Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Nec Corporation

Takaharu Kondo

Masafumi Sano

Koichi Matsuda

Akira Sakai

Ryo Hayashi

Makoto Higashikawa

Yusuke Miyamoto

Noboru Toyama

Shotaro Okabe

Yuichi Sonoda

Shuichiro Sugiyama

Masumitsu Iwata

Hideo Tamura

Yukiko Iwasaki

Kozo Arao

Toshimitsu Kariya

Akiya Nakayama

Tadashi Sawayama

Yuzo Koda

Koichiro Moriyama

Tomonori Nishimoto

Atsushi Yasuno

Katsumi Nakagawa

Satoru Yamada

Keishi Saito

Yasuyoshi Takai

Takahiro Yajima

Yoshinori Sugiura

Torahiko Kanda

Hiroyuki Ozaki

Tadashi Hori

Atsushi Shiozaki

Hiroshi Ikakura

Yasuhiro Otsuka

Naoto Okada

Kazuhiro Ikuina

Toshihiro Yamashita

Takashi Usui

Takeshi Shishido

Toru Eto

Yutaka Nishio

Katsuhiro Notsu

A method for manufacturing a solid-state image pickup device that includes a substrate including a photoelectric conversion unit and a waveguide arranged on the substrate, the waveguide corresponding to the photoelectric conversion unit and including a core and a cladding, includes a first step and a second step, in which in the first step and the second step, a member to be formed into the core is formed in an opening in the cladding by high-density plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, and in which after the first step, in the second step, the member to be formed into the core is formed by the high-density plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition under conditions in which the ratio of a radio-frequency power on the back face side of the substrate to a radio-frequency power on the front face side of the substrate is higher than that in the first step.

Solid-state image pickup device and method for manufacturing solid-state image pickup device

The method includes a step of forming a mask having an opening, for forming an opening in multiple insulating films, above a semiconductor substrate on which a member becoming a first insulating film, a member becoming a second insulating film being different from the member becoming the first insulating film, a member becoming a third insulating film, and a member becoming a fourth insulating film being different from the member becoming the third insulating film are stacked in this order; a first step of continuously removing the member becoming the fourth insulating film and the member becoming the third insulating film at a portion corresponding to the opening of the mask; and a second step of removing the member becoming the second insulating film, after the first step, at a portion corresponding to the opening of the mask.

Method of producing semiconductor device and method of producing solid-state image pickup device

A method of forming a laminate and a method of manufacturing a photovoltaic device using the laminate are provided. The laminate forming method includes a first step of forming an intermediate layer on a base member, and a second step of forming a metal layer on the intermediate layer, the adhesion of the metal layer to the base member being lower than that of the intermediate layer, the reflectance of the metal layer being higher than that of the intermediate layer. The rate of formation of the metal layer is increased at an intermediate stage in the second step. The laminate thereby formed has improved characteristics and is capable of maintaining improved reflection characteristics and adhesion even under high-temperature and high-humidity conditions or during long-term use.

Method of forming laminate and method of manufacturing photovoltaic device

A film of zinc oxide electrochemically deposited from an aqueous solution is subjected to heat treatment at a temperature equal to or higher than 150&#xb0; C. and equal to or lower than 400&#xb0; C. in a nitrogen or inert gas atmosphere that contains oxygen, thereby obtaining a zinc oxide film that is low in electric resistance without impairing the light transmittance of the zinc oxide film.

Zinc oxide film treatment method and method of manufacturing photovoltaic device utilizing the same

A method of forming a silicon-based thin film according to the present invention comprises introducing a source gas containing silicon fluoride and hydrogen into a vacuum vessel, and using a high frequency plasma CVD method to form a silicon-based thin film on a substrate introduced into the vacuum vessel, wherein a luminous intensity attributed to SiF&#x3b1; (440 nm) is not smaller than a luminous intensity attributed to H&#x3b1; (656 nm), thereby providing a photovoltaic element with excellent performance at a low cost as compared with a conventional one, a method of forming a silicon-based thin film with excellent characteristics in a short process cycle time at a further increased film-forming rate, a silicon-based thin film formed by the method, and a photovoltaic element comprising the silicon-based thin film with excellent characteristics, adhesion, and resistance to the environments.

Method of forming silicon-based thin film, silicon-based thin film, and photovoltaic element

There is provided an apparatus for forming a plurality of silicon-based thin films on a substrate using a plurality of deposited film forming vessels that can form silicon-based thin films of higher quality and excellent uniformity by applying a high frequency power of a first frequency selected from the range between 30 MHz and 500 MHz to a power-applying electrode in a deposited film forming vessel wherein the distance between the power-supplying electrode and the substrate is 10 mm&#xb1;5 mm, and by supplying a high frequency power of a second frequency selected from the range between 10 MHz and 30 MHz to a power-supplying electrode in a deposited film forming vessel wherein the distance between the power-supplying electrode and the substrate is 20 mm&#xb1;5 mm.

Silicon-based thin film forming apparatus, silicon-based thin film forming method and semiconductor element

The invention provides a semiconductor element having a semiconductor junction composed of silicon-based films, at least one of the silicon-based films containing a microcrystal. The microcrystal is located in at least one interface region of the silicon-based film containing the microcrystal and has no orientation property. Further, the invention provides a semiconductor element having a semiconductor junction composed of silicon-based films, at least one of the silicon-based films containing a microcrystal, and the orientation property of the microcrystal changing in a film thickness direction of the silicon-based film containing the microcrystal. Thereby, a silicon-based film having a shortened tact time, an increased film forming rate, and excellent characteristics, and a semiconductor element including this silicon-based film having excellent adhesion and environmental resistance can be obtained.

Semiconductor element, and method of forming silicon-based film

The method of the present invention is a method of forming a silicon-based semiconductor layer by introducing a source gas into a vacuum vessel and forming a silicon-based semiconductor layer containing a microcrystal on a substrate introduced into the vacuum vessel by plasma CVD, which comprises a first step of forming a first region with a source gas containing halogen atoms, and a second step of forming a second region on the first region under a condition where the source gas containing halogen atoms in the second step is lower in gas concentration than that of the first step, thereby providing a method of forming a silicon-based semiconductor layer having an excellent photoelectric characteristic at a film forming rate of an industrially practical level and a photovoltaic element using the silicon-based semiconductor layer formed by the method.

Method of forming silicon-based thin film, method of forming silicon-based semiconductor 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 process for forming a silicon-based film on a substrate according to the present invention, the substrate has a temperature gradient in the thickness direction thereof in the formation of the silicon-based film and the temperature gradient is made such that a deposition surface of the substrate has a higher temperature than a backside or the direction of the temperature gradient is reversed. With this configuration, the present invention provides a silicon-based thin film having good properties at a high deposition rate and provides a semiconductor device including it. The present invention also provides a semiconductor device including the silicon-based thin films that has good adhesion and weather-resisting properties and that can be manufactured in a short tact time.

Process for forming a silicon-based film on a substrate using a temperature gradient across the substrate axis

A silicon-based film is formed superimposing a direct-current potential on the high-frequency power to set the potential of the high-frequency power feed section to a potential which is lower by V than the ground potential; the V satisfying &verbar;V &verbar;&lE;&verbar;V &verbar;&lE;50&times;&verbar;V &verbar;, where V is the potential difference from the ground potential, produced in the electrode in the state the plasma has taken place under the same conditions except that the direct-current potential is not superposed on the high-frequency power and the electrode is brought into a non-grounded state. This can provide a silicon-based film having superior characteristics at a high film formation rate, and a semiconductor device making use of this silicon-based film, having superior adherence, environmental resistance, and can enjoy a short tact time at the time of manufacture.

Silicon-based film formation process, silicon-based film, semiconductor device, and silicon-based film formation system

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

Growing community of inventors

Kyoto, Japan

Takaharu Kondo