Abstract: Proposed is a low-cost method for the preparation of a wire-formed crystal of silicon having a diameter of 1 mm or smaller, in which a vertically held starting rod of silicon is melted at one end portion by high-frequency induction heating, a seed crystal is brought into contact with the molten portion and then the seed crystal and the starting silicon rod are pulled apart in the vertical direction at a controlled velocity with a controlled high-frequency power input so that the melt of silicon drawn by the seed crystal is solidified and crystallized into the form of a wire.

Abstract: A novel structure of a silicon solar cell is disclosed, which can be prepared at an outstandingly low cost but can still exhibit good efficiency for the conversion of solar energy to electricity. The silicon solar cell comprises, as an integral body:(a) an electrically insulating substrate plate of, e.g., glass or a ceramic;(b1) a first group of metal contact lines formed in parallel with each other on the substrate surface to jointly serve as an electrode; (b2) a second group of metal contact lines formed in parallel with each other on the substrate surface to jointly serve as a counterelectrode, each of the metal contact lines of the second group being disposed between two metal contact lines of the first group, maintaining electric insulation therebetween; and(c) a plural number of wires of silicon semiconductor, each of which perpendicularly crosses each of the metal contact lines of the first and second groups in direct contact therewith.