A POSS®coating for thin film solar cells

Significant effort has been devoted to the development of thin film solar cells for use in space. They appear to be resistant to laboratory bombardment by electrons and protons of various energies. However, all solar cells can be affected by ionizing radiation absorbed in their junction region. Shielding against ionizing proton and electron radiation may be needed. In order to preserve the mass advantages of thin film cells, conventional cover glasses are not useful. We are using a new class of thermally stable, polymeric building block material called "polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes" (POSS®) containing metallic additives (POMS) to coat thin film a-Si cells. Preliminary coating test results are presented.