Patent ID: 8791359

Claim:
A photovoltaic cell comprising: a substrate; a first electrode layer disposed on the substrate; an absorption layer disposed on the first electrode layer; and a second electrode layer disposed on the absorption layer, wherein the photovoltaic cell receives light through the second electrode layer, and wherein the absorption layer comprises: a first layer of continuous electronic material electrically connected to the first electrode layer, wherein the first layer is an n-type semiconductor or a p-type semiconductor, a layer of a plurality of nanoparticles disposed upon the first layer and electrically connected to the second electrode laver, wherein the nanoparticles are semiconductor of the opposite conductivity type to the first layer, and a second layer of continuous electronic material disposed upon the layer of the plurality of nanoparticles and electrically connected to the second electrode layer, wherein the second layer is a semiconductor of the same conductivity type as the first layer.