NOVELTY - Production of laser-fired contact-passivated emitter and rear contact (LFC-PERC) silicon solar cell involves providing a silicon wafer having an ARC layer on its front-side and non-perforated dielectric passivation layer on its back-side, applying and drying an aluminum paste on the non-perforated dielectric passivation layer on back-side of silicon wafer, firing dried aluminum paste, where wafer reaches peak temperature of 700-900 degrees C, and laser firing fired aluminum layer and dielectric passivation layer underneath fired aluminum layer to produce perforations in the passivation layer.    USE - For production of laser-fired contact-passivated emitter and rear contact silicon solar cell (claimed).    ADVANTAGE - The use of the aluminum paste in the process allows for the production of laser-fired contact-passivated emitter and rear contact silicon solar cells with no or a substantially reduced number of surface defects such as balls, beads and spikes on the fired aluminum surface compared to LFC-PERC silicon solar cells made with an aluminum paste not including 0.01-0.05 wt.% of at least one antimony oxide.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - Production of laser-fired contact-passivated emitter and rear contact (LFC-PERC) silicon solar cell involves providing a silicon wafer having an ARC layer on its front-side and a non-perforated dielectric passivation layer on its back-side, applying and drying an aluminum paste on the non-perforated dielectric passivation layer on the back-side of the silicon wafer, firing the dried aluminum paste, where the wafer reaches a peak temperature of 700-900 degrees C, and laser firing the fired aluminum layer and the dielectric passivation layer underneath the fired aluminum layer to produce perforations in the passivation layer and to form local BSF contacts, where the aluminum paste has no or only poor fire-through capability and includes particulate aluminum, glass frit, an organic vehicle and 0.01-0.05 wt.% of at least one antimony oxide, based on total aluminum paste composition, where the antimony oxide is present in the aluminum paste as separate particulate constituent(s) and/or as glass frit constituent(s).