Keishi Saito

Production of a-Si:H/ a-SiGe:H/ a-SiGe:H Stacked Solar-Cell Modules and Their Applications

In 1996, Canon started mass producing the a-Si:H/a-SiGe:H/a-SiGe:H stacked solar-cell module with over 8% stabilized efficiency, with a unique approach where the microwave-plasma chemical vapor deposition (MW-PCVD) method was implemented in the high-throughput roll-to-roll process. This chapter consists of two distinct parts. The first part describes the R&D effort made for high-efficiency, small-area (laboratory-size) cells. The second part is given to depict the outlines of mass-production method of the solar cell and the products for rooftop applications.