Characterization and Quantum Efficiency Determination of Monocrystalline Silicon Solar Cells as Sensors for Precise Flux Calibration

TL;DR

This study evaluates monocrystalline silicon solar cells as high-precision, large-aperture photodetectors for flux calibration in astrophysics, demonstrating their promising quantum efficiency and linearity.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive characterization of 3rd generation C60 solar cells, highlighting their potential as alternatives to traditional photodiodes for flux calibration.

Findings

Solar cells exhibit high quantum efficiency comparable to photodiodes.

They demonstrate excellent linearity and uniform spatial response.

Potential for use in large-aperture, high-precision flux calibration applications.

Abstract

As the precision frontier of astrophysics advances towards the one millimagnitude level, flux calibration of photometric instrumentation remains an ongoing challenge. We present the results of a lab-bench assessment of the viability of monocrystalline silicon solar cells to serve as large-aperture (up to 125mm diameter), high-precision photodetectors. We measure the electrical properties, spatial response uniformity, quantum efficiency (QE), and frequency response of 3$^{rd}$ generation C60 solar cells, manufactured by Sunpower. Our new results, combined with our previous study of these cells' linearity, dark current, and noise characteristics, suggest that these devices hold considerable promise, with QE and linearity that rival those of traditional, small-aperture photodiodes. We argue that any photocalibration project that relies on precise knowledge of the intensity of a large-diameter optical beam should consider using solar cells as calibrating photodetectors.