Claims
- 1. A photovoltaic device comprising a polycrystalline silicon film as a photoelectric conversion layer, said polycrystalline silicon film having been formed by providing an amorphous silicon film containing hydrogen and having an intensity ratio TA/TO of at least 0.5 of a TA peak intensity relative to a TO peak intensity in a Raman spectrum, and heat treating said amorphous silicon film for converting said amorphous silicon film to said polycrystalline silicon film.
- 2. The photovoltaic device of claim 1, having an open circuit voltage of at least 0.5 volts and a short-circuit current of at least 35 mA/cm.sup.2.
- 3. The photovoltaic device of claim 2, having a voltage-current characteristic curve with a current greater than 30 mA/cm.sup.2 at a voltage greater than 0.4 volts.
- 4. A polycrystalline silicon film useful as a photoelectric conversion layer in a photovoltaic device, said polycrystalline silicon film having been formed by providing on a substrate an amorphous silicon film containing hydrogen and having an intensity ratio TA/TO of at least 0.5 of a TA peak intensity relative to a TO peak intensity in a Raman spectrum, and heat treating said amorphous silicon film for converting said amorphous silicon film to said polycrystalline silicon film.
- 5. The polycrystalline silicon film of claim 4, having a mean grain size of at least about 1.3 .mu.m and having a carrier mobility of at least about 10.sup.2.75 cm.sup.2 /V.S.
- 6. The polycrystalline silicon film of claim 4, wherein the content of said hydrogen in said amorphous silicon film is greater than 1 atomic percent, and said TA/TO ratio is within the range from 0.5 to 0.8.
- 7. The polycrystalline silicon film of claim 6, wherein said amorphous silicon film has a spin density within the range from 10.sup.17 to 10.sup.19 cm.sup.-3 and an Urbach tail quantity within the range from about 80 to about 110 meV.
- 8. The polycrystalline silicon film of claim 6, having a mean grain size within the range from about 1.3.mu.m to about 8.mu.m and having a carrier mobility within the range from about 10.sup.2.75 cm.sup.2 /V.S to about 10.sup.3 cm.sup.2 /V.S.
- 9. The polycrystalline silicon film of claim 4, wherein the content of said hydrogen in said amorphous silicon film is not greater than 1 atomic percent, and said TA/TO ratio is at least 0.8.
- 10. The polycrystalline silicon film of claim 9, wherein said amorphous silicon film has a spin density within the range from 10.sup.18 to 10.sup.20 cm.sup.-3 and an Urbach tail quantity within the range from about 100 to about 130 meV.
- 11. The polycrystalline silicon film of claim 9, having a mean grain size within the range from about 9.1 .mu.m to about 18 .mu.m and having a carrier mobility within the range from about 10.sup.3.1 cm.sup.2 /V.S to about 10.sup.3.2 cm.sup.2 /V.S.
- 12. The polycrystalline silicon film of claim 4, wherein said heat treating of said amorphous silicon film is carried out in a nonoxidizing atmosphere at a temperature within the range from 550.degree. C. to 800.degree. C.
- 13. A photovoltaic device comprising a polycrystalline silicon film as a photoelectric conversion layer, wherein said polycrystalline silicon film has a mean grain size of at least about 1.3 .mu.m and a carrier mobility of at least about 10.sup.2.75 cm.sup.2 /V.S.
- 14. The photovoltaic device of claim 13, wherein said polycrystalline silicon film has a mean grain size within the range from about 1.3 .mu.m to about 8 .mu.m and has a carrier mobility within the range from about 10.sup.2.75 cm.sup.2 /V.S to about 10.sup.3 cm.sup.2 /V.S.
- 15. The photovoltaic device of claim 13, wherein said polycrystalline silicon film has a mean grain size within the range from about 9.1 .mu.m to about 18 .mu.m and has a carrier mobility within the range from about 10.sup.3.1 cm.sup.2 /V.S to about 10.sup.3.2 cm.sup.2 /V.S.
- 16. The photovoltaic device of claim 13, having an open circuit voltage of at least 0.5 volts and a short-circuit current of at least 35 mA/cm.sup.2.
- 17. The photovoltaic device of claim 16, having a voltage-current characteristic curve with a current greater than 30 mA/cm.sup.2 at a voltage greater than 0.4 volts.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
4-243274 |
Sep 1992 |
JPX |
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This is a DIVISIONAL of U.S. Patent application Ser. No.: 08/118,451, filed: Sep. 8, 1993, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,447,889, which issued on Sep. 5, 1995.
US Referenced Citations (12)
Foreign Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Date |
Country |
2-94625 |
Apr 1990 |
JPX |
3-10075 |
Jan 1991 |
JPX |
3-218682 |
Sep 1991 |
JPX |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry |
Silicon Processing for the VLSI Era; vol. 1--Process Technology; p. 179; by Wolf et al. |
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
118451 |
Sep 1993 |
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