OPTIMIZATION OF MULTI-JUNCTION SOLAR CELL FOR SPACE APPLICATIONS MODELED WITH RUBY, MATLAB, AND SILVACO

The purpose of this research is to document further research into the optimization techniques investigated by James Walsh and applied to Multi-junction Solar Cells. Walsh performed his research with the Near Orthogonal Latin Hypercube (NOLH) in order to optimize the design specifications for each layer of solar cell thickness and doping concentration. Walsh at the same time evaluated cell performance under the radiation effects of the space environment. This research performed a similar analysis, except for the radiation effects, but focused more on producing an algorithm that could be executed from single user input and significantly reducing the selected design space. This research produced an efficient program that seamlessly operates between Ruby, MATLAB, and Silvaco ATLAS in order to produce an optimal designed dual-junction solar cell for space applications, in a much smaller design space than the technique utilized by Walsh. http://archive.org/details/optimizationofmu1094564137 Captain, United States Marine Corps Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.