Patent ID: 8586403

Claim:
A process of fabricating a solar cell, the process comprising: removing a non-uniform film that covers a backside surface of a plurality of P-type and N-type diffusion regions to expose the backside surface of the plurality of P-type and N-type diffusion regions; after removing the non-uniform film, forming a dielectric stack comprising a plurality of dielectric layers on the backside surface of the plurality of P-type and N-type diffusion regions; using a laser to form a plurality of contact holes through the dielectric stack, each contact hole in the plurality of contact holes exposing a surface of a corresponding P-type or N-type diffusion region in the plurality of P-type and N-type diffusion regions; and forming a metal contact in each of the plurality of contact holes to form an electrical connection to an exposed surface of each of the plurality of P-type and N-type diffusion regions.