A microridge-like structure was prepared on the surface of a c-Si substrate with Au hard-masks by reactive ion etching and their application to photovoltaic devices. Compared to the planar and nanoporous-like structures, the microridge-like Si substrate had the lowest reflectance especially in the ultraviolet and visible light range (360-610 nm). It was also found that short-circuit photocurrent density, open circuit voltage, fill factor, and conversion efficiency of microridge-like Si solar cells were 27.4 mA cm(-2), 0.53 V, 63.4%, and 9.17%, respectively. Furthermore, compared with the planar and nanoporous-like Si solar cells, it can be clearly seen that the photovoltaic conversion efficiency was improved around 28 and 20%, respectively. (c) 2010 The Electrochemical Society. [DOI: 10.1149/1.3509160] All rights reserved.