A relatively simple technology (without photolithography) based on dif
fusion welding and ion-plasma deposition of an insulating coating has
been developed for fabricating multijunction silicon solar cells with
vertical p-n junctions. The effective collection factor for such struc
tures is independent of the wavelength of the incident light in the wa
velength range lambda = 340-1080 nm. (C) 1997 American Institute of Ph
ysics.