Patent ID: 9559231
Date: 2017-01-31
CPC Classifications: H01L,Y02E,Y02P

Claim:
1. A photovoltaic energy conversion device comprising: a substrate including an electrically conductive substrate surface layer doped in a first dopant type; a plurality of individually grown photovoltaic (PV) nanowires extending outwardly from the substrate surface layer, each of the plurality of individually grown PV nanowires having a root end near said substrate surface layer and a tip end opposite said root end, said substrate surface layer forming at least a portion of a root-side electrode layer of the device; a collar material crystallographically grown on and laterally surrounding the plurality of individually grown PV nanowires along at least a rootward portion of their lengths, the collar material doped in the first dopant type; a tip-side electrode material doped in a second dopant type, the tip-side electrode material being in contact with said tip ends of the plurality of individually grown PV nanowires; and an optically transparent, electrically insulating filler material directly laterally surrounding the plurality of individually grown PV nanowires along an outward portion of their lengths.