National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology

Rohm Co., Ltd.

Other

Asahi Glass Company, Limited

Shigeru Niki

Paul Fons

Kakuya Iwata

Shogo Ishizuka

Akimasa Yamada

Ken Nakahara

Koji Matsubara

Keiichiro Sakurai

Hidemi Takasu

Tetsuhiro Tanabe

Osamu Matsushima

Kenichi Miyazaki

Masaki Takaoka

Hajime Shibata

Yuichi Yamamoto

Tetsuya Nakashima

Yutaka Kuroiwa

Takuji Maekawa

Hiroyuki Honmoto

Yasushi Kawamoto

Nobuaki Kido

Tomomi Abe

Hitoshi Tampo

The inventive photoelectric conversion device includes a substrate, a lower electrode layer provided on the substrate, a CIGS compound semiconductor layer provided on the lower electrode layer as covering the lower electrode layer, and a transparent electrode layer provided on the compound semiconductor layer, wherein the compound semiconductor layer has a maximum Ga content variation of not less than 5% as measured in a layer thickness direction, and a maximum In content variation of not less than 6% as measured in the layer thickness direction.

Photoelectric conversion device and method for manufacturing photoelectric conversion device

A solid state imaging device includes a circuit unit formed on a substrate and a photoelectric conversion unit. The photoelectric conversion circuit includes a lower electrode layer placed on the circuit unit, a compound semiconductor thin film of chalcopyrite structure which is placed on the lower electrode layer and functions as an optical absorption layer, and an optical transparent electrode layer placed on the compound semiconductor thin film. The lower electrode layer, the compound semiconductor thin film, and the optical transparent electrode layer are laminated one after another on the circuit unit.

Solid state imaging device and fabrication method for the same

There is provided a solar cell in which a lower electrode layer, a photoelectric conversion layer having a chalcopyrite structure that includes a Group Ib element, a Group IIIb element, and a Group VIb element, and an upper electrode layer are sequentially formed on top of a substrate, wherein the solar cell is provided with a silicate layer between the substrate and the lower electrode layer.

Solar cell and manufacturing method thereof

A glass substrate for a CIGS solar cell, having high cell efficiency and high glass transition temperature is provided. The glass substrate for a vapor-deposited CIGS film solar cell has a glass transition temperature of at least 580&#xb0; C. and an average thermal expansion coefficient of from 70&#xd7;10to 100&#xd7;10/&#xb0; C., wherein the ratio of the average total amount of Ca, Sr and Ba within from 10 to 40 nm in depth from the surface of the glass substrate to the total amount of Ca, Sr and Ba at 5,000 nm in depth from the surface of the glass substrate is at most 0.35, and the ratio of the average Na amount within from 10 to 40 nm in depth from the surface of the glass substrate after heat treatment to such average Na amount before the heat treatment is at least 1.5.

Glass substrate for Cu-In-Ga-Se solar cell and solar cell using same

A photoelectric conversion device has a high S/N ratio and can increase the detection efficiency even under a low luminance. The photoelectric conversion device generates an increased electric charge by impact ionization in a photoelectric conversion unit formed from a chalcopyrite type semiconductor, so as to improve dark current characteristic. The photoelectric conversion device includes: a lower electrode layer; a compound semiconductor thin film of chalcopyrite structure disposed on the lower electrode layer and having a high resistivity layer on a surface; and a transparent electrode layer disposed on the compound semiconductor thin film , wherein the lower electrode layer, the compound semiconductor thin film, and the transparent electrode layer are laminated one after another, and a reverse bias voltage is applied between the transparent electrode layer and the lower electrode layer, and the multiplication by the impact ionization of the electric charge generated by photoelectric conversion is generated within the compound semiconductor thin film. It is also possible to provide a fabrication method for such photoelectric conversion device, and a solid state imaging device using the photoelectric conversion device.

Photoelectric conversion device, fabrication method for the same, and solid state imaging device

An object of the present invention is to increase the light emission efficiency of a ZnO-based optical semiconductor device. An optical semiconductor device B has a structure which includes n-type ZnMgO (barrier layer)/ZnMgO (active layer)/p-type ZnMgO (barrier layer), and light is emitted from the active layer. Electrodesare respectively formed on barrier layers. By applying a voltage between the two electrodes, light is emitted from ZnO (active layer). Here, there are a relationship of x&#x3c;y and a relationship of x&#x3c;z. For instance, such values as x=0.1, y=0.15 and z=0.16 can be chosen. Otherwise, such values as x=0.15, y=0.25 and z=0.24 can be choose as well. In this case, by increasing the value x of the active layer, it is possible to shift its light emission wavelength to the shorter wavelength side. In addition, as shown in the above-described results, by increasing the value x, it is possible to enhance its light emission efficiency. For this reason, the optical semiconductor device is excellent as a light-emitting device.

Semiconductor device

A solid state imaging device with an easy structure in which have the high sensitivity which reaches the wide wavelength region from visible light to near infrared light wavelength region, and dark current is reduced, and a fabrication method for the same, are provided. A solid state imaging device and a fabrication method for the same, the solid state imaging device comprising: a circuit unit formed on a substrate; and a photoelectric conversion unit including a lower electrode layer placed on the circuit unit, a compound semiconductor thin film of chalcopyrite structure which is placed on the lower electrode layer and functions as an optical absorption layer, and an optical transparent electrode layer placed on the compound semiconductor thin film, wherein the lower electrode layer, the compound semiconductor thin film, and the optical transparent electrode layer are laminated one after another on the circuit unit.

A method for producing a semiconductor film having a chalcopyrite structure including a Ib group element, a IIIb group element and a VIb group element including selenium, the method including cracking selenium with plasma to generate radical selenium, and using the radical selenium in the process of forming the semiconductor film.

Method and apparatus for producing semiconductor films and related devices

A light emitting device includes a silicon substrate (), a silicon nitride film () formed on the surface of the silicon substrate (), at least an n-type layer (), () and a p-type layer (), () which are formed on the silicon nitride film () and also which are made of a ZnO based compound semiconductor, and a semiconductor layer lamination () in which layers are laminated to form a light emitting layer. Preferably this silicon nitride film () is formed by thermal treatment conducted in an atmosphere containing nitrogen such as an ammonium gas. Also, in another embodiment, a light emitting device is formed by growing a ZnO based compound semiconductor layer on a main face of a sapphire substrate, the main face being perpendicular to the C-face thereof. As a result, it is possible to obtain a device using a ZnO based compound with high properties such as an LED very excellent in crystallinity and having a high light emitting efficiency.

ZnO based compound semiconductor light emitting device and method for manufacturing the same

A light-emitting device includes a silicon substrate, a ZnOSSe layer provided on the silicon substrate that is lattice-matched to the silicon substrate, and a separate confinement heterostructure light-emitting layer that is provided on the ZnOSSe layer and includes an active layer and upper and lower clad layers.

ZnOSSe compound semiconductor, integrated circuit using the semiconductor and method of manufacturing the semiconductor and the integrated circuit

A light emitting device includes a silicon substrate ( ), a silicon nitride film ( ) formed on the surface of the silicon substrate ( ), at least an n-type layer ( ), ( ) and a p-type layer ( ), ( ) which are formed on the silicon nitride film ( ) and also which are made of a ZnO based compound semiconductor, and a semiconductor layer lamination ( ) in which layers are laminated to form a light emitting layer. Preferably this silicon nitride film ( ) is formed by thermal treatment conducted in an atmosphere containing nitrogen such as an ammonium gas. Also, in another embodiment, a light emitting device is formed by growing a ZnO based compound semiconductor layer on a main face of a sapphire substrate, the main face being perpendicular to the C-face thereof. As a result, it is possible to obtain a device using a ZnO based compound with high properties such as an LED very excellent in crystallinity and having a high light emitting efficiency.

ZnO compound semiconductor light emitting element

In the case in which a ZnO based oxide semiconductor layer is to be hetero-epitaxially grown on a substrate formed of a material which is different from that of a ZnO based oxide semiconductor, the ZnO based oxide semiconductor layer is grown at a high temperature of 500&deg; C. or more, and supply of oxygen is stopped and gradual cooling is carried out until a substrate temperature is lowered to 350&deg; C. or less after the growth of the ZnO based oxide semiconductor layer is completed. As a result, it is possible to suppress the generation of dislocations or crystal defects over an epitaxial grown layer based on the atmosphere while the substrate temperature is lowered after the growth of the semiconductor layer and a difference in a coefficient of thermal expansion, thereby obtaining a semiconductor device having a high quality ZnO based oxide semiconductor layer which has an excellent crystalline property and a semiconductor light emitting device having the high characteristics.

Method of manufacturing semiconductor device having ZnO based oxide semiconductor layer

A ZnO based oxide semiconductor layer is grown on a sapphire substrate by supplying, for example, raw materials made of Zn and O constituting ZnO and a p-type dopant material made of N without supplying an n-type dopant material (a-step). By stopping the supply of the material of O and further supplying an n-type dopant material made of Ga, the semiconductor layer is doped with the p-type dopant and the n-type dopant, thereby forming a p-type ZnO layer ( ) (b-step). By repeating the steps (a) and (b) plural times, a p-type ZnO based oxide semiconductor layer is grown. As a result, N to be the p-type dopant can be doped in a stable carrier concentration also during high temperature growth in which a residual carrier concentration can be reduced, and the carrier concentration of the p-type layer made of the ZnO based oxide semiconductor can be increased sufficiently.

Growing community of inventors

Tsukuba, Japan

Shigeru Niki