Interconnect assembly

The combined solar-cell, interconnect assembly of claim 11, wherein said plurality of electrically conductive portions further comprises:

• a first portion of said plurality of electrically conductive portions configured both to collect current from said first solar cell and to interconnect electrically to said second solar cell, said first portion comprising a first end distal from said second solar cell;
• and
• a second portion of said plurality of electrically conductive portions configured both to collect current from said first solar cell and to interconnect electrically to said second solar cell, said second portion comprising a second end distal from said second solar cell;
• wherein said second portion is disposed proximately to said first portion and electrically connected to said first portion such that said first distal end is electrically connected to said second distal end such that said second portion is configured electrically in parallel to said first portion when configured to interconnect to said second solar cell.

A combined solar-cell, interconnect assembly comprising:

• a first solar cell, the first solar cell having transparent conductive oxide front electrode layer above a light-facing side of an absorber layer of said first solar cell;
• a second solar cell adjacent to the first solar cell separated by a gap;
• and
• an interconnect assembly disposed above the light-facing side of the absorber layer of said first solar cell, the interconnect assembly comprising:
• a trace disposed directly upon the transparent conductive oxide front electrode layer above the light-facing side of said first solar cell, wherein said trace is a single, physically continuous electrically conductive line disposed in a serpentine pattern, said trace further comprising:
• a plurality of electrically conductive portions, all electrically conductive portions of said plurality of electrically conductive portions configured to collect current from said first solar cell and to interconnect electrically to a said second solar cell;
• wherein said plurality of electrically conductive portions is configured such that solar-cell efficiency is substantially undiminished in an event that any one of said plurality of electrically conductive portions is conductively impaired;
• a top carrier film, wherein said top carrier film comprises a first substantially transparent, electrically insulating layer coupled to said trace and disposed above a top portion of said trace, said top carrier film further comprising a substantially transparent adhesive medium coupling said top carrier film to said trace such that the adhesive medium is directly physically contacting the trace, said adhesive medium also coupling said top carrier film to said transparent conductive oxide front electrode layer;
• and
• wherein the top carrier film exists only over the first solar cell, as viewed in a direction substantially perpendicular to the layering direction of the transparent conductive oxide front electrode layer above the light-facing side of the absorber layer of said first solar cell, but the top carrier film is not disposed over a portion of the light-facing side of the first solar cell that is closest to the second solar cell;
• wherein the gap extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the layering direction of the transparent conductive oxide front electrode layer above the absorber layer.