Patent ID: 8877545

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a solar cell, comprising: preparing a semiconductor substrate having first and second main surfaces and having a first semiconductor layer formed on the first main surface, the first semiconductor layer having one of p-type conductivity and n-type conductivity; forming an insulating layer so as to cover a portion of the first semiconductor layer; removing a portion of the first semiconductor layer, which is not covered with the insulating layer, by etching with an etchant, and thereby exposing a potion of the first main surface of the semiconductor substrate; cleaning the exposed portion of the first main surface of the semiconductor substrate using a cleaning liquid containing hydrofluoric acid; forming a second semiconductor layer on the exposed portion of the first main surface of the semiconductor substrate, the second semiconductor layer having the other conductivity of the p-type conductivity and n-type conductivity; and forming electrodes on the first and second semiconductor layers, respectively, wherein the insulating layer is formed such that an etching rate by the etchant to etch the first semiconductor layer is higher than an etching rate by the etchant to etch a first surface layer of the insulating layer, the first surface layer being on the side opposite to the first semiconductor layer, and that an etching rate by the cleaning liquid to etch a second surface layer of the insulating layer, the second surface layer being on the first semiconductor layer side, is lower than an etching rate by the cleaning liquid to etch the first surface layer of the insulating layer.