Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.

Masao Isomura

Masaki Shima

Katsutoshi Takeda

Toshihiro Kinoshita

A ZnO buffer layer having an electric conductivity of 1&#xd7;10S/cm or lower or alternatively a ZnO buffer layer having a diffraction peak of a crystal face other than (002) and (004) in X-ray diffraction is formed on a substrate by sputtering. A ZnO semiconductor layer is formed on the ZnO buffer layer. The ZnO semiconductor layer is formed under the condition that the flow rate ratio of an oxygen gas in a sputtering gas is lower than that in the formation of the ZnO buffer layer.

Method for forming ZnO film, method for forming ZnO semiconductor layer, method for fabricating semiconductor device, and semiconductor device

This invention provides a photovoltaic device including an n-type microcrystalline Si layer, an i-type microcrystalline SiGe layer, and a p-type microcrystalline Si layer laminated on a substrate and using a thin microcrystalline silicon based semiconductor layer as a photoactive layer. The i-type microcrystalline SiGe layer is a microcrystalline SiGe layer which a Ge composition ratio is 20-40 at. %, a signal intensity of a Ge&mdash;Ge bond is 30-60% of a signal intensity of a Si&mdash;Si bond observed by the Raman spectroscopy, and a signal intensity of a Si&mdash;Ge bond is between those of the above two signal intensities.

Photovoltaic device

An amorphous silicon germanium thin film is disclosed which contains hydrogen and germanium in concentrations of 5-10 atomic percent and 40-55 atomic percent, respectively for exhibiting the optical gap in the range of 1.30-1.40 eV. Also disclosed is a photovoltaic element incorporating the amorphous silicon germanium thin film.

Growing community of inventors

Hiratsuka, Japan

Masao Isomura