An engineered substrate comprising: a seed layer made of a first semiconductor material for growth of a solar cell; a first bonding layer on the seed layer; a support substrate made of a second semiconductor material; a second bonding layer on a first side of the support substrate; a bonding interface between the first and second bonding layers; the first and second bonding layers each made of metallic material; wherein doping concentration and thickness of the engineered substrate, in particular, of the seed layer, the support substrate, and both the first and second bonding layers, are selected such that the absorption of the seed layer is less than 20%, preferably less than 10%, as well as total area-normalized series resistance of the engineered substrate is less than 10 mOhm·cm2, preferably less than 5 mOhm·cm2.