Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Makoto Higashikawa

Masafumi Sano

Koichi Matsuda

Takaharu Kondo

Hajime Ikeda

Ryo Hayashi

Toshimitsu Kariya

Atsushi Shiozaki

Nobuo Tokutake

Tetsuro Nakamura

A display apparatus using electroplating on an electrode for modulating light includes a layer formed on the electrode. The layer has an insulator with a gap therein, and conductive fine particles are dispersed in the gap.

Reflection type display apparatus

A stacked photovoltaic element comprising a plurality of unit photovoltaic elements each composed of a pn- or pin-junction, connected to each other in series, wherein a zinc oxide layer is provided at least one position between the unit photovoltaic elements, and the zinc oxide layer has resitivity varying in the thickness direction.

Stacked photovoltaic element and method for producing the same

A reflection type display apparatus using an electroplating for modulating light includes a first electrode, a second electrode, and an electrolyte solution arranged between the first and second electrodes. A first electroplating is formed from the electrolyte solution onto the first electrode by setting a first direction of current flowing between the first and second electrodes, and a second electroplating is formed from the electrolyte solution onto the second electrode by setting a second direction of current flowing between the first and second electrodes. A first surface of the first electroplating is formed on the first electrode such that the first electroplating contacts the first electrode through the first surface and is different in at least one of a light reflectance and a light absorptance from a second surface of the second electroplating formed on the second electrode such that the second electroplating does not contact the second electrode through the second surface. Displaying is performed by a reflection light from the first surface in case that the first electroplating is formed on the first electrode, while a displaying is performed by a reflection light from the second surface in case that the second electroplating is formed on the second electrode.

The present invention provides a method of forming a semiconductor device that has a plurality of pin junctions comprising silicon films formed on a substrate by using a radio-frequency plasma CVD method, including: forming a first semiconductor layer; covering a surface of the first semiconductor layer with a member containing water with a content of 0.01 to 0.5 wt % so as to contact each other; removing the member; and forming a second semiconductor layer on the first semiconductor layer. According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently form a semiconductor device having a multi-layer structure where a number of silicon thin films are laminated, to form a semiconductor device having less variation in characteristics among lots and having more excellent uniformity and characteristics, and to provide a semiconductor device excelling in adhesion and environmental resistance.

Method of forming semiconductor device

The present invention provides a substrate with a transparent conductive layer comprising at least one layer stacked on a supporting substrate, wherein the surface of the transparent conductive layer has a distribution of inclination arctan (df/dx) in the range of sampling length dx between 20 nm and 100 nm when a distance of the surface of said transparent conductive layer from the surface of said supporting substrate is regarded as f being a normal distribution having a kurtosis of &#x2212;1.2 to 0.5 around 0&#xb0; and a standard deviation of 20&#xb0; to 55&#xb0;, and a photovoltaic element using the substrate. The substrate can be produced at a high yield and a low cost suitable for practical use and has a high reliability. In addition, a photovoltaic element having a high photoelectric conversion efficiency is obtained when the substrate is used in manufacturing it.

Substrate with transparent conductive layer, and photovoltaic element

A silicon based film is provided which comprises a crystal phase formed on a substrate with a surface shape represented by a function f, wherein the silicon-based film is formed on a substrate with a surface shape having a standard deviation of an inclination arctan (df/dx) from 15&deg; to 55&deg; within the range of a sampling length dx from 20 nm to 100 nm. Raman scattering strength resulting from an amorphous component in the silicon-based film is not more than a Raman scattering strength resulting from a crystalline component. A difference between a spacing in a direction parallel to a principal surface of the substrate and a spacing of a single crystal silicon is within the range of 0.2% to 1.0% with regard to the spacing of the single crystal silicon.

Silicon-based film and photovoltaic element

A film, typically a silicon-based film, is formed on a substrate by means of a plasma CVD process using a high frequency wave in a condition where a resistance element made of a different material than that of the substrate is provided on the electric path between the substrate and the earth. The resultant film shows a high quality and an improved adhesion strength while it can be formed at a practically high rate.

Method of forming crystalline silicon film by CVD

In a high frequency plasma CVD using a source gas comprising a silicon halide and hydrogen, the value of Q defined by Q&equals;P &times;P /S/d is controlled so as to be 50 or more, wherein P (W) is a supplied power, S (cm ) is the area of a high frequency introducing electrode, d (cm) is a distance between the high frequency introducing electrode and a substrate, and P (mTorr) is a pressure. Thereby, a method of forming a silicon thin film, a silicon thin film and a photovoltaic element excellent in photoelectric characteristics are provided which attain a film forming rate of an industrially practical level.

Method of forming silicon-based thin film

A silicon-based film of excellent photoelectric characteristics can be obtained by introducing a source gas containing silicon halide and hydrogen into the interior of a vacuum vessel, at least a part of the interior being covered with a silicon-containing solid, generating plasma in the space of the interior of the vacuum vessel, and forming a silicon-based film on a substrate provided in the interior of the vacuum vessel.

Silicon-based film, formation method therefor and photovoltaic element

A process for forming a microcrystalline silicon series thin film by arranging a long substrate in a vacuum chamber so as to oppose an electrode provided in the vacuum chamber and while transporting the long substrate in a longitudinal direction, causing glow discharge between the electrode and the long substrate to deposit the microcrystalline silicon series thin film on the long substrate, wherein a plurality of bar-like shaped electrodes as the electrode are arranged such that they are perpendicular to a normal line of the long substrate and their intervals to the long substrate are all or partially different. The glow discharge is caused using a high frequency power with an oscillation frequency in a range of from 50 MHz to 550 MHz, whereby depositing the microcrystalline series thin film on the long substrate. An apparatus suitable for practicing the process is included.

Process for forming a microcrystalline silicon series thin film and apparatus suitable for practicing said process

A photovoltaic element having a stacked structure comprising a first semiconductor layer containing no crystalline phase, a second semiconductor layer containing approximately spherical microcrystalline phases, and a third semiconductor layer containing pillar microcrystalline phases which are stacked in this order, wherein said spherical microcrystalline phases of said second semiconductor layer on the side of said third semiconductor layer have an average size which is greater than that of said spherical microcrystalline phases of said second semiconductor layer on the side of said first semiconductor layer.

Microcrystalline series photovoltaic element and process for fabrication of same

A photovoltaic element has a first conduction type semiconductor layer,of the n,-type or the p,-type, an intrinsic semiconductor layer,of the i-type, and a second conduction type semiconductor layer,of the p,-type or the n,-type successively stacked on a substrate,. When a unit,is defined as a set of a first microcrystal silicon base semiconductor layer,and a second microcrystal silicon base semiconductor layer,of mutually different absorption coefficients at 800 nm, the i-type layer,includes at least two such units. This makes it possible to provide the photovoltaic element that can absorb the light efficiently with avoiding the light degradation phenomenon (Staebler-Wronski effect) specific to amorphous semiconductors and that has good electric characteristics (mobility &mgr;, lifetime &tgr;) and the like.

Photovoltaic element and solar cell module

A method of manufacturing a photoelectric transducer forms a functional film on a conductive substrate. The method comprises applying ultrasonic cleaning with a cleaning liquid containing water to the conductive substrate, then allowing the surface of the conductive substrate to contact purified water so as to import uniform oxidation and then forming the functional film thereon. The functional film is characterized in being formed with a metal layer as light-reflecting layer, a reflection enhancing layer, and a semiconductor photovoltaic device layer, prepared by a plasma CVD method, comprising a non-monocrystalline material containing silicon atoms as the matrix.

Method of manufacturing photoelectric transducer with improved

This invention is to provide a photovoltaic element capable of improving the production yield in the manufacturing process and the reliability such as the weather resistance and the durability, while also improving the photoelectric conversion efficiency by the light enclosing effect. For attaining such object, the photovoltaic element is featured by a fact that the transparent conductive layer, positioned between the substrate and the semiconductor layers, is provided, at a face in contact with the semiconductor layers, with a fractal structure of a fractal dimension D within a range of 1.01.ltoreq.D.ltoreq.1.20 at least within a dimensional range from 40 to 400 nm.

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Nara, Japan

Makoto Higashikawa