Patent ID: 7648892

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a silicon based photoelectric converter, comprising: providing a substrate in a process chamber; forming a photoelectric converter on the substrate, wherein forming the photoelectric converter comprises: depositing a p-type semiconductor layer on the substrate; depositing an i-type semiconductor layer comprising a microcrystalline silicon film on the substrate by flowing a gas mixture including a silane-based gas and H 2 gas into the process chamber while gradually reducing the ratio of H 2 gas to silane-based gas supplied in the gas mixture to deposit the microcrystalline silicon film at a deposition rate greater than about 20 nm per minute by a CVD process, wherein the microcrystalline silicon film has a crystallized volume between about 20 percent to about 80 percent; and depositing a n-type semiconductor layer on the microcrystalline silicon film.