Process for producing photovoltaic solar cells

摘要

The invention relates to a process for producing photovoltaic solar cells made of amorphous silicon by gas-phase deposition. In this connection, not only p-i-n and n-i-p solar cells are mentioned, but also those of the Schottky barrier type. To reduce the surface defect density of the hydrogen-depleted peripheral surface layer of the photovoltaic solar cells, the said layer is stripped to a depth of up to about 0.1 mu m by etching. According to another version of the invention, after the first step in the gas-phase deposition, the photovoltaic solar cell is cooled as rapidly as possible to ambient temperature and also advantageously exposed to a hydrogen glow discharge during cooling. The individual process steps as disclosed by the invention can also be combined with one another. <IMAGE>