Fast Neutrons Utilization to solar cells Performance Improvement

In this work, irradiation effect by means of fast neutrons emitted from 241Am-Be source on the electrical properties of single-crystalline Silicon solar cells has been studied. At steady neutron flounce rate by 105 n/cm2/sec, over a wide fast neutrons flounce range from (7.20*108 n/cm2 -3.60*109 n/cm2), and time periods range from (2 hr - 10 hr). In an attempt to improve the energy conversion efficiency of solar cell. The results show that the maximum values of the current (Im) and the maximum values of the voltage (Vm), values of the short circuit current (Isc), values of the open circuit voltage (Voc), the maximum values of the output power (Pm), values of the fill factor (F F) and values of the percentage of the energy conversion efficiency (η) were nonlinear increased with the increase of the flounce. The maximums of increasing rate were (19.01% and 27.47%, 9.50%, 0.75%, 51.07%, 38.57%, and 51.03%) of its original value before the bombardment by fast neutrons, respectively, at neutron fluence range from (1.50*109 n/cm2 - 2.05*199 n/cm2)