How to make a solar cell using diodes

So the other day while i was studying about solar cells, i realized that a photovoltiac solar cell is very similar to a standard silicon diode, they are both p-n junctions, the only difference  being that a solar cell has a higher surface area. So i decided to use an 1N4148 standard small signal rectifier with an exposed die. I connected it to a Multimeter to check the voltage coming out of the diode. To my surprise, it worked! After concentrating the light to the diode with a magnifying glass, i was a able to get a usable voltage from the diode

Although i doubt that this would be more efficient than a standard photovoltiac cell, i believe that this might be useful in low cost applications

Please feel free to give any suggestions and improvements in the comments

Thank for watching!

EDIT: I got featured on Hackaday.com!