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   ocr: How does a solar cell work? PHOTON - 5 TERMINAL 2 IELECTRON - - * TERMINAL NUCLEUS Most solar cells are made ofsilicon, which is a "semiconductor." The properties of semiconductors are somewhere between those of conductors, which allow electric currents to pass, and insulators, which block currents. Depending on what's happening to a semiconductor how hot it is, for example - a semiconductor can be a good conductor or a good insulator. Silicon can be made in two different types, called "n-type" and "P-type." If you join a piece of n-type silicon to a piece of P-type, the region where they meet ...