Photovoltaic cell having increased active area and method for producing same

An improved large area, flexible photovoltaic device, said device comprised of a plurality of electrically interconnected smaller area photovoltaic cells, each of said smaller cells including:

• a flexible substrate member having at least one electrically conductive base electrode region thereupon, a semiconductor body disposed upon said substrate in electrical communication with said base electrode region, and at least one relatively transparent top electrode member disposed upon the semiconductor body, said base electrode region, said semiconductor body and said top electrode member cooperating to provide at least one photovoltaic region in each of said smaller area cells for absorbing incident light and generating electrical current in response thereto;
• said smaller area cells including a discrete, elongated electrically conductive bus bar disposed proximate substantially the entire length of a first edge thereof, in electrical communication with said top electrode member, for conveying said electrical current to at least one collection point proximate at least a second edge thereof;
• said smaller area cells disposed in overlapping relationship so that the bus bar of at least one of said cells is disposed beneath the substrate of an adjacent cell;
• said device further including means for electrically interconnecting the bus bar of one cell with one of the electrodes of the adjacent cell at said at least one collection point only, whereby said cells are electrically interconnected, the surface of the large area photovoltaic device available for the generation of electrical current is maximized and flexibility of the device in the direction transverse to said elongated, electrically conductive bus bars is retained.