Patent ID: 8586862

Claim:
A method of producing a photovoltaic cell, the method comprising: a) doping a first surface of a semiconductive substrate with an n-dopant so as to form a first n + layer in said substrate; b) doping a second surface of said substrate with a p-dopant so as to form a p + layer in said substrate; c) removing a portion of said first n + layer from said first surface of said substrate, said removing comprising texturing said first surface so as to generate peaks and troughs in said first surface, wherein a concentration of said n-dopant remaining in said first surface following texturing is greater in said peaks than in said troughs, such that a concentration of said n-dopant remaining in said first surface of said substrate is variable throughout said first surface; d) doping said first surface of said substrate with an n-dopant so as to form a second n + layer comprising peaks and troughs, such that a concentration of said n-dopant in said second n + layer is variable throughout said first surface, said concentration of n-dopant being characterized by the presence of randomly distributed local maxima and local minima, said local maxima being located in said peaks and said local minima being located in said troughs, a concentration of said n-dopant in said local maxima in said peaks of said first surface being at least twice a concentration of said n-dopant in said local minima in said troughs of said first surface; and e) forming electrical contacts on each of said first surface and said second surface, thereby producing said photovoltaic cell.