NOVELTY - The method involves performing n-type doping of front side of doped semiconductor substrate, for exposing a portion of the front side of the semiconductor substrate below an anti-reflective layer comprising patterned openings. The nickel plating composition is made to contact with the doped semiconductor substrate. The light is irradiated to the semiconductor substrate at initial light intensity for a fixed time, to deposit a nickel layer onto the exposed region. The initial light intensity is reduced to a predefined amount, for the remaining plating cycle.    USE - Light induced metal plating method of semiconductor substrate e.g. semiconductor wafer used in photovoltaic substrate such as solar cell (all claimed). Uses include but are not limited to silicon wafer, monocrystalline wafer, polycrystalline wafer, amorphous silicon wafer, gallium arsenide wafer, silicon germanium wafer and germanium wafer.    ADVANTAGE - The low thickness uniform nickel deposits are formed on the semiconductor substrate and adhesion strength of the deposit to the doped semiconductor substrates can be increased by using a simple technique. The patterning of smaller feature sizes on a substrate can be enabled, so that the number of features formed on the substrate can be increased, by reducing the feature sizes on the substrate. By reducing the width of current tracks on a front surface of a photovoltaic device, the number of the current tracks can be increased, so that the current tracks are situated closely together, for improving the working efficiency of the solar cell. The generation of voids in the nickel deposit can be prevented, by providing complete nickel coverage of the doped semiconductor substrate, to promote uniform nickel silicide formation and to ensure adhesion of subsequent metal layers that are plated over the sintered nickel deposit. The adhesion strength between the sintered nickel deposit and additional metal layers deposited on the nickel silicide can be improved.