Photoelectrolyzer

A photoelectrolyzer according to clam 1, wherein the solar cell element has a P-type amorphous silicon film as the second thin film.

A photoelectrolyzer comprising a number of minute solar cell elements suspended in an electrolyte, each solar cell element comprising at least one layer which is constituted by at least a first thin film composed of intrinsic amorphous silicon, having a carrier life of 10.sup.-7 sec or longer, an average localized state density in the forbidden gap of not more than 10.sup.17 /cm.sup.3 and an active region in which carrier mobility is 10.sup.-3 cm.sup.2 /V.sec or more, or N-type amorphous silicon prepared by doping said intrinsic amosphous silicon with an N-type impurity, or both thereof, and a second thin film which is formed on one surface of the active region of said first thin film, thereby forming a potential barrier therewith, said second thin film being light transmissive;

• wherein the solar cell element has a laminated structure having 2 to 10 of said layers so that the first film and the second film may be alternately stacked on each other.

A photoelectrolyzer comprising a number of minute solar cell elements suspended in an electrolyte, each solar cell element comprising at least one layer which is constituted by at least a first thin film composed of intrinsic amorphous silicon, having a carrier life of 10.sup.-7 sec or longer, an average localized state density in the forbidden gap of not more than 10.sup.17 /cm.sup.3 and an active region in which carrier mobility is 10.sup.-3 cm.sup.2 /V.sec or more, or N-type amorphous silicon prepared by doping said intrinsic amorphous silicon with an N-type impurity, or both thereof, and a second thin film which is formed on one surface of the active region of said first thin film, thereby forming a potential barrier therewith, said second thin film being light transmissive;

• wherein the solar cell element has a laminated structure comprising 2 to 10 layers stacked successively on each other, each layer consisting of a first thin film which is constituted of an intrinsic amorphous silicon film and an N-type amorphous silicon film, a second thin film which is formed on the side of said intrinsic amorphous silicon film and constituted of a P-type amorphous silicon film and a third thin film which is a thin cermet film.