High-efficiency solar cells based on semiconductor nanostructures

Thin film solar cells are promising for large-scale commercial applications due to their low manufacturing costs. However, a major problem with thin f ilm technology is material nonuniformity associated with the fabrication of large area films. We are developing a technology for fabricating high-effi ciency solar cells based on semiconductor nanostructures that will eliminat e the problem of spatial nonuniformity while retaining the low-cost advanta ge of thin film manufacturing. The technology is based on electrochemical s ynthesis of semiconductor nanostructures on a preformed template and is fle xible in the choice of semiconductor and substrate materials. (C) 2000 Publ ished by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.