Method of fabrication of thin semiconductor device

A method of fabricating solar cells comprising the steps of:

• providing a wafer;
• forming a photovoltaic layer on a front surface of the wafer;
• depositing front contact metallization on a portion of the photovoltaic layer;
• depositing an anti-reflection coating layer on a portion of the photovoltaic layer;
• depositing rear contact metallization on a rear surface of the wafer;
• sintering the front and rear contact metallization;
• disposing a mask adjacent the rear of the wafer;
• microblasting the wafer through the mask in a controlled manner to thin predetermined areas of the wafer to provide thick areas at the perimeter of the wafer, thick areas in regions of the wafer opposite the front contact metallization, and wherein the thick areas have a repeating structural pattern corresponding to the mask and comprise interconnected beams that support the thin wafer;
• and
• cutting individual solar cells from the wafer.

A method of fabricating a semiconductor device comprising the steps of:

• providing a substrate;
• forming a predetermined number of semiconductor layers on a front surface of the substrate;
• depositing front contact metallization on a selected semiconductor layer;
• depositing rear contact metallization on a surface of the substrate;
• sintering the front and rear contact metallization;
• disposing a mask adjacent the rear of the substrate;
• and
• controllably microblasting of the substrate through the mask to thin predetermined areas of the substrate to provide thick areas at the perimeter of the substrate, thick areas in regions of the substrate opposite the front contact metallization, and wherein the thick areas have a repeating structural pattern corresponding to the mask and comprise interconnected beams that support the thin substrate.