Embodiments of processing a substrate are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method of processing a substrate includes: depositing, via a first epitaxial growth process, an n-doped silicon material onto a substrate to form an n-doped layer while adjusting a ratio of dopant precursor to silicon precursor so that a dopant concentration of the n-doped layer increases from a bottom of the n-doped layer to a top of the n-doped layer; etching the n-doped layer to form a plurality of trenches having sidewalls that are tapered and a plurality of n-doped pillars therebetween; and filling the plurality of trenches with a p-doped material via a second epitaxial growth process to form a plurality of p-doped pillars.