NOVELTY - The method involves performing a gettering process in a processing chamber, which restricts formation of a layer of gettering materials on a glass substrate (12) by closing a shutter between a gettering material source and the substrate. A solder layer is formed on the substrate. The solder layer is annealed to form uniformly distributed solder dots, which grow on the substrate. The substrate is etched using the solder dots to protect portions of the substrate and to form pillars/cones (24) in the substrate such that the cones provide a three-dimensional structure for the photovoltaic device.    USE - Method for fabricating a photovoltaic device for a solar cell device for toys and computer products. Can also be used for an integrated circuit chip device and a light sensitive device.    ADVANTAGE - The method enables providing the substrate with solder or nanodot patterns that can be self-assembled relying on surface tension to form dots during an anneal process such that the substrate assists in evenly spacing later-formed solder dots and provides more size uniformity, so that the spacings and sizes of the dots can be controlled to optimize manufacture and performance of the device using cone-shaped pillars formed by etching with uniformly distributed solder dots, while improving uniformly distributed self-assembled solder dot formation for high efficiency solar cells. The method enables etching the substrate using the solder dots to protect portions of the substrate to form the cones in the substrate such that the cones provide a three-dimensional structure to enhance radiation absorbing effects for the photovoltaic device, while minimizing reflection for high-efficiency silicon solar cells such that the three-dimensional structures can be formed by etching cone-shaped pillars, which form an absorbing surface, and providing improved absorption of incident radiation for the device in a cost-effective manner.    DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING(S) - The drawing shows a cross-sectional view of a substrate with an electrode layer formed on pillars/cones.    Substrate (12)    Pillars/cones (24)    Electrode layer (32)