Patent ID: 6265288
Filing Date: 2001-07-24
Classification: H01L,Y02E,Y02P

Abstract:
A method of fabricating a silicon-based thin-film photoelectric conversion device comprising at least one polycrystalline-type photoelectric conversion unit over a substrate, the photoelectric conversion unit including a semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type, a crystalline silicon-based photoelectric conversion layer and a semiconductor layer of an opposite conductivity type successively deposited by a plasma CVD process, said method comprising applying a plasma CVD process to deposit said crystalline photoelectric conversion layer during whicha temperature of an underlying layer is less than 500.degree. C,a pressure in a plasma reaction chamber is more than 5 Torr, anda gas introduced into said plasma reaction chamber contains a silane-type gas and hydrogen gas as main components, said hydrogen gas being more than 50 times larger in flow rate than said silane-type gas;wherein the plasma CVD process for depositing the crystalline photoelectric conversion layer includes an operation of increasing a distance between plasma discharge electrodes of the plasma reaction chamber so that said distance is at most one centimeter larger when said photoelectric conversion layer has been completely deposited than when said photoelectric conversion layer starts to be deposited, said distance being increased gradually or in steps after said photoelectric conversion layer has been deposited to 20 to 80% of its final thickness.