Thin film solar cell and method for manufacturing same

Abstract

A thin-film solar cell includes a substrate, a back surface electrode layer, a light-absorbing layer, and a transparent electrode layer, layered on the substrate, in this order. The layers are divided into multiple unit cells by a scribed groove, and the cells serially connected. At an inside of an end side of the solar cell perpendicular to the scribed groove, a groove is formed perpendicular to the scribed groove and has the back surface electrode is removed therefrom. The thin-film solar cell is produced by emitting a laser beam on the solar cell element of an end part of a side perpendicular to the scribed groove so as to form a new end surface by removing the back surface electrode layer, the light-absorbing layer and the transparent electrode layer, and mechanically forming the perpendicular groove perpendicular to the scribed groove, at inside of the new end surface.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.