NOVELTY - The photovoltaic device (300) has a hydrogenated amorphous silicon and deuterium containing material comprising greater than 90 atomic percentage of silicon, greater than 5 atomic percentage of hydrogen and greater than 0.00 1 atomic percentage of deuterium. The deuterium bonds with dangling silicon bonds increases stability of the hydrogenated amorphous silicon and deuterium containing material in comparison to a hydrogenated amorphous silicon layer that does not contain deuterium. The hydrogenated amorphous silicon and deuterium contains material e.g., germanium and carbon.    USE - Photovoltaic device, e.g., p-i-n solar cells.    ADVANTAGE - The excess amount of deuterium incorporated in hydrogenated amorphous silicon by deuterium gas anneal at 350 degrees centigrade is prevented from contributing to the thermal equilibration of weak bonds and dangling bonds in hydrogenated amorphous silicon since the effective lifetime of the samples treated with deuterium gas anneal at 200 degrees centigrade and 350 degree centigrade are equal at thermal equilibrium after relaxation. Exhibits stable hydrogenated amorphous silicon passivation since the degradation of minority carrier lifetime in the n-type crystalline silicon wafer under illumination is lower for the deuterium gas annealed samples than the forming gas anneal samples. The stability of the material for the rear surface field layer is increased and the Staebler-Wronski effect is reduced due to the presence of deuterium in the hydrogenated amorphous silicon and deuterium. The adhesion between the substrate and the transparent conductive material layer is increased due to the oxide or nitride containing passivation layer.    DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING(S) - The drawing shows a side cross-sectional view of the photovoltaic device including a heterojunction solar cell with single crystalline silicon absorption layers, and an emitter structure or passivation layer composed of a hydrogenated amorphous silicon and deuterium containing material.    Photovoltaic device (300)    Passivation layer (305)    Single crystalline silicon absorption layer (310)    Localized rear surface field regions (315)    Dielectric layer (325)