Germany specialty glass and materials manufacturer Schott announced its latest space cover glass designed for new cell architectures and PV devices with higher power density at a recent space industry trade show and conference held in Bremen, Germany.
The cerium-doped cover glass technology was designed to be used in low, medium, and geostationary earth orbit satellites. The development was backed by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR).
The new Schott Solar Glass Exos product is the result of a collaboration with Germany-based Azur Space Solar Power, the space cell manufacturing unit of Canadian materials supplier 5N Plus. The partnership included testing and initial validation.
The main driver of the development was “the clear shift in space missions toward higher power density, longer mission lifetimes, and new cell architectures,” according to a company spokesperson.
Schott has a portfolio of space solar cover glass products, but an evolving satellite market demanded greater radiation durability, thermo-mechanical compatibility, coating flexibility, and large formats.
“Schott Solar Glass Exos was designed to complement our portfolio by better supporting next-generation cell technologies, including advanced III-V and silicon-based concepts, extended mission profiles, and emerging spacecraft designs, rather than replacing existing products,” the spokesperson told pv magazine.
The cerium-doped Exos glass is available in a variety of thicknesses and formats. It is designed to retain its high transparency and optical stability even after intense UV exposure, according to the company. It has a UV cut-off range of 308 nanometers with luminous transmittance of over 91%.
It features a coefficient thermal expansion (CTE) of 6.9 × 10⁻⁶ K⁻¹ that is matched to solar cells based on gallium arsenide (GaAs) to minimize mechanical stress under thermal cycling.
It is currently undergoing qualification for compliance with the European Cooperation for Space Standardization (ECSS) E-ST-20-08C standard.
Azur Space noted in a statement that the collaboration with Schott marks “a critical step” toward establishing a “resilient supply chain” for next-generation satellite power systems. “This collaboration strengthens Europe’s technological independence and ensures the reliable availability of high-performance solar power solutions for future space missions,” stated Roland Dubois, Azur Space Executive Vice President Specialty Semiconductors.
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