Photovoltaic element and method of forming photovoltaic element

• US 20040221887A1
• Filed: 04/28/2004
• Published: 11/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Sano, Masafumi, Nakamura, Tetsuro, Higashikawa, Makoto, Tsuzuki, Hidetoshi, Takai, Yasuyoshi, Kondo, Takaharu
• Application Number:
  US10/833,125
• Publication Number:
  US 20040221887A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 136/255
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0745 comprising a AIVBIV heterojunction, e.g. Si/Ge, SiGe/Si or Si/SiC solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0747 comprising a heterojunction of crystalline and amorphous materials, e.g. heterojunction with intrinsic thin layer
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/076 Multiple junction or tandem solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/547 Monocrystalline silicon PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/548 Amorphous silicon PV cells

Abstract

The present invention provides a photovoltaic element including a structure with a first pin-junction having an i-type semiconductor layer made of amorphous silicon and a second pin-junction having an i-type semiconductor layer contains crystalline silicon which are arranged in series on a substrate, wherein the first pin-junction has a first intermediate layer at a p/i interface and a second intermediate layer at an n/i interface, and the second pin-junction has a third intermediate layer at a p/i interface and a fourth intermediate layer at an n/i interface, and wherein the second intermediate layer and the third intermediate layer are made of amorphous silicon and the first intermediate layer and the fourth intermediate layer contain crystalline silicon, or wherein the second intermediate layer and the third intermediate layer contain crystalline silicon and the first intermediate layer and the fourth intermediate layer are made of amorphous silicon.

Claims

1. A photovoltaic element formed on a substrate, comprising a first semiconductor layer and a second semiconductor layer containing crystalline silicon of at least different conductivity types and/or shapes from each other,

wherein an amorphous intermediate layer is arranged between the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer.

2. The photovoltaic element according to claim 1, wherein either one of the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer is a p-type or n-type semiconductor layer and the other is a substantially intrinsic semiconductor layer.

6. The photovoltaic element according to claim 1, wherein a formation rate of the intermediate layer is smaller than a formation rate of the i-type semiconductor layer, and a film thickness of the intermediate layer is equal to or smaller than ⅕

of a film thickness of the i-type semiconductor layer.

7. The photovoltaic element according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate layer is made of a substantially intrinsic semiconductor layer.

8. The photovoltaic element according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate layer is made of a semiconductor layer of the same conductivity type as a conductivity type of an adjacent n- or p-type semiconductor layer.

3. A photovoltaic element comprising a structure with a first pin-junction having an i-type semiconductor layer made of amorphous silicon and a second pin-junction having an i-type semiconductor layer containing crystalline silicon which are arranged in series on a substrate,

wherein the first pin-junction has a first intermediate layer at a p/i interface and a second intermediate layer at an n/i interface, and the second pin-junction has a third intermediate layer at a p/i interface and a fourth intermediate layer at an n/i interface,

wherein the second intermediate layer and the third intermediate layer are made of amorphous silicon and the first intermediate layer and the fourth intermediate layer contain crystalline silicon, or the second intermediate layer and the third intermediate layer contain crystalline silicon and the first intermediate layer and the fourth intermediate layer are made of amorphous silicon.

9. The photovoltaic element according to claim 3, wherein the p-type semiconductor layer of the first pin-junction is made of crystalline silicon, and the n-type semiconductor layer of the first pin-junction is made of amorphous silicon.

10. The photovoltaic element according to claim 3, wherein the p-type semiconductor layer of the second pin-junction is made of crystalline silicon, and the n-type semiconductor layer of the second pin-junction is made of amorphous silicon.

11. The photovoltaic element according to claim 3, wherein the i-type semiconductor layer of the second pin-junction is made of crystalline silicon in a shape extending in a film deposition direction, and the p-type semiconductor layer of the second pin-junction is made of crystalline silicon in a quasispherical shape.

12. The photovoltaic element according to claim 3, wherein a plurality of the first pin-junctions and/or the second pin-junctions are arranged in series.

4. A photovoltaic element comprising a structure with a first pin-junction having an i-type semiconductor layer made of amorphous silicon and a second pin-junction having an i-type semiconductor layer made of crystalline silicon which are arranged in series on a substrate,

wherein the first pin-junction has a first intermediate layer containing crystalline silicon at an interface on an incident light side of the i-type semiconductor layer and a second intermediate layer containing amorphous silicon at an interface on a back side of the i-type semiconductor layer, and the second pin-junction has a third intermediate layer containing amorphous silicon at an interface on an incident light side of the i-type semiconductor layer and a fourth intermediate layer containing crystalline silicon at an interface on a back side of the i-type semiconductor layer.

5. A photovoltaic element comprising a structure with a first pin-junction having an i-type semiconductor layer made of amorphous silicon and a second pin-junction having an i-type semiconductor layer made of crystalline silicon which are arranged in series on a substrate,

wherein an interface on a first side of the i-type semiconductor layer of the first pin-junction is in contact with a layer containing microcrystalline silicon,

an interface on a second side of the i-type semiconductor layer of the first pin-junction is in contact with a layer made of amorphous silicon,

an interface on a first side of the i-type semiconductor layer of the second pin-junction is in contact with a layer containing amorphous silicon, and

an interface on a second side of the i-type semiconductor layer of the second pin-junction is in contact with a layer containing microcrystalline silicon.

13. A method of forming a photovoltaic element, which comprising:

applying a high frequency to a high-frequency introduction section to carry out high-frequency plasma CVD, the high-frequency introduction section facing a substrate, and the substrate and high frequency introduction section being arranged in a reaction container that can be decompressed; and

forming a photovoltaic element comprising a first pin-junction having an i-type semiconductor layer made of amorphous silicon, a second pin-junction having an i-type semiconductor layer made of crystalline silicon which are arranged in series on the substrate, and an intermediate layer at a p/i interface or n/i interface of the pin-junctions,

wherein a high frequency for forming the i-type semiconductor layer is greater than a frequency for forming the intermediate layer.

14. The method of forming a photovoltaic element according to claim 13, wherein a high frequency for forming the i-type semiconductor layer is greater than a frequency for forming the n-type semiconductor layer and p-type semiconductor layer.

15. The method of forming a photovoltaic element according to claim 13, wherein a formation pressure of the i-type semiconductor layer included in the second pin-junction is greater than a formation pressure of the i-type semiconductor layer included in the first pin-junction.

16. The method of forming a photovoltaic element according to claim 15, wherein a formation pressure of the i-type semiconductor layer included in the second pin-junction is equal to or greater than three times a formation pressure of the i-type semiconductor layer included in the first pin-junction.

17. The method of forming a photovoltaic element according to claim 13, wherein when the first pin-junction is formed, a distance between the substrate and the high-frequency introduction section when the i-type semiconductor layer is formed is smaller than a distance between the substrate and the high-frequency introduction section when the n-type semiconductor layer, intermediate layer and p-type semiconductor layer are formed.

18. The method of forming a photovoltaic element according to claim 13, wherein when the second pin-junction is formed, a distance between the substrate and the high-frequency introduction section when the i-type semiconductor layer is formed is smaller than a distance between the substrate and the high-frequency introduction section when the n-type semiconductor layer, intermediate layer and p-type semiconductor layer are formed.

19. The method of forming a photovoltaic element according to claim 14, wherein a distance between the substrate and the high-frequency introduction section when the i-type semiconductor layer of the first pin-junction is formed is greater than a distance between the substrate and the high-frequency introduction section when the i-type semiconductor layer of the second pin-junction is formed.