Photovoltaic device and a method of manufacturing thereof

A method for fabricating a plurality of photoelectric conversion cells in a photovoltaic device including a substrate with an insulating surface, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) forming a plurality of spaced apart first electrodes corresponding to a plurality of photoelectric conversion cells on said insulating surface of said substrate,
• (b) forming an elongated electrical conductor near an edge of each one of said first electrodes adjacent the space between each adjacent pair of said first electrodes,
• (c) forming at least one elongated insulator proximate a respective said conductor,
• (d) forming a continuous semiconductor photo-active layer on said substrate so as to cover said plurality of first electrodes,
• (e) forming a continuous second electrode on said semiconductor photo-active layer,
• (f) separating said semiconductor photo-active layer and said second electrode into portions corresponding to each photoelectric conversion cell by irradiating an energy beam onto said insulator from above each said second electrode, and
• (g) connecting the second electrode of each photoelectric conversion cell to the first electrode of an adjacent photoelectric conversion cell through said conductor by irradiating an energy beam onto each said conductor from above each said second electrode.

In a photovoltaic device of the type including a plurality of photoelectric conversion cells formed on a substrate having an insulating surface:

• a plurality of spaced-apart first electrodes formed on said insulating surface of said substrate at locations corresponding to separate photoelectric conversion cells;
• an elongated electrical conductor formed in contact with each said first electrode and near an edge thereof adjacent the space between two adjacent said first electrodes;
• at least one elongated insulator each formed so as to be proximate a respective one of said conductors;
• and
• a semiconductor photo-active layer formed on said substrate so as to cover said first electrodes and said conductors.

In a method for manufacturing a photovoltaic device on a substrate having an insulating surface, the steps of:

• forming a plurality of spaced-apart first electrodes corresponding to a plurality of photoelectric conversion cells on said insulating surface of said substrate;
• forming an elongated electrical conductor near an edge of each one of said first electrodes adjacent the space between two adjacent said first electrodes;
• forming at least one elongated insulator proximate a respective said conductor;
• and
• forming a continuous semiconductor photo-active layer on said substrate so as to cover said plurality of first electrodes.