Abstract: There are now provided thin-film solar cells and method of making. The devices comprise a low-cost, low thermal stability substrate with a semiconductor body deposited thereon by a deposition gas. The deposited body is treated with a conversion gas to provide a microcrystalline silicon body. The deposition gas and the conversion gas are subjected to a pulsed electromagnetic radiation to effectuate deposition and conversion.

Abstract: A powder glass solution is applied on top of a solar cell 12 with electrodes 17 formed thereon, and solvent is volatilized, followed by baking process, by which a glass 13 is directly formed on the top of the solar cell 12. In this way, the alignment between solar cell and glass as well as the finish work of removing overflowed adhesive are eliminated. Also, by selecting a powder glass having a coefficient of thermal expansion generally similar to that of a P-type silicon substrate 14, distortion by heating due to abrupt temperature changes is reduced. Thus, cost reduction and reliability improvement can be fulfilled.

Abstract: The invention concerns optically absorptive photonic devices and in particular photovoltaic and photoconductive devices. It is particularly concerned with devices formed from multiple semiconducting layers, e.g., organic semiconducting polymers. Such a device has two central semiconductive layers which have been laminated together so as to form a mixed layer between the first and second semiconductive layers, while retaining at least some of the first and second semiconductive layers on either side of the mixed layer.

Abstract: The method of the present invention of growing single crystal silicon in a liquid phase comprises preparing a melt by dissolving a solid of silicon containing boron, aluminum, phosphorus or arsenic at a predetermined concentration into indium melted in a carbon boat or a quartz crucible, supersaturating the melt, and submerging a substrate into the melt, thereby growing a silicon crystal containing a dopant element. This method can provide a method of growing a thin film of crystalline silicon having a high crystallinity and a dopant concentration favorably controlled, thereby serving for mass production of inexpensive solar cells which have high performance as well as image displays which have high contrast and are free from color ununiformity.

Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing slurry precursor comprising urea, a second oxidizer, an organic acid, and an abrasive, and a method for using the chemical mechanical polishing slurry precursor to prepare a chemical mechanical polishing slurry with a first oxidizer and thereafter using the slurry to remove titanium, titanium nitride, and an aluminum alloy containing layers from a substrate.

Abstract: The present invention relates to silicon with a high oxygen content and, at the same time, a high density of crystal lattice dislocations, and to its production. This silicon may be used in photovoltaics. Solar cells which are based on the material according to the invention exhibit high levels of efficiency despite the high oxygen content.

Abstract: A semiconductor-device-producing substrate and method for producing the substrate which is inexpensive and good in quality and which has a large-area surface layer. A photoelectric conversion device and method uses the semiconductor-device-producing substrate, with high efficiency being obtained by means of the large-area light-receiving surface and three-dimensional structure of the photoelectric conversion device. Semiconductor granular crystals are arranged in at least one layer on a semiconductor substrate and connected and fixed to one another by heating or by a chemical vapor-phase deposition method to thereby form a semiconductor-device-producing substrate. An active layer of one conduction type is formed on the substrate and then another active layer of the other conduction type is formed on the surface of the first-mentioned active layer by a chemical vapor-phase deposition method or by a diffusion method to thereby form a PN junction surface having a three-dimensional structure.

Abstract: A process for fabricating a solar cell is described. The process includes: (1) providing a base layer, (2) fabricating an emitter layer of p-type conductivity on a same side as the non-illuminated surface of the base layer to provide a strongly doped p-type emitter layer and a p-n junction between the n-type base layer and the p-type emitter layer. The base layer of the present invention has n-type conductivity and is defined by an illuminated surface and a non-illuminated surface. The illuminated surface has light energy impinging thereon when the solar cell is exposed to the light energy and the non-illuminated surface is opposite the illuminated surface.

Abstract: The integrated thin film solar battery of this invention includes a plurality of unit cells serially connected with one another on a same translucent insulating substrate, each of the unit cells including a transparent conductive film electrode, a photoelectric conversion layer, and a back electrode formed in this order so that the transparent conductive film electrode of one unit cell is serially connected to the back electrode of an adjacent unit cell, wherein the transparent conductive film electrode of one unit cell and the back electrode of an adjacent unit cell are connected via a contact line, and the contact line is formed by patterning by scribing the photoelectric conversion layer using a laser beam, and a wavelength of the laser beam exceeding 0.

Abstract: The invention relates to improved techniques for manufacturing columnar-grained polycrystalline sheets which have particular utility as substrates or wafers for solar cells. The sheet is made from silicon on a setter material which supports the silicon material. The setter material and silicon are subjected to a thermal profile all of which promote columnar growth. The thermal profile sequentially creates a melt region where a thin-film capping layer grows at the top of the silicon, a nucleation region where preferential nucleation occurs at the capping-layer/molten-silicon interface, and then a growth region where both liquid and a growing polycrystalline sheet layer coexist. An annealing region is created where the temperature of the grown polycrystalline silicon sheet layer is controllably reduced to effect stress relief.

Abstract: A solar cell utilizing a chalcopyrite semiconductor and reducing the density of defects on the junction interface of pn junctions is provided. This solar cell includes a substrate, a back electrode formed on the substrate, a p-type chalcopyrite semiconductor thin film formed on the back electrode, an n-type semiconductor thin film formed so as to constitute a pn junction with the p-type chalcopyrite semiconductor thin film, and a transparent electrode formed on the n-type semiconductor thin film. A material having a higher resistivity than the p-type chalcopyrite semiconductor is formed between the p-type chalcopyrite semiconductor thin film and the n-type semiconductor thin film. A thin film made of this material may be formed by deposition from a solution. For example, CuInS.sub.2 is formed on the surface of a p-type chalcopyrite based semiconductor such as CuInSe.sub.

Abstract: A large area photovoltaic device includes a plurality of photovoltaic regions electrically interconnected in parallel. The regions are defined by a plurality of conductive channels which establish electrical contact between a top transparent electrode of the device and a monolithic, metal substrate electrode. A second terminal of the device is provided by a bottom, metallic electrode disposed beneath the semiconductor body, and upon an electrically insulating layer which is supported upon the metallic substrate.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a semiconductor detector for detecting light and radiation comprises the steps of providing a first semiconductor substrate of a first conductivity type, attaching a second substrate to the first semiconductor substrate through an insulating film, grinding the first semiconductor substrate from a surface thereof to a predetermined thickness, forming a MOS transistor on the ground surface of the first semiconductor substrate, removing the second substrate, and forming electrodes on the first semiconductor substrate for forming a depletion layer.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method of manufacturing a photovoltaic cell with high conversion efficiency, wherein a polycrystal CdTe layer with a large grain size can be formed by forming an indium oxide film (20) on a transparent conductive substrate having a transparent conductive film (2) as its surface layer, then forming an n-type CdS layer (3) and a p-type CdTe layer (4) thereon, then attaching cadmium chloride (CdCl.sub.2) on the p-type CdTe layer, and then annealing. The indium oxide film (20) is capable of relaxing strain caused at an interface between the transparent conductive film (2) and the n-type CdS layer (3), so that a good CdS/CdTe junction interface can be formed. The indium oxide film (20) can be formed by forming an indium film on the transparent conductive substrate and then annealing in oxygen containing atmosphere.

Abstract: A transparent substrate as formed on its front side a layer of amorphous silicon. A laser beam is used to irradiate through the backside of the transparent substrate in order to form buried nucleation sites within the amorphous silicon. The buried nucleation sites which are used as nucleation seeds are then used during a front side crystallization process in order to form large single silicon crystals over the substrate surface.

Abstract: An improved solar cell design and method of fabrication that primarily uses two materials, n-type doped silicon and aluminum to form a p-n alloy junction back contact solar cell. The aluminum alloy junctions are placed on the back (unilluminated) side of the cell, thereby combining the desirable features of aluminum (as a dopant, contact metal and light reflector), with the advantages of a back contact cell. The cell design and method of fabrication includes such features as surface texturing, front and back surface field minority carrier mirrors, surface passivation using oxidation layers, use of Al contacts as light reflectors, intrinsic protection against reverse bias due to contiguous n.sup.+ and p.sup.+ regions, and an improved bus bar contact design suitable for interconnecting cells using a surface mount technology. An improved method of ohmic contact formation uses a self-alignment technique for forming the ohmic contacts.