Hybrid alpha power source

Marc S. Litz; John D. Demaree; Randy Tompkins

doi:10.1117/12.2623657

30 May 2022 Hybrid alpha power source

Marc S. Litz, John D. Demaree, Randy Tompkins

Proceedings Volume 12090, Energy Harvesting and Storage: Materials, Devices, and Applications XII; 1209008 (2022) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2623657
Event: SPIE Defense + Commercial Sensing, 2022, Orlando, Florida, United States

Abstract

In this work, a hybrid structure is designed that combines both alpha-photovoltaic (APV) and alpha-voltaic (AV) effect. A ZnS phosphor generates photons when exposed to alpha particles. The photons are captured and converted to electronhole pairs (EHP) in an underlying layer of InGaP PV (APV). Some of the alpha particles propagate to the InGaP directly producing EHP in InGaP (AV). Numerical simulations using SRIM compared the power output in the InGaP PV through a parametric study of phosphor thickness. The ionization energy deposited in the ZnS layer was compared to the ionization energy in the InGaP. The ZnS phosphor thickness was varied to maximize electrical power output. The ZnS phosphor also performs the function of slowing down alpha particles so those alphas that penetrate to the InGaP are less energetic and damage is reduced to the InGaP PV. Initial measurements were performed using current-voltage (IV) curves during exposure to alpha particles from a National Electrostatics Pelletron ion accelerator. The energy deposited into the phosphor and PV materials is calculated from SRIM simulations. Simulation results optimizing phosphor thickness in this hybrid APV and AV structure generates 4.3% efficient energy conversion for radioisotope battery application producing greater than 500 μW(electrical) can be generated per 100mCi of ²⁴¹Am

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

Marc S. Litz, John D. Demaree, and Randy Tompkins "Hybrid alpha power source", Proc. SPIE 12090, Energy Harvesting and Storage: Materials, Devices, and Applications XII, 1209008 (30 May 2022); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2623657

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