Demonstration and aging test of a radiation resistant strontium-90 betavoltaic mechanism

Abstract

In this work, a betavoltaic combined with photovoltaic mechanism using strontium-90 as a radioactive source was built up. A transparent yttrium aluminum garnet ceramic doped with a cerium ion is used as an intermediate conversion layer to avoid direct irradiation to a semiconductor conversion device and translates most of the high energy beta particles into photons. The traditional crystalline silicon conversion device with an N+PP+ junction structure functions as a betavoltaic and photovoltaic conversion device simultaneously. Radiation resistance is demonstrated by a 0.9 MeV electron beam irradiation aging experiment. In the optimized betavoltaic setup with a 0.5 mm transparent yttrium aluminum garnet ceramic, the crystalline silicon conversion device can bear 5 × 1015 e/cm2 by degrading output power less than 15%. Loaded with 1.3 mCi strontium-90, this betavoltaic setup produces a short circuit current of 282 nA, an open circuit voltage of 0.168 V, a fill factor of 0.58, and a total conversion efficiency of 0.32%.

Nuclear batteries: Current context and near‐term expectations

“…96,97 Among a variety of indirect energy-conversion approaches also hybrid direct-indirect attempts have been proposed to enhance the emission of optical photons. In this context, materials science is called to strongly contribute, as demonstrated by the results obtained by the mixing of 155 Eu within a GdF 3 luminescent layer, 117 the use of Ce-doped Y/Al ceramics to transform the 90 Sr β-particles in photons, 123 or the assembling of self-glowing, α-emitting YPO 4 :Eu 3+ : 238 Pu, ZrSiO 4 : Tb 3+ : 238 Pu and ZrO 2 :Eu 3+:238 Pu systems. 124 Otherwise, the use of radiant or luminescent layers produce in general very different and even conflicting effects.…”

Design of a feasible high-efficiency 63NiO/ZnO integrated betavoltaic battery

“…1) The betavoltaic battery has stable output electrical performance, a long lifetime, and high energy density. 2) Thus, the betavoltaic battery is considered to have wide prospects for application in remote wireless sensors, 3) biomedical implanted devices, 4) and other fields. However, due to the low efficiency and power of betavoltaic batteries, their applications are limited to micro/nanoelectromechanical systems (M/NEMS).…”