Method for manufacture of a solar cell

A method for manufacturing a solar cell comprising a semiconductor substrate in which charge carriers can be generated by incident radiation energy and electrically conducting contacts for conducting said charge carriers, comprising the steps of:

• forming a plurality of elevated areas on at least one surface of a said semiconductor substrate;
• substantially completely covering said at least one semiconductor substrate surface with a passivation layer;
• at least partially removing said passivation layer present on said elevated areas;
• and
• forming said electrically conducting contacts indirectly or directly at least on the portions of the elevated areas thus exposed and on portions of said passivation layer located on flanks extending from the elevated areas;
• wherein
• said elevated areas are formed without masking by mechanical removal and/or etching of said semiconductor material and
• at least said passivation layer is removed from said elevated areas whereby plateau-like areas are formed, from whose free upper surface the flanks extend and in which semiconductor material is exposed.