Research progress on laser photovoltaic converters for laser wireless power transmission

To address the energy and environmental issues such as the depletion of fossil fuels and the greenhouse effect, space solar power stations (SSPS) would be an important solution. Laser wireless power transmission (LWPT) technology, with its high energy density and strong anti-interference capability, has become the core technology for power transmission in space solar power stations. However, the core component of the laser photovoltaic converter faces bottlenecks such as insufficient conversion efficiency and performance degradation due to space charged particle irradiation. This paper first reviews the current development status of the LWPT system and laser photovoltaic converter (LPC), and then analyzes the effects of laser power and resulted temperature on laser photovoltaic converter performance. Finally, based on the possible application in space power transmission between spacecrafts, it should be addressed space irradiation damage effect. The paper reported an irradiation degradation model for multi-junction laser photovoltaic converters (MJ LPCs) and proposes radiation-hardening strategies such as thinning the bottom subcell and incorporating a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR). This work provides theoretical support for optimizing the structure of laser photovoltaic converters and advancing the practical application of LWPT systems.