Patent ID: 8394709

Claim:
A process for producing a photovoltaic device that comprises forming a crystalline silicon-based photovoltaic layer comprising an i-layer on a substrate using a plasma-enhanced CVD method, wherein formation of the i-layer comprises an initial layer deposition stage and a bulk i-layer deposition stage, and the initial layer deposition stage comprises depositing the initial layer using a silane-based gas flow rate during the initial layer deposition stage that is lower than a silane-based gas flow rate during the bulk i-layer deposition stage, with a deposition time for the initial layer deposition stage set to not less than 0.5% and not more than 20% of a total deposition time for the i-layer, and with an SiH* emission intensity during the initial layer deposition stage not more than 80% of a stabilized SiH* emission intensity during the bulk i-layer deposition stage.