Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Tokuaki Kuniyoshi

Takeshi Kamikawa

Toshihiko Sakai

Masatomi Harada

Liumin Zou

Kazuya Tsujino

Kenichi Higashi

Tomohiro Kimura

Hidehito Kitakado

Tadayoshi Miyamoto

Kazuhide Tomiyasu

Sumio Katoh

Rihito Suganuma

n-type amorphous semiconductor layers () and p-type amorphous semiconductor layers () are alternately disposed on the back surface of a semiconductor substrate () so as to be separated from each other at a desired interval paralleled with the direction of the surface of the semiconductor substrate (). An electrode () is disposed on the n-type amorphous semiconductor layer (), and an electrode () is disposed on the p-type amorphous semiconductor layer (). A protective film () includes an insulating film, and is disposed on a passivation film (), the n-type amorphous semiconductor layer (), the p-type amorphous semiconductor layer (), and the electrodes (), so as to be in contact with the passivation film (), the n-type amorphous semiconductor layer (), the p-type amorphous semiconductor layer (), and the electrodes ().

Photovoltaic devices, photovoltaic modules provided therewith, and solar power generation systems

Provided is a photoelectric conversion device capable of suppressing diffusion of a dopant in a p layer or n layer into an adjacent layer. A photoelectric conversion device is provided with a silicon substrate, a substantially intrinsic amorphous layer formed on one surface of the silicon substrate, and a first conductive amorphous layer that is formed on the intrinsic amorphous layer. The first conductive amorphous layer includes a first concentration layer and a second concentration layer that is stacked on the first concentration layer. The dopant concentration of the second concentration layer is 8&#xd7;10cmor more, and is lower than the dopant concentration of the first concentration layer.

Photoelectric conversion device

In a photovoltaic device (), first amorphous semiconductor portions () and second amorphous semiconductor portions () are provided alternately on one of faces of a semiconductor substrate (). Each first amorphous semiconductor portion () has at least one first amorphous semiconductor strip (), and each second amorphous semiconductor portion () has at least one second amorphous semiconductor strip (). A plurality of first electrodes () are provided spaced apart from each other on each first amorphous semiconductor strip (), and a plurality of second electrodes () are provided spaced apart from each other on each second amorphous semiconductor strip ().

Photovoltaic device

A photovoltaic device and a photovoltaic module are provided that suppressing diffusion of boron and thereby improving conversion efficiency. A photovoltaic deviceincludes: a semiconductor substrate; an intrinsic amorphous semiconductor layerprovided on the semiconductor substrate; n-type amorphous semiconductor stripscontaining phosphorus as a dopant; and p-type amorphous semiconductor stripscontaining boron as a dopant, the n- and p-type amorphous semiconductor stripsandbeing provided alternately on the intrinsic amorphous semiconductor layeras viewed along an in-plane direction. Each n-type amorphous semiconductor stripincludes a reduced-thickness region TD(n) on a face thereof adjacent to one of the p-type amorphous semiconductor strips. Each p-type amorphous semiconductor stripincludes a reduced-thickness region TD(p) on a face thereof adjacent to one of the n-type amorphous semiconductor strips. The reduced-thickness region TD(p) of the p-type amorphous semiconductor striphas a steeper angle of inclination than does the reduced-thickness region TD(n) of the n-type amorphous semiconductor strip

A photovoltaic device () includes: an i-type amorphous semiconductor layer () formed in contact with one of the surfaces of a semiconductor substrate (); p-type amorphous semiconductor strips () spaced apart from each other and provided on the i-type amorphous semiconductor layer (); and n-type amorphous semiconductor strips () spaced apart from each other and provided on the i amorphous semiconductor layer (), each n-type amorphous semiconductor strip () being adjacent to at least one of the p-type amorphous semiconductor strips () as traced along an in-plane direction of the semiconductor substrate (). The photovoltaic device () further includes electrodes () as a protection layer formed in contact with the i-type amorphous semiconductor layer () between adjacent p-type amorphous semiconductor strips () and between adjacent n-type amorphous semiconductor strips ().

A film-forming method for forming a thin film on a substrate includes a contact step, an external force removal step, and a film-forming step. At the contact step (step B), the substrateand a memberin contact with one surface of the substrate is stacked, and the substrateand the memberin contact with one surface of the substrate are placed under vacuum while an external force is applied in a direction in which the substrateand the memberin contact with one surface of the substrate are stacked. At the external force removal step (step C), the external force is removed at atmospheric pressure or under vacuum. At a film-forming step (step E), a thin film is formed on the one surface or the other surface of the substrate

Film-forming method

A thin film transistor substrate () includes an insulating substrate (), a semiconductor layer () provided on the insulating substrate () and having a channel region (C), and a channel protection layer () provided in the channel region (C). The channel protection layer () is made of a multilayer film in which first insulating films and second insulating films are alternately layered. A relationship between a refractive index Ra of the first insulating film and a refractive index Rb of the second insulating film is Rb/Ra&#x2267;1.3.

Display device substrate and method for fabricating same, and display device

A display device includes a glass substrate, a glass substrate arranged at a distance from and opposite to the glass substrate, a lower electrode formed on the glass substrate, a counter electrode formed on the glass substrate opposite to the lower electrode, a spacer ball for supporting the glass substrate and the glass substrate to maintain a gap between the glass substrate and the glass substrate, and a plurality of conductive particles in particulate form arranged between the glass substrate and the glass substrate, a clearance being provided between the conductive particles positioned on the lower electrode and the counter electrode, the conductive particles positioned on the lower electrode being able to come into contact with the counter electrode when the glass substrate is pressed.

Display device and method of manufacturing display device

Provided is a thin film transistor manufacture method by which a thin film transistor provided with LDD regions can be produced without increasing the number of photo masks used. An etching stopper layer () formed on a polycrystalline silicon film () of a TFT () is used not only as a mask to protect a channel region () when a source electrode and a drain electrode are formed by etching, but also as a mask when ions are implanted to form a source/drain regions (). Thus, phosphorus, which is ion-implanted in the polycrystalline silicon film () to form the source/drain regions (), is not implanted in the LDD region () and, accordingly, it is not necessary to additionally form a resist pattern to be used as a mask when ions are implanted.

Growing community of inventors

Sakai, Japan

Tokuaki Kuniyoshi