Silicon wafers having passivated contacts

A method comprising:

• irradiating a wafer with a light, wherein:
• the wafer comprises:
• a silicon core comprising a textured surface;
• a dielectric layer comprising a first thickness;
• and
• a silicon layer comprising a second thickness, wherein;
• the dielectric layer is positioned between the silicon core and the silicon layer;
• the textured surface comprises a plurality of features where each feature is characterized by a first point and a second point separated by a distance, H, and the silicon layer maintains the textured shape of the textured silicon core;
• and
• the irradiating creates a solid channel having a first diameter at the first point of at least a portion of the features.