Oriel Sol3A solar simulators use a single lamp design to meet Class A requirements for not one or two, but all three performance criteria without compromising their 1 Sun output power.
By convention, Class AAA is reported with the first letter representing Spectral performance, the second letter Uniformity of Irradiance, and the third letter Temporal Stability. Sol3A solar simulators are certified to Class AAA for all three of the following standards: IEC 60904-9 Edition 2 (2007), JIS C 8912, and ASTM E 927-05.
An ideal spectral match for a solar simulator is based on the percentage of the integrated light intensity in 6 spectral ranges. A Class AAA solar simulator may not deviate more than 0.75 to 1.25 times the ideal percentage in each spectral range. Spectral match for an Oriel Sol3A with AM 1.5G spectral correction filter is shown to easily meet IEC, JIS, and ASTM Class A requirements.
The irradiance uniformity over the work area is the most difficult Class AAA requirement to achieve and maintain. Hot spots can lead to significant errors in measured cell efficiency and can cause inaccurate binning of cells. The Class AAA spatial non-uniformity performance standard is designed to minimize the impact of hot spots and has a very stringent requirement of ≤2%. The plot shows the uniformity of the irradiance across a typical 2 x 2 in. simulator working area. Each unit will come with a plot of irradiance non-uniformity.
Temporal Instability is the third performance parameter of Class AAA standards. It requires that the output light be stable over time in order to ensure that the lamp fluctuations do not distort the measurement of solar cell efficiency. Oriel’s Sol3A easily meets the requirements for temporal instability as defined by the IEC, ASTM, and JIS standards. The IEC 60904-9 (2007) has the most stringent requirements for short term instability with a maximum allowable level of 0.5%. Shown is a typical instability response of 0.369% at 50 ms intervals for an 1.6 kW Sol3A solar simulator.
The combination of lamp and air mass filter produces the characteristic Class AAA spectra. Our Air Mass 1.5G Filter retains its optical properties under the conditions encountered without degradation of the filter. The filter provided with the 94123A-CPV meets either AM 1.5G or AM 1.0D spectral output standards.
The illuminator housing provides a safe enclosure for the lamp. Its powder coated flat black finish provides a durable surface that also minimizes stray light. It is equipped with safety interlock systems to ensure operator and system safety. Panels containing user serviceable components use captive screws that require no tools for ease of removal and replacement. Integral fan(s) provide forced air-cooling to maintain optimal lamp, optics and housing temperature. The Sol3A housing utilizes a design which allows the head orientation to produce a downward, sideways or upwards facing beam on the 2x2 or 4x4 models. Contact Newport Sales for further information.
The Oriel Sol3A Solar Simulator source is a CW system. This enables testing of all cell materials unlike flash-lamp based systems that are limited by the response time of the material allowing the cell to be soaked at a constant light level prior to testing. The lamp is an ozone-free xenon short arc lamp. We certify each source with the supplied lamp. The lamp is certified to meet the spectral performance for 1000 hours, though the lamp may continue to function for up to 2000 hours. For continuous production environments, we suggest purchasing replacement lamps and an alignment palette to ensure Class AAA compliance as lamps are replaced.
A Variable Aperture feature is integrated into all Sol3A simulators that provides user variable partial sun illumination capability. The range of attenuation is from 0.25 - 1 Sun. Uniformity at partial illumination maintains a minimum Class B uniformity per the IEC, JIS, and ASTM standards. The simple to use dial control provides infinite control of attenuation. Spectral performance and temporal stability maintain Class A performance at any attenuation.
The Oriel Sol3A Solar Simulator includes an upgraded shutter for production-environment operation. The newly designed shutter for the Class AAA systems is a rugged, single-blade shutter designed for >1 million cycles. Historically, our real-world performance has exceeded 10 million cycles on units in the field for many years. The shutter has a minimum exposure time of 200 ms and can be controlled via a contact closure or logic level input, or a convenient push-button switch on the illuminator housing.
The Oriel regulated power supply incorporates over 40 years of experience in high voltage power supply design to provide constant electrical power to the xenon lamp. The power supply is CE compliant and features universal AC mains operation for use anywhere in the world. Lamp usage can be monitored in accumulated hours from the power supply, because it is important to replace the lamp at the end of its rated life to maintain the minimum 1 sun output and spectral characteristics. The lamp’s output will significantly decrease and change spectrally with continued use beyond its rated life.
Oriel Sol3A Solar Simulators maintain Class AAA compliance during the rated "performance lifetime" of the lamp. When the lamp is replaced, the instrument should be realigned to maintain Class AAA compliance. Irradiance uniformity is the most difficult Class AAA requirement to meet and maintain. In order to facilitate the measurements and adjustments necessary to maintain Class A uniformity, the Newport uniformity measurement tool Uniformity Measurement Tool can be used to perform an automated test after lamp alignment following installation or replacement. The use of this tool can significantly reduce the time and effort required to maintain the Sol3A Solar Simulator within Class AAA specifications. Contact Newport Sales for further information.