Is my understanding of the working principle of a solar cell correct?

[JC2000]

TL;DR Summary

Need help verifying my understanding of the working principle of a solar cell.

1. Photons having enough energy to transmit an electron from the conduction band to the valence band must fall on the solar cell.
2. The cell is composed of a flat PN diode with the n-type layer on top.
3. As photons hit the n-layer, electrons and holes get formed.
4. Due to the voltage barrier across the PN junction the electrons remain in the n-layer while the holes 'flow' across the depletion region towards the p-layer (due to the electric field developed across the depletion zone) thereby preventing the holes and electrons from recombining. (The cell is designed such that the carriers get separated before recombination can occur)
5. If an external circuit is connected then the electrons flow through it from the n-layer towards the p-layer.

 

[Charles Link]

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photodiode
My understanding of it is that photoelectrons (and there is a corresponding hole= making for an electron-hole pair) are generated basically in the p region (as minority carriers) and are electrostatically pulled across the junction to the n region. In the completed circuit, the electrons then go back into the p region to combine with the excess holes that resulted from the incident light. (Once the photoelectrons have reached the n region, there is an electrostatic imbalance, resulting in a photovoltaic voltage, that will drive the electrons back to the p side in a completed circuit).
Note that a diffusion current of electrons from the n side to the p side creates the first electrostatic force above, that will pull the minority carrier in the p side across the junction to the n side.
I'm not a complete expert here, so please try to verify my statements, rather than taking them as necessarily one hundred per cent correct.