Patent ID: 8395043

Claim:
A solar cell, comprising: a photoactive, semiconductive absorber layer configured to generate excess charge carriers of opposed polarity by light incident on a front of the absorber layer during operation, the absorber layer being configured to separate and move, via at least one electric field formed in the absorber layer, the photogenerated excess charge carriers of opposed polarity over a minimal effective diffusion length L eff,min in the absorber layer, the absorber layer having a thickness L x of 0<L x ≦L eff,min ; first contact elements configured to remove the excess charge carriers of a first polarity on a rear of the absorber layer which faces away from the light incident during operation; second contact elements configured remove the excess charge carriers of a second opposing polarity on the rear of the absorber layer, a distance L y between each first and each second contact element being 0<L y ≦2 L eff,min ; at least one first passivation region disposed on the rear of the absorber layer, each of the at least one first passivation region including a first, undoped, electrically insulating, non-semiconductive material having a surface charge of the second opposing polarity and a first contact opening in the first non-semiconductive material configured for connection of a respective first contact element; at least one second passivation region disposed in an alternating, neighboring arrangement with the at least one first passivation region on the rear of the absorber layer, each of the at least one second passivation region including a second, different, undoped, electrically insulating, non-semiconductive material having a surface charge of the first polarity and a second contact opening in the second non-semiconductive material configured for connection of a respective second contact element, wherein the first polarity of the at least one second passivation region and the second opposing polarity of the at least one first passivation region are configured to cause a band bending of the absorber layer in each of a first direction and a second opposing direction, forming an electric field between neighboring, differing, passivation regions of opposed surface charges where excess charge carriers are separated.