NOVELTY - Apparatus for forming a metal layer on a substrate comprises a masking plate (410) having a body, a first surface, and a second surface, where masking plate has apertures (413) that extend through the body between the first surface and the second surface; an electrical contact (412) formed on the first surface of the masking plate and in communication with a power supply (450); a thrust plate (414) for urging a metallized surface of a substrate against the electrical contact and the first surface of masking plate; and an electrode (420) that is in electrical communication with power supply.    USE - The apparatus is used for forming a metal layer on a substrate i.e. solar cell substrate (claimed) useful for forming solar cell device. It is used as electroplating apparatus for forming a metal contact structure (e.g. pin-up module or multilayer buried contact structure) on solar cell device. The solar cell substrate includes substrates composed of single crystal silicon, multicrystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon, germanium (Ge), gallium arsenide (GaAs), cadmium telluride, cadmium sulfide, copper indium gallium selenide, copper indium selenide (CuInSe2), gallium indium phosphide (GaInP2), and heterojunction cells, such as GaInP/GaAs/Ge or zinc selenide/GaAs/Ge substrates.    ADVANTAGE - Low cost solar cell is realized using the high speed electroplating apparatus, which avoids the need to perform high temperature screen printing process(es) to form conductive features on the surface of solar cell substrate. The apparatus forms a low cost and reliable interconnecting layer using an electrochemical plating process containing a common metal, such as copper, to realize solar cell device that has low resistance connection that is reliable and cost effective.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - Apparatus for forming a metal layer on a substrate comprises a masking plate (410) having a body, a first surface, and a second surface, where masking plate has apertures (413) that extend through the body between the first surface and the second surface; an electrical contact (412) formed on the first surface of the masking plate and in communication with a power supply (450); a thrust plate (414) for urging a metallized surface of a substrate against the electrical contact and the first surface of the masking plate; and an electrode (420) that is in electrical communication with the power supply, where power supply is configured to electrically bias the electrode relative to the electrical contact.    DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING(S) - The drawing is a side cross-sectional view of electrochemical processing chamber.    Masking plate (410)    Electrical contact (412)    Apertures (413)    Thrust plate (414)    Electrode (420)    Power supply (450)