Hitachi, Ltd.

Agency of Industrial Science and Technology

Nobuo Nakamura

Toshikazu Shimada

Haruo Itoh

Sunao Matsubara

Shin-ichi Muramatsu

Shinichi Muramatsu

A solar cell including at least a thin film formed of an amorphous silicon material and having p-type conductivity. The thin film comprises a multi-layer structure including at least one non-doped layer formed of a material of an amorphous silicon material and having a thickness of 10 to 300 .ANG. and at least one p-type doped amorphous silicon layer of a given thickness. The p-type doped amorphous silicon layer is stacked such that at least one face thereof is in contact with said at least one non-doped layer of amorphous silicon material so that the thin film of multi-layer structure exhibits in effect p-type conductivity.

Solar cell

A plurality of photovoltaic devices (e.g., solar cells) connect with each other and form a photo-electric conversion apparatus. The photovoltaic devices concerned are so connected with each other that when a given pattern of light is irradiated upon the photo-electric conversion apparatus concerned, the electrical output generated when the whole of it is irradiated is smaller than that generated when some parts of it are irradiated. Since an electronic system equipped with this apparatus as a power supply can be designed to work when the apparatus is irradiated with such a pattern of light that irradiates only a part of the apparatus, an electronic system having such an identifying faculty can be made easily. Further, an apparatus like this type may be made by connecting the elements of this apparatus in series or in reverse direction to form units, and by connecting this plurality of units in series and/or in parallel.

Photo-electronic conversion apparatus with light pattern discriminator

Growing community of inventors

Hachioji, Japan

Nobuo Nakamura