A PHOTOVOLTAIC DEVICE HAVING A LIGHT ABSORBING LAYER INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF GRAINS OF A DOPED SEMICONDUCTING MATERIAL

摘要

The present invention relates to a photovoltaic device (10) comprising: a first conducting layer (16), a second conducting layer electrically insulated from the first conducting layer, a porous substrate (20) made of an insulating material arranged between the first and second conducting layers, a light absorbing layer (1) comprising a plurality of grains (2) of a doped semiconducting material disposed on the first conducting layer (16) so that the grains are in electrical and physical contact with the first conducting layer, and_a charge conductor (3) made of a charge conducting material partly covering the grains and arranged to penetrate through the first conducting layer (16) and the porous substrate such that a plurality of continuous paths (22) of charge conducting material is formed from the surface of the grains (2) to the second conducting layer (18), wherein the first conducting layer (16) comprises a conducting material, an oxide layer (28) formed on the surface of conducting material, and an insulating coating (29) made of an insulating material deposited on the oxide layer (28) so that the oxide layer and the insulating coating together electrically insulate said paths (22) from the conducting material of the first conducting layer (16).