Patent ID: 8624107

Claim:
A photovoltaic cell comprising: a substrate; at least one first electrode electrically connected to said substrate; at least two vertical walls disposed on said substrate, placed parallel to each other, such that a gap is formed between said at least two vertical walls, wherein the at least two vertical walls are substantially perpendicular to the substrate; an insulator layer disposed on the substrate between said at least two vertical walls; at least one second electrode disposed on the insulator layer such that the insulator layer electrically isolates the at least one second electrode from the substrate as well as from the at least one first electrode; at least one layer of electronic material disposed in said gap between said at least two vertical, walls, such that said insulator layer electrically isolates said at least one layer of electronic material from said substrate, wherein said at least one layer of electronic material is as continuous layer, and; at least one nanometer-scale rod, wire, or tube extending from first vertical wall of the at least two vertical walls to second vertical wall of the at least two vertical walls, such that said at least one nanometer-scale rod, wire, or tube bridges the gap between said at least two vertical walls, wherein said at least one nanometer-scale rod, wire, or tube is embedded in said at least one layer of electronic material, wherein junctions providing built-in electric field are formed at interfaces between the at least one nanometer-scale rod, wire, or tube and the at least one layer of electronic material surrounding the at Least one nanometer-scale rod, wire, or tube, and wherein said junctions are ones selected from the group consisting of p-n junctions and Schottky junctions.