METHOD FOR MICROCRYSTALLINE SILICON FILM FORMATION

摘要

Object of this invention is to provide a plasma CVD method capable of forming a microcrystalline silicon film at low hydrogen gas flow rate, thereby providing a low-cost microcrystalline silicon solar cell. In the plasma CVD method forming the microcrystalline silicon film, plural antennas are arranged to form an antenna array structure in a vacuum chamber. One end of each antenna is connected to a high frequency power source and anther end is grounded. Substrates are placed facing the antenna arrays, and the substrate temperature is kept between150 and 250°C. Plasma is generated by introducing gas mixture of hydrogen and silane to the chamber, and by introducing high frequency power to the antennas. When hydrogen/silane gas flow ratio is controlled in the range from 1 to 10, microcrystalline silicon films are formed on the substrates with the ratio Ic/Ia between 2 and 6, whereas Ic and Ia are the Raman scattering intensity at around 520cm -1 and at around 480cm -1 , related to crystalline silicon and amorphous silicon, respectively