Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Mitsuyuki Niwa

Tatsuyuki Aoike

Masafumi Sano

Keishi Saito

Toshimitsu Kariya

Masahiko Tonogaki

Keishi Saitoh

Ryo Hayashi

Yasushi Fujioka

Yuzo Koda

Jinsho Matsuyama

Eiji Takeuchi

Yuzou Kouda

Ryou Hayashi

Isamu Shimizu

Shunichi Ishihara

Tsutomu Murakami

Kozo Arao

Koichi Matsuda

Hisami Tanaka

Takayoshi Arai

Yuzo Kohda

A solar cell has a semiconductor layer sandwiched between first and second electrodes, wherein a zinc oxide layer containing carbon atoms, nitrogen atoms, or carbon and nitrogen atoms is located between the semiconductor layer and at least one of the first and second electrodes. The density of carbon atoms, nitrogen atoms, or carbon and nitrogen atoms in the zinc oxide layer is constant or continuously changed within the range of 5 atm % or less.

Method of manufacturing a solar cell by formation of a zinc oxide

A pin type photovoltaic element having an electroconductive substrate and a cell stacked with an n-type semiconductor layer, an i-type semiconductor layer and a p-type semiconductor, all composed of a non-single crystal material containing silicon, and featuring an intermediate layer. The intermediate layer composed of non-single material containing silicon atoms as the matrix and atoms of elements belonging to Group IIIA and VA of the periodic table is between the i-type conductor layer and the p-type conductor layer or the n-type semiconductor layer. The intermediate layer may contain carbon atoms and/or germanium atoms.

Pin amorphous silicon photovoltaic element with counter-doped

A non-monocrystalline silicon semiconductor device having a pin junction is formed by forming a first doped semiconductor layer of a first conductivity disposed on a substrate. A first intrinsic layer is deposited on the first doped semiconductor layer employing RF energy. A second intrinsic layer is deposited on the first intrinsic layer employing microwave energy and RF energy simultaneously. A semiconductor precursor gas, including germanium and a semiconductor precursor gas including silicon are supplied to the second intrinsic layer during its formation. The content of the semiconductor precursor gas containing germanium is greater than the semiconductor gas including silicon in the layer thickness direction in the second intrinsic layer at a P-layer side. A second doped semiconductor layer is deposited on the second intrinsic layer.

Forming a non-monocrystalline silicone semiconductor having pin junction

An object of the present invention is to provide a photoelectrical conversion device in which recombination of carriers excited by light is prevented and the open voltage and the carrier range of positive holes are improved and to provide a generating system using the photoelectrical conversion device. The photoelectrical conversion device includes a p-layer, an i-layer, and an n-layer, wherein the photoelectrical conversion device being formed by stacking the p-layer, the i-layer and the n-layer each of which is made of non-single-crystal silicon semiconductor, the i-layer contains germanium atoms, the band gap of the i-layer is smoothly changed in a direction of the thickness of the i-layer, the minimum value of the band gap is positioned adjacent to the p-layer from the central position of the i-layer and both of a valence control agent to serve as a donor and another valence control agent to serve as an acceptor are doped into the i-layer. Further, at least either of the p-layer or the n-layer is formed into a stacked structure consisting of a layer mainly composed of group III elements of the periodic table and/or group V elements of the same and a layer containing the valence control agent and mainly composed of silicon atoms.

Photoelectrical conversion device and generating system using the same

A method of quickly depositing a non-single-crystal semiconductor film and forming a silicon-type non-single-crystal photovoltaic device, and a method of continuously manufacturing the photovoltaic devices. By this method the deposited film is formed by decomposing a raw material gas with microwave energy which is lower than the microwave energy required to completely decompose the raw material gas. RF energy is applied at the same time which is higher in energy than the microwave energy. The microwave energy acts on the raw material gas at an internal pressure level of 50 mTorr or lower to form a uniform non-single-crystal semiconductor film with excellent electrical characteristics and reduced light deterioration.

Deposited film forming apparatus

The present invention provides a photovoltaic element in which the open-circuit voltage and the path length of holes are improved by preventing the recombination of photoexcited carriers. The p-i-n junction type photovoltaic element is composed of a p-type layer, an i-type layer of a laminated structure consisting of an i-type layer formed by RF plasma CVD on the p-type layer side and an i-type layer formed by microwave (.mu.W) CVD on the n-type layer side, or an i-type layer formed by microwave (.mu.W) plasma CVD on the p-type layer side and an i-type layer formed by RF plasma CVD on the n-type layer side, characterized in that the i-type layer formed by .mu.W plasma CVD is formed by a process in which a lower .mu.W energy and a higher RF energy than the .mu.W energy needed to decompose 100% of the source gas are simultaneously applied to a source gas containing Si and Ge at a pressure of 50 mTorr or less, such that the minimum value of the bandgap is shifted toward the p-type layer side, away from the center of the i-type layer, and the i-type layer formed by RF plasma CVD is formed 30 nm thick or less by using a source gas containing a silicon-containing gas at a deposition rate of 2 nm/sec or less.

Photoelectric conversion element and power generation system using the

Method of manufacturing a solar cell

An apparatus for repairing a defective semiconductor device having an electrically short-circuited portion, wherein the semiconductor device includes a semiconductor thin film and a conductive thin film disposed in the named order on a conductive surface of a substrate and in which the conductive thin film and the conductive surface of the substrate are electrically short-circuited at a pinhole occurring in the semiconductor thin film to form an electrically short-circuited portion so that the semiconductor device is defective. The apparatus includes a substrate holding unit for holding the substrate of the defective semiconductor device and an electrode arranged above the substrate holding unit so that, when the defective semiconductor is positioned on the substrate holding unit, there is a predetermined distance between the electrode and the conductive thin film of the defective semiconductor device, the electrode being capable of moving in relation to the substrate of the defective semiconductor device. The apparatus further includes a voltage applying unit for applying a desired voltage to the electrode, wherein discharge is caused between the electrode and the conductive thin film of the defective semiconductor device by applying a desired voltage to the electrode through the voltage applying means to thereby modify a region of the conductive thin film of the defective semiconductor device in electrical contact with the conductive surface of the substrate of the defective semiconductor device.

Apparatus for repairing an electrically short-circuited semiconductor

Photovoltaic device and a forming method thereof

A non-single crystalline semiconductor containing at least one kind of atoms selected from the group consisting of silicon atoms (Si) and germanium atoms (Ge) as a matrix, and at least one kind of atoms selected from the group consisting of hydrogen atoms (H) and halogen atoms (X), wherein said non-single crystalline semiconductor has an average radius of 3.5 .ANG. or less and a density of 1.times.10.sup.19 (cm.sup.-3) or less as for microvoids contained therein. The non-single crystalline semiconductor excels in semiconductor characteristics and adhesion with other materials and are effectively usable as a constituent element of various semiconductor devices.

Si- and/or Ge-containing non-single crystalline semiconductor film with

A solar cell having a semiconductor layer has a structure in which a first electrode, a semiconductor layer, and a second electrode are stacked on a substrate, wherein a zinc oxide layer containing a transition metal is located between the semiconductor layer and at least one of the first and second electrodes and the density of the transition metal in the zinc oxide layer is continuously changed within a range of not less than 1 atm. ppm to not more than 5 atm %.

Solar cell

A solar cell comprising a conductive substrate and semiconductor layers laminated on the conductive substrate, said laminate comprising a p-type layer composed of a non-single crystal Si material, an i-type layer serving as an active layer and an n-type layer, wherein a diamond layer having an uneven surface and containing a valence electron controlling agent is interposed between the conductive substrate and the semiconductor layers.

A method for repairing a defective semiconductor device, the defective semiconductor device including a semiconductor thin film and a conductive thin film, disposed in the named order, on a conductive surface of a substrate, such that the conductive thin film and the conductive surface of the substrate are electrically short-circuited at a pinhole occurring in the semiconductor thin film to form an electrically short-circuited portion. The method includes the steps of applying desired a voltage through an electrode positioned above a surface of the defective semiconductor device, and moving the electrode along the surface of the defective semiconductor device while maintaining a distance between the electrode and the conductive thin film sufficient to allow a discharge to occur when the electrode is above the electrically short-circuited portion, such that the discharge modifies a region of the conductive thin film which is in electrical contact with the conductive surface of the substrate, to establish an electrically noncontacted state between the conductive thin film and the conductive surface of the substrate.

Method for repairing an electrically short-circuited semiconductor

A reflective solar cell substrate comprising a base member composed of a metallic material provided with irregularities at the surface thereof and a buffer layer disposed on said base member so as to cover the entire of said irregularities at the surface of said base member, said buffer layer being composed of a substantially transparent or translucent and conductive material, said buffer layer being provided with irregularities at the surface thereof, and said irregularities at the surface of said buffer layer comprising a plurality of thickened convex portions and a plurality of thinned concave portions, said portions being alternately arranged. The reflective solar cell substrate reflects light reaching the substrate without being absorbed by the optically active layer at an effective angle, whereby the solar cell exhibits improved photovoltaic characteristics.

Growing community of inventors

Nagahama, Japan

Mitsuyuki Niwa