Methods for improving solar cell lifetime and efficiency

A method of forming a plating resist on a solar cell, the solar cell having a front side which faces the sun during normal operation and a back side opposite the front side, and the method comprising:

• placing the solar cell on a receiving medium comprising a material having a mohs hardness in the range of 5-10 with the front side of the solar cell placed on an upper surface of the receiving medium, wherein the solar cell comprises a texturized region and a lightly doped diffusion region with a doping concentration below 1×1019 cm−3 on the front side;
• depositing the plating resist on the back side of the solar cell using a contact printing method, wherein the upper surface of the receiving medium prevents damage to the texturized region and the lightly doped diffusion region;
• removing the solar cell from the receiving medium;
• and
• photo-curing the plating resist.

A method of forming a first etch resist on a solar cell, the solar cell having a front side which faces the sun during normal operation and a back side opposite the front side, and the method comprising:

• forming a first protective layer on the front side of the solar cell, wherein the solar cell comprises a texturized region and a lightly doped diffusion region on the front side;
• placing the solar cell on a receiving medium with the front side of the solar cell placed on an upper surface of the receiving medium;
• depositing the first etch resist on the back side of the solar cell using a contact printing method, wherein the first protective layer prevents damage to the texturized region and the lightly doped diffusion on the front side of the solar cell during the printing process;
• removing the solar cell from the receiving medium;
• and
• curing the first etch resist.