Abstract: There is disclosed an exhaust processing process of a processing apparatus for processing a substrate or a film, which comprises after the processing of the substrate or the film, introducing a non-reacted gas and/or a by-product into a trap means comprising a filament comprised of a high-melting metal material comprising as a main component at least one of tungsten, molybdenum and rhenium; and processing the non-reacted gas and/or the by-product inside the trap means. This makes it possible to prevent lowering in exhaust conductance, to lengthen the maintenance cycle of the processing apparatus, and to provide a high-quality product (processed substrate or film).

Abstract: There is disclosed an exhaust processing process of a processing apparatus for processing a substrate or a film, which comprises after the processing of the substrate or the film, introducing a non-reacted gas and/or a by-product into a trap means comprising a filament comprised of a high-melting metal material comprising as a main component at least one of tungsten, molybdenum and rhenium; and processing the non-reacted gas and/or the by-product inside the trap means. This makes it possible to prevent lowering in exhaust conductance, to lengthen the maintenance cycle of the processing apparatus, and to provide a high-quality product (processed substrate or film).

Abstract: There is disclosed an exhaust processing process of a processing apparatus for processing a substrate or a film, which comprises after the processing of the substrate or the film, introducing a non-reacted gas and/or a by-product into a trap means comprising a filament comprised of a high-melting metal material comprising as a main component at least one of tungsten, molybdenum and rhenium; and processing the non-reacted gas and/or the by-product inside the trap means. This makes it possible to prevent lowering in exhaust conductance, to lengthen the maintenance cycle of the processing apparatus, and to provide a high-quality product (processed substrate or film).

Abstract: There is disclosed an exhaust processing process of a processing apparatus for processing a substrate or a film, which comprises after the processing of the substrate or the film, introducing a non-reacted gas and/or a by-product into a trap means comprising a filament comprised of a high-melting metal material comprising as a main component at least one of tungsten, molybdenum and rhenium; and processing the non-reacted gas and/or the by-product inside the trap means. This makes it possible to prevent lowering in exhaust conductance, to lengthen the maintenance cycle of the processing apparatus, and to provide a high-quality product (processed substrate or film).

Abstract: There is disclosed an exhaust processing process of a processing apparatus for processing a substrate or a film, which comprises after the processing of the substrate or the film, introducing a non-reacted gas and/or a by-product into a trap means comprising a filament comprised of a high-melting metal material comprising as a main component at least one of tungsten, molybdenum and rhenium; and processing the non-reacted gas and/or the by-product inside the trap means. This makes it possible to prevent lowering in exhaust conductance, to lengthen the maintenance cycle of the processing apparatus, and to provide a high-quality product (processed substrate or film).

Abstract: There is disclosed an exhaust processing process of a processing apparatus for processing a substrate or a film, which comprises after the processing of the substrate or the film, introducing a non-reacted gas and/or a by-product into a trap means comprising a filament comprised of a high-melting metal material comprising as a main component at least one of tungsten, molybdenum and rhenium; and processing the non-reacted gas and/or the by-product inside the trap means. This makes it possible to prevent lowering in exhaust conductance to lengthen the maintenance cycle of the processing apparatus, and to provide a high-quality product (processed substrate or film).

Abstract: There is disclosed an exhaust processing process of a processing apparatus for processing a substrate or a film, which comprises after the processing of the substrate or the film, introducing a non-reacted gas and/or a by-product into a trap means comprising a filament comprised of a high-melting metal material comprising as a main component at least one of tungsten, molybdenum and rhenium; and processing the non-reacted gas and/or the by-product inside the trap means. This makes it possible to prevent lowering in exhaust conductance, to lengthen the maintenance cycle of the processing apparatus, and to provide a high-quality product (processed substrate or film).

Abstract: A solar cell has a semiconductor layer sandwiched between first and second electrodes, wherein a zinc oxide layer containing carbon atoms, nitrogen atoms, or carbon and nitrogen atoms is located between the semiconductor layer and at least one of the first and second electrodes. The density of carbon atoms, nitrogen atoms, or carbon and nitrogen atoms in the zinc oxide layer is constant or continuously changed within the range of 5 atm % or less.

Abstract: A pin type photovoltaic element having an electroconductive substrate and a cell stacked with an n-type semiconductor layer, an i-type semiconductor layer and a p-type semiconductor, all composed of a non-single crystal material containing silicon, and featuring an intermediate layer. The intermediate layer composed of non-single material containing silicon atoms as the matrix and atoms of elements belonging to Group IIIA and VA of the periodic table is between the i-type conductor layer and the p-type conductor layer or the n-type semiconductor layer. The intermediate layer may contain carbon atoms and/or germanium atoms.

Abstract: A non-monocrystalline silicon semiconductor device having a pin junction is formed by forming a first doped semiconductor layer of a first conductivity disposed on a substrate. A first intrinsic layer is deposited on the first doped semiconductor layer employing RF energy. A second intrinsic layer is deposited on the first intrinsic layer employing microwave energy and RF energy simultaneously. A semiconductor precursor gas, including germanium and a semiconductor precursor gas including silicon are supplied to the second intrinsic layer during its formation. The content of the semiconductor precursor gas containing germanium is greater than the semiconductor gas including silicon in the layer thickness direction in the second intrinsic layer at a P-layer side. A second doped semiconductor layer is deposited on the second intrinsic layer.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a photoelectrical conversion device in which recombination of carriers excited by light is prevented and the open voltage and the carrier range of positive holes are improved and to provide a generating system using the photoelectrical conversion device. The photoelectrical conversion device includes a p-layer, an i-layer, and an n-layer, wherein the photoelectrical conversion device being formed by stacking the p-layer, the i-layer and the n-layer each of which is made of non-single-crystal silicon semiconductor, the i-layer contains germanium atoms, the band gap of the i-layer is smoothly changed in a direction of the thickness of the i-layer, the minimum value of the band gap is positioned adjacent to the p-layer from the central position of the i-layer and both of a valence control agent to serve as a donor and another valence control agent to serve as an acceptor are doped into the i-layer.

Abstract: A method of quickly depositing a non-single-crystal semiconductor film and forming a silicon-type non-single-crystal photovoltaic device, and a method of continuously manufacturing the photovoltaic devices. By this method the deposited film is formed by decomposing a raw material gas with microwave energy which is lower than the microwave energy required to completely decompose the raw material gas. RF energy is applied at the same time which is higher in energy than the microwave energy. The microwave energy acts on the raw material gas at an internal pressure level of 50 mTorr or lower to form a uniform non-single-crystal semiconductor film with excellent electrical characteristics and reduced light deterioration.

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.

Abstract: A solar cell has a semiconductor layer sandwiched between first and second electrodes, wherein a zinc oxide layer containing carbon atoms, nitrogen atoms, or carbon and nitrogen atoms is located between the semiconductor layer and at least one of the first and second electrodes. The density of carbon atoms, nitrogen atoms, or carbon and nitrogen atoms in the zinc oxide layer is constant or continuously changed within the range of 5 atm % or less.

Abstract: An apparatus for repairing a defective semiconductor device having an electrically short-circuited portion, wherein the semiconductor device includes a semiconductor thin film and a conductive thin film disposed in the named order on a conductive surface of a substrate and in which the conductive thin film and the conductive surface of the substrate are electrically short-circuited at a pinhole occurring in the semiconductor thin film to form an electrically short-circuited portion so that the semiconductor device is defective. The apparatus includes a substrate holding unit for holding the substrate of the defective semiconductor device and an electrode arranged above the substrate holding unit so that, when the defective semiconductor is positioned on the substrate holding unit, there is a predetermined distance between the electrode and the conductive thin film of the defective semiconductor device, the electrode being capable of moving in relation to the substrate of the defective semiconductor device.

Abstract: A method of quickly depositing a non-single-crystal semiconductor film and forming a silicon-type non-single-crystal photovoltaic device, and a method of continuously manufacturing the photovoltaic devices. By this method the deposited film is formed by decomposing a raw material gas with microwave energy which is lower than the microwave energy required to completely decompose the raw material gas. RF energy is applied at the same time which is higher in energy than the microwave energy. The microwave energy acts on the raw material gas at an internal pressure level of 50 mTorr or lower to form a uniform non-single-crystal semiconductor film with excellent electrical characteristics and reduced light deterioration.

Abstract: A non-single crystalline semiconductor containing at least one kind of atoms selected from the group consisting of silicon atoms (Si) and germanium atoms (Ge) as a matrix, and at least one kind of atoms selected from the group consisting of hydrogen atoms (H) and halogen atoms (X), wherein said non-single crystalline semiconductor has an average radius of 3.5 .ANG. or less and a density of 1.times.10.sup.19 (cm.sup.-3) or less as for microvoids contained therein. The non-single crystalline semiconductor excels in semiconductor characteristics and adhesion with other materials and are effectively usable as a constituent element of various semiconductor devices.

Abstract: A solar cell having a semiconductor layer has a structure in which a first electrode, a semiconductor layer, and a second electrode are stacked on a substrate, wherein a zinc oxide layer containing a transition metal is located between the semiconductor layer and at least one of the first and second electrodes and the density of the transition metal in the zinc oxide layer is continuously changed within a range of not less than 1 atm. ppm to not more than 5 atm %.

Abstract: A solar cell has a semiconductor layer sandwiched between first and second electrodes, wherein a zinc oxide layer containing carbon atoms, nitrogen atoms, or carbon and nitrogen atoms is located between the semiconductor layer and at least one of the first and second electrodes. The density of carbon atoms, nitrogen atoms, or carbon and nitrogen atoms in the zinc oxide layer is constant or continuously changed within the range of 5 atm % or less.

Abstract: 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.