The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 04, 1995
Filed:
Nov. 12, 1993
Keishi Saito, Soraku, JP;
Tatsuyuki Aoike, Nara, JP;
Masafumi Sano, Nara, JP;
Mitsuyuki Niwa, Nara, JP;
Ryo Hayashi, Nara, JP;
Masahiko Tonogaki, Tokyo, JP;
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
The present invention provides a photovoltaic element in which the open-circuit voltage and the path length of holes are improved by preventing the recombination of photoexcited carriers. The p-i-n junction type photovoltaic element is composed of a p-type layer, an i-type layer of a laminated structure consisting of an i-type layer formed by RF plasma CVD on the p-type layer side and an i-type layer formed by microwave (.mu.W) CVD on the n-type layer side, or an i-type layer formed by microwave (.mu.W) plasma CVD on the p-type layer side and an i-type layer formed by RF plasma CVD on the n-type layer side, characterized in that the i-type layer formed by .mu.W plasma CVD is formed by a process in which a lower .mu.W energy and a higher RF energy than the .mu.W energy needed to decompose 100% of the source gas are simultaneously applied to a source gas containing Si and Ge at a pressure of 50 mTorr or less, such that the minimum value of the bandgap is shifted toward the p-type layer side, away from the center of the i-type layer, and the i-type layer formed by RF plasma CVD is formed 30 nm thick or less by using a source gas containing a silicon-containing gas at a deposition rate of 2 nm/sec or less.