ABSTRACT
Betavoltaic devices are one type of so-called radioisotope generator, which transform radioactive decay energy into electricity (Corliss and Harvey 1964; Olsen 1973; Linder and Reddy 2002; Duggirala et al. 2010). This type of device refers to a group of nonthermal devices, whose output power is not a function of a temperature difference between the source and the outside world. The betavoltaics effect is the creation of excess electron-hole pairs by impinging beta particles. Another group is formed by thermal devices in which the output power depends on the thermal power of the sources of ionizing radiation.
