A method of producing a photovoltaic element is provided which comprises the
steps
of immersing in an electrolytic solution a photovoltaic element including a back
surface reflecting layer, a semiconductor layer and a transparent electrode layer
successively stacked on a substrate, applying a forward voltage to the photovoltaic
element to effect an electrolytic treatment to reduce the transparent electrode
layer in a short-circuit portion of the photovoltaic element, thereby selectively
removing a short-circuit current path in the photovoltaic element due to a defect,
wherein a voltage gradient when the forward voltage applied to the photovoltaic
element is lowered to 0 V or a such forward voltage as to effect no reduction reaction
of the transparent electrode layer is controlled to be -15 V/s to -0.1 V/s, whereby
a shunt portion is selectively removed with reliability without increasing a shunt path.
