Analysis of Space Environment Damage to Solar Cell Assemblies from LDEF

摘要

The space environment in earth orbit has been extensively studied and documented.The most serious factors influencing electrical systems (including solar arrays) are the local radiation environment, thermal cycling effects, local plasma density, neutral particle density, spacecraft surfaces outgassing/effuent products, and the meteroid and debris flux. The radiation environment (proton, electron, and photon), fueled primarily by the sun but also by other stellar sources, encountered by spacecraft in earth orbit is complex and depends upon such factors as orbital altitude, inclination, and current solar activity levels, and can result in exposures which vary over several orders of magnitude per orbit. The effects of these particles and electromagnetic radiation can cause major changes in the properties of insulators and semiconductors by ionization, atomic displacements or local changes due to chemical reactions. The severity of a radiation-induced change under multi-factor stressing depends on the total dose, intensity, particle species, impingement angle, presence of shielding, mechanical stress, local induced environment, temperature, and the presence of system-generated electromagnetic fields.