In the present study, the black silicon has been successfully produced by plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII). The microstructure and the reflectance of the black silicon have been investigated by field emission scanning electron microscope and spectrophotometer, respectively. Results show that the black silicon exhibits a needle-like structure with the average reflectance of 1.79%. The solar cell based on black silicon yields an efficiency of 15.68% with a fill factor (FF) of 0.783. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.