A novel surface passivation method for silicon carrier lifetime measurements and solar cells using a polymer film is introduced. It is easy to apply, no special pre-treatment, e.g. no hydrofluoric acid (HF)-treatment, is necessary. The surfaces to be passivated are covered with the polymer solution, dried at 90 degreesC and encapsulated. Surface recombination velocities (S) as low as S = 30 cm/s for various doping concentrations have been observed, nearly independent of the bulk injection level. The passivation is stable for at least 6h. For a polymer-passivated rear contact solar cell the same open circuit voltage is;achieved as for a cell with thermally grown oxide. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.