PURPOSE: To maintain the film structure in the process for forming a thin silicon film on a heated substrate, and to obtain a thin silicon film having remarkably increased photoconductivity, by quenching the thin silicon film after forming.
CONSTITUTION: The substrate holder 2 to hold the substrate 5 and acting also as an electrode is placed in combination with the counter electrode 3 in the reaction chamber 1. The holder 2 has a hollow structure, and contains the heater 4 for heating the substrate, the inlet and outlet 6, 7 for the fluid for quenching the substrate, and the partition wall 8. The substrate 5 is heated with the heater 4, and a thin film of amorphous Si is formed on the surface of the substrate 5 by glow discharge, sputtering, etc. Thereafter, the quenching fluid is introduced through the inlet 6 into the cavity of the holder 2 and discharged from the outlet 7 to effect the quenching of the amorphous Si thin film on the substrate 5 at a quenching rate of about 2°C/min or higher. The rate of quenching after the film- forming process can be controlled by this method, and a product having especially high quality as a solar cell can be produced.
YAMAMOTO HIDEO
FUKUI KEITAROU
YOSHIDA TOSHIHIKO
OKAYASU YOSHINORI
ASAI KUNIO
NAKAMURA OSAMU
