Integrated microelectronic power supply (IMPS)

摘要

We have developed a microelectronic power supply for a space flight experiment in conjunction with the Project Starshine atmospheric research satellite. This device integrates a 7 junction small-area GaAs monolithically integrated photovoltaic module (MIM) with an all-polymer LiNi{sub}0.8Co{sub}0.2O{sub}2 lithiumion thin film battery. The array output is matched to provide the necessary 4.2 V charging voltage and minimized the associated control electronic components. The use of the matched MIM and thin film Li-ion battery storage maximizes the specific power and minimizes the necessary area and thickness of this microelectronic device. This power supply was designed to be surface mounted to the Starshine 3 satellite, which will be ejected into a low-earth orbit (LEO) with a fixed rotational velocity of 5 degrees per second. The supply is designed to provide continuous power even with the intermittent illumination due to the satellite rotation and LEO. An overview of the Starsltine project and the IMPS experiment is given. Results on the ground-based characterization of this device under simulated space illumination and temperature conditions are presented.