Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.

Shigeru Noguchi

Keiichi Sano

Hiroshi Iwata

Hiroyuki Kuriyama

Shoichiro Nakayama

Yukinori Kuwano

Kaneo Watanabe

Satoshi Ishida

Shoichi Nakano

Mitsugu Kobayashi

Hisao Uehara

Hiroaki Izu

Akira Terakawa

Yukio Nakashima

Masato Nishikuni

Saburo Nakashima

Shinya Tsuda

Noriyuki Mori

Makoto Tanaka

Takeo Tsutsumi

The disclosure relates to a photovoltaic device comprising a transparent electrode, one conductive type amorphous semiconductor, another conductive type crystal semiconductor, an intrinsic amorphous semiconductor, another conductive type amorphous semiconductor and a metal electrode and having a first semiconductor junction composed of the one conductive type amorphous semiconductor and the another conductive type crystal semiconductor, and a second semiconductor junction composed of the another type crystal semiconductor and the another conductive type amorphous semiconductor, wherein the transparent electrode is located on light incident side of the one conductive type amorphous semiconductor, the metal electrode is located on another side, the intrinsic amorphous semiconductor is located between the another conductive type crystal semiconductor and the another conductive type amorphous semiconductor, the first semiconductor junction is located on the light incident side, and the second semiconductor junction is located on the another side. In the device, the crystal semiconductor is composed single-crystalline semiconductor or polycrystalline semiconductor.

Photovoltaic device

The disclosure relates to a semiconductor device comprising silicon having a substrate composed of low grade silicon, a silicon layer whose silicon purity is higher than that of the low grade silicon formed on the substrate and an electrode formed on the silicon layer. In the device, the low grade silicon may be selected from metallurgical grade silicon and silicon whose purity is less than 99.99%, and the silicon layer may be over 99.999% purity or semiconductor grade.

Photovoltaic device having a semiconductor grade silicon layer formed on

A photovoltaic device has a transparent substrate, a transparent electrode layer, a photovoltaic layer, and a back electrode which are stacked in this order. The photovoltaic layer has a p-type a-SiC layer provided on the transparent electrode layer, a buffer layer provided on the p-type a-SiC layer, a photosensitive layer provided on the buffer layer, and an n-type semiconductor layer provided on the photosensitive layer. The buffer layer is an a-SiC layer first deposited on the p-type a-SiC layer and then subjected to a plasma treatment. The plasma treatment should be carried out using a gas selected from a group consisting of hydrogen (H.sub.2), Argon (Ar), Helium (He), Neon (Ne), Krypton (Kr), and Xenon (Xe). In the device, the buffer layer may be composed of a microcrystalline SiC layer or an amorphous SiC layer. The buffer layer may have a thickness ranging from about 10 .ANG. to about 100 .ANG., and may be formed by a plasma-CVD process.

Photovoltaic device and manufacturing method therefor

A photovoltaic device includes an i-type amorphous silicon thin film and a p-type amorphous silicon thin film arranged on portions of an n-type crystalline silicon substrate, a collecting electrode arranged on the amorphous silicon thin film, and an insulating layer arranged around the portions where the amorphous silicon thin film is formed. Thus, a pin junction is formed only below the collecting electrode.

A mold of crystalline silicon having a textured surface is placed on an amorphous silicon film so that projecting portions of the textured surface are in contact with a surface of the silicon film. The amorphous silicon film is then heated for crystallizing the same by solid phase epitaxy, thereby forming a crystalline silicon film having a textured surface corresponding to that of the mold.

Method of forming crystalline silicon film and solar cell obtained

A photovoltaic device including a substrate, a first electrode layer provided on the substrate, a photoelectric conversion layer provided on the first electrode, and a second electrode layer provided on the photoelectric conversion layer. A discontinuous interfacial layer is provided at at least one of the interfaces between a first conductivity type layer and a photoactive layer provided in the photoelectric conversion layer, between the photoactive layer and a second, opposite conductivity type layer of the photoelectric conversion layer, and between the photoelectric conversion layer and the second electrode layer. The at least one interface provided with the discontinuous interfacial layer may be so textured that portions of the interface not provided with interfacial layers project toward the substrate.

A manufacturing method of a thin film transistor, wherein a laminated body consisting of an intrinsic amorphous silicon layer and a conductive amorphous silicon layer is formed on a glass substrate, and annealed at low temperatures not higher than 600.degree. C. thereby obtaining a polycrystalline silicon film. The conductive amorphous silicon layer gives girth to a core for polycrystallization, and therefore the intrinsic amorphous silicon layer is easily recrystallized by annealing at low temperatures.

Manufacturing method of thin film transistor

An electrostatic motor for use as a power generating mechanism to be mounted on a micromachine includes a rotatable semiconductor substrate and a drive electrode disposed in proximity to the substrate. The semiconductor substrate is doped with a specified impurity element to form electromagnetic wave-static electric converters of p-n junction. When the motor is to be started, the converter in the vicinity of the electrode is irradiated with electromagnetic waves to set up an electric field between the opposed surfaces of the converter and the electrode to rotate the substrate by an electrostatic force due to the electric field.

Micromachine

A phototransistor includes a monocrystalline semiconductor substrate of a first conductivity type, a crystalline semiconductor layer of a second conductivity type formed from a surface of the semiconductor substrate to a predetermined depth, a substantially intrinsic amorphous semiconductor layer formed on the crystalline semiconductor layer, and an amorphous semiconductor layer of the first conductivity type formed on the intrinsic amorphous semiconductor layer.

Phototransistor

A photovoltaic apparatus for directly converting light energy into electric energy, comprising a light shielding substrate, at least one surface of the light shielding substrate being a metal; a light transmitting insulating layer on the above surface; and a photovoltaic body on a surface of the insulating layer, the photovoltaic body including a light transmitting first electrode, an amorphous or microcrystal semiconductive layer, and a light transmitting second electrode laminated in this order, with the first electrode being in contact with the insulating layer.

Photovoltaic apparatus

A thin film transistor with a noncrystalline semiconductor film, wherein an amorphous semiconductor in a position corresponding to a channel between a source electrode and a drain electrode is polycrystallized, while on both side areas or around the polycrystallized area remains amorphous. The thin film transistor may be a noncrystalline semiconductor film with a heterojunction between a channel area and a source and drain area.

Thin film transistor

A thin film transistor and a photovoltaic cell wherein a polycrystalline semiconductive film, having a large grain size and high carrier mobility obtained by heat treatment of a polycrystalline semiconductive film, an amorphous semiconductive film, a microcrystalline semiconductive film or the like on a substrate with a textured surface, is used as a channel layer or a photo-activation layer, the textured surface being formed by etching one surface of the substrate or forming a textured thin film on the substrate. A method of manufacturing a polycrystalline semiconductive film, wherein a surface of a substrate is etched or a textured thin film is formed on the substrate to form a textured surface, and a polycrystalline semiconductive film, an amorphous semiconductive film, a microcrystalline semiconductive film or the like is formed on the textured surface, and the semiconductive film is polycrystallized by heat treatment.

Photovoltaic cell and method of manufacturing polycrystalline

A photovoltaic device includes a monocrystalline or polycrystalline semiconductor layer of one conductivity type, a substantially intrinsic substantially amorphous semiconductor layer having a predetermined thickness small enough to avoid producing carriers therein. The substantially intrinsic, substantially amorphous layer is formed on the one conductivity type semiconductor layer, and a substantially amorphous semiconductor layer of the opposite conductivity type is formed on the intrinsic, semiconductor layer.

A photovoltaic device according to the present invention has a buffer layer on a heat-resistant substrate for enhancing the adhesion characteristic of the substrate, a first semiconductor thin film including polycrystalline silicon of one conductivity type formed by a liquid phase growth method, and a second semiconductor thin film of opposite conductivity type, formed in this order.

Photovoltaic device and manufacturing method thereof

In a method of fabricating a semiconductor device according to the present invention, a semiconductor film is formed on a substrate, and an insulator film is formed so as to cover the semiconductor film. Then, a dopant source is arranged on the insulator film and then, a region for electrical contact is irradiated with a high-energy beam through the dopant source. Consequently, the insulator film and the semiconductor film in the irradiated region are melted, to form a polycrystalline contact region having impurities supplied from the dopant source doped therein. Thus, the high-energy beam is irradiated to the region for electrical contact through the dopant source to form the polycrystalline contact region, thereby to make it possible to omit the patterning process such as etching processing for providing a contact hole.

Growing community of inventors

Hirakata, Japan

Shigeru Noguchi