Abstract: The prevention of the deterioration of the minority carrier lifetime of a semiconductor substrate can be achieved by patterning the material of an impurity diffusion protecting layer on the surface of a semiconductor substrate by a making except a thermal oxidation process of the semiconductor substrate, for example by printing and firing paste material or by depositing paste material using a mask by CVD and forming a diffusion layer in the shape of an inverted pattern of the impurity diffusion protecting layer. Also, a low-priced photovoltaic device the photo-electric conversion efficiency of which is high can be manufactured by patterning and forming them.

Abstract: To form an impurity diffusion layer on only one side of a semiconductor substrate at least one semiconductor substrate and at least one diffusion protecting plate are put close to each other and a first impurity diffusion is perfomed on them, or at least one semiconductor substrate and at least one diffusion protecting plate are put close to each other and a first impurity diffusion is performed on them and then the semiconductor substrate and the diffusion protecting plate are arranged such that those sides on which the impurity diffusion has been performed face each other and a second impurity diffusion is performed. The diffusion protecting plate may be replaced by a semiconductor substrate. The first and second impurity diffusions may be performed using an impurity of the same conductivity type.

Abstract: A photovoltaic cell produced by adhering a material for masking layer to a surface of a semiconductor substrate in pattern state to form the masking layer, and forming a dopant layer on the portion having no masking layer by gas phase diffusion or solid phase diffusion is high in photoelectric conversion efficiency and is effective for preventing lowering of minority carrier lifetime of the semiconductor substrate.

Abstract: A light concentrator photovoltaic module includes a medium having a light receiving plane, a plurality of photovoltaic elements arranged in a spaced relationship with the light receiving plane, and a light reflecting plane for conducting light incident upon the light receiving plane but is not directly received by the photovoltaic elements to the photovoltaic elements.

Abstract: Disclosed is a photovoltaic module including a plurality of concentrators each having a light-incident plane and a reflection plane, and photo detectors. Each photo detector is in contact with one of the concentrators. The module is capable of effectively trapping light and effectively generating power throughout the year even if the module is established such that sunlight at the equinoxes is made incident on the light-incident planes not in a perpendicular manner but instead obliquely, for example, in the case where the module is established in contact with a curved plane of a roof, or the like.

Abstract: Disclosed is a photovoltaic module including a plurality of concentrators each having a light-incident plane and a reflection plane, and photo detectors each being in contact with one of the concentrators, which is capable of effectively trapping light and effectively generating power throughout the year even if the module is established such that sunlight at the equinoxes is made incident on the light-incident planes not perpendicularly but obliquely from the right, upper side, for example, in the case where the module is established in contact with a curved plane of a roof or the like.

Abstract: An opto-electric transducing element and a method for producing the same use a corrugated semiconductor substrate to produce an opto-electric transducing element. The element has a reduced effective thickness and an improved opto-electric conversion efficiency, while maintaining the mechanical strength.

Abstract: A photo-electric converting device has a plurality of emitters with a non-circular or non-dot shape in order to improve the photo-electric converting efficiency. The distance between the adjacent emitters has a predetermined relation to the average diffusion length of the minority carriers in a base layer in order to further improve the photo-electric conversion efficiency. The device is formed to have groove structures to restrain the photo-electric conversion loss due to reflected light.