A photodetector designing method includes, according to various requirements required by an application equipped with a photodetector including a photoelectric conversion layer having a superlattice structure mostly composed of amorphous selenium, a step of determining a form of the photodetector; a step of determining a type of a substrate suitable for a wavelength to be detected by the photoelectric conversion layer among the requirements, a step of calculating a multiplication factor M representing an amplification gain generated in a process of tunneling in the superlattice structure, and a step of determining, as a layer thickness of the photoelectric conversion layer, a thickness obtained by multiplying a thickness per one layer of the superlattice structure by the number of layers N.sub.SL of the superlattice structure on the assumption that the multiplication factor M is approximate to the number of layers N.sub.SL.

A photodetector designing method includes, according to various requirements required by an application equipped with a photodetector including a photoelectric conversion layer having a superlattice structure mostly composed of amorphous selenium, a step of determining a form of the photodetector; a step of determining a type of a substrate suitable for a wavelength to be detected by the photoelectric conversion layer among the requirements, a step of calculating a multiplication factor M representing an amplification gain generated in a process of tunneling in the superlattice structure, and a step of determining, as a layer thickness of the photoelectric conversion layer, a thickness obtained by multiplying a thickness per one layer of the superlattice structure by the number of layers N.sub.SL of the superlattice structure on the assumption that the multiplication factor M is approximate to the number of layers N.sub.SL.

The production process according to the invention consists of a nanometric scale transformation of the crystalline silicon in a hybrid arrangement buried within the crystal lattice of a silicon wafer, to improve the efficiency of the conversion of light into electricity, by means of hot electrons. All the parameters, procedures and steps involved in manufacturing giant photoconversion cells have been tested and validated separately, by producing twenty series of test devices. An example of the technology consists of manufacturing a conventional crystalline silicon photovoltaic cell with a single collection junction and completing the device thus obtained by an amorphizing ion implantation followed by a post-implantation thermal treatment. The modulation of the crystal, specific to the giant photoconversion, is then carried out on a nanometric scale in a controlled manner to obtain SEGTONs and SEG-MATTER which are active both optically and electronically, together with the primary conversion of the host converter.

Techniques to use energy band gap engineering (or band offset engineering) to produce a photodetector semiconductor assembly that can be tuned to absorb light in one or more wavelengths. For example, the assembly can be tuned to receive infrared (IR) and/or ultraviolet (UV) light. The photodetector assembly can operate as a photodiode, a phototransistor, or can include both a photodiode and a phototransistor.

The production process according to the invention consists of a nanometric scale transformation of the crystalline silicon in a hybrid arrangement buried within the crystal lattice of a silicon wafer, to improve the efficiency of the conversion of light into electricity, by means of hot electrons. All the parameters, procedures and steps involved in manufacturing giant photoconversion cells have been tested and validated separately, by producing twenty series of test devices.

An example of the technology consists of manufacturing a conventional crystalline silicon photovoltaic cell with a single collection junction and completing the device thus obtained by an amorphizing ion implantation followed by a post-implantation thermal treatment.

The modulation of the crystal, specific to the giant photoconversion, is then carried out on a nanometric scale in a controlled manner to obtain SEGTONs and SEG-MATTER which are active both optically and electronically, together with the primary conversion of the host converter.

Techniques to use energy band gap engineering (or band offset engineering) to produce a photodetector semiconductor assembly that can be tuned to absorb light in one or more wavelengths. For example, the assembly can be tuned to receive infrared (IR) and/or ultraviolet (UV) light. The photodetector assembly can operate as a photodiode, a phototransistor, or can include both a photodiode and a phototransistor.

A light receiving element includes a light receiving layer that includes a superlattice of an InAs layer and a GaSb layer, and an amorphous layer that covers a side wall surface of the light receiving layer. The amorphous layer contains In and As, and an amount of Ga and an amount of Sb contained in the amorphous layer are smaller than an amount of In and an amount of As contained in the amorphous layer.

A light receiving element includes a light receiving layer that includes a superlattice of an InAs layer and a GaSb layer, and an amorphous layer that covers a side wall surface of the light receiving layer. The amorphous layer contains In and As, and an amount of Ga and an amount of Sb contained in the amorphous layer are smaller than an amount of In and an amount of As contained in the amorphous layer.

A solar cell and a manufacturing method thereof, a photovoltaic module, and a photovoltaic system. The manufacturing method includes: providing a substrate; and dividing a second surface of the substrate into a first region, a second region, and an isolation region; sequentially stacking a first tunnel oxide layer, a first intrinsic amorphous silicon layer, a second tunnel oxide layer, and a second intrinsic amorphous silicon layer on the second surface of the substrate; removing the second intrinsic amorphous silicon layer and the second tunnel oxide layer located in the second region; doping the first intrinsic amorphous silicon layer and the second intrinsic amorphous silicon layer located in the first region with a first element, to obtain a first doped layer and a second doped layer respectively; doping the first intrinsic amorphous silicon layer located in the second region with a second element, to obtain a third doped layer; and forming an isolation structure in the isolation region, to isolate the first tunnel oxide layer located in the first region from the first tunnel oxide layer located in the second region and isolate the first doped layer and the second doped layer located in the first region from the third doped layer located in the second region.

A solar cell employing nanocrystalline superlattice material and amorphous structure and method of constructing the same provides improved efficiency when converting sunlight to power. The photovoltaic (PV) solar cell includes an intrinsic superlattice material deposited between the p-doped layer and the n-doped layer. The superlattice material is comprised of a plurality of sublayers which effectively create a graded band gap and multi-band gap for the superlattice material. The sublayers can include a nanocrystalline Si:H layer, an amorphous SiGe:H layer and an amorphous SiC:H layer. Varying the thickness of each layer results in an effective energy gap that is graded as desired for improved efficiency. Methods of constructing single junction and parallel configured two junction solar cells include depositing the various layers on a substrate such as stainless steel or glass.