NOVELTY - The device has an absorption layer (10) comprising crystalline semiconductor material e.g. silicon-containing material, where the crystalline semiconductor material is doped to n-type conductivity type. Epitaxial semiconductor material is in direct contact with the absorption layer, where the epitaxial semiconductor material is doped to p-type conductivity type opposite the n-type conductivity type. A passivation layer e.g. gallium- arsenic based semiconductor layer, comprises intrinsic amorphous semiconductor material that is in direct contact with the epitaxial semiconductor material.    USE - Photovoltaic device e.g. heterojunction with intrinsic thin layer (HIT) solar cell, for converting electromagnetic radiation energy from sun to electric energy.    ADVANTAGE - The device reduces phonon absorption in an emitter by 1 percentage to 10 percentages before phonons of sunlight are converted into charge carriers by replacing intrinsic amorphous hydrogenated silicon with the crystalline semiconductor layer to provide a portion of an emitter component of a solar cell.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - The epitaxial semiconductor material is a poly-crystalline or multi-crystalline structure. The epitaxial semiconductor material is silicon-containing material. A crystalline semiconductor layer is made of plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) from a mixture of silane, hydrogen and dopant gasses. The intrinsic amorphous semiconductor material of the passivation layer is intrinsic amorphous hydrogenated silicon. An INDEPENDENT CLAIM is also included for a method for forming a photovoltaic device.    DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING(S) - The drawing shows a cross-sectional view of a crystalline semiconductor layer having p-type conductivity type on an absorption layer of crystalline semiconductor material having n-type conductivity type, where a back surface field layer is placed under the absorption layer.    Back surface field layer (5)    Absorption layer (10)    Crystalline semiconductor layer (15)