Photovoltaic cells, including silicon solar cells, and methods and compositions for making such photovoltaic cells are provided. A silicon substrate having an n-type silicon layer is provided with a silicon nitride layer, a reactive metal in contact with said silicon nitride layer, and a non-reactive metal in contact with the reactive metal. This assembly is fired to form a low Schottky barrier height contact comprised of metal nitride, and optionally metal silicide, on the silicon substrate, and a conductive metal electrode in contact with said low Schottky barrier height contact. The reactive metal may be titanium, zirconium, hafnium, vanadium, niobium, and tantalum, and combinations thereof, and the non-reactive metal may be silver, tin, bismuth, lead, antimony, arsenic, indium, zinc, germanium, nickel, phosphorus, gold, cadmium, berrylium, and combinations thereof.