Fitzpatrick, Cella, Harper & Scinto
Method of producing a semiconductor device
 A method of producing a semiconductor device including a substrate and a semiconductor region, the semiconductor region including at least one pin structure in the form of a multi-layer structure consisting of a non-single crystal n-type (or p-type) layer containing silicon, a non-single crystal i-type layer containing silicon, and a non-single crystal p-type (or n-type) layer containing silicon, the method being characterized in that it includes a step of performing plasma treatment on the surface of the substrate or the surface of one semiconductor layer, wherein the plasma treatment is performed in an atmosphere including a hydrogen gas and another gas containing silicon atoms without or with very thin deposition of a film onto the surface. In this method, the hydrogen gas ambient is excited into a stable plasma state, and impurities adsorbed on the surface of the chamber wall or contained in the chamber wall are prevented from being incorporated into the semiconductor layers thereby achieving a high performance photovoltaic semiconductor device. 
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
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Masafumi Keishi
Sano Saitoh