76, Donostia - San Sebastian
- Add to calendar
-
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In an effort to limit the current spread of COVID-19, all seminars are
**canceled **beginning Thursday March 12th until further notice
**First-principles modeling of space radiation effects in solar cells**
Natalia Koval, Theory Group, CIC nanoGUNE
With the new advances in solar cell technology and the rapid expansion of
space missions, understanding the key aspects which link the macroscopic
response of solar cells of current and future spacecrafts to the fundamental
processes of particle stopping at the nanoscale inside the target has acquired
new relevance. The response of matter to irradiation is a multi-scale process
that includes the excitation of the electronic subsystem of the target
material as well as ionic displacements leading to the formation of defects.
The latter, in turn, results in the creation of carrier traps that
significantly alter the performance of solar cells. In this work, we first
study the electronic excitations by the projectile, i.e., the electronic
stopping power for protons moving through different layers of the multilayer
GaInP/GaAs/Ge solar cell within Ehrenfest dynamics combined with time-
dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). We then address the atomic
displacements, namely, using ab initio molecular dynamics, we calculate the
minimum energy required to form a stable defect inside the material. Finally,
we combine both processes to gain insights into the influence of electronic
excitations on the defect formation.