An electricity storing solar power generation device 10 includes: solar cells including at least two kinds of solar cells 11, 12 and 13 having mutually different spectral absorption sensitivities; and electricity storing devices 21, 22 and 23 electrically connected to the solar cells. The solar cells are configured such that an n.sup.th (n being an integer of 1 or greater) solar cell spontaneously disperses light by itself by transmitting or reflecting light so as to allow a portion of light incident on the n.sup.th solar cell other than a portion of light absorbed by the n.sup.th solar cell to fall on an n+1.sup.th solar cell having a smaller band gap. Each of the solar cells is electrically connected to one of the electricity storing devices, and electric power generated by the solar cells is stored in the electricity storing devices electrically connected to the two or more solar cells.

In one aspect, metal oxide compositions having electronic structure of multiple band gaps are described. In some embodiments, a metal oxide composition comprises a (Co,Ni)O alloy having electronic structure including multiple band gaps. The (Co,Ni)O alloy can include a first band gap and a second band gap, the first band gap separating valence and conduction bands of the electronic structure.

One aspect of the present invention relates to a photovoltaic cell. In one embodiment, the photovoltaic cell includes a first conductive layer, an N-doped semiconductor layer formed on the first conductive layer, a first silicon layer formed on the N-doped semiconductor layer, a nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si) layer formed on a first silicon layer, a second silicon layer formed on the nc-Si layer, a P-doped semiconductor layer on the second silicon layer, and a second conductive layer formed on the P-doped semiconductor layer, where one of the first silicon layer and the second silicon layer is formed of amorphous silicon, and the other of the first silicon layer and the second silicon layer formed of polycrystalline silicon.

Provided is a photodiode having a high-concentration layer on its surface, in which the high-concentration layer is formed so that the thickness of a non-depleted region is larger than the roughness of an interface between silicon and an insulation film layer, and is smaller than a penetration depth of ultraviolet light.

A method of preparing a cupric oxide semiconductor. The method includes providing a substrate having a first surface, forming a cuprous oxide layer on the first surface, converting the cuprous oxide layer into a cupric oxide layer via an oxidation reaction, and depositing additional cupric oxide on the cupric oxide layer, which serves as a seed layer, to yield a cupric oxide film, thereby obtaining a cupric oxide semiconductor. Also disclosed are a cupric oxide semiconductor thus prepared and a photovoltaic device including it.

The embodiments of the disclosure relate generally to photovoltaic devices with broad band absorption in the solar light spectrum incident to Earth. The devices include integrated layers of graphite oxide and reduced graphite oxide, which exhibit intrinsic p/n junctions, which can be self-biasing and allow for production and separation of electron-hole pairs that can drive the current in the device. Descriptions of the devices and methods of making the structures are disclosed.

The invention relates to a material comprising at least one compound having formula Bi.sub.1-xM.sub.xCu.sub.1-y-M.sub.yOS.sub.1-zM.sub.z, the methods for producing said material and the use thereof as a semiconductor, such as for photovoltaic or photochemical use and, in particular, for supplying a photocurrent. The invention further relates to photovoltaic devices using said compounds.

A photovoltaic solar cell comprises a nano-patterned substrate layer. A plurality of nano-windows are etched into an intermediate substrate layer to form the nano-patterned substrate layer. The nano-patterned substrate layer is positioned between an n-type semiconductor layer composed of an n-type semiconductor material and a p-type semiconductor layer composed of a p-type semiconductor material. Semiconductor material accumulates in the plurality of nano-windows, causing a plurality of heterojunctions to form between the n-type semiconductor layer and the p-type semiconductor layer.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a solar cell and a photovoltaic module. The solar cell includes: a substrate, a tunneling layer formed on a rear surface of the substrate, and a doped conductive layer formed on the tunneling layer. The tunneling layer includes first regions and second regions, the first regions interleave with the second regions in a first direction, and the first regions include first dopant atoms. The doped conductive layer includes first doped regions formed on the first regions and second doped regions formed on the second regions. The first doped regions and the second doped regions have different doping types, the first doped regions include the first dopant atoms, and an atomic percentage of the first dopant atoms in the first doped regions is lower than an atomic percentage of the first dopant atoms in the first regions.

A radiation powered computation apparatus is disclosed. In one aspect, the apparatus includes a radiation source that is configured to emit radiation. The apparatus further includes a first layer that surrounds the radiation source and that includes a first plurality of transistors that are configured to be powered by the radiation. The apparatus further includes a second layer that surrounds the first layer and that includes a plurality of receptors that are configured to convert the radiation to power and a second plurality of transistors that receives the power and that are configured control the first plurality of transistors.