Thin-film photoelectric converter and method for manufacturing the same

A method for manufacturing a thin-film photoelectric converter, including:

• stacking a first electrode layer formed of a transparent conductive material, a photoelectric conversion layer for photoelectric conversion, and a second electrode layer formed of a conductive material that reflects light in that order on an insulating light-transmitting substrate;
• dividing the photoelectric conversion layer and the second electrode layer by dividing grooves into islands that form a plurality of photoelectric conversion cells separated from each other;
• and
• electrically connecting adjacent ones of the plurality of photoelectric conversion cells separated by the dividing grooves in series,
• the method comprising:
• a first step of forming the first electrode layer formed of the transparent electrode material on the insulating light-transmitting substrate;
• a second step of roughing a surface of the first electrode layer to have a first surface roughness;
• a third step of roughing a surface of a region of entire outer circumferential portions of the first electrode layer, the region of the first electrode layer having a width larger than a dividing width of the dividing grooves and being roughened to have a second surface roughness greater than the first surface roughness;
• a fourth step of dividing the first electrode layer into units of the photoelectric conversion cells;
• a fifth step of forming the photoelectric conversion layer by depositing a material that forms the photoelectric conversion layer on the insulating light-transmitting substrate, a semiconductor film having a microcrystalline structure being formed on the first electrode layer in a region having the first surface roughness, a semiconductor film having an amorphous structure being formed on the first electrode layer in the region having the second surface roughness, wherein the semiconductor films having the microcrystalline structure and amorphous structure are formed simultaneously;
• a sixth step of dividing the photoelectric conversion layer into the units of the photoelectric conversion cells, the photoelectric conversion layer being divided in the region of the first electrode layer that has the first surface roughness;
• a seventh step of forming, on the insulating light-transmitting substrate, the second electrode layer formed of the conductive material that reflects light;
• and
• an eighth step of forming the dividing grooves in the region of the first electrode layer that has the second surface roughness to divide the photoelectric conversion layer and the second electrode layer into the units of the photoelectric conversion cells.