Abstract: A semiconductor device includes: a silicon layer (12); an intermediate silicide layer (28) that is provided on the silicon layer (12), has openings, and includes barium silicide; and an upper silicide layer (14) that covers the intermediate silicide layer (28), is positioned to be in contact with the silicon layer (12) through the openings, has a higher dopant concentration than the dopant concentration of the intermediate silicide layer (28), and includes barium silicide.

Abstract: A method is provided for producing a Si bulk polycrystal ingot with high quality and high homogeneity, which has no significant crystal defects and is free from diffused impurities with a high yield. An upper face of a Si melt is locally cooled by bringing coolant close to a surface of the Si melt from an upper part of a crucible in the crucible containing the Si melt or by inserting the coolant into the Si melt. A dendrite crystal is formed in the vicinity of the surface of the Si melt. Cooling is performed thereafter while maintaining a proper temperature distribution, and a Si bulk crystal is grown from an upper part toward a lower part using a lower face of the dendrite crystal as a fresh growth face.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes: a silicon layer (12); an intermediate silicide layer (28) that is provided on the silicon layer (12), has openings, and includes barium silicide; and an upper silicide layer (14) that covers the intermediate silicide layer (28), is positioned to be in contact with the silicon layer (12) through the openings, has a higher dopant concentration than the dopant concentration of the intermediate silicide layer (28), and includes barium silicide.

Abstract: In growing a single-crystal silicon by the present invention in a Czochralski method, after a surface of a silicon melt is brought into contact with a seed crystal in a crucible, the silicon melt being added with germanium, the single-crystal silicon is pulled while rotated, and the solar-cell single-crystal silicon substrate is sliced from the single-crystal silicon containing germanium, whereby a germanium content of solar-cell single-crystal silicon substrate is set in the range of not less than 0.03 mole % to less than 1.0 mole % when resistivity ranges from 1.4 to 1.9 ?cm. Therefore, conversion efficiency is enhanced when compared with conventional single-crystal silicon substrates. Accordingly, solar cell power generation costs decreases, so that the single-crystal silicon of the present invention can widely be utilized as the substrate for the solar cell in which the high conversion efficiency is increasingly demanded.

Abstract: A method is provided for producing a Si bulk polycrystal ingot with high quality and high homogeneity, which has no significant crystal defects and is free from diffused impurities with a high yield. An upper face of a Si melt is locally cooled by bringing coolant close to a surface of the Si melt from an upper part of a crucible in the crucible containing the Si melt or by inserting the coolant into the Si melt. A dendrite crystal is formed in the vicinity of the surface of the Si melt. Cooling is performed thereafter while maintaining a proper temperature distribution, and a Si bulk crystal is grown from an upper part toward a lower part using a lower face of the dendrite crystal as a fresh growth face.

Abstract: A multi-crystalline silicon germanium bulk crystal with microscopic compositional distribution is adapted for use in solar cells to substantially increase conversion efficiency. By controlling the average Ge concentration between 0.1 and 8.0 mole percent, significant improvements are attained with respect to short circuit current density and conversion efficiency.

Abstract: Provided is a multi-element polycrystal formed by cooling a melt containing multiple components while controlling a cooling rate. The multi-element polycrystal is a mixed crystal essentially formed of elements Si and Ge having different absorption wavelength ranges and having a composition represented by Si1-XGeX, in which Ge absorbs light over a longer range of wavelength from a shorter to longer wavelength range than Si, each of the crystal grains of the mixed crystal has a matrix having a plurality of discrete regions dispersed therein, the average matrix composition is represented by Si1-x1Gex1 and the average composition of the discrete regions is represented by Si1-x2Gex2 where X1<X<X2. Also, provided is a solar-cell polycrystal satisfying high light-absorption efficiency and low cost by using the multi-element polycrystal, a solar cell and a method of manufacturing the solar cell.

Abstract: In growing a single-crystal silicon by the present invention in a Czochralski method, after a surface of a silicon melt is brought into contact with a seed crystal in a crucible, the silicon melt being added with germanium, the single-crystal silicon is pulled while rotated, and the solar-cell single-crystal silicon substrate is sliced from the single-crystal silicon containing germanium, whereby a germanium content of solar-cell single-crystal silicon substrate is set in the range of not less than 0.1 mole % and less than 1.0 mole %. Desirably the germanium content is set in the range of not less than 0.1 mole % to not more than 0.6 mole %, and the germanium content is set in the range of not less than 0.03 mole % to less than 1.0 mole % when resistivity ranges from 1.4 to 1.9 ?cm. Therefore, conversion efficiency can largely be enhanced compared with the case where the conventional single-crystal silicon substrate is used.

Abstract: A multi-crystalline silicon germanium bulk crystal with microscopic compositional distribution is adapted for use in solar cells to substantially increase conversion efficiency. By controlling the average Ge concentration between 0.1 and 8.0 mole percent, significant improvements are attained with respect to short circuit current density and conversion efficiency.

Abstract: Provided is a multi-element polycrystal formed by cooling a melt containing multiple components while controlling a cooling rate. The multi-element polycrystal is a mixed crystal essentially formed of elements Si and Ge having different absorption wavelength ranges and having a composition represented by Si1-XGeX, in which Ge absorbs light over a longer range of wavelength from a shorter to longer wavelength range than Si, each of the crystal grains of the mixed crystal has a matrix having a plurality of discrete regions dispersed therein, the average matrix composition is represented by Si1-x1Gex1 and the average composition of the discrete regions is represented by Si1-x2Gex2 where X1<X<X2. Also, provided is a solar-cell polycrystal satisfying high light-absorption efficiency and low cost by using the multi-element polycrystal, a solar cell and a method of manufacturing the solar cell.

Abstract: A Si melt is contacted to a main surface of a Si substrate made of metallurgical Si raw material to conduct liquid phase epitaxy within a temperature range around Si melting point and to form a Si crystal thin film on the main surface of the Si substrate.

Abstract: The present invention provides a multi-element polycrystal having a non-uniform microscopic distribution of the elements, by cooling a melt containing a plurality of elements at a controlled cooling rate. The present invention further provides a polycrystal for use in a solar cell capable of absorbing sunlight more efficiently at low cost, a solar cell using the polycrystal and methods of forming the polycrystal and the solar cell.