Photoelectric device and method of producing the same

Abstract

A photoelectric device having at least a predetermined impurity region which is disposed in a semiconductor substrate, and a photoelectric conversion portion which is constructed by stacking an electrode layer lying in contact with at least a part of the impurity region, a photoconductive material layer overlying the electrode layer, and a transparent electrode overlying the photoconductive material layer, characterized in that the photoconductive material layer is made of an amorphous chalcogenide material which principally contains Se, is disclosed. It is very favorable that the photoelectric conversion material layer made of the amorphous material principally containing Se is partially doped with Te so as to enhance its sensitivity. The amorphous chalcogenide material is very useful in the following point. In the course of forming, or after having formed, at least one photoconductive layer on a semiconductor body whose surface is uneven, a heat treatment is performed at a temperature of at least the softening point of the photoconductor so as to flatten the layer, whereby discontinuous parts of the photoconductor ascribable to the uneven surface of the semiconductor body can be avoided.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.