MULTI-LAYER SEMICONDUCTOR PHOTOVOLTAIC DEVICE

摘要

MULTI-LAYER SEMICONDUCTOR PHOTOVOLTAIC DEVICE A semiconductor photovoltaic device is comprised of 2n layers of alternating p-type and n-type material having respective PN junctions between adjacent layers, wherein n is an integer greater than 1. Each layer has a thickness which is less than the diffusion length of a minority carrier therein. The PN junctions are excited by light which is incident on the device to thereby cause majority carriers to be accumulated in the respective layers so as to forward bias all of the PN junctions. As a result of the forward biasing of the PN junctions, transistor action occurs in each set of three successive layers, so that a carrier is injected from a first of these successive layers into the next adjacent layer and thence into the following successive layer so as to support a current therethrough. The photovoltaic device thus is adapted to supply a voltage and a current to a load.