TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Composition: The absorber layer contains inorganic material(s) chosen from titania (TiO2), nanocrystalline TiO2, zinc oxide (ZnO), copper oxide (CuO), zirconium oxide, lanthanum oxide, niobium oxide, tin oxide, indium oxide, indium-tin oxide (ITO), vanadium oxide, molybdenum oxide, tungsten oxide, strontium oxide, calcium/titanium oxide, sodium titanate, potassium niobate, cadmium selenide (CdSe), cadmium sulfide (CdS), copper sulfide (Cu2S), cadmium telluride (CdTe), cadmium-tellurium selenide (CdTeSe), copper-indium selenide (CuInSe2), cadmium oxide (CdOx) and semiconductive material. The diffusion barrier layer contains chromium, vanadium, tungsten, glass, tantalum nitride, tungsten nitride, titanium nitride, zirconium nitride, hafnium nitride, silicon nitride, oxides and/or carbides. The electrode layer comprises molybdenum, copper, silver, aluminum and niobium.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Composition: The absorber layer contains material(s) chosen from oligomeric material, micro-crystalline silicon, inorganic nanorods dispersed in organic matrix, inorganic tetrapods dispersed in organic matrix, quantum dot materials, ionic conducting polymer gels, sol-gel nanocomposites containing ionic liquid, ionic conductors, fullerene and low molecular weight organic hole conductors.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Composition: The absorber layer contains organic material(s) chosen from conjugated polymer, poly(phenylene) and their derivatives, poly(phenylene vinylene) and their derivatives (such as poly-2-methoxy-5-(2-ethyl-hexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene (MEH-PPV), poly(para-phenylene vinylene) (PPV)), PPV copolymers, poly(thiophene) and their derivatives (such as poly(3-octylthiophene-2,5,-diyl), poly(3-octylthiophene-2,5,-diyl), poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl), poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl)), poly(thienylene vinylene) and their derivatives, and poly(isothianaphthene) and their derivatives, 2,2'7,7'-tetrakis(N,N-di-p-methoxyphenyl-amine)-9,9'-spirobifluorene, organometallic polymers, polymers containing perylene units, poly(squaraines) and their derivatives, and discotic liquid crystals, organic pigments or dyes, ruthenium-based dye, liquid iodide/triiodide electrolyte, azo-dyes having azo linking aromatic groups, phthalocyanines including metal-free phthalocyanine, perylenes, perylene derivatives, copper pthalocyanines, zinc pthalocyanines, naphthalocyanines, squaraines, merocyanines and their derivatives, poly(silanes), poly(germinates), pentacene derivatives and/or pentacene precursors.