US Patent 7545051 - Vertical nanowire array solar cells

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7545051.html

This patent from the University of California teaches growing high density arrays of metal oxide nanowires to form a high efficiency photovoltaic converter. Claim 1 reads:

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a first conductive layer;

an array of nanowires, the nanowires having first ends and second ends, the first ends adjacent the first conductive layer, the nanowires extending approximately perpendicular to the first conductive layer, wherein the nanowire array has a density of approximately 10^10 nanowires per cm2;

a second conductive layer approximately parallel to the first conductive layer and adjacent the second ends of the nanowires; and

an electronic material filling spaces between and around the nanowires.