Patent ID: 8883539

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a solar cell, comprising: (a) providing a semiconductor substrate comprising (i) a front side ( 10 ) (ii) a rear side ( 20 ), and (iii) a base layer ( 12 ) at the rear side ( 20 ); (b) forming an emitter layer ( 11 ) on the front side ( 10 ) of the semiconductor substrate, (c) forming at least one electrical conducting path from the front side ( 10 ) to a corresponding collecting point ( 14 ′) at the rear side ( 20 ), which electrical conducting path is in the form of a conductive material in the path which material comprises a conductive compound and an oxide-containing compound or silicate, and (d) forming an insulating layer ( 40 ) at the outside of the electrical conducting path to provide insulation between the electrical conducting path and the base layer ( 12 ), wherein forming the insulating layer ( 40 ) comprises performing (i) an annealing process on the electrical conducting path, and (ii) during or after the annealing, an oxidation of the conductive material forming an oxide layer on the conductive material.