[2] Amorphous silicon has been used as a photovoltaic solar cell material for devices which require very little power, such as pocket calculators, because their lower performance compared to conventional crystalline silicon solar cells is more than offset by their lower cost and simplified deposition onto a substrate.
The first solar-powered (non-scientific) calculators available in the late 1970s included the Royal Solar 1, the Sharp EL-8026, and the Teal Photon.
Solar calculators use liquid crystal displays, as they are power-efficient and capable of operating in the low-voltage range of 1.5–2 V. Some models also use a light pipe to converge light onto the solar cells.
[7] The use of Anylite technology in modern TI calculators is denoted by a lowercase "a" at the end of the model number (e.g. TI-30a).
[8] As of the 2010s, some cheap calculators include a "dummy" solar panel, implying that they are solar-powered, but they are actually powered only by battery.