Abstract: A photoelectric conversion element includes: a photoelectric conversion layer; and first and second electrodes formed on surfaces of the photoelectric conversion layer, wherein at least one of the first and second electrodes includes a translucent conductive base layer made of a translucent conductive material, and a translucent conductive mesh layer selectively buried in the translucent conductive base layer, having electrical resistivity lower than electrical resistivity of the translucent conductive base layer, and formed in a translucent conductive film pattern.

Abstract: A solar battery includes a transparent electrode and a collector electrode in this order on the surface of a light incident surface side of a photoelectric conversion layer. The collector electrode is formed in a predetermined region on the photoelectric conversion layer and a first transparent electrode of the transparent electrode is formed only in a region right under the collector electrode in contact with the photoelectric conversion layer and the collector electrode. A second transparent electrode of the transparent electrode is formed in a region on the photoelectric conversion layer where the collector electrode is not formed and on the collector electrode in contact with the photoelectric conversion layer or the collector electrode. The carrier concentration of the first transparent electrode is higher than the carrier concentration of the second transparent electrode.

Abstract: A solar cell is provided that includes: a solar-battery cell that has a pn junction; a light-receiving-surface side electrode that includes a plurality of grid electrodes that are provided so as to extend in one direction at a given spacing on a light receiving surface of the solar-battery cell, and that collect a photoelectrically-converted charge; and a back-surface electrode that is provided on a back surface that opposes to the light receiving surface of the solar-battery cell. The grid electrode includes a first seed surface that comes into contact with the light receiving surface of the solar-battery cell, a second seed surface that is upright to the first seed surface, and is connected to the first seed surface, and a plated layer that comes into contact with the first seed surface and the second seed surface.

Abstract: A back contact heterojunction photoelectric conversion device, that obtain junctions that are nearly ohmic contacts by integrally forming a transparent conductive film including an electrode directly on a p-type amorphous silicon film and a transparent conductive oxide directly on an n-type amorphous silicon film. A method of manufacturing the device includes: integrally forming an oxide electrode layer on the n-type amorphous silicon film and the p-type amorphous silicon film; and applying plasma, under a condition that a mask is disposed on the transparent conductive film covering either the n-type amorphous silicon film or the p-type amorphous silicon film, to exposed portions of transparent conductive film.

Abstract: A solar battery includes a transparent electrode and a collector electrode in this order on the surface of a light incident surface side of a photoelectric conversion layer. The collector electrode is formed in a predetermined region on the photoelectric conversion layer and a first transparent electrode of the transparent electrode is formed only in a region right under the collector electrode in contact with the photoelectric conversion layer and the collector electrode. A second transparent electrode of the transparent electrode is formed in a region on the photoelectric conversion layer where the collector electrode is not formed and on the collector electrode in contact with the photoelectric conversion layer or the collector electrode. The carrier concentration of the first transparent electrode is higher than the carrier concentration of the second transparent electrode.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method of manufacturing a substrate for photoelectric conversion device including, on a substrate, a first electrode layer formed of a transparent conductive material. The method includes a first transparent conductive film forming step of forming a first transparent conductive film on the substrate, a second transparent conductive film forming step of forming a second transparent conductive film under a film forming condition that an etching rate is low compared with the first transparent conductive film at a later etching step, and an etching step of wet-etching the second and first transparent conductive films to form recesses that pierce through at least the second transparent conductive film, with the bottoms of the recesses being present in the first transparent conductive film.

Abstract: A photoelectric conversion device in which a substantially intrinsic i-type amorphous hydrogen-containing semiconductor layer, a p-type amorphous hydrogen-containing semiconductor layer, and a first transparent conductive layer are stacked in this order on a first surface of an n-type semiconductor substrate that generates a photogenerated carrier by receiving light, wherein the first transparent conductive layer includes a hydrogen-containing area formed of a transparent conductive material that contains hydrogen and a hydrogen-diffusion suppression area that is present on a side of the p-type amorphous hydrogen-containing semiconductor layer with respect to the hydrogen-containing area and that is formed of a transparent conductive material that does not substantially contain hydrogen, and the hydrogen-diffusion suppression area has a hydrogen concentration distribution in which a hydrogen content on a side of the p-type amorphous hydrogen-containing semiconductor layer is lower than that on a side of the h

Abstract: A control circuit performs control to initialize a plurality of interface circuits connected to a communication circuit and each connected to each of a plurality of communication lines, and detects whether or not initialization of each of the interface circuits has been completed. When the control circuit detects that initialization of all of the interface circuits has been completed, the control circuit controls the communication circuit so as to start data communication via the interface circuits.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a processing apparatus, a bus bridge connected to the processing apparatus through a first bus and connecting to a peripheral apparatus, a nonvolatile storage apparatus that stores information relating to a fault occurring in the peripheral apparatus or the bus bridge, a monitoring apparatus connected to the nonvolatile storage apparatus through a second bus different from the first bus and monitoring a system including the processing apparatus, and a fault notification unit that stores, when the fault occurs in the peripheral apparatus or the bus bridge, the information relating to the occurring fault into the nonvolatile storage apparatus and issues a notification of an error to the monitoring apparatus through the second bus. By the information processing apparatus, fault information of the peripheral apparatus and the bus bridge is acquired with certainty.