What types of materials are used in making a solar / PV (photovoltaic) cell?
The most widely used material for PV cells is silicon, a semiconductor. The silicon is “doped” (that is, it has a certain amount of impurities placed into the silicon crystal) with either boron or phosphorus to give it the properties needed to be a PV cell and give up electrons when exposed to light. The photons of light (photons are actually small particles of light) “knock” the electrons out of the outside band of the silicon atom and that is what creates the PV effect.
