NOVELTY - Photovoltaic device (d1) (100) comprises a contact area including a doped emitter layer having a first conductivity on a substrate (104) having a second conductivity, a patterned layer formed on the emitter layer, where the patterned layer includes openings that expose areas of the emitter layer, an epitaxial layer (102) having a crystalline phase grown in contact with an upper surface of the emitter portion, a diffusion region having a first conductivity extending from the epitaxial layer into the emitter layer, and conductive contacts formed on the epitaxial layer in the openings.    USE - The photovoltaic device is useful in solar cells or panels to provide power to electronic devices, homes, buildings and vehicles.    ADVANTAGE - The photovoltaic device includes highly doped thin epitaxial layers which repel minority carriers from contact areas at front and back ends of the device.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - Photovoltaic device (d1) (100) comprises a contact area including a doped emitter layer having a first conductivity on a substrate (104) having a second conductivity, a patterned layer formed on the doped emitter layer, where the patterned layer includes openings that expose areas of the doped emitter layer, an epitaxial layer (102) having a crystalline phase grown in contact with an upper surface of the doped emitter portion, where the epitaxial layer has a same conductivity type as the doped emitter layer with a greater doping concentration than the doped emitter layer, a diffusion region having a first conductivity extending from the epitaxial layer into the doped emitter layer, where a dopant concentration that provides the first conductivity in the diffusion region has a greater dopant concentration than other portions of the doped emitter layer, and conductive contacts formed on the epitaxial layer in the openings. An INDEPENDENT CLAIM is also included for a photovoltaic device (d2) comprising a first emitter formed on a monocrystalline substrate, a patterned layer formed on the first emitter, where the patterned layer includes openings that expose areas of the first emitter, an epitaxial layer formed in the openings of the patterned layer so that a crystalline phase grows in contact with the first emitter and forms a second emitter (110), at least one passivation layer on the epitaxial layer having a composition comprising amorphous hydrogenated silicon, nanocrystalline hydrogenated silicon, and/or microcrystalline hydrogenated silicon, and metal fingers (112) formed on the epitaxial layer in the openings to form a contact area.    DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING(S) - The figure shows a cross-sectional view of the photovoltaic device having the epitaxial layer formed between the emitter layer and conductive contacts (e.g. metal fingers).    Photovoltaic device (100)    Epitaxial layer (102)    Substrate (104)    Second emitter (110)    Metal fingers (112)