The concept for a solar cell with extremely thin absorber (eta-cell) comprises a porous TiO2 substrate covered by a CdTe film with a local thickness of 150-250 nm. At the present stage of development this type of cell exhibits a photovoltage between 600 and 700 mV and a photocurrent of 5-9 mA/cm(2) under AM1.5 illumination, indicating the feasibility of the concept. The fill factor is, however. only in the range of 20%, due to a strong voltage-dependence of the photocurrent. This paper discusses the influence of the front and back contacts on the limited cell performance and shows that the insertion of a buffer layer at the front contact gives an improved fill-factor.