Abstract: The space solar cell is the main component of a solar photovoltaic system that provides power for a spacecraft. The regular work of the space solar cell is very important for the running of spacecraft. However, the silver interconnects may interact with the atomic oxygen in the space environments to generate nonconducting oxide, which will affect the effective lifetime of solar cells. Therefore, the study of silver foils with and without different protective coatings was conducted in this paper with ground based AO effects simulation facility. The sample material before and after the experiments is compared in the aspect, mass and surface morphology. The reaction characteristics of the material in the facility were acquired and the validity of different protective coatings was verified.

Key words: solar cell, silver int erconnect, atomic oxygen effects, ground experiment