Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Yuzo Kohda

Akira Sakai

Masahiro Kanai

Shotaro Okabe

Takahiro Yajima

Tadashi Hori

Yasushi Fujioka

Tadashi Sawayama

Tomonori Nishimoto

Masafumi Sano

Takehito Yoshino

Takashi Kurokawa

Keishi Saito

Tatsuyuki Aoike

Toshimitsu Kariya

Hirokazu Ohtoshi

Mitsuyuki Niwa

Deposition apparatus for manufacturing thin film

A method for forming a non-single-crystal semiconductor thin film and a photovoltaic device using an apparatus, which has a film deposition chamber with a film-forming space surrounded by a film deposition chamber wall and a belt-like substrate. An external chamber surrounding the deposition chamber wall is provided in the apparatus. While the belt-like substrate is moved in a longitudinal direction, a film-forming gas is introduced through a gas supply device into the film-forming space and microwave energy is radiated from a microwave applicator into the film-forming space to induce a microwave plasma, and thereby form a non-single-crystal semiconductor thin film on a surface of the belt-like substrate. A cooling mechanism and a temperature-increasing mechanism covering a part of an outside surface of the deposition chamber wall provide temperature control.

Method for forming non-single-crystal semiconductor thin film, and method for producing photovoltaic device

The photovoltaic element of the present invention is a photovoltaic element comprised of a semiconductor-junctioned element, characterized in that the element includes a first electrically conductive type semiconductor layer, a non-crystalline i type semiconductor layer, a microcrystalline i type semiconductor layer and a microcrystalline second electrically conductive type semiconductor layer and is pin-junctioned, and a method of and an apparatus for manufacturing the same are characterized by efficiently and continuously mass-producing the photovoltaic element having an excellent current-voltage characteristic and excellent photoelectric conversion efficiency. Thereby, there are provided a photovoltaic element in which the junction interface between the non-crystalline i type layer and the microcrystalline electrically conductive type layer has good grating consistency and which has an excellent current-voltage characteristic and excellent photoelectric conversion efficiency, and a method of and an apparatus for continuously mass-producing the same.

Method of manufacturing photovoltaic element and apparatus therefor

A high frequency plasma processing apparatus and a high frequency plasma processing method according to the invention can suitably be used for uniformly forming on a substrate a deposition film over a large area. The apparatus and the related method solve the problem wherein high frequency power supplied to a known plasma processing apparatus can become distorted to produce harmonics and give rise to difficulty in correctly reading the incident and reflected powers and realizing an accurate matching when a VHF is used in order to raise the processing rate.

Plasma processing apparatus and plasma processing method

A process for forming a deposited film, a process for manufacturing a semiconductor element and a process for manufacturing a photoelectric conversion element are disclosed which each comprises a step of forming a first conductivity type semiconductor layer comprising a non-monocrystalline semiconductor on a substrate, a step of forming a substantially i-type semiconductor layer comprising an amorphous semiconductor on the first conductivity type semiconductor layer, a step of forming a substantially i-type semiconductor layer comprising a microcrystalline semiconductor on the substantially i-type semiconductor layer comprising the amorphous semiconductor while decreasing the film forming rate thereof and a step of forming a second conductivity type semiconductor layer comprising a non-monocrystalline semiconductor on the substantially i-type semiconductor layer comprising the microcrystalline semiconductor. Further, a process for forming a deposited film, a process for manufacturing a semiconductor element and a process for manufacturing a photoelectric conversion element are disclosed which each comprises a step of forming a first conductivity type semiconductor layer comprising a non-monocrystalline semiconductor on a substrate, a step of forming a substantially i-type semiconductor layer comprising an amorphous semiconductor on the first conductivity type semiconductor layer, a step of forming a substantially i-type semiconductor layer comprising a microcrystalline semiconductor on the substantially i-type semiconductor layer comprising the amorphous semiconductor and a step of forming a second conductivity type semiconductor layer comprising a non-monocrystalline semiconductor on the substantially i-type semiconductor layer comprising the microcrystalline semiconductor while increasing the film forming rate thereof. Thereby, a photoelectric conversion element having a high photoelectric conversion efficiency can be obtained with a high productivity.

Process for manufacturing semiconductor element using non-monocrystalline semiconductor layers of first and second conductivity types and amorphous and microcrystalline I-type semiconductor layers

Photovoltaic element

An apparatus for forming a non-single-crystal semiconductor thin film comprising a film deposition chamber having a film-forming space surrounded by a film deposition chamber wall and a beltlike substrate, and an external chamber surrounding the deposition chamber wall is provided. While the beltlike substrate is moved in a longitudinal direction, a film-forming gas is introduced through a gas supply device into the film-forming space and microwave energy is radiated from a microwave applicator into the film-forming space to induce a microwave plasma, and thereby form a non-single-crystal semiconductor thin film on a surface of the beltlike substrate. A cooling mechanism and a temperature-increasing mechanism are provided to cover a part of an outside surface of the deposition chamber wall. An apparatus for forming a non-single-crystal semiconductor thin film where the gas supply device comprises a gas manifold set apart from the deposition chamber wall is another embodiment.

Apparatus for forming non-single-crystal semiconductor thin film, method

There is provided a method of forming a photovoltaic element, in which a p-type semiconductor layer is formed in a device for forming a semiconductor thin film having a cathod electrode structure, in which in a plasma discharge space, the surface area of a cathod electrode in a plasma discharge space is larger than the sum of surface areas of a belt-like member and an anode electrode, a potential of said cathod electrode at the time of excitation of glow discharge is positive relative to the belt-like member and the anode electrode, and a separator electrode partially constituting the cathod electrode is configured to have a form of a fin or a block, and an n-type semiconductor layer is formed in a device for forming a semiconductor thin film having a cathod electrode structure of a capacitive-coupling, parallel-plate type. Thereby, a photovoltaic element having a high quality and superior uniformity over a large area, less defects, superior photo deterioration property and improved series resistance can be manufactured providing a high throughput in large quantities with good reproducibility.

Method and device for forming semiconductor thin film, and method and

The deposited-film-forming apparatus of the present invention is an apparatus for forming deposited films while continuously passing a belt-like member through the insides of a plurality of vacuum chambers connected via connecting members and superposingly forming a plurality of different thin films on the surface of the belt-like member by plasma-assisted CVD, wherein the vacuum chambers are fixed to a stand for supporting the vacuum chambers, and a mechanism for relaxing stress acting in the transport direction of the belt-like member, generated in the vacuum chambers by the action of expansion and contraction due to thermal expansion of the vacuum chambers, is provided between each vacuum chamber and each connecting member.

Deposited-film-forming apparatus

A method of manufacturing thin films by plasma CVD is described. This method comprises supplying power to a power electrode in a way such that a self-bias upon plasma discharge of the power applying electrode, which is situated in a plasma discharge space, is a positive potential relative to a ground electrode.

Method for manufacturing thin film

A method for manufacturing a photoelectric conversion element containing at least one pin junction, wherein a diffusion preventing layer is provided between an n-type layer and an i-type layer and/or between an i-type layer and a p-type layer, and the diffusion preventing layer is deposited such that deposition temperature differs in its thickness direction.

Method for manufacturing photoelectric conversion element

An apparatus continuously manufactures a semiconductor device. A plurality of glow discharge regions are connected by gas gates. An enough long belt-shaped substrate having a desired width is arranged along a path in which the substrate sequentially penetrates the glow discharge regions. The belt-shaped substrate is continuously conveyed in a longitudinal direction while depositing a semiconductor layer of a conductivity type which is needed in each of the glow discharge regions, thereby continuously manufacturing the device having a semiconductor junction. A plurality of rotatable rollers are arranged in a slit-shaped separating passage of the gas gates so as to support the back surface of the belt-shaped substrate while rotating the rollers.

Method for continuously manufacturing a semiconductor device

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.

Solar cell

An apparatus continuously manufactures a semiconductor device. A plurality of glow discharge regions are connected by gas gates. A sufficiently long belt-shaped substrate having a desired width is arranged along a path in which the substrate sequentially penetrates the glow discharge regions. The belt-shaped substrate is continuously conveyed in a longitudinal direction while depositing a semi-conductor layer of a conductivity type in each of the glow discharge regions, thereby continuously manufacturing the device having a semiconductor junction. A plurality of rotatable rollers are arranged in a slit-shaped separating passage of the gas gates so as to support the back surface of the belt-shaped substrate while rotating the rollers.

Growing community of inventors

Kyotanabe, Japan

Yuzo Kohda