Patent ID: 8344468

Claim:
A photovoltaic device comprising: an insulating layer consisting of an electrically insulating material; a plurality of parallel elongated semiconductor layer portions, each of said plurality of parallel elongated semiconductor layer portions having a lower surface contacting the insulating layer, and an upper surface facing away from said insulating layer, wherein each parallel elongated semiconductor layer portion of said plurality of parallel elongated semiconductor layer portions comprises a lateral light-sensitive diode including an elongated P+ doped region formed by a P+ dopant diffused entirely through said each parallel elongated semiconductor layer portion from a first upper surface portion to a corresponding first portion of said lower surface, an elongated intrinsic region of said each parallel elongated semiconductor layer portion extending entirely through said each parallel elongated semiconductor layer portion from a second upper surface portion to a corresponding second portion of said lower surface, and an elongated N+ doped region formed by an N+ dopant diffused entirely through said each parallel elongated semiconductor layer portion from a third upper surface portion to a corresponding third portion of said lower surface, said elongated intrinsic region being disposed between said elongated P+ doped region and said elongated N+ doped region; and a plurality of electrically conductive structures, each electrically conductive structure being connected between the elongated N+ doped region of a first said lateral light-sensitive diode and the elongated P+ doped region of a second said lateral light-sensitive diode such that said each electrically conductive structure forms an electrically conductive path between the first and second lateral light-sensitive diodes, wherein said plurality of parallel elongated semiconductor layer portions comprise sequentially arranged sections of a contiguous semiconductor layer structure such that each parallel elongated semiconductor layer portion is connected to an adjacent semiconductor layer portion by an intervening intrinsic portion of said contiguous semiconductor layer structure, and wherein each electrically conductive structure of said plurality of electrically conductive structures is disposed on an associated said intervening intrinsic portion of said contiguous semiconductor layer structure such that a first portion of said each electrically conductive structure is disposed on said third upper surface portion of a first semiconductor layer portion, and a second portion of said each electrically conductive structure is disposed on said first upper surface portion of a second semiconductor layer portion.