A large surface area photovoltaic device having high conversion efficiency and excellent
mass productivity is provided. A photovoltaic device 100 having a photovoltaic layer 3 comprising a
crystalline silicon layer formed on a substrate 1, wherein the
crystalline silicon layer has a
crystalline silicon i-layer 42, and the crystalline
silicon i-layer 42 has a substrate in-plane distribution represented by an average value for the Raman peak ratio, which represents the ratio of the Raman
peak intensity for the crystalline
silicon phase relative to the Raman
peak intensity for the
amorphous silicon phase, that is not less than 4 and not more than 8, a standard deviation for the Raman peak ratio that is not less than 1 and not more than 3, and a proportion of regions in which the Raman peak ratio is not more than 4 of not less than 0% and not more than 15%. Also, a photovoltaic device 100 in which the size of the surface of the substrate 1 on which the photovoltaic layer 3 is formed is at least 1 m square, and in which the crystalline
silicon i-layer 42 has a substrate in-plane distribution represented by an average value for the Raman peak ratio that is not less than 5 and not more than 8, a standard deviation for the Raman peak ratio that is not less than 1 and not more than 3, and a proportion of regions in which the Raman peak ratio is not more than 4 of not less than 0% and not more than 10%.