A improved, lower cost method of producing solar cells utilizing selective emitter design is disclosed. The contact regions are created on the substrate without the use of lithography or masks. The method utilizes ion implantation technology, and the relatively low accuracy requirements of the contact regions to reduce the process steps needed to produce a solar cell. In some embodiments, the current of the ion beam is selectively modified to create the highly doped contact regions. In other embodiments, the ion beam is focused, either through the use of an aperture or via adjustments to the beam line components to create the necessary doping profile. In still other embodiments, the wafer scan rate is modified to create the desired ion implantation pattern.