An inkjet printing method for the direct patterned etching of silicon dioxide is described. The method uses an inkjet device to deposit a pattern of a solution containing an inactive etching component onto a water soluble surface layer formed over the silicon dioxide. The inactive component reacts with the surface layer, where it contacts, to form an active etchant which etches the silicon dioxide under the surface layer to form a pattern of openings. The method has been successfully used to etch a frontcontact finger and busbar pattern in a silicon dioxide antireflection layer of a silicon solar cell.