Patent ID: 8829485

Claim:
A device comprising: (a) a substrate, having a top surface, a bottom surface and a first impurity type; (b) an array of silicon nanowires having a second impurity type, a base and a top surface, wherein the base contacting a surface below the top surface of the substrate; (c) a contacting structure comprised of the same material as the substrate having a non-nanostructured surface of a dimension suitable for forming an electrical contact, located on the same side of the substrate as the array of silicon nanowires, wherein the contacting structure having the second impurity type; wherein the surface of the contacting structure is doped with a greater impurity concentration than the nanowire array, thereby forming a selective emitter; wherein the top surface of the array of nanowires is at approximately the same level as the non-nanostructured surface of the contacting structure; and wherein the doping of the nanowire array results in a p-n junction below the base of the nanowire array.