A new process for all silicon nitride passivated silicon solar cells with screen printed contacts is analysed in detail. Since the contacts are fired through the silicon nitride layers on both sides, the process is easy to adapt to industrial production. The potential and limits of the presented bifacial design are simulated and discussed. The effectiveness of the presented process depends strongly on the base doping of the substrate, but only the open circuit voltage is affected. The current is mainly determined by the rear surface passivation properties. Thus, using a low resistivity (<1.5 Omega cm) base material higher efficiencies compared to an aluminium back surface field can be achieved. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.