Patent ID: 8722142

Claim:
A method of metalizing a photovoltaic solar cell to deposit a layer of metal thereon, said photovoltaic solar cell having a front side and a backside and said front side having a pattern comprising metal thereon, the method comprising the steps of: a) contacting the photovoltaic solar cell with an electroless plating composition comprising: i) a source of soluble silver ions; and ii) a complexing agent for silver ions selected from the group consisting of cyanide, succinimide or substituted succinimide, hydantoin or substituted hydantoin, uracil, thiosulfate, amines and combinations of one or more of the foregoing; iii) a reducing agent selected from the group consisting of formaldehyde, glucose, dextrose, glyoxal, sugar inverted by nitric acid, hydrazine or hydrazine sulfate, aldonic acids, aldonic lactones, Rochelle's salts, cobalt ions, sulfide salts, sulfite salts, thiosulfate salts, hypophosphite salts, borohydride salts, alkylamine borane, hydrazineborane, cyanoborohydride salts and combinations of one or more of the foregoing; and thereafter b) illuminating the photovoltaic solar cell with radiant energy from a light source, wherein the frontside and backside of the solar cell become oppositely charged and metal ions from the electroless plating solution are plated onto the metallic pattern on the frontside of the solar cell, and wherein the solar cell is not electrically connected to an external power source during the plating.