Patent ID: 8802969

Claim:
A photovoltaic device comprising: a substrate having trenches, each trench having a bottom surface, one side surface and an opposing other side surface ( 101 ; 102 ; 103 ; 104 ; 301 ; 302 ; 303 ; 304 ; 501 ; 502 ) formed therein; a first electrode layer ( 110 ; 310 ; 510 ) continuously formed on a portion of the bottom surface of and on one side surface of each of the trenches and on an area of the substrate between each of the trenches and a trench adjacent to each of the trenches in the direction of the one side; an auxiliary electrode layer ( 120 ; 320 ; 520 ) being formed on a portion of the bottom surface of and on the one side surface of each of the trenches and on the area of the substrate between each of the trenches and the trench adjacent to each of the trenches in the direction of the one side, having an electrical resistance less than that of the first electrode layer and being located on or under the first electrode layer or on a same plane with the first electrode layer so as to contact with a portion of the first electrode layer, wherein an area of the auxiliary electrode layer is less than an area of the first electrode layer on the area of the substrate between each of the trenches and the trench adjacent to each of the trenches in the direction of the one side; a photovoltaic layer ( 130 ; 330 ; 530 ) located on at least one of the first electrode layer and on the auxiliary electrode layer; a second electrode layer ( 140 ; 340 ; 540 ) located on the photovoltaic layer and formed on the other side surface of each of the trenches and on an area of the substrate between each of the trenches and a trench adjacent to each of the trenches in the direction of the other side; and a conductive layer ( 160 ; 350 ; 550 ) allowing the second electrode layer which is formed on the area of the substrate between each of the trenches and the trench adjacent to each of the trenches in the direction of the other side and either the first electrode layer or the auxiliary electrode layer which is formed on the area of the substrate between each of the trenches and the trench adjacent to each of the trenches in the direction of the one side to be electrically connected to each other within the trench.