TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Process: The silicon wafer is pre-treated prior to the deposition of the backside passivation layers. The pretreating process takes place by plasma etching and/or wet-chemical etching. The plasma etching takes place by contacting the silicon wafer with fluorine and/or chlorine-containing gases consisting of hydrochloric acid, silicon tetrachloride, chlorine, carbon tetrafluoride, sulfur hexafluoride, nitrogen trifluoride and/or trifluoromethane. For the chemical vapor deposition process of the silicon nitride layer, gases consisting of silane, nitrogen, hydrogen and/or ammonia are used. For the chemical vapor deposition process of the silicon oxide layer, gases consisting of silane, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, tetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane and/or tetraethoxysilane are used. As chemical vapor deposition process, a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition process is used. As physical vapor deposition process, a sputtering process is used. The backside passivation is carried out immediately after the manufacture and/or pre-treatment of the silicon wafer. The FE and/or BS-contacts are produced either by selective coating with a metallization paste, preferably an aluminum paste and by a subsequent temperature treatment step at a temperature above the melting point of the metallic paste, or by applying a metal in the form of a paste or film, preferably aluminum, or by evaporation, preferably chemical or physical vapor deposition processes and by a subsequent melting of the metal with a laser beam. Preferred Components: The FE surface layer and the BS layer are n- or p-doped. The silicon oxide layer that is applied on the p-doped layer, superimposed silicon nitride layer, and additional superimposed silicon oxide layer are arranged alternately. The outermost final layer of the backside passivation layer is a silicon oxide layer. At least one of the silicon oxide layers is composed of amorphous silicon oxide. At least one silicon nitride layer is composed of amorphous silicon nitride. The layer thickness of the silicon oxide layer and silicon nitride layer is 20-100 nm, preferably 50-150 nm. The n-doped surface layer is provided with at least an anti-reflective coating containing oxides, nitrides and/or carbides of the elements silicon, titanium, aluminum and/or tantalum. The BS contacts are contacted through the backside passivation layer. The FE contacts are silver contacts. The BS contacts are aluminum contacts. The BS contacts and/or FE contacts are point contacts. The n- and p-doped layer of the silicon-based solar cell exhibits a thickness from 0.01-3000 mu m, preferably 50-500 mu m. The semi-conducting silicon layers are doped with elements of boron, aluminum, gallium, indium, phosphorus, arsenic and/or antimony. The deposition rates for the silicon oxide layer are 5-4000, preferably 90-110 nm/min. The deposition rates for the silicon nitride layer are 2-500, preferably 60-90 nm/min.