Cathodoluminescence study of heavily proton irradiated heteroepitaxial n+-p InP/Si solar cells

n(+)-p InP/Si solar cells have been reported to be extremely radiation tolerant. Such cells show little degradation after 1 MeV electron irradiation at fluences as high as 1 x 10(16) cm(-2) Al higher fluences the radiation-induced carrier removal destroys the cell structure and the cell efficiency collapses. We investigate here the effect of heavy proton irradiation on these cells by means of cathodoluminescence (CL). Prior to the heavy irradiation, a non-uniform spatial distribution of the emitted luminescence is recorded from the base region, probably due to the presence of dislocations in these mismatched structures. The CL measurements show that the dislocations actuate as efficient channel for the Zn diffusion. The heavy irradiation reduces the overall CL intensity that become spatially uniform. The latter results from non-radiative recombination at the radiation induced defects uniformly distributed as produced by the heavy proton irradiation. Therefore, the presence of dislocations do not affects either the production or stability of the radiation-induced defects.